What would you rather have?

Ctrackstar126

Senior member
Jul 14, 2005
988
0
76
Graphics to me are pretty good. Too much realism can kill the experience. Everyone always talks about how good the video looks, but with all this talk about a PPU I'd be more excited about that.
I think companies should focus largely on fully interactive inviroments. Not just oh a table went in half but actual i hit it in the corner so a piece came off opposed to hittin it in the leg to make it lopsided.
Many people talked about how we should have a gpu with the capibiilites but i think its time for them to get serious, what do you think?
 

HamburgerBoy

Lifer
Apr 12, 2004
27,111
318
126
I'd rather have graphics, but even those are pretty unimportant...

1. Gameplay
2. Non-linearity
3. Interface
4. Graphics
5. Sounds
6. Storyline
 

TecHNooB

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
7,458
1
76
Originally posted by: HamburgerBoy
I'd rather have graphics, but even those are pretty unimportant...

1. Gameplay
2. Non-linearity
3. Interface
4. Graphics
5. Sounds
6. Storyline

No no no no; you've got it all wrong.
1. Storyline
2. Gameplay
3. Graphics
4. Non-Linearity
5. Sounds
6. Interface
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,660
762
126
For me it's:

1: Optimization (no crappy performing engines :p)
2: Gameplay
3: Nonlinearity
4: Level design
5: Storyline
6. Graphics
7. Sounds
8. Interface
 

HamburgerBoy

Lifer
Apr 12, 2004
27,111
318
126
Originally posted by: TecHNooB
No no no no; you've got it all wrong.
1. Storyline
2. Gameplay
3. Graphics
4. Non-Linearity
5. Sounds
6. Interface

IMO, storyline is just eye-candy for the Shakespeare wannabe. In games like Deus Ex and Marathon the great storyline helps a lot with the game, but in other games where they try to act all artsy (like Baldur's Gate II) it ruins the game to a degree. Interface is also a huge part of a computer game's fun level. Deus Ex 2, for example, wasn't nearly as bad as most people make it sound. However, the HUD and inventory system are just clunky and make the game annoying to play.

Originally posted by: CP5670
For me it's:

1: Optimization (no crappy performing engines :p)
2: Gameplay
3: Nonlinearity
4: Level design
5: Storyline
6. Graphics
7. Sounds
8. Interface

I've always considered level design to be a part of gameplay, along with game length and little nifty features. Optimization is overrated. I'd much rather play Deus Ex or Mafia at fifteen frames per second than Halo or Doom 3 at a thousand frames per second.
 

HamburgerBoy

Lifer
Apr 12, 2004
27,111
318
126
Originally posted by: ElFenix
how can you divorce gameplay and interface?

Yeah, I suppose that it does seem like a small thing to consider stand alone from gameplay overall. However, there's been many games that would be otherwise great, but are ruined because you have to click six different buttons just to drop an item from your inventory.
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,660
762
126
I've always considered level design to be a part of gameplay, along with game length and little nifty features. Optimization is overrated. I'd much rather play Deus Ex or Mafia at fifteen frames per second than Halo or Doom 3 at a thousand frames per second.

Well, bad optimization is really what ruined Deus Ex Invisible War for me, more than anything else. It wasn't in the same league as the first game but would still have been one of the better games I've played in the last few years if it performed better. It still struggles in some places on my SLI setup, even at relatively low settings.

I generally think of gameplay as meaning combat, weapon balance, consistent difficulty and so on.
 

thilanliyan

Lifer
Jun 21, 2005
12,040
2,255
126
I play a lot of racing games so I'd lose a bit on the graphics side if the physics are as real as it can get. GPL anyone?
 

Crescent13

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2005
4,793
1
0
Originally posted by: CP5670
For me it's:

1: Optimization (no crappy performing engines :p)
2: Gameplay
3: Nonlinearity
4: Level design
5: Storyline
6. Graphics
7. Sounds
8. Interface


You got it wrong!!!

1. gameplay
2. Graphics
3. Sounds
4. level design
5. storyline
6. nonlinearity
7. interface
8. optimization
 

Ctrackstar126

Senior member
Jul 14, 2005
988
0
76
What i mean is wouldnt the fact that if you shot a rocket at a house it blew up accordingly. not a preset factor. Not saying graphics arent important but right now the focus seems to have the fastest highest resolution gaming.
and i know you guys like it every time i play counter stike i see like three people shooting up the desks and computers.
I just think we should have a bigger interest in realism. the cabibility to make a tree fall down, blowing a door off a hinge or crashing into a house and it not just be a roadblock.
I understand it isnt easy but I think the game would be soo much better then having all the eye candy.
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,660
762
126
Originally posted by: Crescent13
Originally posted by: CP5670
For me it's:

1: Optimization (no crappy performing engines :p)
2: Gameplay
3: Nonlinearity
4: Level design
5: Storyline
6. Graphics
7. Sounds
8. Interface


You got it wrong!!!

