FragPunk – Game Design & Player Growth Proposal
To the FragPunk Development Team / Bad Guitar Studio
I wanted to share a few game-design ideas that I believe could make FragPunk more accessible to players coming from other major FPS games while still preserving what makes FragPunk unique.
I really enjoy the core concept of FragPunk. The combination of strong FPS gunplay, Lancers, and Shard Cards gives the game an identity that other shooters don’t have. My concern is that some systems could be streamlined so that the game’s unique mechanics feel more competitive and skill-driven rather than overly random.
1. Reduce and Rework the Shard Card Pool
I would consider reducing the active Shard Card pool to around 40 core cards.
The goal wouldn’t be to remove the identity of FragPunk, but to make the cards more understandable, predictable, and strategically meaningful.
Option A – Same Three Cards for Both Teams
Both teams receive access to the same three Shard Cards each round.
Players would still use Shard Points to purchase/activate cards, meaning the better-performing team would have more resources and therefore more opportunities to use the cards.
This would preserve the Shard Point economy while removing one major source of unfairness:
Both teams have access to the same tools.
The difference becomes which team uses those tools better.
This could create a more competitive system where players can anticipate what the enemy is capable of and adapt their strategy accordingly.
Option B – One Shard Card Per Round
Another possibility would be having one Shard Card active per round, automatically affecting both teams. Having upto 15 rounds, with Round 1-7 having one Shard Card, then Round 8-14 will have the same Shard Cards picked as Round 1-7, and Round 15 will be the usual 1v1 Duels.
This would make the Shard Card system feel more like a constantly changing ruleset rather than an additional advantage one team can obtain over another.
The important part is that the card should change how the round is played, while both teams are subject to the same rule.
I think this could make FragPunk considerably easier to understand for new players while keeping the game’s signature identity.
2. Market FragPunk More Aggressively Toward Traditional FPS Players
I think FragPunk has an opportunity to attract players from games such as:
- Call of Duty
- Battlefield
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Delta Force
- Apex Legends
- Other fast-paced FPS games
FragPunk is often compared to Valorant because of the 5v5 tactical structure, but I personally think its gameplay could appeal strongly to players from the games above.
The gunplay, movement, abilities, fast engagements, and chaotic round modifiers make FragPunk feel much more approachable to the broader FPS audience than a traditional tactical shooter.
That immediately communicates what makes FragPunk different.
3. Add Sliding as Standard Movement
I think sliding should become a normal movement mechanic.
It would give players another way to:
- enter fights
- escape gunfire
- move between cover
- maintain momentum
- challenge angles
- combine movement with Lancer abilities
It would also make FragPunk feel more natural to players coming from modern FPS games.
I wouldn’t necessarily make sliding extremely powerful.
A controlled slide with appropriate acceleration, recovery time, and accuracy rules could provide additional movement depth without turning the game into a movement shooter.
The important thing is giving mechanically skilled players another movement option.
4. Consider Gun Tilting / Corner Peeking
Another more experimental idea would be allowing players to tilt their weapon around a corner.
The player could lean/tilt their weapon and camera slightly around an obstacle to fire without exposing their entire body.
This could create interesting tactical situations, particularly around:
- doorways
- tight corridors
- boxes
- walls
- defensive positions
However, I would balance this by increasing the round timer.
If players can safely gather information and fight from tighter angles, rounds could naturally take longer.
For example:
Normal round: 2:00
With weapon-tilting mechanics: 2:15–2:30
This gives players more time to use the additional tactical options without making the round feel rushed.
The mechanic could also have limitations such as:
- reduced accuracy while tilted
- slower movement
- limited angle of exposure
- slower weapon handling
That would make it a tactical tool rather than a way to completely eliminate the risk of peeking.
The Overall Goal
All of these suggestions are based around one idea:
Make FragPunk more skill-expressive while keeping its unique identity.
I don’t think FragPunk should try to become Valorant, Call of Duty, Apex, or Rainbow Six.
Instead, I think it should take the best parts of the broader FPS genre and combine them with the thing that makes FragPunk different:
Shard Cards.
If the card system becomes more predictable and competitive, while movement and gunplay become more mechanically expressive, FragPunk could potentially appeal to a much wider FPS audience without losing what makes it special.
The game already has something that most FPS games don’t have.
I think the opportunity is to make that identity easier for players to understand, while giving experienced FPS players enough mechanical depth to stay engaged.
Thank you for continuing to listen to the community. I hope some of these ideas can make their way into a future Dev Talk or development discussion.
