Well the problem with NMS was not lack of activities. After all, think of your typical FPS and there are actually not many different things to do. You basically choose your weapon, plan approach, execute - rinse and repeat.

The problem with NMS was that it made those activities a chore and the repetition was constant. Therefore it became tedious. People did not become bored for lack of things to do, but because the way they were packaged, they lacked "fun factor".

But compared to your typical FPS, there were more things to do.

Perhaps, but they were all shallow activities. It fed upon itself. You explored so you could find the resources that let you explore. Most games with grinding have a bigger game that the grinding gives you access to in stages.

When it got to the point that your 10th planet was the same process as your 1st and your 53rd, what is the point in continuing to play?

No game should have "rinse and repeat" as a core game mechanic.



The Jedi Master

I agree that there isn't that much that can be done in terms of entertainment and fun from a first person perspective outside the scope of military stuff (like in this game engine).

However one different thing or non-military stuff that I believe could be done with an engine like and while being fun and entertaining would be a civilian helicopter sim in the lines of Search and Rescue (remember those sim series?).
I guess that with this engine you could not only be a helicopter pilot (which afterall is first-person perspective) but perhaps you could also play as a Search and Rescue operator (rescue people on the sea/water, perform paramedic duties, etc...).
I believe that this is "hinted" on one of the videos about this Titan Vanguard engine.

It doesn't have to be military, there are fantasy and SF games where it works as well, it's more along the lines of first person being ill-suited to much beyond stealth and shooting.

Third person brings in more stealth, platforming...Tomb Raider basically.

But there really is little interest in walking sims.



The Jedi Master

Well, with "military" gaming I was referring to any game where the player basically shots/hits/kills/etc.. anyone or anything else (AI or other human controlled units). So with "military" I wasn't mentioning any age, era or universe in particular. Guess I could have said "militaristic" instead. For example the game setting could be:
in the medieval ages
in a fantasy world
in the recent past, present or recent future
in a futuristic world
etc...

Anyway "military", "militaristic" or whatever it's a matter of semantics...

Oh, I always picture it as identifiable gov't/military forces from contemporary nations, real or imaginary.

So Rainbow Six, Arma, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Splinter Cell, etc are military.

Things like Far Cry 3 and 4, Doom, Quake 2/4, Star Wars, Star Trek, Mount and Blade, I don't consider military.




The Jedi Master

Yes, I can understand what you mean with your point of view or "picture".

However mine is the following (while using your examples):

- In Doom and Quake you're a Space Marine which is an imaginary and futuristic equivalent of a regular force of the present (Marines) and as such and IMO it cries out "military" all the way
- Star Wars and Star Trek are basically the same case as above but with a broader scope or resuming you're part of a bigger military force, for example the United Federation of Planets in the former case or the Rebel Alliance (or other depending on the Star Wars "era") in the later.
- In Far Cry 3/4 you're basically a Guerrilla/Partisan/Freedom fighter with a personal agenda into the mix or resuming you're a Guerrilla/Partisan/Freedom fighter due to your personal agenda (which for what's worth, is basically what happens in so many cases in the real world) so that to me is clearly "military" as well.
- Finally about Mount and Blade and while I never played this game but from what I read about it, I guess the player(s) could basically be considered a Mercenary which in the end is also military (independently of being military for profit). The game happening in the past (medieval ages?) is only a detail since even in those eras military forces did exist.

ARMA crusher if they can do it right.

ARMA is a fun sim but they have been stretching the original engine too far for too long. It can't work with the most modern kinds of equipment and it lacks fidelity in certain important areas.

Some of those areas are fixed by mods but BIS (the developer) screws up the mods badly every time they make a patch without working together with major mod makers. ACE3, Breaking Point etc come to mind. I only bought ARMA for those mods and BIS recently screwed up Breaking Point with its patch so badly that the mod will probably go extinct