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My thoughts: Have graphics ruined computer games?
keke`
Member UncommonPosts: 33
Once upon a time, there were games that would hold you in the same spot for hours or even force you to start all over, wondering if you had missed something important. There were games with a world in which you could go amazingly deep, explore all the wonders, all the easter eggs and all the cleverness of the developers' minds. These games were of course single player games for the Amiga, NES/SNES and the various other consoles and console lookalikes, and of course also the early PC stages.
Then we reached the era of online gaming, with MUDs and the ever-so-popular UO, providing massive worlds and loads of possibilities, and worlds that could easily be expanded due to the low graphical requirements. I actually thought online gaming would be brilliant, however I was wrong...
So now we have what? We have the anime games where at any stage in game, there exist only one or two useful combinations of attack spells, only one efficient sword and only one efficient bow. Everyone wears the same kind of armor as it's the best, and everyone builds their characters the same way, and then we have World of Warcraft which is exactly the same, where every person strives to get a hold of that best armor and that best weapon.
And then I ask, where has the depth gone? Although single player games like Zelda and Final Fantasy strive to keep up with the depth and many hours of gameplay they were once able to provide, we still see that it gets easier and easier to get through these games, and they have decreasingly little extra features compared to what was once offered. So what could be the reason? Are developers simply not as clever as they once were, or is simply because the evil companies always strive to have that wow-factor on their side, seeing as they keep hiring more and more 3D modellers?
The requirements for making games, they say, are sky-high. The costs, they say, are insane. But why oh why is it, that even though the big gaming corporations can keep hiring more and more people, yet they still produce worse and worse games, when it was once possible for 10 people to create a game, that even to this day can still make the youngsters go "wow" if they actually bother sitting down and play the game?
So I'm wondering; where did it go wrong? Was it the invention of the CDROM, that instead of 1.44MB now gave developers 700MB to play with, or are the new game developers simply dumber than those before them?
If anyone working within the game-developing world wants to answer any of my questions then go ahead, but for everyone else, these are just my thoughts (and many others'). It's just thoughts I want to let out, it's not flaming or namecalling, no matter how you read it, and I'm not going to bother answering people who think that it is.
Then we reached the era of online gaming, with MUDs and the ever-so-popular UO, providing massive worlds and loads of possibilities, and worlds that could easily be expanded due to the low graphical requirements. I actually thought online gaming would be brilliant, however I was wrong...
So now we have what? We have the anime games where at any stage in game, there exist only one or two useful combinations of attack spells, only one efficient sword and only one efficient bow. Everyone wears the same kind of armor as it's the best, and everyone builds their characters the same way, and then we have World of Warcraft which is exactly the same, where every person strives to get a hold of that best armor and that best weapon.
And then I ask, where has the depth gone? Although single player games like Zelda and Final Fantasy strive to keep up with the depth and many hours of gameplay they were once able to provide, we still see that it gets easier and easier to get through these games, and they have decreasingly little extra features compared to what was once offered. So what could be the reason? Are developers simply not as clever as they once were, or is simply because the evil companies always strive to have that wow-factor on their side, seeing as they keep hiring more and more 3D modellers?
The requirements for making games, they say, are sky-high. The costs, they say, are insane. But why oh why is it, that even though the big gaming corporations can keep hiring more and more people, yet they still produce worse and worse games, when it was once possible for 10 people to create a game, that even to this day can still make the youngsters go "wow" if they actually bother sitting down and play the game?
So I'm wondering; where did it go wrong? Was it the invention of the CDROM, that instead of 1.44MB now gave developers 700MB to play with, or are the new game developers simply dumber than those before them?
If anyone working within the game-developing world wants to answer any of my questions then go ahead, but for everyone else, these are just my thoughts (and many others'). It's just thoughts I want to let out, it's not flaming or namecalling, no matter how you read it, and I'm not going to bother answering people who think that it is.
Comments
I dont know. I've played a lot of games that had poor graphics, and I absolutely loved them
I like different games for different reasons.
Half-Life 2 (when released) : for its graphics
Kotor 1 & 2 : Story , RPG
Star Wars SNES : action
i liked them all
IMO i want to see better graphic-ed games to come out in the future... which they will. especially mmo's
heard of different types of artistic skills anyone?
It would be funny to see someone create a game with great game play but with simple wireframe graphics.
It would be funny to see someone create a game with great game play but with simple wireframe graphics.
I don't see how it would be much different from a table top game. For me graphics are always a plus, but i would take a game with an excellent story and good gameplay over the newest in 3d modeling any day.
It would be funny to see someone create a game with great game play but with simple wireframe graphics.
There's a game that came out like that just recently called Darwinia.
People don't really want this though. They say they do, but when there is a game that comes out with good gameplay and subpar graphics the first thing they do is put it down because of the graphics. How many times have you heard someone say, "well the game was fun but I just couldn't get over those crap graphics enough to enjoy it" or something similar?
People say they want lot's of things, then when they get what they ask for they throw it to the side. I think that's why game developers don't listen to people so much. They've been burned a lot that way.
It would be funny to see someone create a game with great game play but with simple wireframe graphics.
There's a game that came out like that just recently called Darwinia.
People don't really want this though. They say they do, but when there is a game that comes out with good gameplay and subpar graphics the first thing they do is put it down because of the graphics. How many times have you heard someone say, "well the game was fun but I just couldn't get over those crap graphics enough to enjoy it" or something similar?
