well, what do YOU think the most important part of a game is?
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well, what do YOU think the most important part of a game is?
I voted "story", but I will say that it's not toatally a one sided issue. I think that a good story is essential, at least to many more "in depth" games, but gameplay is something which is ALWAYS important. A good story with terrible gameplay/controls is still a bad game.
And it depends on the game. Plot in an RPG is paramount, while in an FPS game it's unimportant.
a game without -a good- story is no more than a hollow, nice-looking program
-- A wise man
I just hate those racing games that have no story at all, there are VERY good text-only games...
Oskilian
The most important element of a game is its gameplay. That IS why we play games, right? Not to see pretty images or to experience intellectually stimulating stories, though those can certainly be part of the experience. A game without good graphics is a game without good graphics. A game without a story is a game without a story. A game without gameplay isn't a game.
Voted gameplay.
I believe it depends on the type of the game, as someone said here in RPG's you need a role to play so you must've a story + Gameplay.
Not completely true. I've spotted no story behind Quake3Arena or UnrealTournament, yet both are favorites.Quote:
<oskilian>
a game without -a good- story is no more than a hollow, nice-looking program
-- A wise man
Same goes for Serious Sam.
In my mind, if you have amazing gameplay, the rest will follow suit.
I didn't mention that games without a good story aren't fun, they can be, but you grow tired, specially of those shoot-em-up, because it's the same thing all over again, when it's Multi player, the thing's different 'cause you make your own plot and it's nice
Oskilian
many of the clasics are fun but have terible graphics and no story so that shows that gameplay is #1. Also level design is a big thing there are plenty of games that would be good if it wern't for the dull flavorless levels.
me agreesQuote:
Originally posted by oskilian
a game without -a good- story is no more than a hollow, nice-looking program
-- A wise man
I just hate those racing games that have no story at all, there are VERY good text-only games...
Oskilian
--------me
LOL
I'll have to say story, since I'm a RPG'er
True. Gameplay makes for the more enjoyment, storyline is nice for the final finale, people get bored if they dont have some kind of foreshadowing and climax. Lets not forget you could break a game into many more than just 4 basic elements.
But noone is even going to play your game if you dont have any graphics. Nobody would go out and pick up the Text Version of Final Fantasy 10. Theyd think after Sprits Within, Square had lost their cotten pickin minds.
Graphics even bring in players to bad games. The Bouncer, another Square title....SUCKED. It was short, boring and predictable. But hey, it had graphics. And they were awesome, lets all be mindless cardboard boxes and blindly go and buy it right now!!! :-)
However I have to say that all of these elements are essential and equally important to the toal GAMING experience. So graphics obviously grab your eye, gameplay keeps you from breaking your keyboard in half with your fist, music keeps you intrigued, and side by side with your story makes you want to pick up a tissue and be a big wet wimp (Final Fantasy 7. ::sniffle:: Just had to kill her didnt they! ((anyone figured im a big FF fan yet? :-) ))).
- Zedd
Zedd- you may be right about the graphics pulling you in. However:
Would you want to play another generic FF game? (Don't get me wrong- I love FF). I say this because after 6; the stories became akin to ones they had run before. It's like playing an old FF, with better graphics. Does that make me buy it? No- I buy it because I want to see a story change.
Graphics are candy for the eyes, and also are almost un-nessicary. Granted that there are some games that would die without graphics (Starcraft); there are also some where graphics didn't really matter (Diablo). The text versions could be just as pulling where the story is good, and draws you in. Plus, as a bonus, you can imagine your own world- not let some designer do it for you.
I guess that what I am trying to say here is that yes, Graphics are a nice bonus... but aren't nessicary for a good game. The story is, and that's all I have to say.
I put other--to me its the size
Doom was a very popular game because of its graphics, gameplay, and its size. I'm not talking about how many Megabytes, I'm talking about how many files. It took two, yes, only two files to have a complete doom game with sound and graphics. One resource file, one exectuable. It was the life.
OGAAA BOAGGAOGAOAGGAOAGO:mad:
Without gameplay = no game
Without story = no game (no "before")
Graphics is not that important by some games.:p
You dont have to have a story to have a fun game, A few years ago it was side scrolling shooters that were being made by the ton, now its first person shooters, i dont recally a story of any count behind half of them.
Look at doom, probably the most important game that has come by in recent past, and it only had 3 pages of text for a story, one for each set of levels that you played through. If there wasnt any sort of story the game would have done just as well.
