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Just how important ARE graphics?
Crescendo
Member Posts: 34
I havnt been a member here long and this is my first time starting a new topic, but I've read a lot of people's opinions in the review section of quite a few games and the same thing seems to come up quite a bit "the graphics suck" or "it could look a lot better". I, personally, dont see graphics as a major factor in what makes a game great or not. As long as a game's fun, not too easy/difficult, and has content that keeps me wanting to play I'm pretty much happy as a piggy with a hot buttered corn cob. Just thought I'd try to find out about some others' opinions on the matter. So on a scale from 1 to 10, how important are graphics to you, and why do you believe so, please?
Comments
I agree with you that graphics are less important than fun (gameplay) factor. No matter how good a game looks, if it's not fun, I wouldn't play it.
I have played lots of 2D games (Dark Ages, NexusTK, and some others) and I had a lot of fun while playing those games. The graphics never bothered me because the gameplay more than made up for it.
On the other hand, I have played some really crappy 3D games. You can't judge a game by its looks (although I see a lot of reviewers do).
For me graphics are not the important factor in an mmorpg. But in a first person shooter, i expect the graphics to at least as good as the gameplay ^_^ In an offline rpg, the graphics are kinda important hehe and in rts games the graphics dont matter at all as long as the gameplay is good ^_^
Richijefe... level 61 Silver Ranger on Bartz... quit 4 months ago ^_^
Richijefe
There needs to be balance between graphics and game-play. Too many new folks get pulled into games based on graphics alone, and end up leaving disappointed due to lack of breadth and depth of game-play I think.
Well said. A ton of graphics and little gameplay will make for a bad game. A ton of gameplay and bad graphics will only appeal to the hardcore. You need a proper balance of both to lure in the masses and also provide a good game.
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Played: Asheron's Call 1, Dark Age of Camelot, Earth & Beyond, Star Wars Galaxies
Tested: Asheron's Call 1, Asheron's Call 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Eve Online, Lineage 2, Risk Your Life, Saga of Ryzom, World of Warcraft
Uninstalled ASAP: MU Online, Knight Online, Rubies of Eventide, Priston Tales, Star Sonata, DarkSpace
Visual perfection anyone?
Graphics (and engines) determine how I will do stuff inside a game.
I like to see the mage do blast of awesome mana consumption because that brings certain fun to it, if that while blast is alittle blue ball going 2 feet, thats not really entertaining.
Though gameplay is very important, the game would not be the same if it wasnt for its graphics.
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fire ze missilez!1111
For me community spirit/maturity first,gameplay,CSR then graphics.
Though i expect some mininal effort in the graphics department.IE no UO or shadowbane graphics for a 2004 game.Also i am a strong hater of point and click so any game with that i totally dislike.
But apart from that could careless about graphics.
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Malianea
Gameplay > Graphics
Good gameplay + good graphics = good game.
Bad gameplay + good graphics = pretty game.
Good gameplay + bad graphics = ugly game.
Bad gameplay + bad graphics = unplayable game.
Gotta have both to be a good game.
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graphics = immersion
Thus, quality of graphics is very important indeed.
just take a look at all the top rated games on this site and the most hyped games and that answers your question.
gone are the days of a game having sub-par graphics and excellent gameplay appealing to the masses. these are the days of $600 video board upgrades every 2 years ...why? to have the best graphics you can get.
I play video games for video primarily. usually great graphics are accompanied by great gameplay. there are some exceptions to this, but I can name a hell of a lot more games with both crappy graphics and crappy gameplay then I can with excellent graphics and crappy gameplay.
its easy to say "I take gameplay over graphics", but not knowing jack about gameplay and just reading a few second hand reviews and the back of the box..what pulls you into a game more times than not are graphics.
if its not true then why do we all buy monster machines and keep on top of the latest technologies.
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
It is not the graphics as such that matter but the combination of style and presentation. Fallout for example had pretty terrible graphics technically but a style and presentation that made it interesting to look at and fun to play. The super mario series are also classic examples.
If Fallout had been a text based RPG it would not have been half as good, so graphics do matter but how much they matter and what constitutes 'good' graphics is up for debate.
