Graphics or a good story?

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Author	Topic: Graphics or a good story?
Or else o'erleap. Law Bringer Member # 335	written Saturday, November 8 2003 13:24 Profile Homepage #25 A second person shooter would be viewed through the eyes of your enemies. It would certainly make aiming easy, but navigation would be a real pain. —Alorael, who has to say that some of EV's appeal comes from the background. It's not plot, precisely, but someone taking the time to work out a reasonable explanation for importing and exporting kelp really does make a difference in a game. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Omlette Shaper Member # 517	written Saturday, November 8 2003 13:51 Profile #26 I'll just point out that another important factor in a game is balance. Not just in strategy games, where it's obviously no fun to have one race that no-one plays because they're useless, but it's equally important in other games. In RPGs, a skills list cluttered with skills that aren't actually useful, and which no player will get except maybe in their first play-through, or just a certain character class that always turns out the most powerful (like Baldur's Gate nerfing bards and druids, for example...), is just irritating. And FPS games where all of the weapons except two are useless and everyone goes straight for, say, the rocket launcher because you can't kill anyone who's got one with anything else...and even Mortal Kombat style games where there's one fighter with an uber-move that will take down anyone else... -E- -------------------- Let them eat cake! Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially. Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00
*Sound Effect* Shock Trooper Member # 1723	written Saturday, November 8 2003 17:41 Profile #27 Plot is most important. It ranks above all else. The reasoning, which I can't believe anyone else hasn't mentioned yet, lies in books. A book has no gameplay and no graphics. Yet people enjoy books. If a game has a good plot, It's like a good book. Everything else (to a degree) can fall by the wayside. When I first played FFX, I was so enthralled by the plot that I played for for 8 hours solid. (10pm to 6 am) With most games I like, (tetris and minesweeper and the like excluded) gameplay and graphics are simply the medium through which the plot is expressed. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the plot, it serves its purpose. I'm a conformist, YAY! But honestly, what other responses would you expect from the Spidweb message boards? These games are all about plot and a disregard for graphics. -------------------- "... and approximately one sea turtle." Posts: 277 | Registered: Tuesday, August 13 2002 07:00
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, November 8 2003 19:25 Profile Homepage #28 If you wanted a game to be like a book, you'd write a book. The secret to making a good game lies in using all the elements of the medium to your advantage, not just preventing some of them from "getting in the way". How would you like it if the next time you saw a movie, a whole bunch of text scrolled across the screen for 2 hours because the director decided fancy visuals would "get in the way of the plot"? -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Immortal BANNED Member # 4	written Saturday, November 8 2003 21:38 Profile Homepage #29 Thuryl, one thing you're forgetting is that no movie director regardless of who he is would ever be allowed to show something like that on the silver screen, on account of the average western consumer's limited attention span. Then again, you do have a point- pictures and sounds (and gameplay, if you want to be on-topic) serve their purpose. See, for example, FLCL or FFVII. -------------------- We're all amazed but not amused By all the things that you said you'd do. You're much concerned but not involved by Decisions that are made by you But we are sick and tired of hearing your song, Telling us how you are going to change right from wrong, 'Cause if you really want to hear our views, You haven't done nothin'. Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, November 8 2003 21:48 Profile Homepage #30 Come to think of it, there are probably obscure "art" films out there somewhere that do in fact consist entirely of text on a screen. I doubt they're worth watching, though. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, November 8 2003 23:06 Profile Homepage #31 I just saw "Elephant", and it might as well have been words on a screen. I kept shouting "COME ON, GUS!!! GET TO THE SHOOTING!!!" I wonder why my girlfriend wouldn't talk to me after. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Axerax Shock Trooper Member # 1902	written Tuesday, November 11 2003 14:19 Profile Homepage #32 Well from what you guys are making this out it seems plot is most important, cause think in movies you have the story line(plot) which needs to be good for it to succeed and yet it also has Special effects(graphics) and then in some sense the people in the movie have to say stuff that will make sense to the plot which would be (gameplay) so in a way movies can be like games...continue on -------------------- --Axerax the Dragon Tamer-- Posts: 283 | Registered: Tuesday, September 17 2002 07:00
