Balancing multiplayer first-person shooter games using aiming assistance

First Person Shooter (FPS) games are a popular online gaming genre played predominately over wired networks. FPS games have stringent delay requirements. However, the explosive growth in wireless LAN (WLAN) deployment has seen an increase in the use of such networks for gaming purposes. The varied performance of the IEEE 802.11 standard has tended to make WLANs unsuitable for FPS games. The IEEE 802.11e enhancement introduces Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms including Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) allowing prioritization of competing flows. Using the NS-2 simulator, we evaluate the capability of 802.11 WLANs to support Quake IV games traffic in the presence of web traffic. We compare the results achieved using EDCA with those achieved by a non-elevated differentiated services scheduler known as Best Effort with Loss Trade-off (BELT). We find that the BELT scheduler compares favorably with EDCA in this context.

Traditional single player first person shooter (FPS) games adopt a generally linear level design. Players are not given much choice as to where to go next, and thus it is paramount that the designer is able to keep the player interested throughout the whole level. It is widely accepted that in order to keep the player's interest, it is important to offer the player a varied gaming experience by presenting high interest and low interest encounters in an alternating fashion. However, while there are general theories and rules of thumb as to how this can be done, there is little formal knowledge about how exactly high or low interest levels can be achieved. Our goal is to create a better understanding on how to design encounters that affect interest levels in linear FPS games. Specifically, how exactly a player's interest levels can be raised intentionally. To accomplish this, we developed a method for measuring and comparing player interest levels based on electroencephalogram (EEG) data measured using a “Neurosky Mindset” unit, which is a commercially available EEG device. We measured player EEG data for the first 4 levels of the FPS game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” and calculated player interest levels for the entire length of gameplay. By referring to recorded gameplay videos, we were able to associate each increase in interest levels for each player to a specific point in game. From this data, we found and isolated points in each level where most players showed a rise in interest levels, and discovered that certain patterns existed between these situations. These findings led to another study where we further analyzed these situations and found out what factors caused most players to show a rise in interest levels. We were able to divide these factors into 6 different categories called Triggers: “Anticipation”, “Concentration”, “Surprise”, “Frustration”, “Overwhelm” and “Fear”. As these triggers represent mutually exclusive elements that affect a player's interest levels, we found that in most situations where many test subjects showed a rise in interest levels, more than one trigger is present, a phenomenon we call Stacking. While our study is still ongoing, we believe that by using these triggers as guidelines, game designers will be able to intentionally plan and control the player's interest level for FPS games with a certain level of guarantee.

This paper describes the results of a study designed to understand the components contributing to a participant's assessment of threatening situations in a competitive First Person Shooter (FPS) game Quake III: Arena. The analysis process described compares theoretical, questionnaire based data with that of actual game play footage and identifies how skill and experience can affect a player's ability to accurately assess threat. This research also identifies relationships between variables contributing to a participant's threat assessment process which are not usually acknowledged in game AI design. A suggestion for integrating player-like threat based decision making processes is proposed.

Modelling traffic generated by Internet based multiplayer computer games has attracted a great deal of attention in the past few years. In part this has been driven by a need to simulate correctly the network impact of highly interactive online game genres such as the first person shooter (FPS). Time-series models are important elements in the creation of realistic traffic generators for network simulators such as ns-2 and OMNeT++ as they account for the correlation between packets. In this paper we show that the time-series behaviour of FPS server-to-client packet lengths is well modelled by ARMA(1,1) processes. We report on data from six popular FPS games of the past 10 years including Half-Life, Half-Life Counter-Strike, Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Counter-Strike, Quake III Arena and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. For each of these games we analyse sessions each comprising 2 to 9 players. In all cases ARMA(1,1) is an effective model. We also show that AR models of order 1 and higher fail to capture the packet size variance as effectively as ARMA(1,1). Finally we show that higher order ARMA models are no more effective in describing the time-series behaviour than the simpler ARMA(1,1) models.

Nature and origin of presence are still unclear. Although it can be characterized, under a neurophysiological perspective, as a process resulting from a synchrony between cognitive and perceptive systems, the multitude of associated processes reduces the chances of brain mapping presence. In this way, our study was designed in order to understand the possible role of VR experience on presence in a virtual environment. For our study, 16 participants (M=28.39 years; SD=13.44) of both genders without computer experience were selected. The study design consisted of two assessments (initial and final), where the participants were evaluated with BFI, PQ, ITQ, QC, MCSDS-SF, STAI, visual attention and behavioral measures after playing an first person shooter (FPS) game. In order to manipulate the level of VR experience the participants were trained on, a different FPS was used during the 12 weekly sessions of 30 minutes. Results revealed significant differences between the first and final assessment for presence (F(1,15)=11.583; MSE=775.538; p<01) and immersion scores (F(1,15)=6.234; MSE=204.962; p<05), indicating higher levels of presence and immersion in the final assessment. No statistical significant results were obtained for cybersickness or the behavioral measures. In summary, our results showed that training and the subsequent higher computer experience levels can increase immersion and presence.

