Graphics Vs Gameplay

Dustaz

With the release of Tribes 2 and Black and White which have pretty steep graphics requirements, I was wondering how important you folks consider graphics in a game.
Personally i wouldnt give a toss how impressive the grapics are as long as the gameplay is engaging. It never ceases to amaze me how worked up people in Magazines get about average games simply because of the gazillion gigatexels and real time T&L with the graphics. Sure a game might look pretty, but what use is that if its just plain old cr@p.
I realise that if everyone thought like me , then wed still be looking at wolfenstyle graphics, but hey, think of the FPS youd be getting
Anyway, what do you folk think about it?

smoke.me.a.kipper

graphics only really enhance your games experience. the real experience comes from the gameplay.

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- Ciaranj - ciaranj.com

This post has been brought to you by the letter C, and the number 7.

[This message has been edited by smoke-me-a-kipper (edited 11-04-2001).]

TwoShedsJackson

Gameplay first, always.

Megatron

Gameplay ... sure some games do look very pretty, but you have to enjoy playing the smegging thing ..
Take cm2 for an example ... what a brill game
yet the graphics were not what you would call astounding !!!

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No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands

adnans

gameplay comes first always... unless it's a porn game of course.

adnans

bugler

Don't care for graphics an awful lot.They should be good,but if they start to interfere with enjoyment by way of slowdown etc then fúck em.what are the req specs for T2?!

havok*

Well from a gamer point of view yeah, gameplay is everything,
However, from working in graphics i'm obviously gonna have a fair intrest in good game graphics, so yes, i would actully get a game simply for the graphics/animation in it. Its good refrance.
Thats not to say i only by games baced on there graphics tho...

WhiteWashMan

well i think youll find the most playd internet game is CS.
the half life engine is definately not amazing, so i guess most of the online gaming community would say that gameplay is far more important than eyecandy...

Winning Hand

Depends on what you look for in that particular game. I bought alice solely for the graphics, however if i would of known the gameplay itself was that bad i mightnt of. I made the unfortunate mistake of setting the difficulty to nightmare, its hard in a bad way. Still tho, alice is one stunning looking game

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Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this....
bull****

azezil

i don't really care about graphics...hell i love civ!!! but it is nice to hav pritty pictures too!

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"just because ur not paraniod, doesn't mean they're not after u!"

Dustaz

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by WhiteWashMan:

well i think youll find the most playd internet game is CS.
the half life engine is definately not amazing, so i guess most of the online gaming community would say that gameplay is far more important than eyecandy...</font>

Yeah, i had that in before the spell checker crashed ie
So why do companies release games that need supercomputers to see these astounding graphics?

Celt

A nice mix of both i think is best.

DrunkLeprachaun

No self respecting gamer would put graphics before gameplay, but it is possible to be put off by bog-awful graphics.

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If there's one thing I hate, it's people.

Greenbean

This is why I'm hoping for some cool games to come out on the gameboy advance. If you make a new game for that, you've got to think gameplay first.

I'm wondering who will be the first to bring out a gba/mobile massively multiplayer game. Like a small 2d planetarion style strategy game.

PHB

who doesnt love civ?

D-Generate

I don't it looks crap
Anywho CS is a great game but the graphics are very bad but the gameplay is really good which ballances it out.

Celt

Heh CS graphics arent that bad!

Sliotar

aw cmon, if u think that cs gfx are really bad then your standards are way too high. i think they're just fine, which is all gfx need to be. just as long as they dont actually put you off the game.

Mills

Gameplay for sure. Also a smooth framerate is much more important to me than nice effects, I usually just turn most of the graphics down to make sure I always get a 100% smooth fps.

Celt

So, browser based games must be the ultimate extension of gameplay over graphics, hrrrmmm?

azezil

space invaders! woo woo woo

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"just because ur not paraniod, doesn't mean they're not after u!"

amp

In order of importance:

Gameplay
Netcode
Graphics
Sound

But they're all vital area's that interact with each other. If you get an irratating screeching noise everytime you do something it'll eventually make you drop the game. Or if the graphics are so slow or inaccurate or seriously inconsistent then that can bring a game down also.

But at the end of the day it's all about the gameplay.

Except of course GLminesweeper, where it's all about the L3NZ FL@R3 F-ECT!!!!

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Lunacy Abounds! Play GLminesweeper!
art is everything and of course nothing and possibly also a sausage

Dustaz

lol.
For other laughs check out this response i got to the same post on Tribalwar's forums.
The general replies were split between graphics and gameplay but this one just struck me as incredibly stupid

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Ok, picture this...

