Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joong on January 18, 2012 at 10:39am

'' I know a lot of computer gamers who hate on Elder Scrolls in general. Mainly cuz they're snobs, and think any game that can run on a console isn't state of the art enough.''

That's because it's true. Consoles are not pushing graphic standards and Oblivion suffered from it, the technology and resources were there they just couldn't use them due to console limitations. I'd love for you to explain me how is this wrong?

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Permalink Reply by George Knight on January 18, 2012 at 10:43am

Spoilers, it's not wrong.

I'm primarily a console gamer, although I do dabble in the relm of pc gaming, but anyone who doesn't know games are being held back due to console limitations is completely oblivious to how the industry works.

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Bananers on January 18, 2012 at 11:42am

Graphics aren't everything you know. I kinda hate this argument from pc elitist. I play the pc more than any other platform but not because of graphics. Graphics to an extent do not make a game great or an enjoyable experience obviously I know graphics aren't pushed due to consoles but I don't really care.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on January 18, 2012 at 12:11pm

There is that argument, but I also took the liberty of quoting an article about the subject from Robert Brockway on Cracked.com

But we don't always stop to appreciate what better graphics, higher resolutions and larger storage capacities are actually adding to the stories that our games tell. The Portal series managed to tell a couple of pretty great tales, and they did so without any clunky dialogue or awkward exposition: They told their stories through a series of carefully placed props, compelling tableaus, graffitied walls, dated office decor, fake product posters and some notes left behind by the long-gone workers. Hell, even Left 4 Dead manages to relay a pretty compelling apocalyptic tale, and the only dialogue in that game is "I hear a Smoker" and "My face! There is a now a Smoker on my face!" But there's a whole story there if you look for it -- on the walls, in the gutters, in the dining rooms of houses and on the counters of businesses. That was all made possible exclusively by better graphics, and the more powerful hardware that can render so many objects in such fine detail.

Read more: 6 Reasons Modern Gaming Doesn't Suck: An Anti-Rant | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-modern-gaming-doesnt-suck-ant...

So there's that argument, too.

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Bananers on January 18, 2012 at 12:15pm

Well as far as i'm concerned that has nothing to do with shear graphical power and more the design of the game. I've played pretty much every valve game on pc and console and there hasn't been any discrepancies that I remember.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on January 18, 2012 at 4:17pm

That's true to an extent, but the holdup in graphical advancement is also keeping things like this from being taken to the next level.

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Permalink Reply by Prio on January 18, 2012 at 7:02pm

No one wants the next level, photo-realism isn't anything anybody besides the modders want.

I'd rather see more Bastions and Okamis before the photo rendered streets of San Francisco in GTA5.

Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on January 19, 2012 at 7:04pm

Nobody huh?  That's a pretty broad statement.  It's like saying nobody wants to eat at a restaurant you don't like.  They're still in business, so apparently someone wants to eat there.

The thing is, the "next level" can be used a lot of different ways.  Higher polygon counts and higher resolution textures can be used in many more ways than just photo realism.  I mean, imagine Okami but at a level of rendering that rivals a Pixar film.  You don't see seams and flat polygon edges everywhere, and the textures and particles are just as high res as a flash image.

Permalink Reply by Joong on January 18, 2012 at 4:49pm

Yes, I know graphics aren't everything. When did I said they were? I'm merely pointing out that from a technical standpoint they could've done better but didn't because of console limitations.

Either way, you're underestimating graphics, they're just as important as gameplay. Why do you think games have always tried to push hardware to its limits? Because it doesn't matter?

Think about all the games released this generation, would you enjoy them as much if they had previous generation graphics? Or even older graphics?

Graphics are a huge part in making a game an enjoyable experience, if we were to follow your logic of 'I don't care about graphics' then plenty of games you love right now wouldn't exist, and there wouldn't be competition between gaming companies to produce better products.

Gameplay isn't everything you know.

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Bananers on January 18, 2012 at 6:40pm

Didn't say that you said that and I didn't say that and yes gameplay is more important than graphics.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Straub on January 18, 2012 at 6:51pm

The hard time I have with this argument is that gameplay and graphics are (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) handled by different teams.  You've got programmers working on the mechanics, AI, physics, etc.  Then you have the artists working on the modeling and textures and the like.  While I think it's good, if you're working on a budget, to put more of your resources into programming to make sure the game plays well above all else, there's no excuse for being lazy in the graphics department when you're working on a AAA title and sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into the project.  It's even worse when you're making a sequel to a game and are working in an engine that you already made, and all you have to do is tweak it a bit in order to add in some new features.

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Permalink Reply by George Knight on January 18, 2012 at 10:57am

Play time =/= how much you like the game.

I have over 120 hours in Resident Evil 5, and I fucking hate that game.

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