This article is from MMOsite Blog by CalebG, who currently works as a Game Designer for a Singaporean game development studio.
The Importance of Looking Good
So it's just a normal day, when checking your favorite game news site, you hear about a new game that is in the making that really gets you excited.
Only to let you down when it is released, due to a lack of polish.
No, I am not talking about the general state of completeness or how bug free the game is. ..
I am talking about the graphics.
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"But CalebG," you might ask, "you are a game designer, you should know that gameplay should be the deciding factor over graphics!" And I stand firm with that point that yes, indeed, game design should be the holding factor, not game art. But how does game design hook and keep the player playing, when the player isn't even attracted to the graphics.
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The game that I most recently exprienced this was Warhammer Online. I found the game great on many levels, with many small innovations, or deviations from the norm. Combat was rather fast paced, like City of Horoes on steroids, but yet keeping the "intellegent" factor of games like World of Warcraft. Mythic kept close to the Warhammer canon, and they have essentially created a world that would make any Warhammer fan squeal like a stereotype japanese school girl with pigtails who just saw a cute cat doing something... cute.
The art direction was great, however, the actual quality was lacking.
- Low poly (polygon) counts of models.
- Low resolution textures.
- Low detail in said textures.
- Poor Animations.
- Color schemes almost seem like it wasn't picked well.
I understand the dilemma that Mythic faced; quality or performance? However, as much as I hate to do so, let's compare the quality between WAR and World of Warcraft.
Read more on the next page
Related Stories:
Drastic Changes Needed for Warhammer Online
Is Warhammer Dead Already?
WAR Progress Report
WAR: Witching Night, A Blessing in Disguise?
Warcraft Retrospective III: The Shaping of the World