When I started this I was wanting to try and decide why all the big gameing companys were more concerned with graphics than everything else. I still have fun playing nes roms, but everything i read is all concerned about the graphics that a game has. Im just trying to figure out where that drive is comeing from.
:o This question is debateable... :o
A while back I read an article in my gaming magazine that really made me think. A designer said that people are really good at knowing what they do like, but very bad at knowing what they will like.
Personally, I feel gameplay is the most important part. But, I have games that have tons of gameplay, but sit on my shelf. Why? Too involved. So perhaps what I know I like now is more of what I will like in the future.
By the way, nice site Eber. Checked out all the models, pics (died laughing on the one about the mouse and the man), etc. Very nice.
a well rounded game is always good. consider revising the fundamental approach and do not concentrate on one particular aspect... then you will have such an involved process [and evolved game] that you will wonder where you started... [for example, my File versions... from dos-text to 32-bit VESA... from bc45 16-bit, to DJGPP... what happened in two and a half years!!!]...
1024!!! good night!!!
Thanks for the complement on my site, Im constantly working on it, and the spacecraft models are free for anyone who wants them.
I can also make request models for anyone, If you want a nice skinning job then you have to supply the texture.
If I want good story I read a book. If I want great graphics (and often good story) I rent a DVD. If I want gameplay, I play a game and often get story and graphics as well (though face it, there is no "great" graphics in games yet.. when they are as good as movies we'll talk).
Tetris is still being played. No story. Simple graphics. Wonderful game.
I agree with Justin.
For instance, did anybody ever hear of/play/see the game, Warlords (a series of I, II, III)? I love the game, but the graphics are horrible. It is a bird's eye strategy game and the graphics are pretty...basic. But, because it is such of great gameplay (the time of strategy, the ideas of the game, etc.), I continue to play it. Graphics never holds much with me.
story graphics gameplay... pick two...
kinda like...
fast reliable cheap... pick two... :)
Game making is kind of an art, personally. A game is really just a set of rules by which the player needs to make decisions. The art of it is making up rules such that the decision making process is interesting or challenging.
Playing a game with bad graphics is kind of like reading a book that is written in old English. You might be holding a true masterpiece, but that's not gonna change the fact that reading it is about as easy as digging ditches. That said, if you can get over the graphics barrier, there are some true gems out there, but for most people this isn't really worth it. The same can be said for the interface of a game.. great games can be ruined by being unneccisarily hard to play. A lot of older games don't have mouse support when they really could use it, which is kinda like trying to read a book in ancient Hebrew.
Gameplay is really where the art is. Basically, you should be able to ask yourself "Would this game have been just as fun if it had to use technology from 10 years ago?", and there you have it, gameplay. In all fairness, there are an awful lot of games nowadays where they're just not technologically feasable 10 years ago, like 'real time anything', but you can still try picturing all the graphics as ascii characters and seeing how it works out. Gameplay's still important, it decides whether your game is 'great' or if it's just a fancy graphics demo. Playing a game with all graphics, no gameplay is kinda like reading a dirty magazine. Sure it might be fun, but it'll only really stay interesting for so long, and you're gonna walk away without having really gained anything.
Story adds the fantasy and flavor to the game. I'm not even talking about having a kind of script for your game, just making sure that it's developed with a good atmosphere. I mean, SimCity would have been a lot more bland if they didn't make it along the theme that your were building a city, instead making you just place abstract objects without any meaning. Still, anything more than setting up a neat atmosphere, and you're spending too much time on the story.
This is easy. But understand, in some cases, there are two perspectives. The 'developers' and the 'players'.
The #1 most important aspect of any game is:
RESPONSIVENESS.
If a player pulls the trigger or tries to dodge a bullet and gets killed because the game didnt' keep up-- it won't get played. You cannot "immerse" yourself in the game otherwise.
The #2 most important aspect of any game is:
IMMERSIVENESS
This encompasses graphics, sound, and storyline.
Like a 3-legged stool, it is not necessary that each one of these be primo-- hopefully 2 will be strong enough to prop up a 3rd. If you have all three primo, then you have created something like Halo.
If the game is immersive, it becomes addictive.
The #3 most important aspect of a game is:
CONVENIENCE
It must not be inconvenient to save where you are, otherwise you get tired of 'getting back to' wherever you last died. It must not be too complex so that if you get away from it for a week, you can't remember enough pieces to go again from where you left off.
All other aspects support these three items. Whether that is multiplayer aspects, weapons features, storyline, etc.
enjoy.
Well Sayeh, I think you should talk to LucasArts about that last point. The terrible lag of their multiplayer games is very inconvenient ;)