Shooting FPS censoring design

News & General Discussion
1

Hi there!

Let’s say in a FPS game, you don’t wish the player to be able to shoot at the surroundings (or specific parts); because the surroundings contain content that can be deemed sensitive (as in, you can’t shoot at that); that the dev only wishes that the player, can look around, watch observe, see the surroundings, shoot at monsters…and if inadvertently they shoot at the surroundings; that’s ok…but not ‘going out of your way - to shoot at surroundings’; as in, stop, aim, and shoot at the surrounding; like, say for example, in front of a painting or a statue…the player saw the object…stopped/paused, watched it – aims at it – and shoots at it. In reality, doing this can be seen a (here virtual) vandalism; like, you know, we saw in the news with people ‘toppling statues’ , destroying museum art pieces and burning buildings…that they don’t agree with (obviously, politcally). I don’t wish to offend thus, I wish to remove the capacity of the player to ‘take aim - at a decor/art - and shoot it’…now the whole purpose of FPS game is, obviously, shooting at something; and that means foes/ennemies/ monsters…etc…but, in some games, I saw the players do things for ‘shts & giggle’…like in Day of Defeat FPS game…people spray paint offensive ‘tags’ on walls…of the game…or shoot at statues in the game…again, this means ‘artistic cosmetic’ thing, where people don’T just play the game/advancing in it, they decide to shoot at sensitive ‘art/decorum’ stuff around or write hate messages on the game’s FPS walls…

I thought, there has to be a way to be (discreet) about it and it be subtle…in the game Counter Strike or Pirates and Vikings…you could get hit by Thunder…as a ‘warning’…when you were ‘camping’ or were ‘cheating’…if you were hit several times…you loss health points…as punishment for not (really) playing the game…‘the way intended’…and if you repeatedly did it; you would get banned from the FPS game server (that was, especially true, of people who wrote ultra discriminatory stuff ‘online’ ‘in the chat’…while the game was going on…at a certain point, the mod kicked out the player; after several kickings/warnings to stop doing this in the game, they were offically gone/ban.

So, in a FPS game…where there are art pieces and sensitive things around…that you just don’t want the player to ‘virtually deface/defame/derogate/vandalize’…sort of…in a FPS game, you shoot…so I don’t want the player to have the capacity to ‘take aim (sort of) at a piece/decorum - in a ‘i will shoot you’ kind of way becaus shits & giggle’; I wish the game remains unoffensive, respectful and does not create controversy ('for creating controversy); since it is very realistic…it,s why I am asking suggestions…

Like:

  • Tehre is doing a Blur…with big ‘pixelized effect’ you know like in Adult films…where it’s ‘Blurred/Pixelized’ because ‘Adult Content’ …but I can’t really do that because it is Very Obvious, not subtle at all…
  • I thought making the player lose energy health points when shooting ‘on purpose’ at the art pieces…
  • Or, just outright - remove 100% energy of the player…if he/she does this, like ‘carefully aiming and shootig at the surronudings…to offend’…
  • Lose his/her progress - saves…save files…I don’t want to be Extremely Hard/Punishing —nor do nothing.
  • a Fade effect,… the statue becomes transparent…fades…after shooting.
  • block any shootnig…nothing comes out…no bullet
  • remove the gun, holster it
  • This will Only Happen when the player ‘Stops Moving’ and goes out of they way to destroy/deface surroundings… (I would not say that about a Cartoon game…my game is realistic/cg quality)
  • Some could say: 'just change the surroundings to ‘fake fictional things…’ but I use some real things…or based on… real things, art elements/pieces…it would be huge refactoring…too long.
  • I have removed any ‘damage’ caused to the art pieces (just like Car makers…3d branded cars…in games…some of them ‘can’t be damaged’ because it brings disrepute to the car maker…to see his cars in pieces) Same for art pieces. In my case, I would not care less, and never ‘take it personal’ or be woke abouti t…I mean, it’s Fiction. But some people, Exaggerated when they see ‘reality aspects – in a fiction’…and immediately cry wolf/cry a river ‘insensitive’. I know there is ‘too real’…(‘too close to home’) for some.
  • Any other ideas?

Thank you for reading and any help in advance.
Just a 2c.

PS: That’s what is direly missing these days, it’s (keeping) cool and being reasonable; moderation, accomodation and meeting half way (compromise) don’t exist anymore (my way or the highway). polarizarion/extremism and no in between.

2

Often the simplest solution is the best one. And this:

is easily the best solution. Just don’t let them shoot, and probably have some visual indication that they can’t shoot.

3

Hi spiney199, thank you very much for that.

