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Some things were just meant to go together: Adam & Eve, Posh & Becks, Salt & Pepper, England & Sven, Kebabs & Drunkedness, George W. Bush & War..... One without the other just wouldn't quite be right - and so it is with "Graphics & Gameplay".
Below: a sideways look at the prime Graphical & Gameplay ingredients that are needed to make the perfect gaming blend.
~~GRAPHICS~~
1. First things first: the graphics have got to be lip-smackingly gorgeous. I believe the relevant term here is "eye-candy". Give me the visual equivalent of Jordan in a flurescent yellow bikini lying on a sun-drenched paradise beach beneath a pristine blue sky sucking a strawberry lollipop and I'll be happy.
2. The frame-rate must be "smooooooth": nothing less than a polished marble floor will do. No jerkin' around please. Nothing quite slashes on the gaming bonfire like bad slowdown. - It's no good looking like a dream if your breath reeks of rotting maggots or there's a stench of unholy sulphur issuing from your trousers.
3. And what about the game environment: it's got to be a cool place to go. In a straight fight between a unique look and realism - uniqueness wins every time. Visual originality is where the wonder lies. Take me through the looking glass Alice. Feed my imagination.
4. Detail, detail, detail - it can't be stressed enough. Interactive scenery, fluid animation, dynamic lighting, crisp textures, imaginative level design, flashy FX, the list goes on and on and on. Furthermore, make it big and bold, colourful and charismatic, spectacular and stylish, and most of all "inspirational": think of the Brazilian National Soccer Team circa 1970 and you'll be there.
~~GAMEPLAY~~
5. The most important thing is "addictiveness": the gameplay has got to be like a slot machine jammed on pay-out. It's got to keep you coming back for more - like a box of your favourite chocolates.... Chomp, chomp. - I think the word I'm looking for is "moreish".
6. The control must pack a punch: like a bare-fisted prize fighter beating the living daylights out of a large hanging animal corpse. SMACK. Knuckles on cold flesh. Even though I'm a vegetarian, when it comes to game control, I want meat man, raw meat flush with blood!
7. Keep it fun, likeable and spikey: like a mischievous demon armed with a sharp pitchfork riding a big friendly floppy-eared dog. Ahhhh. The best games are serious about not being serious. There's nothing worse than being bogged down in the grey fog of overkill. Effective gameplay is always simplistic. When it comes to storyline however, the more complexity the better.
8. If you want to enter the golden palace of video game heaven, you've got to be motivated and rewarded - be it within the progression of the game or on completion. Hidden extras and secrets, character development, the capacity to master in-game moves and strategies: these things are to the gamer as wings - the ripe cherry atop the big fat cake.
9. Peculiarity is the heartbeat of gaming. From the surreal sunshine candylands of Mario and Sonic, to the first person labyrinthian intensity of Quake, to the cool madcap freshness of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio; when you step back, what a strange and wondrous pastime this gaming lark is. Dynamic, unrealistic and lightly twisted gameplay is what always works best. Celebrate the Peculiar Heart.
That's it. The necessary Graphical & Gameplay ingredients required to make the perfect gaming blend.
Below: a sideways look at the prime Graphical & Gameplay ingredients that are needed to make the perfect gaming blend.
~~GRAPHICS~~
1. First things first: the graphics have got to be lip-smackingly gorgeous. I believe the relevant term here is "eye-candy". Give me the visual equivalent of Jordan in a flurescent yellow bikini lying on a sun-drenched paradise beach beneath a pristine blue sky sucking a strawberry lollipop and I'll be happy.
2. The frame-rate must be "smooooooth": nothing less than a polished marble floor will do. No jerkin' around please. Nothing quite slashes on the gaming bonfire like bad slowdown. - It's no good looking like a dream if your breath reeks of rotting maggots or there's a stench of unholy sulphur issuing from your trousers.
3. And what about the game environment: it's got to be a cool place to go. In a straight fight between a unique look and realism - uniqueness wins every time. Visual originality is where the wonder lies. Take me through the looking glass Alice. Feed my imagination.
4. Detail, detail, detail - it can't be stressed enough. Interactive scenery, fluid animation, dynamic lighting, crisp textures, imaginative level design, flashy FX, the list goes on and on and on. Furthermore, make it big and bold, colourful and charismatic, spectacular and stylish, and most of all "inspirational": think of the Brazilian National Soccer Team circa 1970 and you'll be there.
~~GAMEPLAY~~
5. The most important thing is "addictiveness": the gameplay has got to be like a slot machine jammed on pay-out. It's got to keep you coming back for more - like a box of your favourite chocolates.... Chomp, chomp. - I think the word I'm looking for is "moreish".