Most people that say 'the graphics suck!' usually mean that its not their style but don't see it that way.
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Anyone remember a really old turn based tank battle DOS game called Scorched Earth? I loved that game. Only reason I bring it up is because the topic just reminded me of it
. It had the most simplistic Atari2600-like graphics, yet still managed to take up hours of my free time. Ran a little quick once I upgraded to one of those blazing fast 300MHz Pentium processors that everyone was talking about at the time though. Um....so like, yeah.
"Rehab is for quitters."
"Rehab is for quitters."
No real gamer will say graphics are that important. Its not the deciding factor on 'fun'
They are icing on the cake.
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i dont think that they are taht important but i know guys who like wont play games if the graphics which are aawsome, to me just seems like they being shallow against graphics that are fun but have crap for graphics
While gameplay is easily the most important thing about a game.. graphics are very important, too.
If the graphics are REALLY bad, it's likely I'll never even try the game out.
And really.. graphics are part of the gameplay.. if I can't be immersed with the graphics, I won't like the gameplay.
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
Bad graphics and old graphics are different things.
Atari in the 80s was pretty much the best you could get on home video game.
I hope this thread is not an EQ2 vs WoW discussion disguised as a Graphics discussion.
I don't consider myself shallow, I'm a "real" gamer (since the 80s) and heck Graphics are very important to me just because realism is very important to me.
I'm not attracted to a game by graphics, im attracted by if I played it before, gameplay (setup, abilites, items, etc) then graphics are last. (It goes deeper in what im trying to say) The point is that graphics are not 1st important in a game. I made a post about this eariler in the TES Oblivion topic.
Their are A LOT of people here that judge a game by graphics but I'm not calling out any names . . . . .
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So let's not make it into one.
"Rehab is for quitters."
"Rehab is for quitters."
I think most gamers will agree that gameplay trumps graphics. This doesn't mean that graphics are unimportant. Quite the contrary, graphics add a dimension to a virtual world that often enhances gameplay. While not a subsitute for a good gameplay, graphics are certainly important, especially in this day of Alienware laptops and $500 accelerators.
I would argue that graphics are more important to a new game than to an established title. For example, no one will argue that EverQuest's graphics are superior to newer games like SWG or The Saga of Ryzom. Yet even with a dated graphics engine, it's unlikely that EQ will lose players because the game isn't pretty enough. The reason EQ maintains its subscribership is largely because of its gameplay.
Now, if EverQuest were to be released today in its current state, it would likely flop, even with the gameplay mechanics intact. The game is no different, but the dated graphics would provide a barrier to most new players. (ps, I realize that the reason EQ is still popular is deeper than what I have laid out here, but I'm merely trying to make a point).
Suffice it to say that gameplay is king, but graphics are certainly a kingmaker. An ugly woman may be a brilliant actress, but she will likely have limited success in Hollywood, given her competition. Similarly, the most fun game in the world would have a hard time gathering a playerbase if the graphics look like something from 1996.
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MMORPG.com Staff
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Old timer.
I think this topic has been discussed since games first came out :-)
To me, the gameplay is by far the most important part of a game, and I'm sure pretty much everyone here will agree with me there, however, on a marketing side, people don't see playability on the box, they see screenshots of the graphics, this can therefore affect the sales of a game, hence it can be important.
Also, as most here should realise, MMORPG's require immersion to be really successful, and the graphics are a huge tool in doing this, at the end of the day, your going to feel more attached to an avator that looks pretty humoid, then an avator made up of 10 pixels :-)
Also, as prevoiusly mentioned, the graphics themselve can actually add content to a game, the way and item activats, or the way an avotor moves can be humorous and entertaining and thus generate its own content adding to the gameplay.
In short, no, graphics arn't important for a good game, but they are important for a great game :-)
---- "Fate protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise" ----
Graphics. like FX, are a very small part of what I look for in a game/movie/tv show. You can dress a moose up nice, but when the sun comes up....it's still a moose.
Graphics are not important if the game has a solid gameplay and good community. Why do you think UO is still alive?
Because you can do whatever you want, its a real alternative life, not only grind like most of mmorpgs out there >cough< EverCrap >cough<