I think that a combination of things might be the best:

  • No bullets/no ‘raycast’/these walls/decor – are on another layer (unity layer tags); blind to the raycast/not in the layers affected by raycast

  • Of course just no raycast at all coming out at that moment (of aiming a weapon - towards, upclose, to a decor). I still think it’s hard becasue…the player has to ‘move around’ and ‘shoot around’ (to get the monsters…), he/she - will - end up shooting ‘all over the place’ – including on whatever around/like art decorum; but, of course, as said; it’s just ‘passing by shooting’ kind of…rather than careful - stopping—aiming—shooting thing…I also think it’s not so much the shooting the problem — it’s Pointing a gun…at any art…decorum; that’s the bigger issue. So, here is a sort of solution,

  • I think ‘lifting up’ up the weapon …when you ‘point it’ at whatever sensitive thing;; this is akin to the weapons that ‘retract’ when you get really close a wall–and the weapon ‘doesn’T go trhough the wall’ and in an animation the player ‘lifts up’ the gun and you can’T shoot — this is so that there is no weapon that ‘goes through a wall’ when upclose; I would use this in the optic of ‘no weapon can be used when pointing at - a art piece/deco…the weapon is ‘lifted up’’…or holstered…but I think it’s less invasive to just see an animation of arms ‘lifiting’ up the gun to understand th…you can’T shoot nor ‘point your gun’ at that…

  • Far away, like a least 15 feet…then it’s not close anymore and obviously, there is not ‘intent’ of ‘pointing/shooting’ at much this far from the wall…I mean, it’s far enough and any effect of pointing is lessened; it’s only for upclose that this would happen because it’s ‘point blank pointing/shooting’…that’s where it becomes sensitive as we are right -next to the decorum/peice…

  • It’S going to be a balancing act…because I don’T want this to be ‘annoying’ and ‘all the time’…like, alwaus ‘popping’ to ‘remind the player not to shoot that or this…or that…’…this can be bad also. Yet, a player that is stubborn and not reciprocating…needs to be told – each time – to not do it…that means an ‘automatic pop-up’ --once more…to tell him/her…I fear that some will feel it is understandable…but veryyy annoying (and for some people ‘censoring freedom/censoring free speech’) and will hurth the game. But I’mnot making a controversial game (for them because ‘free speech’; I believe in it; it’s just I don’T wish to be careless either, some can say: ‘‘sensitive/insensitive’’…). they will have to understand that. I think the best way is to ‘lift up’ the weapon…it’S a nice signal…a nice animation of respect…and you understand immediately…‘Ok…not shoot that…I get it (no need to remind me every 4 secs.)’.

Just a 2 cents. Thank you again.

4

you might have a raycast continually looking at the point of aim and query the hit object for a tag like “NoShoot”.

If the tag is found, then you can disable the shooting input and do something like show an animation of the gun raising/lowering. Or simpler could be a text that appears and says “safety on”.

An entire no-shoot volume is fine too. Just depends if you want to block areas or targets.

as far as game design goes though, I’d make sure you can frame thigns in a way that is about empowering the player, or satisfying the player, rather than punishing or restricting. If you take away a dogs bone, you got to replace it with something better or he’s gonna be upset.

person is playing the game for enjoyment. if you think looking at the environment will be more fun than blowing things up, you better be sure of that if you’ll force it on the player.

5

Hi BIGTIMEMASTER, thank you very much for that.

I think that’s a good solution, it’s not so evident or so invasive/‘in your face’ or so annoying…while gameplay happens; subtle enough/seamless.

I think that because there is so much art around…it will have to be quite ‘block everything – no shoot tag (on everything)’; I will kind of do a delay…because I fear that it will be becoming annoying real fast…and just happens – all the time…because the decor is everywhere so the gun ends lifted up or, lowered every 2 seconds…that can be jarring and ‘bog down’/‘nerf’/‘dilute’ the shooting aspect’Action’…yet, I have to do this. When you have so much stuff around that you can’t shoot at ----- except the monsters…it becomes more problematic because it’s everywhere and thus you are forced to have the gun lowered 99% of the time…—> ‘selective shooting’/‘forced selective shooting’…the player may feel forced into a tiny box/constrained/restricted and ‘control movemenet restricted’ – ‘is, dev controlled/rigged’ (for reason though),…too–restricted. But it’s a problem that can’t be really/fully solved unless you Remove all the decor, period.

I think that a delay in the momentum animation, like ‘ok I’m going to remove it…will …do it…-done’. (like not ultra-fast ‘yanking out’ the gun from the view; but a slow-fast steady graceful kind of removing gun from view, lowering it or lifting it up — but not ‘quick/fast yanking it out’; a graceful move it up or down…it’s more seamless subtle/slowly (enough) removed… and can happen more often…and still look seamless – not so jarring/visually obvious).

