I’m deep in development on a fast-paced Boomer Shooter and i’m really trying to nail that high-velocity feeling, but I need some brutal honesty about the movement and camera effects. I have to be sure the game isn’t unplayable because of motion sickness.
My question is simple:
The movement speed is super high, very retro style. Is it too chaotic when you’re rapidly turning and strafing, or is it okay? Head Bob/Weapon Sway: Is the vertical or horizontal camera sway too much? Overall, does the combination of speed, camera movement, and FOV trigger any nausea, headache, or dizziness for you?
The goal is to be fast, but I absolutely cannot make a game that turns people’s stomachs!
Any feedback is great, but I’m especially keen to hear from those of you who are usually sensitive to motion sickness in FPS games.
The game itself looks amazing imo, I love this style and I hope I’ll have enough free time from my main game to work on something like this!
I think the head-bob is fine, but it’s always nice to give an option for the player to disable it if they want to.
However, the kickback for the gun is definitely too much. The kickback itself is fine, but I think making it move the entire camera back can very quickly make people feel sick.
Movement and FOV seem to be just right. Tbh, my brain didn’t even register the head-bob.
I feel that things like motion sickness can sometimes be fairly individual. When in doubt, add some accessibility options. Game looks great, btw - love the lighting!
Yeah, it’s making me motion sick. Nobody’s head bobs so violently IRL, so I’m not used to it. The effect is bearable in the embedded video, but if I full-screen in it’s too much to take.
I agree with @tibaverus , the kickback is definitely 50% of the problem.
I think accessibility sliders are a good idea, but also turn down the default values so it’s not jarring - if players want it up, they can.
As others pointed out I think the best practice for any screen or camera effects is to always have a toggle or setting to scale down the effect (like a slider). Plenty of people will be bothered with things like headbob, camera leaning, motion blur or other heavy on screen effects, just as many will be fine with the current amount, other people will want less etc. etc.
Agreed, it is a bit much, I can barely finish watching this 1 minute video. Can’t pinpoint what specifically causes the issue, but I guess all the things combined make for a very motion-sickness-inducing experience.
It’s worth noting though, that it usually feels different when you’re watching the gameplay vs actually playing yourself. Similarly to how driving the car as a driver almost never induces motion sickness vs when you’re a passenger. Something about being in direct control of the movement makes you less prone to getting motion sickness, because your brain can predict and prepare for the change of motion.
Nonetheless, I’d definitely tone it down, or give the players an option to tone it down, as it might be unplayable for some.
I removed head bobbing and strafe tilt based on feedback from the first test video, so this version shows the movement without any camera effects. This is a clean 4-minute run to test pacing, visibility, and overall feel.
For faster action, jump to 1:45, 3:15 Feedback is welcome.
Screenshake when shooting is still a bit much. I would like to see what I’m shooting more clearly. Also, the total removal of headbob was a bit drastic too. A slight one definitely would add character, just don’t overdo it.
My thoughts after reading the feedback from other commenters, is to keep those effects in but they are triggered by poison or something that will last a while. It adds a feeling to the game while playing.