6. The control must pack a punch: like a bare-fisted prize fighter beating the living daylights out of a large hanging animal corpse. SMACK. Knuckles on cold flesh. Even though I'm a vegetarian, when it comes to game control, I want meat man, raw meat flush with blood!
7. Keep it fun, likeable and spikey: like a mischievous demon armed with a sharp pitchfork riding a big friendly floppy-eared dog. Ahhhh. The best games are serious about not being serious. There's nothing worse than being bogged down in the grey fog of overkill. Effective gameplay is always simplistic. When it comes to storyline however, the more complexity the better.
8. If you want to enter the golden palace of video game heaven, you've got to be motivated and rewarded - be it within the progression of the game or on completion. Hidden extras and secrets, character development, the capacity to master in-game moves and strategies: these things are to the gamer as wings - the ripe cherry atop the big fat cake.
9. Peculiarity is the heartbeat of gaming. From the surreal sunshine candylands of Mario and Sonic, to the first person labyrinthian intensity of Quake, to the cool madcap freshness of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio; when you step back, what a strange and wondrous pastime this gaming lark is. Dynamic, unrealistic and lightly twisted gameplay is what always works best. Celebrate the Peculiar Heart.
That's it. The necessary Graphical & Gameplay ingredients required to make the perfect gaming blend.
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Tellah wrote:
> I'll try the chef one...
With Sony, you're cooking with gas.
Ninty, with
> matches.
Microsoft, cold meat sandwich anyone?
I think you sort of missed the point.
They've got to emulate actual facts, say:
With Sony you get the raw materials to make some plaster out of from there it's up to you. (I.E. You do it your own way but it's incredibly awkward and you're most likely to make a botch job).
With Microsoft you get ready mix plaster and a pallette where you can make your own paint (a bit fairer and you can do a bit more with it too).
With Nintendo you get the ready mix plaster, some pre mixed paints and some moulds to make characters with.
This process is incredibly quick and easy to get brilliant results although you can't do it your own way.
Some hardcore programmers prefer the PS2 where you do everything your own way, but it's going to take a while for them to build the neccessary skills to make it worthwhile.
Most programmers prefer the Xbox as it gives you the basics and ground work but the rest is up to you.
The most imaginative and experienced games designers (Miyamoto (Mario), Yuji Naka (Sonic), Yu Suzuki (Shenmue) and many more), all seem to prefer the Gamecube.
Why?
It seems that with less faffing around mixing paints and modelling out of clay, they can produce more models more quickly in a better, less rushed condition to make a better display out of them.
That's why the Gamecube is the easiest system to come up with original and innoative ideas - less time spent programming a game engine and more time doing the more interesting idea's and creation which allows devellopers to try out new ideas and have less hassle in implementing them.
> I'll try the chef one...
With Sony, you're cooking with gas.
Ninty, with
> matches.
Microsoft, cold meat sandwich anyone?
I think you sort of missed the point.
They've got to emulate actual facts, say:
With Sony you get the raw materials to make some plaster out of from there it's up to you. (I.E. You do it your own way but it's incredibly awkward and you're most likely to make a botch job).
With Microsoft you get ready mix plaster and a pallette where you can make your own paint (a bit fairer and you can do a bit more with it too).
With Nintendo you get the ready mix plaster, some pre mixed paints and some moulds to make characters with.
This process is incredibly quick and easy to get brilliant results although you can't do it your own way.
Some hardcore programmers prefer the PS2 where you do everything your own way, but it's going to take a while for them to build the neccessary skills to make it worthwhile.
Most programmers prefer the Xbox as it gives you the basics and ground work but the rest is up to you.
The most imaginative and experienced games designers (Miyamoto (Mario), Yuji Naka (Sonic), Yu Suzuki (Shenmue) and many more), all seem to prefer the Gamecube.
Why?
It seems that with less faffing around mixing paints and modelling out of clay, they can produce more models more quickly in a better, less rushed condition to make a better display out of them.
That's why the Gamecube is the easiest system to come up with original and innoative ideas - less time spent programming a game engine and more time doing the more interesting idea's and creation which allows devellopers to try out new ideas and have less hassle in implementing them.
Incidently, I really like the original post! I think you distinguish between graphics and gameplay well, and break each down into most of it's essential elements.
You have to look at the elements with a kind of philosophical view (like you have), rather than just say - 'good controls'. You describe how it should feel when you have got the control system just right etc.
Good way of thinking I reckon.
You have to look at the elements with a kind of philosophical view (like you have), rather than just say - 'good controls'. You describe how it should feel when you have got the control system just right etc.
Good way of thinking I reckon.
I'll try the chef one...
With Sony, you're cooking with gas.
Ninty, with matches.
Microsoft, cold meat sandwich anyone?
With Sony, you're cooking with gas.
Ninty, with matches.
Microsoft, cold meat sandwich anyone?
If you're with Sony, your with BUPA.
Ninty, your on the NHS.
Microsoft, your being seen to by Dr Lector.
The health service metaphore seems to work quite well!
Ninty, your on the NHS.
Microsoft, your being seen to by Dr Lector.
The health service metaphore seems to work quite well!
Lol, you should've seen the one I did in my Perfect Game topic. :-D
I'm not a chef, but it's fun to relate the games industry to everyday things.
Once I did a report about Dr Miyamoto sustaining the N64 patient with drugs such as Zelda Majora's Mask.
The Sega doctors meanwhile got all fustrated because after feeding the Dreamcast the best drugs around such as Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, MSR etc, the machine still choked and died because Mr PS2 in the Sony department opposite stole it's food and intimidated it.
:-D
I'm not a chef, but it's fun to relate the games industry to everyday things.
Once I did a report about Dr Miyamoto sustaining the N64 patient with drugs such as Zelda Majora's Mask.
The Sega doctors meanwhile got all fustrated because after feeding the Dreamcast the best drugs around such as Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, MSR etc, the machine still choked and died because Mr PS2 in the Sony department opposite stole it's food and intimidated it.
:-D
Strafex wrote:
> That covers 3 out of the 4 magic ingredients of the Perfect Formula.
Add a
> pinch of impact and you've got a serious classic on your hands.
Ofcourse, you
> can't just bung them in any old how, they have to be woven together carefully
> and finished nicely with all the glitches and bugs ironed out.
Oh, and
> unfortunately, you can't buy these ingredients at the local store, you need to
> engineer them up with your own imagination.
You also need a good oven
> to cook it in.
Most titles that go into the PS2 oven get burnt (although
> according to Bonus, it's the chef's fault - not the ovens!)
>Who knows what sort of equiptment we'll have by the time I'm a programmer.
By
> then, all that might be left to do is put the icing on the cake...
Have you ever considered a career as a chef?
> That covers 3 out of the 4 magic ingredients of the Perfect Formula.
Add a
> pinch of impact and you've got a serious classic on your hands.
Ofcourse, you
> can't just bung them in any old how, they have to be woven together carefully
> and finished nicely with all the glitches and bugs ironed out.
Oh, and
> unfortunately, you can't buy these ingredients at the local store, you need to
> engineer them up with your own imagination.
You also need a good oven
> to cook it in.
Most titles that go into the PS2 oven get burnt (although
> according to Bonus, it's the chef's fault - not the ovens!)
>Who knows what sort of equiptment we'll have by the time I'm a programmer.
By
> then, all that might be left to do is put the icing on the cake...
Have you ever considered a career as a chef?
Aww, another programmer, eh?
That covers 3 out of the 4 magic ingredients of the Perfect Formula.
Add a pinch of impact and you've got a serious classic on your hands.
Ofcourse, you can't just bung them in any old how, they have to be woven together carefully and finished nicely with all the glitches and bugs ironed out.
Oh, and unfortunately, you can't buy these ingredients at the local store, you need to engineer them up with your own imagination.
That's what gives people like Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka and Shigeru Miyamoto the edge when it comes to game design - it's all down to imagination and the magic formula.
You also need a good oven to cook it in.
Most titles that go into the PS2 oven get burnt (although according to Bonus, it's the chef's fault - not the ovens!)
All 3 of these top programmers seem to like the Gamecube to cook up their ideas best.
Who knows what sort of equiptment we'll have by the time I'm a programmer.
By then, all that might be left to do is put the icing on the cake...
Add a pinch of impact and you've got a serious classic on your hands.
Ofcourse, you can't just bung them in any old how, they have to be woven together carefully and finished nicely with all the glitches and bugs ironed out.
Oh, and unfortunately, you can't buy these ingredients at the local store, you need to engineer them up with your own imagination.
That's what gives people like Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka and Shigeru Miyamoto the edge when it comes to game design - it's all down to imagination and the magic formula.
You also need a good oven to cook it in.
Most titles that go into the PS2 oven get burnt (although according to Bonus, it's the chef's fault - not the ovens!)
All 3 of these top programmers seem to like the Gamecube to cook up their ideas best.
Who knows what sort of equiptment we'll have by the time I'm a programmer.
By then, all that might be left to do is put the icing on the cake...
Good post!
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