I think there are lots of possibilities for a game where two genres/gameplay types are used. There have been examples of these in the past (can''t think of titles right now though). If you had a game with two different styles though - for example space combat and FPS - how would you create an interface that remains vaguely consistent throughout the game, and avoid the situation where you really have two separate games in one box? Anyone have any thoughts on this? Neil

There''s no real answer to this, other than to make it a single game. Don''t write according to the genre, but according to the game you want. If your game requires separate interfaces make sure the transition is consistent with the player''s actions. If your game involves both shooting monsters (FPS style) and flying ships (space combat style) make sure the transition between shoot the monsters mode and fly the ship mode is as seamless as possible. Perhaps if the player had to actually board the ship after a shoot the monsters experience...

Use the mouse to rotate around (left and right for yaw, forward and back for pitch) and have the right mouse button as ''move forward''. Left mouse button to fire. This translates reasonably well to both genres, except you''d need more inertia for the space combat I think.

I reckon this is another of the issues I meant with having multi-genre games. You risk confusing the player with an extended interface, and making a player annoyed because they can''t play part #2 of your game cos they keep dying on part #1, where they''re not so proficient.

I''ve been beating my head trying to figure out this very same thing.

It would be so cool to combine a FPS with a flight or space sim. But I think that for it to truly work they would have to be combined in the same engine.

If you just had a game where you "walked" around shooting up stuff in one mission, & then "flew" around shooting up stuff in the next one, you would actually be playing two separate games intermittently with intertwined story-lines as in "Shadows Of The Empire" from Lucas Arts.

But It would be a much cooler to play a game in first person where you could go around doing the usual shoot ''em up stuff, find a plane or space ship & crawl in the cockpit, & then press a button which would put you in flight mode. You could get in & out of this mode seamlessly at any time of the mission & never leave the same 3D environment of the game. This could apply to any other type of vehicle or machinery as well, such as cars, boats, subs, etc.

Imagine what a combination of "Dark Forces II" & "X-Wing Alliance" would be like if you could walk around & operate any ship, vehicle, or machinery you came across.

Multiplayer would Rock! Imagine the sort of missions you could create where the objective is codependent upon teams on the ground & teams in the air both reaching certain goals, etc.

This should be doable, as there are already FPS games where you can shoot & destroy moving vehicles, ships, etc., as well as sims where you can shoot at people on the ground.

I have heard that one of the new FPS games coming out on the market uses a flight sim engine, but I''m not sure if this is to incorporate some flying in the game or if it''s to be able to roam a much larger area in first person.

I''m sure a lot of you out there know way much more about this stuff than I could ever know, so please tell all.

ToppDog