Modelling traffic generated by Internet based multiplayer computer games has attracted a great deal of attention in the past few years. In part this has been driven by a desire to properly simulate the network impact of highly interactive online game genres such as the first person shooter (FPS). Past work has dealt with packet size and packet interarrival times without consideration of packet size autocorrelations. Packet size auto-correlation is an important element in the creation of plausible traffic generators for network simulators such as ns-2 and omnet++. In this paper we present an analysis of the auto-correlation of packet size for Half-Life, Half-Life Counterstrike, Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Counterstrike, Quake III Arena and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. We show that packet sizes appear to be autocorrelated.

Higher resolution is one of the main directions and drivers in the development of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs). However, given its associated higher cost, it is important to determine the benefits of having higher resolution on user experience. For non-VR games, higher resolution is often thought to lead to a better experience, but it is unexplored in VR games. This research aims to investigate the resolution tradeoff in gameplay experience, performance, and simulator sickness (SS) for VR games, particularly first-person shooter (FPS) games. To this end, we designed an experiment to collect gameplay experience, SS, and player performance data with a popular VR FPS game, Half-Life: Alyx. Our results indicate that 2K resolution is an important threshold for an enhanced gameplay experience without affecting performance and increasing SS levels. Moreover, the resolution from 1K to 4K has no significant difference in player performance. Our results can inform game developers and players in determining the type of HMD they want to use to balance the tradeoff between costs and benefits and achieve a more optimal experience.

Game is one of the entertainment media that is rapidly growing. On this day, playing games is one way to spare time for refreshing. One of the popular games this year is an action game such as First-Person Shooter (FPS). Besides, the FPS game genre has developed rapidly to make it more interesting for the player. Non-player Character (NPC) has an essential function in artificially and automatically to make a game more immersive and consisting of various kinds. Also, from observation, adding challenges when playing, namely enemy characters, can make a player more enjoyable. Besides, one of modern technology to develop innovations for supporting a game is called virtual reality. So, in this research, the FPS game is built by adding NPC elements with virtual reality technology. Also, the gameplay in this game is a survival maze. Based on the evaluation, this game application can display objects in a virtual reality smoothly, and all feature in this game can display and run effectively. Besides, the respondents also give good feedback for user testing which has average score 4.66 from several users. So, the conclusion from this research is this game can make the FPS game more interesting for users by adding NPC, 3D element, and virtual reality.

Future Quality of Service (QoS) aware networks, such as those based on the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) architecture, will provide users with the opportunity to assign a priority to the traffic they receive and generate. Different priorities will entail different per-byte or per-packet charges. To aid users operating within such an environment, a priority selection strategy is required. In this paper, we propose a priority selection strategy based on the concept of Consumer Surplus (CS), which is the positive difference between utility or the user's willingness-to-pay and cost. We then evaluate this strategy in a networking scenario where a user is involved in a multiplayer Counterstrike game, in which different priorities may be assigned to the downstream traffic. A utility curve, applicable to a First Person Shooter (FPS) game like Counterstrike, is presented. Using simulation results we show that for varied traffic loads, the CS strategy offers comparable application performance to that of always selecting the highest priority, but at a reduced cost to the user.

Cheating is widespread in online games, particularly in competitive games like First-Person Shooter (FPS) games. One of the most common types of cheating is Extrasensory Perception (ESP), which involves illicitly obtaining visual information to gain an unfair advantage over normal players. To protect the gaming experience of legitimate players and the interests of game companies, there is an urgent need for anti-cheating applications. In this paper, we propose a general system for ESP anti-cheating in online FPS games, considering the business characteristics and industrial applications. We present a vision-based anti-cheating framework that incorporates both supervised and unsupervised solutions for comprehensive cheating detection. Based on this framework, we design and deploy a dual-audit human-in-the-loop system for industrial gaming anti-cheating applications. We evaluate our proposed framework from multiple online and offline perspectives and demonstrate its practical significance with superior performance.

This paper focuses on the significance of game balance in games and explores the application of game theory concepts for designing and analyzing balanced gameplay. When analyzing instances of games, the paper initially presents the renowned prisoner’s dilemma, a prominent problem in game theory, and delves into diverse strategies along with their corresponding advantages, thereby enabling readers to appreciate the captivating essence of game theory. After that, the paper respectively mentions two individual cases from two different forms of games. The well-known game Rock-Paper-Scissors is a simple strategy game. FPS (First Person Shooter) game is a sort of video game that is a complex strategy game. In analyzing this type of game, the paper draws images to show the imbalance in the game. In the end, the article puts forward the prospect that game theory can contribute to game design. The approach adopted in this study integrates existing research in game theory with practical insights from game design, without delving into extensive theoretical derivations or complex formulas.

