Sometimes I love my job/field of study. FPS Creator is a fairly easy to use piece of software that you can use to create basic 3D First Person Shooter (FPS) computer games.
The FPS genre includes seminal titles including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, Half-Life, Duke Nukem Forever :), Counter-strike, Halo, Call of Duty and GoldenEye 007.
It is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game character's point of view and a focus on the use of handheld ranged weapons. (wikipedia)
Interestingly, the genre itself dates back more than 30 years to the first FPS game Spasim (which interestingly, was also a networked game), created in 1974.
In using FPS Creator, you don't need to know how to create 3D models or how to write any code, it's all done in a click and drag visual interface.
Here's a promo video for the software - it's from 2004 so things have moved on a little since then but you'll get the gist. (There's also a stack of other video guides on YouTube if you search for FPS Creator)
I bought this software a while ago now and it's always been on the list as a project to get around to - but I never have.
Now though I have an assignment for Interactive Multimedia Design where I have to create a learning object and I'm thinking this could be perfect.
Oooookkkaayyyy I hear you drawl, how does that work exactly? Where is the learning in running about blowing stuff up and killing zombies? (Well if you don't know that then don't come crying to me when there is no more room in Hell and the dead walk the Earth)
Actually, the theory at this stage is to make use of a decision tree structure used in teaching correct responses for first aiders arriving at an accident. This sets up a scenario and offers several options to choose from at each decision point. These decision points could just as easily be represented as doors or corridors in a maze in a 3D space. (Only one option is the correct one and feedback as to why is offered)
I just need to find a way to incorporate text (I suspect as a texture on a wall or in audio form) at the decision points and off we go. Whether to include weapons and monsters/enemies is unclear at the moment - seems like it would be more fun this way though.
Ok, well I'm going to get stuck in now, I'll update this when I've done something worth seeing.