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Tuesday, November 11 2003 15:41 Profile Homepage #33 Nah. Gameplay as I see it is about the way you interact with the work. There's not much interaction with a movie. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Tuesday, November 11 2003 18:00 Profile Homepage #34 Unless you're watching Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which case you should try interacting the barrel of a gun with your mouth and your finger with its trigger and a bullet with your stupid useless brains. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
*Sound Effect* Shock Trooper Member # 1723	written Wednesday, November 12 2003 17:24 Profile #35 Your taking what I said a little too far. If the next time I saw a movie it was nothing but violence, explosions, and special effects, it would be pretty boring. Besides, lots of old time movies that were made in black and white with no special effects are fantastic, better than a lot (if not most) of what's made today. Plot is key. How it is expressed varies, but as long as the expression of the plot doesn't get in the way, it's fine. That doesn't mean that I wish movies were words scrolling across the screen. If I wanted that, I'd read a book. If I want to passively be engaged in the plot, I watch a movie. If want to be actively engaged in the plot, I play a video game. At any rate, everything pivots on the plot. Anything more is extra and fine, but without a plot it all falls. -------------------- "... and approximately one sea turtle." Posts: 277 | Registered: Tuesday, August 13 2002 07:00
Jawaj Shock Trooper Member # 461	written Wednesday, November 12 2003 17:47 Profile #36 In an RPG, story comes first. But in a genre where story isn't important, like sports games or racing games or most action games, graphics are more important. However, the most important factor of all is gameplay. -------------------- "If you held a weapon to Fwiffo's head, he would say anything you wanted him to. In fact, if you held a vegetable to Fwiffo's head, he'd say whatever you wanted him to." - Spathi high council, Star Control 2. Posts: 346 | Registered: Sunday, December 30 2001 08:00
Sir David Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Member # 919	written Friday, November 14 2003 13:47 Profile #37 I think of good gameplay as the base, with plot above that and graphics above that. But in my opinion, a game should have all three. Gameplay's definitely the most important, and awesome graphics don't make up for a bad plot, but I get tired very quickly of games with bad graphics. Call me an eye candy addict, but games are just so much better when they have good graphics. That's the main reason I prefer Avernum to Exile; the graphics are better, in my opinion. It's also why I like Ambrosia; good graphics. If you're going to make a game, why shouldn't it have all three? -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. Incaseofemergency,breakglass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00
Custer Bob's Big Date Member # 3151	written Friday, November 14 2003 14:04 Profile Homepage #38 I personally prefer the Exiles because I prefer the graphics (to an extent), and I really, really prefer the gameplay. The Av series has always played like a sort of dumbed-down Exile to me. -------------------- In a word, gay. --Bob the Impaler Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Stugri-La Guardian Member # 3521	written Friday, November 14 2003 16:22 Profile #39 I tend to be unable to really get into a game unless it has some sort of visual component drawing me in. The graphics in an RPG don't have to be anywhere near top of the line, in my opinion, but they should at least have some aesthetic appeal to them. I also prefer the Avernum series to Exile, as I find in-town navigation to be smoother in Avernum. I also like the inventory portraits in Avernum. Though there are less spells in Avernum, there seems to still be enough variety in spells to keep the game interesting. But my favorite Spidweb game series is the Geneforge series, as it seems to do the best job of balancing gameplay, plot, and graphics. The game world is not nearly as huge, but it is large enough to be quite entertaining to explore. -------------------- "Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain- at least in a poor country like Russia- and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires. In America it takes an automobile to produce this effect."- Leon Trotsky Posts: 1798 | Registered: Sunday, October 5 2003 07:00
Axerax Shock Trooper Member # 1902	written Friday, November 14 2003 18:37 Profile Homepage #40 When it comes to games like Exile, i miss the old graphics, but in avernum it seems like the plot and game play were changed alot more. Even though the graphics were too, but the Original is always the best.But updates originals are better -------------------- --Axerax the Dragon Tamer-- Posts: 283 | Registered: Tuesday, September 17 2002 07:00

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