Graphics and game engine

Consider that Minecraft does not have stellar graphics, yet people love the game. I wouldn't waste any time trying to impress the younger players with graphics. When their friends start talking about a great game, they'll want to join their friends.

The concept art looks good, and I think that will come through in the final product. If a player is spending too much time checking out the bump mapping on a log, someone is likely to club them over the head. So problem solved either way.

 

In my opinion, story is far more important than graphics. Developers have strayed from good story telling and have focused too much attention on graphics. They need to get back to the roots and focus on an immersive story. Go play Final Fantasy 6 & 7 and then tell me they aren't great because of their graphics.

 

Minecraft doesn't have stellar graphics, it has a unique graphical look. It's the look and the art style that <strong>draws people to a game</strong>, it's the gameplay (And the story) that <strong>keeps them playing</strong>.


I don't see one as being more important than the other but if they're not weighted equally in importance it's to the detriment of the whole.

 

@storagezilla I don't disagree with your points - but if you had to sacrifice a little, just a little, due to constraints - would you choose graphics or gameplay experience? (saying neither is not an option)

I think that everyone in this forum wants a great looking game that plays great - I love games that are identifiable for two reasons - how they look - a unique visual ingame world experience - as much as a unique take on gameplay and gameplay mechanics - I would hope that this will be the end product of this project - (crossing my fingers).

 

@Magard Saying neither is not an option ignores another option. You can sacrifice something from both and maintain the same level of investment throughout.

Indeed what with multiple games planned we'll probably see things get cut from the first game with a plan to put them in the next.

 

Graphic have never meant much to me. Maybe because I've been handed game after game with crazy amazing graphics and no gameplay.

 

Who doesn't love Minecraft's plot?

 

Right, gameplay trumps graphics every single time. Minecraft is an excellent example. here is an RPG that uses the unity engine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=ynmn3DjIDqA

those graphics are good enough for me... and apparently that is a browser based game... so there should be some headroom for much better in a stand-alone PC version.

A consistent art style and direction helps a lot when the graphics aren't good.

I think most of the games you see using the unity engine don't have top notch graphics because they dont have a team of 30+ graphics artists creating all of the individual pieces for the world, so they get their 2-3 guys to just pump out what they can... or do a 2D version, cartoony etc.

 

@storagezilla

Point taken ... but you did not answer the question

 

This game will have good graphics. Unreal and such are more for ultra realistic graphics whereas this will have a more stylized look. Photo-realistic graphics in a game like this is a waste of resources.

Creating Braid or Limbo with FarCry would have been all cost with no improvement, but both were really good looking games. It really comes down more to the art than the pixel parsers.

 

Graphics vs gameplay is a useless dichotomy here. Of course we're all here for the gameplay and have faith that it will be more than satisfying, otherwise we'd not have backed the kickstarter project in the first place. The more interesting question is how to best compliment the gameplay with appealing visuals. Saying that graphics matter is not equivalent to saying that graphics need to be a bleeding edge technical marvel, it simply means that visuals are an important aspect of a game that employs them. Text based games can be great, sprite based games can be great, advanced physics and effects based games can be great. The important thing is to distinguish which category is most effective for the type of gameplay you want to create and then go from there. That's the more interesting question, in my opinion.

As for Minecraft, that game was intentionally stylized to have a retro look because it made good sense for the type of gameplay being sought. Minecraft doesn't have bad graphics, it looks exactly as it was intended to look. The problem arises when a game fails to succeed on its own terms because of bugs, engine limitations, time constraints, etc. Ideally SotA won't have any of these issues, but I still think it's an interesting discussion to be having, so long as we are discussing these sorts of things..

 

Gameplay and graphics are <b>NOT</b> mutually exclusive. Creating an RPG with amazing graphics IN NO WAY precludes the game from having an amazing story and gameplay.

This is an argument that has hindered Ultima Online from being able to move beyond 1997 levels graphical capabilities and keeps it looking as old as the game is instead of updated and vibrant.

Graphics matter regardless of what people say. If they didn't, then we wouldn't have the argument here or in UO because noone would care if the graphics were updated or not. Case in point, consider telling a rabid Classic Client UO player that claims that "graphics don't matter" that they should simply change the look of a favorite monster graphics (such as the dragon) and you'll be met with flames (even more so if they're a tamer). Same holds true here. There have already been reactions to the graphics used in the original demos of the game even AFTER it's been stated that the graphics are placeholders and NOT the final graphics.

People mention Minecraft... if I WANTED Minecraft graphics... ... ... <b>I WOULD PLAY MINECRAFT</b>. I SINCERELY HOPE that SotA uses nice, crisp, detailed high resolution graphics that can scale to a user's video card capabilities and create as lush, detailed, and immersive graphics as possible.

Amazing gameplay plus amazing graphics... shouldn't the game be <b>BOTH</b>?

 

Graphics matter to some extent, but I'm not expecting anything revolutionary.

What really matters to me is quality animations. You can't admire the great visuals of certain games without seeing them in movement. A good example is League of Legends. The graphics are mediocre at best, but the animation is phenomenal, especially for a game that lacks a physics engine.

 

@Dermott YES (agree whole heartedly)

@Kazin What games have achieved this "compliment the gameplay with appealing visuals"?