Hmm Interesting... this gamers-made manifesto was organized by fragworld.org , à la The Gamer's Bill of Rights
Quote, from here: http://www.fragworld.org/frag/news/opinion-editorials/first-person-shooter-manifesto.html
"These are the ESSENTIAL things we HAVE to have in a FPS Shooter
1. Dedicated Servers - for performance and countless other reasons. Co-op game modes and games should also have dedicated servers
2. Mod Tools - This will save you development costs by giving your customers new content and no cost to you and give you great ideas for the next version of your game. Whatever you can't put in the game we can put it in for you. Just give us the tools please.
3. As much server side control and options available (the ability to control maps, gametypes, weapons, special abilities, filter language, kick hackers etc). For private matches in particular it is important to have features either built into the game or via 3rd party mods to ensure a level playing field for all players and the ability to create different rulesets.
4. LAN Capability - So people at Lan Parties, Tournaments, College Dorms, Gaming Centers and their friends houses can enjoy face to face competition without requiring each PC to have internet capability
5. Stat Tracking - API, Log file or do it yourself we need to be able to see how we and others are doing.
6. A Capable Server Browser that shows all the options mentioned in #4 filterable by ping, server location, gametype, map and whose data can refresh in real time.
7. A Section in the Game's Official Forums for verified server owners so they may have constructive dialogue with each other and with the game developer.
8. In Game Recording - Machinima, Commentaries, Frag Videos, Tutorials, and other Video Broadcasting is free advertising and marketing of your game. It helps us run cheat free events the promote your product. Having a capable spectate mode also facilitates this as well.
9. Anti-Cheat - Definitely have a strong Anti-Cheat out of the box and work with the community and Anti Cheat Companies in staying up to date with the latest Anti-Cheating Methods such as the ability to force settings in private matches and detect adjustments to exe files
10. Allow Config files to be editable in game via console or interface
These are SUGGESTIONS we have to make a great FPS Game
1. Map Editor - Creates content for your customers and no development cost to you.
2. Front End Administration of Servers - A pulldown that allows you to kick and perform server admin functions while in game.
3. Server Side Demo Recording
4. Stat Tracking by Server
5. The ability for server admins to flag suspicious players which instructs the server to record/screenshot them or conduct extra anticheat detection on them.
6. Social Networking integration - See achievements, stats etc on facebook or web widgets/API so communities can post on their websites
7. Clan level achievements/leveling/features similar to what guilds have in MMOs
8. Invisible spectating in "public" servers for server admins
9. Special Beginner Servers for people new to the game
10. The ability to assign a trackable skill level to a player (ELO) and see the average skill level of the players in a server via the server browser
11. A Tutorial on how to use the server browser
12. To expand #3 in essentials we desire certain features for fair competitive play
1. The ability for all players to start at the same time
2. The ability to see a clear end of game scoreboard and leaderboard with stats and score at the end of each round and match
3. The ability to limit and control weapons and special abilities (this allows for exclusion of undesirable weapons and abilities and allows for sniper only or infantry only type gameplay)
13. Spectating/Broadcasting - In addition to in game demo recording allow for free and follow spectating to promote the game via live broadcasting and commentary which can be done via shoutcast, ustream , Justin TV etc..)
All Feedback\Comments\Suggestions should be put in THIS FORUM"
What do GOGers think about it? ;)

I always love it when small groups feel the need to speak for everyone :p
The "requirements"
1. Depends on the game, really. A game like L4D can easily get away with this. Hell, pretty much anything oriented towards very small numbers of players don't really need dedicated servers. I won't complain if we get them, and I would prefer to have them, but they aren't the necessity everyone thinks they are (for smaller games)
2. I agree that I like them, but not for their reasons. Hell, their reason alone is why a lot of games DON'T have these. "whatever you can't put in the game, we can put in for you". Yeah, every game is so much better with nude skins and crappy maps. Honestly, I haven't really enjoyed a mod for a major multiplayer game in years. In fact, I have actively disliked many because they divide the community.
3. I am on the fence on this. While I definitely think there should be options, we just have to look at the past to see why this isn't a requirement. Modern Warfare (and Bad Company 2) have very minimalistic settings, but it is annoying as hell to have to hunt for a non-hardcore server or one where FF is set as you wish.
4. Again, something I wouldn't mind, but also something that just isn't needed anymore. LAN parties were popular because of a lack of broadband. We have broadband now. And how will LAN games work with achievement/ranking oriented games? Will I have my red dot sight for my m60 if I play a LAN game?
5. There are many arguments that this is what has "ruined" multiplayer gaming.
6. Agreed. If you can't make a good one, use Steamworks.
7. Why do the server owners need to talk to the devs?
8. I hate spectator mode. It wastes server slots.
9. Agreed
10. Can you see how this one might cause conflicts with number 9? :p
As for the suggestions
1. See my response to the previous 2. While something I like, it just gets tedious to go from a beautiful and well balanced map to a Facing Worlds remake (for Counterstrike...)
2. So we care about listen servers now?
3. Don't really care one way or the other
4. Again, don't care one way or the other, but the same arguments for and against stat tracking apply to this.
5. No. Just no. If someone is cheating, deal with it yourself. We don't need ninety million in-game features that will just lead to even more problems (any of us who have had problems updating punkbuster will understand how this can be problematic).
6. Don't care, but same crap as stat tracking.
7. Clan leveling? And I am pretty annoyed by clans in general, so I don't really see the point of this, and just see it alienating the pick-up gamers even more
8. That gets back to spectator slots. And if the admin doesn't know how to kick the person in that slot, they don't know how to do most of the other crap an admin should be doing.
9. How the hell does this work? "Oh, please don't play here if you know how to click a mouse"? Seriously, this isn't the dev or publishers problem
10. Again, see all the other problems with stat tracking.
11. There is one. It is called the readme file that comes with the dedicated server installer. If you can't read, you probably shouldn't admin a server.
12. Yeah, no. If you want to have "pro-mods" and the like, mod it. Let's not further divide the community.
13. I still hate spectators.
So yeah, sounds like the same crap that plagued Tribes 2. You have a bunch of self-important idiots who think they are the gods of gaming who spout off things that they want that the average gamer may not actually want. I consider myself to be pretty average with regard to MP FPSs (read: I suck and don't play 9 hours a day :p), but I still wouldn't write a "manifesto" and the like.

