Prototype

So, this is actually quite cool in its current state.  Great action, there's just a few things that are out of whack that impact the experience a bit.  For context, I was Ketura.

First: cover.  It's hard to see the difference between one-block and two-block cover, and it doesn't seem fair that you can shoot over it when you have to really look to see if it will actually cover you.

Second: no health indicator.  Doesn't have to be a traditional HUD element, just something like red haze near the edge of the screen or something if you want the minimalist route, because remembering how many of the blood splotches were yours is a hard sell.

Third: controls.  Had to experiment to figure out r was to reload (but that was my own fault, I usually have esdf for controls, so I was reflexively hitting e, where r would normally be).  Also had to have one of you change their name to "Press 2 for SMG" so I would get that.  Kept trying the mouse wheel, thinking I just hadn't "unlocked" it yet like the splash screen said. Either needs a menu option you can go to or something similar.

Fourth: chat.  This is definitely something that is a community-based, fun loving game, and I gotta be able to trash talk!  Also this goes a long way to softening the other issues, as most people won't remember asking how to switch weapons, but they WILL remember pressing every key on the keyboard and not finding anything.

Fifth: mouse capture.  This one is a problem, especially when locked into part of a browser window; losing a skirmish because you went too far and clicked, losing focus, is very frustrating.

Sixth: the camera.  It's locked on the player, when it should probably be bound by the target reticle.  Already what little I played with Idler showed that mastering killing people off your screen is what separates the men from the boys, and allowing players to take a risk and try to use their whole screen to show what's to the right, at the expense of screenspace to the left and thus risk of getting ninja'd, can amplify an already exciting back-and-forth.

Seventh: auto-reload.  Put it in, no excuses.  If you want it to be a more managed experience without the limitations of ammo, look up the way the game Soldat did it (especially with the Barret sniper): infinite shots, but cooldown between shots or collections of shots with a long master reload.

Eighth: there needs to be some way of finding your opponents.  Implementation is up for grabs, but I often had to play marco polo with Idler trading single shots so we could home in on one another.  Minimap, arrows on the screen, or even just limiting fighting zones to a mostly-horizontal or mostly-vertical level so you can't accidentally pass one another when  you're actually looking for fights.

Ninth: score.  I can see my own k/d (barely) but that means nothing without seeing everyone else's!  This goes along with the chat thing, the sort of thing where pressing tab immediately gets me involved with other people.

Tenth: networking.  It liked to say that I left the server when I hadn't.  Maybe that's a matter of just rewording the error to saying I have a high ping or something, but I need to be kicked if the server doesn't actually think I'm there.  Make the client look for a heartbeat and close if it doesn't get it.

Eleventh: kill the teleporting.  I'm sure you're already aware of this one, but just don't show the player or name until the actual spawn point has been reached; it's a huge advantage to the offensive player to see what direction your opponent is spawning before even he's aware.

Twelfth: melee.  Need something that is not a separate weapon that can be pulled out as a last desperate move after getting in your opponent's face.  Also increases the badass factor.

All in all though, this was fun, it's just a matter of getting more players and tightening up these issues to really let players get lost in the experience without getting distracted by stupid things.