REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

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kdawg88
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REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by kdawg88 »

Hi there, I’m here to shamelessly plug an in-development game which I have no affiliation with, but am extremely passionate about (and with good reason).

If you’re a fan of first-person shooters of the more traditional, faster sort (such as DOOM, QUAKE or Unreal Tournament) then this game is for you. It’s called Reflex, an indie title which has been in pre-alpha for several months now.

The project’s aim is to create a game which has the physical excitement (fast movement, powerful weapons) and strategic elements (item control, positioning) of older-style shooters, while having the features expected of a modern multiplayer title (e.g. player stats, match-making).

A lot of content has already been shown to the public, with a very warm reception by the competitive Quake community: http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&forum=57 If you look at the threads there you can see a guy named ‘newborn’, the leader of the project, replying to questions and keeping in touch with the sorts of people who will be playing the game.

A few well-known e-sport players, such as NVC, with early access to the game have streamed (with permission) gameplay of the pre-alpha build which is being worked on, so you can have some idea of what the game looks like, though it is very much subject to change: http://www.twitch.tv/justnvc/b/557748852 and vo0 (of Painkiller and Quake 3 CPM fame): http://www.twitch.tv/voogamer/b/571160202
They’ve launched a Kickstarter aimed at $360,000 AUD which, if successful, will allow them to enter a full-time development cycle. If it fails they go back to working on it in their spare time, which would be shame for a game which looks so promising.

I strongly encourage everyone who enjoys shooters to check this game out and pledge some money towards it if they like it. It may be an indie title but that means they have full creative control over it – titles such as DayZ and Minecraft have proven this to be a hugely beneficial thing. Here’s the Kickstarter trailer which they’ve just released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQaN3h-S4Wo

LINKS:
Main site: http://reflexfps.net/
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/191095869/reflex
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Jonas
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Re: REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by Jonas »

Much as this is totally not my style, it occurs to me while watching the Kickstarter video that this sort of thing is entirely unique to videogames. It's not trying to emulate any kind of movement or dynamic that exists in real life. You're on foot and carrying weapons like a soldier, but you move with the speed of a race car, except you can turn on a dime and jump like an oversized flea. The feel of playing this kind of game, and the skills you develop, are almost archetypical of videogames. It's about the farthest you can get from a videogame trying to emulate any other medium as well, as it has no relationship to films or books or comics or anything in between. It contains music and visual art and that's about it, in every other respect it's pure videogame.
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Jaedar
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Re: REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by Jaedar »

I bet the devs of this are really happy with the recent quake live shenanigans. But yeah, this is not my style, I think I'll stick to toxikk for my next gen fps multiplayer fix.

This makes me wonder if in the future people will debate the merits of toxikk vs reflex in a way similar to how they used to debate quake vs unreal tournament.
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kdawg88
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Re: REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by kdawg88 »

You're right in pointing that out Jonas - it's a very abstract and very pure style of video game. This is in large part due to the agency of Quake players (by that I mean players of all games in the series). With regards to the player movement (very fast and involving a whole host of map-specific tricks), the movement in Quake games all have an exploit (which I won't bother to explain in detail: see here for a proper explanation) which allows players to move much faster than the designers intended. This has become an established dimension of the game which makes it much more interesting and exciting - fast and accurate movement is now an important part of any strategy. As a result, Quake-clones like the one I'm talking about above (and others such as Warsow, Quake 3 CPMA (upon which reflex is largely based) have all included a similar movement system based upon this exploit.

This is quite different to what the designers had in mind when developing the Quake games. John Carmack actually wanted it to be quite realistic. When he was developing Quake 3 he said in the logs that he was against strafe-jumping because, basically, it was an immersion-breaker and was against the kind of simulation he was trying to create. It's impossible to do more than 2 jumps in a row in some versions of q3test, but he allowed in the final release of the game due to player complaints.

If you play any game at a high, competitive level, any aspect of the game's aesthetic which does not directly lend itself to the actual game becomes completely meaningless. Almost all Quake players get rid of texture detail and other things, sometimes even the weapon model, to help them concentrate on the game. The purity of it is a big part of what makes it attractive to me. This also leads me to believe that the game, notwithstanding the agency of the designer in the creation of the game, may not itself be a form of art. What is actually left when you get rid of all of the unnecessary things like textures, audio files, music etc? Actually, I think that a game is a form of art because of the relationship people have with it (players bring different strategies and styles of play), but it confirms, at least in my mind, that video 'games' are in large part a conflation of different art forms - the textures, the voice acting, the lighting, the music and the rest. (This is only my opinion so don't take it too seriously)

Bear in mind however that there are no textures or other art in that trailer due to the fact that they haven't even done those things yet - it's in pre-alpha.
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Re: REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by cobybrian »

Reflex sounds like a promising addition to the FPS genre, blending the adrenaline-fueled action of classic titles like DOOM and Quake with modern multiplayer features. It's exciting to see a passionate community forming around the game, especially with involvement from experienced developers like newborn. However, while the game's development progress is impressive, players might also want to consider the potential cons of renting a car for transportation to gaming events or LAN parties, ensuring they have a smooth and hassle-free experience outside the digital realm.

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Re: REFLEX - a new, fast-paced arena FPS

Post by mollyharboe »

Set the trend the Dandy Let’s Watch the Sunset Hoodie, A versatile piece that effortlessly transitions from day to night easily. And its special qouts make it attention grabing.
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