Take the Tribes 2 gameplay engine and picture it using the same graphic engine as duke nukem 3d. (The old school one) And tell me if your still going to enjoy the game as much. Your Not, believe me. I can prove it. All you duke 3d players out there who LOVED duke 3d and couldnt get enough of it, Go grab that cd, dust it off and re install it. Now play it. I couldnt play the damn thing for more than 5 minutes. and that was pushing it. It just SUKED ASS now. Why? B/c it wasnt asthetically pleasing anymore. Im drawn into my game world by pretty graphics AND great gameplay. A good game cant have one without the other. A game with just AMAZING graphics, or Just Kick ass gameplay never do very good. it's a combination of both that makes a game... Remember that.
</font>

********

Greenbean

He does make a good point - everyones standards get raised by the year, and they get put off by older looking graphics.

Eg, GTA came out at a time when 3d graphics were just starting and were a must have. Its gameplay won over everyone. Frontier elite 2? I reinstalled that - it was still good enough, the graphics didn't put me off one bit (and its ancient).

Dustaz

i found an old copy of quake 1 in work and installed it on my work machine (just to you know, err, take a break like) and it was great. Graphics were crap cos its old, but the game was still as fun as i remember it being originally (and this was single player mode) i played it through to the end again, missed loads of work and had a lorra lorra fun. I dont think at any stage i thought "wow, the graphics are so ****, its ****ing me off". TBH thats like saying Citizen Kane is a ****e film because its in black and white.

Celt

First person shooters all have crap game play for the most part, so that point is invalid, the real fun in fps is multiplay.

Shiminay

Gameplay, smooth frame-rate and ease of play. Maybe then Graphics and Sound.

I get a game, I usually turn all the graphic details down to get it running more smoothly. Graphics and screen-shots will make me go "oooohhh - look at how I'll be able to play it in 3 years when my machine's good enough" (e.g. vanilla Quake -vs- GL QuakeWorld)).

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All the best,

Dav
@B^)

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Prepare yourself - The Beefy King stirs from his slumber...</font>

[honey i] violated [the kids]

havok*

Yeah,
Who can argue that quake 3 doesn’t look the dogs dangleys when ur running full detail. Maps are incredibly detailed, dynamic lighting, shadows, light souring on weapons it looks amazing.
No plays it like that tho, it looks almost cartoon like the way we play it,
Bit of a shame really.
They should have concentrated more on getting a good looking low detailed version (like in UT)
And should have spent a little more then 5 minutes writing the net code.....

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<-- Enemy p4nts Secure
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Clan Bio

Kix

Better graphics lead to better immersion lead to a better game experience.

It it was just about gameplay I'd still be playing XCOM and Civ.

Still, you do feel that there's been no truly "great" game since Half Life. Deus Ex was mighty enjoyable but I'm finding the whole Black & White experience a bit of a downer.

Sliotar

i wouldnt consider single player half life (if thats what you're referring to) as a truly great game. it was good while it lasted, very good while it lasted (about a week), but had no reply value and left little or no impression on your memory. metal gear solid was even shorter but you were'nt going to forget it for a long time, had a nice bit of reply value and you could come back to it a couple of months later and enjoy it nearly as much as the first time. but half life did spawn cs and tfc so in that respect it is a truly great game, which makes everything ive just said pointless...

BlitzKrieg

Uhmmmmm wouldnt the type of GAMEPLAY!!! matter??


it would i mean.


games like res evil and the undying cant be scary with really bad graphics

same with half life, metal gear solid and other imearsinive feeling games.


BUT

space invaders C12 or any of those wouldnt need the best.

anway the games company uses graphics to award gamers now (ignring fps) but when u complete the game or is comin to the end u want the whole schhiiibang i mean Final fansay anyone?? notice how as u progress the fireworks improve why?? cause its a feeling of power. the shiny lights reward us. the cool fmvs used as endings are also rewards for winning so graphics i think ave melded into the gameplay. I mean u gotta enjoy and u gotta feel rewarded.

some games try other methods secrets and bonuses some do both impressive endings and bonuses.


BUT who here can say they never felt cheated b a cheap ending despite how great the gameplay is?? Hidden and dangerous no matter how much fun the game was i felt cheated by the ending VERY cheated. that had poor replay value but to make up the first go around was near impossible. The ending was very very very cheap.


(ignore all of above here is imp part)


BUT i've seen the future a new FPS which combines graphics and gameplay together a new gem fro the Freespace creators here goes:

"in a elevator coming up to the surface of a base it stops your about to open the door when you hear a sound, taking out therml goggles u pick up 3 gaurds waiting for u outside the lift. Take out uer handy rifle aim and fire through the door into one skull. the others run away you find them further down in a tunnel they got a clear shot with machine guns you have little cover UER ****ED then thing idea, your on tactiic instead of gunning out u take one shot at the pipe gas blows out and bang ignites frying the bad guys. BUT the pipe begins to blow up and u gotta RUN like fricken mad."

yep Red Fraction is the next half life graphics which look good so good that u can blow it all up!


anything is destroyable ANYTHING

imagine the tactics NO more campers

create your own sniper holes


beutiful blend of graphics and gameplay together


celebrate