FPS Assignment Call of Duty 4 Name of Game: Call of Duty 4 2007 Platform: PC Description of Game: This is a first person combat shooter and is designed to put the player into a combat environment. The FPP, the game sound effects, and level design is all designed to enhance the player s experience with a fast-paced and very chaotic combat environment. The game consists of a set of missions and, within each mission, some goals. These goals can be failed and must be redone in order to complete the general mission. Each mission ties into a larger story of terrorism and a stolen atomic weapon. While the overall mission is communicated in voice-overs the level mission goals are typically communicated by a voice-command. Game Immersion: Call of Duty 4 (COD4) is a first person combat shooter. The player is put in the middle of various fire-fights and charged with completing goals. The first person perspective is used along with sound and effects to immerse the player in the game. Since this is a combat game the battles seem very chaotic in terms of sounds and images. You hear gunshots, planes, explosions, other people yelling and shooting, etc. The environment is very well designed to bring the player into a fast-paced combat environment. [graphics battle scene] Character Definition: The player character is named in each segment, but the character does not have much definition. The player is given a different character in different levels of the game and the only identification is the intro screen identifying the character. The player is given orders during gameplay by a commander s voice and they need to remember the name of the character you are playing in order to follow the orders during battle.
Player identification with the character is very basic and relies primarily on the character name and the affiliation. Focus the Players Attention: COD4 relies on the player to understand their mission and follow directions verbally given by the commander and other NPCs. The NPCs you are playing with will wait for your character to either catch up or lead (based on the situation). There is also a small directional marker so the player knows which direction they must head and how far away the mission objective is. If a particular weapon is needed for a mission it will be highlighted. Given the highly chaotic environment the game relies on the player understanding the mission and following their squad NPCs. Other than the HUD directional icon there are no other hints.
Interaction with NPCs: The NPCs are either the enemy or your squad. Your interaction with NPCs consists of either following or leading a squad, listening to commands, and having the NPCs wait for your character to either catch up or lead. There is no dialog between the player and the NPCs. During battle the NPCs in your squad either lead your character in the direction of the next mission or you will lead the NPCs. The latter is typically done in a strategic situation to, for example, clear a room. The NPCs will follow your lead into battle and the enemies will adjust.
How does the Game Play combat and stealth: Most COD games are designed for much quicker combat than other FPS games. While there are some strategic decisions the player can make during combat, because of the level design and the enemies AI the game forces the player to use an aggressive playstyle. The player can use cover and, once their health starts dropping, must use cover to recover their health. The game provides a variety of weapons (typically dropped by enemies) which can change playstyle based on the situation. For example, one of the missions in an early level is to capture a radio station and shut down a broadcast. In order to do this the player and the player s squad must cross a large room with a number of enemies. As the player works his/her way to the room the game keeps offering a shotgun to be exchanged for the automatic rifle the player is carrying. This is the game s hint that the best way through the next level is using a fast assault with a shotgun and not trying to precise shoot from cover. If the player hangs back in this equipment room and tries to snipe with enemies they start throwing grenades into the room. The better strategy (as suggested by the shotgun) is rushing into the room and quickly shooting enemies. This COD game has little stealth options and normally short-ranged combat. Enemies and the Player: Game Enemies will behave in a fairly intelligent manner. They will shoot from cover and try to flank the player and his/her squad. If the player dies the game respawns back to a save and the enemies will behave in the same manner. This allows the player to replay a section and anticipate the enemies.
Game Levels: This game consists of a series of levels or scenarios where the player is playing a different character. In each level there is a primary and some secondary missions. Most of these mission involve killing enemy soldiers, destroying tanks, defending tanks, etc. Each level is fairly linear and takes place either in-doors or out-doors. In the outdoor levels environmental features (a car blocking the alley, barbed-wire blocking a road) control which way the player can go. While this is not an open world game the game world does allow some restricted movement within a level. The player must complete the missions within the level (and survive) in order for the level to be completed. Different levels allow the player to use different kinds of weapons (sniper rifle, anti-tank rockets, etc). This breaks up the combat and allows the player to try different styles of combat. Weapons: The game weapons are primarily ranged such as rifles and shotguns. The player is given weapons at the start of the level and then gets new weapons at the start of the next level. Some of the weapons are repeated from level and are introduced and taught to the player within the level. Weapons can be picked up during combat so the player has options in gameplay. These include rocket launchers, shotguns, and various kinds of automatic weapons. The weapons automatically reload during combat (in order to keep the combat playstyle fast). During some levels the player is given a specialized weapon for a special mission but does not get to keep the weapon. Resources: The only resources in this game are the initial set of level weapons, the weapons that can be picked up during combat, and special weapons used for specific missions. Health and ammo are not picked up and health is measured by onscreen prompts (blood appearing on the screen). Health is restored when the player can get to cover and heal. Resources are secondary to the basic combat experience in this game. Overall Analysis: COD4 was a very popular game and was very effective in the combat experience. The sound, graphics, and chatter from your squad all together provide a highly effective way to communicate the combat experience. Explosions and smoke will obscure your view and you will not know which way to shoot. Missions can be repeated if you die and the game will adjust the difficulty of the mission down a bit if you keep getting killed. The game level design is interesting because the player never gets to keep a character and must play multiple characters. This means that the player is not as invested in their game character. The COD4 game starts with a tutorial section where the player must learn to shoot and run an obstacle course. The first mission on a ship is also a tutorial sections that allows the player to practice. The first ship mission is still part of the overall game story. With a fairly easy save system and very fast-paced combat, this game is well designed.