People say they want lot's of things, then when they get what they ask for they throw it to the side. I think that's why game developers don't listen to people so much. They've been burned a lot that way.
I just love being told what i do or don't want by someone else....
The kind of person that is always asking for new things in these types of game, but is never happy when they get them, will never be happy. They always want more, even if there is nothing wrong with what is there, they must have new, bigger, better, something. These kind of people are the kind of person developers should NOT listen to.
However, there are a good amount of people who have been playing these types of games, whether it be tabletop rpgs or mmorpgs, for a long time. These people, who have actually experienced the ups and downs of numerous games. The people who actually know what they want in a game, are the kind of person developers SHOULD be listening to.
The problem here is that, more often than not, the type of person that always wants something new is the vocal portion of their subscribers. I believe if more of the second type of person would stop allowing developers to listen to the first type, and letting them waste time on pointless changes to games. The quality of games on the markets would be much better that it is today.
Just my two cents.
yes, I can honnestly say no depth or quality or gameplay has been sacrificed for better graphics. its absurd, I dunno who came up with this but...
Its we, the mmorpg players, that picked games with less depth over games with depth. THATS what makes mmorpg games what they are today.
You got to be kidding your saying EvE a better game to sign up to?? There more content in WoW just in the patch every month then EvE could dream of.
WoW is a good example on ok graphics and gameply... It not about how much polygons you have but how the art drawn togethor. like, Does it make you feel like your in another world/time. Maybe that why people said the gameplay good but the graphics sucks. The graphics just need to make you believe you are in another world.
Also, I played Darwinia. I didn't like the type of game but it ok.
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"Any free people have the right to choose how it wants to be govern thats the essence of democracy. It's sad when America has chosen for the stability and consistency of a dictatorship and doing it democratically" -utnow
You got to be kidding your saying EvE a better game to sign up to?? There more content in WoW just in the patch every month then EvE could dream of.
WoW is a good example on ok graphics and gameply... It not about how much polygons you have but how the art drawn togethor. like, Does it make you feel like your in another world/time. Maybe that why people said the gameplay good but the graphics sucks. The graphics just need to make you believe you are in another world.
Also, I played Darwinia. I didn't like the type of game but it ok.
I'm sorry, I can't remember I said EVE was a better game?
Then what does that mean? ^ or this "We picked WoW over EVE."
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"Any free people have the right to choose how it wants to be govern thats the essence of democracy. It's sad when America has chosen for the stability and consistency of a dictatorship and doing it democratically" -utnow
yes, I can honnestly say no depth or quality or gameplay has been sacrificed for better graphics. its absurd, I dunno who came up with this but...
Its we, the mmorpg players, that picked games with less depth over games with depth. THATS what makes mmorpg games what they are today.
Them i'm afraid we disagree.
I will say this though, developers should not put graphics before gameplay and depth.
Then what does that mean? ^ or this "We picked WoW over EVE."
here is a silly idea...because Wow has much more players then EVE does?
yes, I can honnestly say no depth or quality or gameplay has been sacrificed for better graphics. its absurd, I dunno who came up with this but...
Its we, the mmorpg players, that picked games with less depth over games with depth. THATS what makes mmorpg games what they are today.
Them i'm afraid we disagree.
I will say this though, developers should not put graphics before gameplay and depth.
Developers have never put graphics before gameplay, and I don't understand how people come to that conclusion. the reason we have games without depth is because most people rather play games with less depth, not because companies put more time in graphics then depth.
yea graphics ruined computer games
http://www.screwattack.com/AngryNerdMain.html
There goes your conclussion
Sure it could be that there are way more games these days but nah, graphics ruined everything.
/sarcasm off
I know so many great games, get a clue. You just have to do some research and don't follow the mainstream.
I have to disagree as well. Conditionally.
I do tend to think that in SOME instances eye candy has come before depth (ie pre-update 13 and later eq2, MxO etc), but one does not preclude the other - that is completely up to the devs.
I think the growth in technology has put a wonderful challenge on the table before them. Create a game that not only plays well but looks superb while doing it. Nothin wrong with that at all. MMO's are in a very fast paced learning curve (in terms of the creators) right now - the demand has gone through the roof compared to the wonderful days of yore with Uo and old school EQ holding their ground in genre-specific crowds pre-wow mainstream-ism (yea, ok, thats not a word). There is Serious money to be made for whoever can run the gambit with the right formulae. Balancing gameplay for the masses and staying on the bleeding edge of game technology is not an easy task. There is, however, nothing wrong with trying to do so, I would rather have a game look and play good than just play good. Many games suceed, and a few are even MMO's.
Think about it before replying, I'm just putting it in a much simpler form than what Gameloading is saying.
I'm not buyin' this bullshit idea that we must make a choice between good graphics or good game play! We should be getting both...as well as great music and great sound effects!
Companies now see computer games as $ signs. Imagine sim city - the most popular game of its time yet it used blocks of size an inch squared. Companies now think that you can write off the cost of a gaming engine by upping subscription prices - good games dont need long term payment models. Give me an amazing game with depth and 1995 or better graphics and ill play it and pay it.
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Note: PlayNC will refuse to allow you access to your account if you forget your password and can't provide a scanned image of the product key for the first product you purchased..... LOL