This study investigated the gaze movements of first-person shooter (FPS) gamers in controlled and actual game environments. In Experiment 1, 16 middle-skilled and 16 high-skilled FPS gamers performed a task under controlled conditions (AimLab). As a result, high-skilled FPS gamers exhibited a faster reaction and narrow gaze distribution than middle-skilled, which represents superior performance and high attention. Furthermore, fast reaction was correlated with narrow gaze distribution, suggesting that narrow gaze distribution related to high attention was associated with higher game performance when it was necessary to focus on a single piece of information. In Experiment 2, 19 middle-skilled and 17 high-skilled FPS gamers performed FPS game (Valorant). The results showed that the Kill/Death/Assist score was positively associated with focusing on the mini-map area that represents the overall flow of the game. Moreover, high-skilled FPS gamers had a wider gaze distribution than middle-skilled FPS gamers when it was necessary to focus on the various information simultaneously. Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 results suggest that superior gaze control ability based on the game situation was required to achieve high performance in the FPS game. In future, developing training methods based on gaze movements might contribute to improving the FPS gamers’ performance.

The relationship between video game experience and cognitive plasticity remains a central focus of research, particularly given its potential applications in clinical rehabilitation. Although both first-person shooter (FPS) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games have been shown to enhance cognitive functions, the specific associations between the cognitive effects of different game genres and brain network structure remain unclear. This study aimed to examine whether long-term experience with FPS and MOBA games is associated with genre-specific patterns of cortical thickness covariation across brain regions. A total of 116 male participants (mean age 21.2, SD 1.9 y) were recruited via online advertisements for this cross-sectional study. On the basis of strict inclusion criteria (gaming experience >5 years, gaming frequency >5 hours per week, and ranking within the top 15%), participants were categorized into FPS players (n=39, 33.6%) and MOBA players (n=40, 34.5%). An additional group of healthy controls (n=37, 31.9%) with no gaming experience in the past 2 years was also included. High-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired using a 3-T scanner. Individualized differential structural covariance networks were constructed based on the cortical thickness values extracted from 68 brain regions using the Desikan-Killiany atlas. Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA to identify significant structural covariance edges (SCEs), network-based statistic prediction analysis for weekly gaming hours, and support vector machine analysis for group classification. One-way ANOVA identified 30 significant SCEs across the 3 groups (P<.001, false discovery rate corrected). Post hoc analysis (P<.02, Bonferroni corrected) revealed that, compared to the MOBA and control groups, the FPS group exhibited 2 dominant networks: a temporo-fronto-parietal network anchored in auditory regions and a visuo-sensorimotor network. Both gaming groups showed enhanced SCEs in visual-attentional networks compared to the control group. The network-based statistic-predict analysis demonstrated that structural covariance matrices could effectively predict weekly gaming hours in FPS players (r=0.34, 95% CI 0.26-0.42). The positive edges primarily formed a temporo-fronto-parietal-occipital network, whereas the negative edges were centered on the entorhinal cortex. The support vector machine classifier successfully differentiated FPS players from controls (area under the curve=82.95%) and from MOBA players (area under the curve=72.37%). Long-term FPS and MOBA gaming experiences are associated with different brain structural network architectures. The uniqueness of FPS gaming lies in the extensive structural covariance between the primary auditory cortex and regions supporting visual attention and sensorimotor processing, which may reflect higher demands on cognitive skills. This suggests potential utility in auditory-visual rehabilitation and provides a theoretical basis for the assessment and selection of professional electronic sports players. However, the negative edges involving the entorhinal cortex in FPS players indicate that an overreliance on response learning strategies may come at the expense of the spatial memory system. Consequently, caution is warranted when applying such games to ameliorate age-related memory decline.

As online games become significant contributors to Internet traffic, practitioners must look to measure and understand game traffic in order to provision for it. Despite gaming's significant implications for the Internet, no general framework exists for validating various and sometimes contradicting game traffic models. Practitioners must therefore find and study dozens of reports and papers, some with conflicting measurements, to understand traffic characteristics and use this information in their systems. This survey looks at the most representative first-person shooter (FPS) game traffic to provide a one-stop shop for practitioners.

Action videogames have been shown to induce modifications in perceptual and cognitive systems, as well as in brain structure and function. Nevertheless, whether such changes are correlated with brain functional connectivity modifications outlasting the training period is not known. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in order to quantify acute and long-lasting connectivity changes following a sustained gaming experience on a first-person shooter (FPS) game. Thirty-five healthy participants were assigned to either a gaming or a control group prior to the acquisition of resting state fMRI data and a comprehensive cognitive assessment at baseline (T0), post-gaming (T1) and at a 3months' follow-up (T2). Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analysis revealed a significant greater connectivity between left thalamus and left parahippocampal gyrus in the gamer group, both at T1 and at T2. Furthermore, a positive increase in the rs-FC between the cerebellum, Heschl's gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus paralleled improvements of in-gaming performance. In addition, baseline rs-FC of left supramarginal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus and right cerebellum were associated with individual changes in videogame performance. Finally, enhancement of perceptual and attentional measures was observed at both T1 and T2, which correlated with a pattern of rs-FC changes in bilateral occipito-temporal regions belonging to the visual and attention fMRInetworks. The present findings increase knowledge on functional connectivity changes induced by action videogames, pointing to a greater and long-lasting synchronization between brain regions associated with spatial orientation, visual discrimination and motor learning even after a relatively short multi-day gaming exposure.