Thanks again for the replies...

Well I guess its kindof interesting that not a whole lot of people have voted for graphics when that seems to be a primary focus of improvement in the current industry =).

Quote:Original post by Soldarith
Even the greatest looking games fail at holding a player's attention if they don't have the substance to back it up.

Ah...but from a short-term business perspective all that matters it them coming to the door (buying the game). If they don't come to the door then that great gameplay won't make a difference.

For long-term success I think you want what games like Half-Life & Half-Life2 offer: amazing graphics & amazing depth of story & consistency of mechanics (but delivered on a console so you can get the better # of sales). In an ideal world we'd all have 6-8 years to develop our games.

-me

Quote:Original post by Palidine

Quote:Original post by Soldarith
Even the greatest looking games fail at holding a player's attention if they don't have the substance to back it up.

Ah...but from a short-term business perspective all that matters it them coming to the door (buying the game). If they don't come to the door then that great gameplay won't make a difference.

For long-term success I think you want what games like Half-Life & Half-Life2 offer: amazing graphics & amazing depth of story & consistency of mechanics (but delivered on a console so you can get the better # of sales). In an ideal world we'd all have 6-8 years to develop our games.

-me

Yes, I agree. When I said about people coming for the graphics and staying for the gameplay, and gameplay being what makes it last, I was actually referring to lasting not only for the owners, but also on the market =). The reason for this is probably that, the longer a game is out, the more information about it is circulated from person to person; therefore, the more people telling their friends "I can't stop playing this game, its so fun!", the more people are likely to continue buying that game and therefore, increase that game's duration for which is is actively on the market.

Quote:Well I guess its kindof interesting that not a whole lot of people have voted for graphics when that seems to be a primary focus of improvement in the current industry =).

Well I think that's why people don't vote for it. The industry has gone a bit too far and has left most other innovations/improvements behind. Graphics are nearing photorealism, yet the occasional npc still gets stuck in corners and mechanics have progressed fairly little in most genres (honestly I think the health bar in fps's is quite outdated and in need of an upgrade, same with the standard resource model in most rts's)

i would say gameplay but:

everyone (including me) here says : gameplay+originality etc. Graphics is NOT the main thing.

But:
To be realistic, look at the commercial scene. And ponder that this is a forum for game-making nerds that have a more "sophisticated"/analytic aproach to games. That often still play age old classics for the gameplay, games that the vast majority or customers out there would not even look at, let alone buy.

I agree that the best FPS (like halflife 2) has both graphics, good gameplay and good physics, but that game was extreemely expensive to make. Smart but not-good looking games sometimes find a small fanbase of "alterative gamers" that is looking for something special, away from the mainstream games.

Or put it even more bitterly :)
1. Make a game that sells
or
2. Make a good game

One poster on this forum (without joking) put it this way:
"I think graphics is what sells. Gameplay is just for hardcore fans."

So there you have it. Gameplay is not necessary at all. It's a curiosa. Sadly many commercial games are devoloped using that formula: Take something old, insert todays graphics, sell it.

Thats why i make games for nerds like me. No worrying about competing in the commerical scene. Just trying out interesting gameplay. On the other hand, i do this for a hobby, so i dont need to sell it...
Erik

*bump*

Quote:Original post by JBourrie
Remove the S. Seriously, the S limits what the game can be. Making an FP will allow S but also allow RP, PJ, and even RTS (but please no MMO, KTHX). You can create a new gaming experience instead of being limited to genre conventions. Or better yet, design a game experience and then decide what viewpoint best fits that experience. TP, TD, I, or SS might work better for your idea and you don't even realize it because you're so focused on the FP aspect.

But if you want to do FP, just don't focus so much on the S that you won't consider the other capital letters you could create.

What makes you think this is about an idea for a game =)?