1. gameplay
2. Graphics
3. Sounds
4. level design
5. storyline
6. nonlinearity
7. interface
8. optimization

I think a game should work correctly before anything else. Bad framerates (regardless of the hardware) and/or intermittent crashes ruin any FPS game for me personally.
 

Cookie Monster

Diamond Member
May 7, 2005
5,161
32
86
1)Gameplay/Physics (Interactivity with the surrounding/able to blow everything up)

2)Sound/Graphics/Level Design (non linearity)

3)Optimisation

No Matter how pretty one game can look like PGR3, not having destructible/interactive surrounding really ruins the prettiness of the graphics. I agree with Ctrackerstar, i mean game developers should more focus on physics side of things. Able to interact more. Graphics are already pretty enough, but the physics side of things are abit overdue with an update.
 

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,660
762
126
Then again, the screwy physics in current games allow for a lot of fun glitches. Havok's vibrating corpses have become a standard feature in games these days. :D
 

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
0
71
1. Engine (a. no glitches; b. fast)
2. Level Design (a. intricacy; b. correct use of available art assets)
3. Gameplay (a. fun factor; b. weapons; c. non-scripted/non-linear)
4. Graphics (a. textures; b. effects; c. geometry)
5. Physics (interaction with environment)
6. Sounds (accuracy)
7. Interface (this is usually fine)
8. Story (unimportant for me if gameplay is good)
 

fierydemise

Platinum Member
Apr 16, 2005
2,056
2
81
1. Polish (no bugs/glitches
2. Gameplay
3. Interactivity (destructibility, physics)
4. Nonlinearity
5. Story
6. Sound
7. Graphics
8. Interface
 

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
81
1) Stability
2) Interface
3) Gameplay
4) Graphics
5) Story/Playability

Norm
 

Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
9,372
0
76
Oh, all these categories are only making it more confusing. I'd break it down like this:

1. Gameplay/story. Deus Ex was one of my favorite games because it had non-linear gameplay, a conspiracy theory story that kept you guessing, elements of a RPG game (weapon/character upgrades), and mini-quests within the game. There was a lot of choices you had to make, like you could play the whole game sneaky and not kill anyone, or you could play it Duke Nukem style. And the story not only makes the play more interesting, but it also sets the mood. Whether it's a unraveling conspiracy in Deus Ex or the colorful humor in the NOLF series, a good story makes gameplay even better.

2. Design. This means how the levels are designed, the varety of levels, the variety of environments, the colors, textures, interactivity and all the little extra details that you notice when you stop shooting the baddies for a second. Unreal2 had a wide assortment of levels, and each one was significantly different. The NOLF series also had a good variety.

3. Graphics/sound. This adds a lot to the sence of realism, and the sounds/music also help set the mood. Good graphics go well with fun gameplay, but if the gameplay and design sucks then the graphics will not save it.

4. Physics. Realistic physics are a nice touch to make a good game into a great game, add to the fun factor and increase the interactivity of the environments. But after a while I just stop paying attention to the physics and concentrate more on the gameplay. In HL2 for example it's fun to mess around with the gravity gun, but the majority of the time I'm too busy playing to notice the physics.

5. Interface/engine/all the technical details. Not noticeable much during gameplay, even if it has occasional stutters or clumsy UI, it wont ruin the gameplay for me, so it's not that important.
 

VIAN

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2003
6,575
1
0
I could go for some Return to Castle Wolfenstien graphics with some killer break anything physics.
 

VIAN

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2003
6,575
1
0
Originally posted by: TecHNooB
Originally posted by: HamburgerBoy
I'd rather have graphics, but even those are pretty unimportant...

1. Gameplay
2. Non-linearity
3. Interface
4. Graphics
5. Sounds
6. Storyline

No no no no; you've got it all wrong.
1. Storyline
2. Gameplay
3. Graphics
4. Non-Linearity
5. Sounds
6. Interface

No no no no; you've got it all wrong.


1. Gameplay
2. Graphics
3. Story
4. Sounds
 

Farfle

Member
Jan 10, 2006
78
0
61
Teamplay
Gameplay
Teamplay
Weapons (I hate real-world-invisible-bullet-one-shot-head-kill bullsh!t)
Teamplay

And, yes, I think that lowly of graphics.
 

NoStateofMind

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 2005
9,711
6
76
Rule of thumb: K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid

Three things that make a great game, the rest are a plus:

G.S.G.

Gameplay

Storyline

Graphics