The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I was just reading a topic over in chat about what things are more important in a game, whether it's graphics, gameplay, sound, storyline etc, and this got me thinking.
What actually IS gameplay?
Some people put it as a sepearat characteristic of a game. They pigeon hole a game into catagories like, sound, graphics etc.
But surely gameplay is an amalgamation of all of them. Gameplay relies on graphics (not needing stunning graphics, but ones that do the job), sound (again nothing spectacular, but wouldn't it sound weirf if classical music was in a game like UT?) etc etc.
I think gameplay results from all the other factors being good. If the graphics stink, then that will affect the gameplay simply becuase you may not be able to see what you're doing.
What do you think?
What actually IS gameplay?
Some people put it as a sepearat characteristic of a game. They pigeon hole a game into catagories like, sound, graphics etc.
But surely gameplay is an amalgamation of all of them. Gameplay relies on graphics (not needing stunning graphics, but ones that do the job), sound (again nothing spectacular, but wouldn't it sound weirf if classical music was in a game like UT?) etc etc.
I think gameplay results from all the other factors being good. If the graphics stink, then that will affect the gameplay simply becuase you may not be able to see what you're doing.
What do you think?
Page:
Hooplah wrote:
> A good director adds the
> atmosphere through lighting and cinematography
A director does neither of those things, they would be the Cinematography and Director of Photography's tasks. No reason for this "paying needless attention to detil" post other than I was reading about the evilness that is Driector's claiming full responsibility for a film last night - that was in relation to the Screen Writers strikes, but anyway...
> A good director adds the
> atmosphere through lighting and cinematography
A director does neither of those things, they would be the Cinematography and Director of Photography's tasks. No reason for this "paying needless attention to detil" post other than I was reading about the evilness that is Driector's claiming full responsibility for a film last night - that was in relation to the Screen Writers strikes, but anyway...
My view on Gameplay is that it's how the game plays and what's involved. I don't think graphics are part of the gameplay. I suppose you could say that the gameplay is what you have to achieve and how the game lets you achieve it.
I was watching some gaming programme on TV the other week, and there was this Road to El Dorado game. The Graphics were quite basic, as were the effects and puzzles, but the gameplay looked great. 4-5 simple moves allowed the horse to jump, spin, run and stop quickly. Okay so it was no Banjo-Tooie, BUT the gameplay grade far exceeded the graphics grade.
I suppose everyone has their own ideas about the wierd and wonderful gaming industry... lol (How Tacky...I hate it when people finish off topics with these stupid conclusion thingys that ruin it completely!)
Game
I was watching some gaming programme on TV the other week, and there was this Road to El Dorado game. The Graphics were quite basic, as were the effects and puzzles, but the gameplay looked great. 4-5 simple moves allowed the horse to jump, spin, run and stop quickly. Okay so it was no Banjo-Tooie, BUT the gameplay grade far exceeded the graphics grade.
I suppose everyone has their own ideas about the wierd and wonderful gaming industry... lol (How Tacky...I hate it when people finish off topics with these stupid conclusion thingys that ruin it completely!)
Game
I have to say that for me, gameplay is the single most important factor in making a 'good game'. As for defining what it actually is, well that's a little more complicated.
Gameplay I agree YH, is a mixture of plot and gaming atmosphere, the later being established by a mixture of camera angle, control method, sound, lighting and graphics.
It's sort of analogous to a film really; If a film is to be good then first and foremost it has to have a good story and good acting. No different from a game here, interesting story lines that set challenges to the gamer hold them for longer. A poor plot has no appeal in either film or game.
A good director adds the atmosphere through lighting and cinematography, just as a good programmer accomplishes the same thing via different means, but the output is the same. Survival horrors wouldn't be what they are without this aspect, but any game needs the right mood set and the correct presentation for that title to make it work.
In the same way that a film that tries to sell itself on special effects alone will fail (not always a box office fail mind), a computer game will also fall short. I think that console companies have their work cut out for them to get over this obstacle, the public are screaming for great graphics this and so many polygons that. Then when these games arrive that are just 'pretty' and have no substance, people will be disappointed because there are no good games around.
Most people have a game that is an 'Old Favourite', something you may go back and play every now and then on the Megadrive or SNES, whatever. The point being that it is something other than the graphics and sound quality that pulls you back, something a bit more tangible than nostalgia alone.
That quality is gameplay, the right balance of something you still find a challenge, mixed with a great story idea and a mood that fits.
Gameplay I agree YH, is a mixture of plot and gaming atmosphere, the later being established by a mixture of camera angle, control method, sound, lighting and graphics.
It's sort of analogous to a film really; If a film is to be good then first and foremost it has to have a good story and good acting. No different from a game here, interesting story lines that set challenges to the gamer hold them for longer. A poor plot has no appeal in either film or game.
A good director adds the atmosphere through lighting and cinematography, just as a good programmer accomplishes the same thing via different means, but the output is the same. Survival horrors wouldn't be what they are without this aspect, but any game needs the right mood set and the correct presentation for that title to make it work.
In the same way that a film that tries to sell itself on special effects alone will fail (not always a box office fail mind), a computer game will also fall short. I think that console companies have their work cut out for them to get over this obstacle, the public are screaming for great graphics this and so many polygons that. Then when these games arrive that are just 'pretty' and have no substance, people will be disappointed because there are no good games around.
Most people have a game that is an 'Old Favourite', something you may go back and play every now and then on the Megadrive or SNES, whatever. The point being that it is something other than the graphics and sound quality that pulls you back, something a bit more tangible than nostalgia alone.
That quality is gameplay, the right balance of something you still find a challenge, mixed with a great story idea and a mood that fits.
Yep. I think gameplay is the whole meal, with graphics, sound, control method, presentation, story, options, style, and other factors, all being ingredients that make it what it is.
Just a bit more I've just remembered:
I think that the controls are a huge part of the gameplay. No matter how good the game is, if it's got crappy controls, no one will like it.
As people like different types of controls, it seems most sensible to allow people to set their own controls.
My personal feeling is that gameplay is not one thing, but a result of a number of aspects of the game.
I think that the controls are a huge part of the gameplay. No matter how good the game is, if it's got crappy controls, no one will like it.
As people like different types of controls, it seems most sensible to allow people to set their own controls.
My personal feeling is that gameplay is not one thing, but a result of a number of aspects of the game.
I was just reading a topic over in chat about what things are more important in a game, whether it's graphics, gameplay, sound, storyline etc, and this got me thinking.
What actually IS gameplay?
Some people put it as a sepearat characteristic of a game. They pigeon hole a game into catagories like, sound, graphics etc.
But surely gameplay is an amalgamation of all of them. Gameplay relies on graphics (not needing stunning graphics, but ones that do the job), sound (again nothing spectacular, but wouldn't it sound weirf if classical music was in a game like UT?) etc etc.
I think gameplay results from all the other factors being good. If the graphics stink, then that will affect the gameplay simply becuase you may not be able to see what you're doing.
What do you think?
What actually IS gameplay?
Some people put it as a sepearat characteristic of a game. They pigeon hole a game into catagories like, sound, graphics etc.
But surely gameplay is an amalgamation of all of them. Gameplay relies on graphics (not needing stunning graphics, but ones that do the job), sound (again nothing spectacular, but wouldn't it sound weirf if classical music was in a game like UT?) etc etc.
I think gameplay results from all the other factors being good. If the graphics stink, then that will affect the gameplay simply becuase you may not be able to see what you're doing.
What do you think?
Page: