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"Those little Details..."

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Tue 30/04/02 at 20:28
Regular
Posts: 787
Have you ever played a game with lots of little details it? Have you played a game that blows you away because of the amount of detail in the people and the surroundings? Well, believe me, there are quite a few.

When you first put in a game the first thing your going to notice is the graphics. You’re not going to notice the sounds or the gameplay because you haven’t had time to play the game properly. But, if the graphics are good, with a lot of detail in them, you automatically get a good first impression of the game. And it’s those little details that make the games what they are, you might not notice all of them straight away, but you will as you get more into the game. That’s what makes the game special it makes them stand out.

Take Shenmue 2 for example. The detail is amazing. You look at the buildings and every brick is a different shade of orange, the clouds move when you look up at the sky. Plus the every shop has it’s own personality and there all different in their own way. The people all look different and they’re mouths move when they speak.

Another good example is Metal Gear Solid 2. On the ‘Making of’ DvD that comes with the game, it shows the way the rain moved before they had really thought about it and planned it out properly and it looked good but not as good as it could be. But when they planned it out properly and spent time working on it, it looked very realistic. The rain moved in different directions as the wind changes direction, when the rain hit Snake’s head and back, you could see that Kojima had spent time thinking about how he could make it look as realistic as possible. I think that this is what most game developers have failed to achieve in their games, and that is why we rarely get great games. The water is another thing in Metal Gear Solid 2 that makes the game special. The amount of bubbles in the water and the way in moves is sublime.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is a good example for the time it was produced, because Link had a lot of detail on his clothes and face, and he was also blinking like a real human would, and the surrounding that the story was set was very detailed, for example, Epona, Link’s horse, looked and moved like a real horse. I think this started off all these obsessions that developers have over these little details.

This is all very well and good, but are game developers spending too much time on graphics and little details that make the game look good, and not enough time on the gameplay? Is that why we aren’t having quality games coming out all the time? We’re having games with great graphics all the time, but not that many with great gameplay. If game developers spent as much time as they did on graphics as gameplay we would have the great game coming out all the time. Even if it did take much more time to produce they’ll be worth the wait. Which consequently is starving gamers from great games.

Don’t get me wrong, not all games are like that. Metal Gear Solid 2 for example offers both, even if it’s only about 6 hours long! The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is great too. That is because Konami have spent time working on both at the same time. I think this is one of the factors of why the Metal Gear Solid series was and still is so popular.

The little details don’t just have to be about graphics. They could be about the storyline or the settings around you. You might find some little details in the storyline that make it more in-depth.

You usually have to pay attention to computer games. When you start to play them, you have to listen, read and look, very carefully, to find out those little details that help reveal the storyline to you. Games developers are becoming very clever and they are putting things in at the beginning of a game and bringing it up at the end, to catch you out, and to make the storyline more complex.

A prime example of this, is in the introduction to Metal Gear Solid 2 when Snake jumps onto the tanker, when his name comes up, it says ‘Solid Snake‘ but by the side of his name David Hayter.’ Now, the storyline is that you don’t know whether Pliskin is Snake or not, but when it shows Pliskin’s name, guess what name comes up, yes, you guess it, ‘David Hayter.’ If you were paying attention to the beginning this would have unravelled the mystery of is Pliskin Snake? This is one of the things that make the Metal Gear Solid 2 storyline so in-depth. And plus, in the film ‘Escape from New York’ there is a man called Pliskin Snake! Weird but this is what those little clues are all about.

I have heard people moan about how long the videos are in Metal Gear Solid 2 and they have been skipping them but if you skip videos of the talking bits in games, you could miss out on a little clue that could help you figure out the story or it could just be an interesting fact about the characters. Developers add these things on to make the game more appealing and so that you have to play the game over and over to fully understand all the twists and turns in a games storyline.

I suppose that these little clues that the developers put in the game are there to make you thing about the game and what it all about. I think with the scattered clues around games and because you need to think about the puzzles an the storyline this is what you would call ‘Adult Gaming’ I say that a game with a great storyline, needs to be played a few times to fully understand the twists and turns.

So, the little details are important, and they are good to look at, but are they so important that game developers are forgetting what gaming is all about. Are game developers getting obsessed with those little details and the graphics and forgetting about gameplay?
Sun 05/05/02 at 13:06
Regular
"simpsons rule"
Posts: 668
thought you had if not im sorry
Sun 05/05/02 at 12:13
Regular
Posts: 1,309
Errmmm...No

:)
Sun 05/05/02 at 12:04
Regular
"simpsons rule"
Posts: 668
haven't you posted this before
Sat 04/05/02 at 22:32
"For the horde!!!!"
Posts: 3,656
i've played Duex ex on the Pc and it has lots of details in it. you can hack into sercurity grides and spy on enemy guards and take control of cannons that are dotted around and use them to your advantage. The sencitivty of sound is important as well, i spent a lot of time walking and sneaking instead of running around because guards patrol and sometimes even investigate areas where they heard a noise. One aspect i liked is you can attach a LAM (local area module, or a mine to thoses who don't know what it is ) to the wall and guards will walk straight by it and detonate it, or you can shot it which maks it explode also. You can play a mission any way you want whether you like to go in with all guns blazing which is possible but hard or you can sneak around in the shadows and pick off guards one by one. Can't wait until it comes on on the PS2 :)
Wed 01/05/02 at 09:52
Regular
Posts: 6,702
El Liquido wrote:
> when his name comes up, it says
> ‘Solid Snake‘ but by the side of his name David Hayter.’ Now, the
> storyline is that you don’t know whether Pliskin is Snake or not, but
> when it shows Pliskin’s name, guess what name comes up, yes, you guess
> it, ‘David Hayter.’

Eh? If you`ve played Metal Gear Solid, or the Tanker section before, then as soon as you see Pliskin is completely 100% obvious that its Solid Snake. Any monkey could see that. The reason they kept the two seperate is that those people who have not played the game before will start on the Plant episode, and not know who Snake was, let alone the fact that Pliskin was the same person, and then yes... it could be a surprise. The "little clue" for this would be something like the words "Solid Snake, voiced by David Hayter" on the back of the box, or whatever.
Wed 01/05/02 at 09:36
Regular
"Bounty housewife..."
Posts: 5,257
I'm getting a feeling of deja vu here !
Tue 30/04/02 at 21:01
Regular
Posts: 1,550
wasn't that 'those little clues....'?
Tue 30/04/02 at 20:58
Regular
"Jog on, sunshine"
Posts: 8,979
i didn't read the last one, but that was really good! It was enjoyable to read, well done el liquido!

Nice one!

:)
Tue 30/04/02 at 20:47
Regular
"Hmmm....."
Posts: 12,243
Sorry, but you have posted this before.
Tue 30/04/02 at 20:28
Regular
Posts: 1,309
Have you ever played a game with lots of little details it? Have you played a game that blows you away because of the amount of detail in the people and the surroundings? Well, believe me, there are quite a few.

When you first put in a game the first thing your going to notice is the graphics. You’re not going to notice the sounds or the gameplay because you haven’t had time to play the game properly. But, if the graphics are good, with a lot of detail in them, you automatically get a good first impression of the game. And it’s those little details that make the games what they are, you might not notice all of them straight away, but you will as you get more into the game. That’s what makes the game special it makes them stand out.

Take Shenmue 2 for example. The detail is amazing. You look at the buildings and every brick is a different shade of orange, the clouds move when you look up at the sky. Plus the every shop has it’s own personality and there all different in their own way. The people all look different and they’re mouths move when they speak.

Another good example is Metal Gear Solid 2. On the ‘Making of’ DvD that comes with the game, it shows the way the rain moved before they had really thought about it and planned it out properly and it looked good but not as good as it could be. But when they planned it out properly and spent time working on it, it looked very realistic. The rain moved in different directions as the wind changes direction, when the rain hit Snake’s head and back, you could see that Kojima had spent time thinking about how he could make it look as realistic as possible. I think that this is what most game developers have failed to achieve in their games, and that is why we rarely get great games. The water is another thing in Metal Gear Solid 2 that makes the game special. The amount of bubbles in the water and the way in moves is sublime.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is a good example for the time it was produced, because Link had a lot of detail on his clothes and face, and he was also blinking like a real human would, and the surrounding that the story was set was very detailed, for example, Epona, Link’s horse, looked and moved like a real horse. I think this started off all these obsessions that developers have over these little details.

This is all very well and good, but are game developers spending too much time on graphics and little details that make the game look good, and not enough time on the gameplay? Is that why we aren’t having quality games coming out all the time? We’re having games with great graphics all the time, but not that many with great gameplay. If game developers spent as much time as they did on graphics as gameplay we would have the great game coming out all the time. Even if it did take much more time to produce they’ll be worth the wait. Which consequently is starving gamers from great games.

Don’t get me wrong, not all games are like that. Metal Gear Solid 2 for example offers both, even if it’s only about 6 hours long! The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is great too. That is because Konami have spent time working on both at the same time. I think this is one of the factors of why the Metal Gear Solid series was and still is so popular.

The little details don’t just have to be about graphics. They could be about the storyline or the settings around you. You might find some little details in the storyline that make it more in-depth.

You usually have to pay attention to computer games. When you start to play them, you have to listen, read and look, very carefully, to find out those little details that help reveal the storyline to you. Games developers are becoming very clever and they are putting things in at the beginning of a game and bringing it up at the end, to catch you out, and to make the storyline more complex.

A prime example of this, is in the introduction to Metal Gear Solid 2 when Snake jumps onto the tanker, when his name comes up, it says ‘Solid Snake‘ but by the side of his name David Hayter.’ Now, the storyline is that you don’t know whether Pliskin is Snake or not, but when it shows Pliskin’s name, guess what name comes up, yes, you guess it, ‘David Hayter.’ If you were paying attention to the beginning this would have unravelled the mystery of is Pliskin Snake? This is one of the things that make the Metal Gear Solid 2 storyline so in-depth. And plus, in the film ‘Escape from New York’ there is a man called Pliskin Snake! Weird but this is what those little clues are all about.

I have heard people moan about how long the videos are in Metal Gear Solid 2 and they have been skipping them but if you skip videos of the talking bits in games, you could miss out on a little clue that could help you figure out the story or it could just be an interesting fact about the characters. Developers add these things on to make the game more appealing and so that you have to play the game over and over to fully understand all the twists and turns in a games storyline.

I suppose that these little clues that the developers put in the game are there to make you thing about the game and what it all about. I think with the scattered clues around games and because you need to think about the puzzles an the storyline this is what you would call ‘Adult Gaming’ I say that a game with a great storyline, needs to be played a few times to fully understand the twists and turns.

So, the little details are important, and they are good to look at, but are they so important that game developers are forgetting what gaming is all about. Are game developers getting obsessed with those little details and the graphics and forgetting about gameplay?

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