I... huh?
These are the ESSENTIAL features that we HAVE to have? If someone asked me to compile a list of strictly technical or mechanical features that I'd like to see in an FPS (which here, apparently, means "the multiplayer mode of an FPS"), most of these items wouldn't even flit across my mind.
Seriously, an official forum for server owners is a live-or-die feature? The game isn't complete without one?
Maybe I'm just not hardkore enough to appreciate the merits of these demands, but they seem a bit navel-gazing to me.

There's the people who have the ability to enjoy MW2, and the people who don't.

Well I disagree with (or at least take the piss out of) much of that rather self important list written by people with a far too great a sense of entitlement and a misunderstanding of what a manifesto is, its supposed to be what YOU plan to do, not what YOU expect as a selfish twat
Dedicated servers: Nice but hardly necessary for performance, what are the other countless reasons? Are they afraid to list them because they know I'd count them?
Mod Tools: Nice but I've seen maybe 3-4 mods in 3 decades of gaming that were at least reasonably good, the rest were utter shit. They've always felt like the embodiment of the huge plan that promises the earth and never actually goes anywhere
Server side control: This is seperate to the dedicated servers point how?
LAN: Yes, it should utilise whatever networking tech there is. Wonder what it could connect to... Ooh I know, a dedicated server!
Stat tracking: Its called pen & paper. Also could be in their precious dedicated server, why not just ask for "a dedicated server with the following features"?
Server browser: Yes, definitely. Basic organisation by round trip ping time is something I've missed greatly over the years
In game recording: Halo 3 & IL2 have that, I suppose if they're not adding processing overhead which affects performance or too much work for the devs so they skimp on making the GAME it could be one of those features I'll notice, use once for the novelty and then ignore forever
Anti Cheat: This is lacking in some games? Surely the point of a dedicated server would be to game with people you already trust to not act like cunts.
Console editing of config files: Ooh definitely! Save wear and tear on those oh so fragile ALT & TAB keys. Who in the name of fuck mods config files whilst the game is running? More importantly unless they're 'on access', the changes won't make a difference until you reload anyway.
My list of requirements for an FPS are the same as my list for every other game
1) Enough with the fucking world war 2, americans vs brown people in sandy landscapes and D&D knockoff fantasy settings
2) No bullshit making me stay on the net to play single player, making it easier for me to justify giving you money
3) Make the games GOOD
4) Fuck off and leave me alone until you have another game that satisfies the requirements
it could be easily set up to waste only one. You pipe the output to a multicasting server and the spectators connect to and waste connections watching an automated stream on that rather than fucking up your game. Of course it'd need to be on a seperate net connection to not fuck the game connections up by leeching too much bandwidth.

I'd say rules 1,4 and 9 are the only essential items in that list and 5,7,8,9 are completely unneeded . None of the suggestions seem important at all and some of them would be a negative for me.

Most of that stuff I don't care about, but then I don't play multiplayer much.
My one manifesto item would be a FREAKING HIGHER FOV ON PC! I am so sick of tight, zoomed-in FOVs on PC shooters. I don't know why this concept is so hard for developers to grasp... actually they probably grasp it, but don't want to pay for extra QA for it.

...and just like the gamer's bill of rights, nobody will care about it as long as the masses blindly buy whatever the next trendy FPS.

this is why it will take forever to get rights for gamers.
Some will buy any thing.
and these who say i am going to pirate it. Are not helping us out at all. I don't know why everyone thinks we steal are games.
Maybe it has to do with all these that dislike drm in a game saying there going to pirate it.Yeah if you want them to think were not rogues who will stab them in the back and steal there loot. Stop fucking pirateing it becurse you dislike drm and stop saying your going to pirate it.
If you don't like it. Send them a letter saying why you are not buying there game.Don't like it don't buy it and don't pirate it.
Now that i think about it. i wonder how many would buy a game were you have to agree to be the maker of said game slave for life.

Which then starts to further centralize the servers, which is what leads to only official servers (like BC2, I think), which a lot of people dislike (I actually like this, but I understand why some wouldn't).

Okay, I have a recommendation. How about (naming no names) some FPS developers put some effort into the single-player campaign, rather than making them glorified tutorials? Some of us, although I get the feeling I am in the minority, prefer single player, rather than getting 'pwned' by the 'leet', who may possess some form of 'uber skillz'.

Im done with FPS

Would one of these developers have a name thats a synonym for an endless hospital section?

Hear hear.
At least they can ad bots. Why do it always have to take a couple patches and angry players before bots become available?