Because if the weapon is yanked out, every 2 secs…it’S very jarring and not good – player will become angry that 'can’t shoot in this game – you know, a ‘FPS’ game where the sole/biggest purpose -is shooting…at things… all it does is remove the darn gun…from the view every 2 sec (‘because don’t shoot, please, at these things’)…annoying realquick and somewhat sanctimonious/righteous (censoring ‘for censoring (but, understandablt to not be controversial)) to boot’.

The Biggest worry is kind of those QT events…those old ‘Quicktime Events’ in games of old…where you were passive in your clicking/pointing/shooting…you were very restricted…when an action happened – ‘An Event’ appeared and showed a 3D QT event…and you had to press ‘yes or no’ or ‘click fast - before clock runs out’…then the quicktime event ended and you saw the ‘result’ of your actions…this was Not At All - ‘Real-Time’ control like in a FPS game where You decide where you point the weapon or what you shoot at (or not) - in realtime/real unconstrained freedom control, not in controlled/rigged ‘steps time/events time’. That’s Control, Freedom of control/immersion/Interaction…
removing that, feels like QT events ‘rigged events’…taht you can’t do anything about…‘passive’…not ‘active’ –interactive. Immersive., that’s what FPS games are immersive interactive and plunge you in them/First Person , through your eyes/view cam. I just don’t want ‘First ‘Person-al’…because a First Person view is far more personal…than a 3rd person ,out of the body/avatar’ view…it’s ‘distant’ ‘omniscient eye’ and it’S why 3rd person games are always ‘less personal ‘in your face (obviously because not ‘in the head/face’ of the character)’’…not First Pesron; first person…feels personal–it’s you–commanding–and Living the character. As if it was You. that person… Às if ‘seeing (and embodying/incarnating) throught character’s Eyes’. that’s way more personal ‘close-- to home’. So pointing a gun -in first person- is way more pesrona…than 3rd persons…it’s why people freak out about it way more (in FPS games…of old…liike DOOM 93) because it’s so personal/fist person eyes camera view.

A pop-up warning the player ‘safety on’…can be like…sort taking them for infantile/infantilize adult public or restricting their control freedom in the FPS game where the biggest thing is ‘looking around’ 360o orbit view…and ‘pointing around’…and shootnig…-at. things/stuff;; but not, any, stuff.
of couse, I’m not stopping them from looking aroud nor shoooting…I’m just reducing their ability to shoot at, any thing…
thus ‘constrained shooting’ for respect(ing) purposes of the content in it…to not cause controversy with more sensitive content - that we (in reality) we certainly cannot shoot it or else …offend someone… somewhere. It’s a fiction, a game…but for many people, they don’T see it , just a game, they see it a reflection of the dev/the creator/his ‘mental reality’…thus, blame him, immediately… as author of this shame/insult (in this case, me).

Thank you again for the suggestion.

PS: I will do my best to sort of mitigate this…I know it won’t be perfect …it’s such a touchy… delicate matter/thing…
In my game…it’s a mix of ‘looking around’…and ‘action shooting’…not just ‘action shooting non-stop’…yse, it’S mostly, that…but you get moments to ‘slow down a bit’ and ‘observe’ and sorto f contemplate and gaze if you will…but of course a FPS game…is not about that…it’s not its main purpose…its main purpose…is shoot to win and advance in progress…so that means focus is not on ‘looking/taking a nap to look/delve around…like, stopping, and Look At The Sky…which no one does in real life’. But between ‘window peeking/bird watching/scenery watching’…and ‘fast action shooting focus’…I will try to find an in between so that you are mostly in action but the pacing may slow down to allow you, to look more and then there will more of that–‘safety on’ (pop-up…);…just like in museums…a sign that says:
‘‘look…but don’t touch’’.

6

the indie game “Ground Branch” has some behavior similar to like what you described. I think some other tactical shooters do as well.

If it is animation to avoid friendly fire I think it makes sense for it to be quick, purposeful, realistic movement. If its part of cinematic where you aim to set some sort of mood, then perhaps you try to match that sort of speed.

But I think its good to get the games functionality in place first and then you can refine the look and feel once it’s pretty set in stone. Too easy to get stuck in loop noodling look and feel stuff :).

7

If your Theme allows it you could incentivice not shooting important things by introducing the Avenger of Art, a oberpowered enemy that will hunt you down for a specific amount or all of your hitpoints proportional to the severity of the violation.

Personally i generally dislike such arbitrary boundaries in games but i wont deny any developer his absolute freedom of design, so dont mind me.

Furthermore, i could quite enjoy a game that is fundamentally build on restrictions, rules and boundaries and requires you to trigger and abuse those. E.g Dont shoot Pictures or the gravity will reverse, dont punch statues or they will lasereye forward.