Frequently Asked Questions
The most-asked questions about first-person shooters of the 2000s, part 1.
What does 'part 1' of this fan encyclopedia cover?
This volume focuses on first-person shooters released between 2000 and 2004, a stretch often called the genre's golden age. It spans landmark titles such as Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, and the original Call of Duty, along with the engines and communities that shaped them.
What set the early-2000s FPS era apart from the 1990s?
The jump to 60 fps targets, 32-bit color, and robust networked multiplayer turned the genre from a niche hobby into a mainstream spectacle. Halo 2 proved consoles could sustain a massive FPS community, while Half-Life 2 showed the medium could carry a full narrative arc.
Who are the key figures profiled in this volume?
Entries cover engine architects like Tim Sweeney, studio leaders such as Gabe Newell, Marty Streicher, and Jason West, as well as the competitive players and modders who built the era's online culture. Community builders behind early Xbox Live events and QuakeCon are also documented.
Where should a newcomer start reading?
Begin with the overview chapter on the Source and Unreal 2 engines to understand the technical foundation. Then move to the dedicated Halo 2 and Half-Life 2 entries as anchor points, and finish with the Call of Duty and Doom 3 sections to see both the military and horror sides of the genre.
Which technical advances defined this period?
Valve's Source engine introduced dynamic lighting and ragdoll physics that redefined what consumer hardware could display, while id Tech 4 brought real-time global illumination to mainstream PCs. Network-code refinements in Halo 2 and Counter-Strike 1.6 made online play dramatically smoother than the late-90s standard.
Which single title is most often cited as the defining FPS of the era?
Halo 2 (2004) is the most frequently referenced game, credited with proving that a console first-person shooter could sustain a large, competitive online community. Half-Life 2 is a close second, regularly praised for its physics-driven gameplay and narrative pacing.
What notable multiplayer moments or events does the volume document?
It covers the launch-day Xbox Live queues for Halo 2, the competitive Counter-Strike 1.6 tournament scene, and the 2003 QuakeCon community gathering. The Call of Duty 2 open beta in early 2005 is also highlighted as a community-defining stress test for the genre's online infrastructure.
How does this fan encyclopedia differ from official developer archives?
It is a community-maintained resource that emphasizes player memory, modding culture, and retrospective commentary alongside technical specs. Crowd-sourced lore, speedrun records, and post-mortem discussions that official documentation typically omits are given equal weight.
Which platforms are covered in this volume?
The primary focus is PC (Windows) and Xbox, with secondary coverage of PlayStation 2 and GameCube ports where they existed. Mobile and handheld FPS titles from the era receive brief mentions but no dedicated entries.
What is the single most important takeaway for someone new to the genre's history?
The early 2000s established the template—cinematic single-player, competitive online multiplayer, and deeply moddable engines—that every modern FPS still builds upon. Grasping Halo 2, Half-Life 2, and the original Call of Duty gives you the foundational vocabulary for the entire genre's subsequent evolution.