# Most important element for you in a video game



## Vodstok (May 4, 2004)

What is the #1 most important thing to you in a game? I know a blend of things make a game good, including playability, sound, graphics, saves, but there are somethings that are just deal-breakers.

Atmosphere is #1 with me. I am a flexible gamer, so if the controls are a little off, i can adapt, but i have to be able to get INTO the game to enjoy it.

Example of good: Quake. not much of a story, but it had an incredible atmosphere. The textures, monsters, sounds, and most importantly, the music,made the game incredibly atmospheric. Quake was one of the first games to scare the hell out of me. It still influences me heavily. Gloom is almost a retelling of Quake (but more accurately, it inspired it)

Example of Bad: Daikatana. This game was just awful. Bad. Terrible. This is what happens when you get an arrogant team lead who causes a production to have a turnover rate of an entire team every few months (because they couldnt work with him. his name is John Romero. Dont confuse him with the creator of great zombie movies). It was inconsistent. it took over 3 years to make, and was hyped to hell the whole time, and when it came out, it was BORING. There was not atmosphere. the early levels were grey and green. Green and grey. Grey mechanical frogs. Green mechanical bugs. Little gun turret things. crappy weapons. bleh.

So what floats your boat with games?


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## polymorphikos (May 4, 2004)

The ability to sneak up on people, and then use a silenced ppk on them in a highly creative manner. I love games that are atmospheric, light on the control-complexity, but have that Splinter Cell quality to them where a misplaced step will land you in a heap of trouble. But no sniping levels, just a sniping option, and no over-relience on stealth. Just the ability to creep and be tricky and take out the enemies with gusto, brevity, finess and aplomb, really.

And guns. Big, loud, nasty guns. especially if they make people explode.


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## Brian G Turner (May 4, 2004)

The ability to be versatile. The more versatile a game is, the more you can enjoy it.


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## Vodstok (May 4, 2004)

So, both of you like Far Cry then?

If you havent played it yet, download the demo. it is incredible.


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## Brian G Turner (May 4, 2004)

Never heard of it. :0

 Then again, I know little about PC games, being only a rare purchaser.


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## Hypes (May 4, 2004)

I tinkered around with _Farcry_. Not my kind of game.

*Tea-boy*
You should give _Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic_ a spin. It's a marvellous game - easily my favourite RPG.


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## Brian G Turner (May 5, 2004)

Heh heh - I have to give them a miss because I get too addicted - I would drop my life to play them, which is not a good idea - certainly not when I need to be busier than I am a it is. Maybe when I need to reward myself...


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## Hypes (May 5, 2004)

Yes, that usually works.


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## Morning Star (May 5, 2004)

Atmosphere and story telling. If a game can evoke any kind of emotion from me whether its laughter or fear, then I'm impressed.

Also, depending on the genre (rpgs specifically) non-linearity and flexibility. IE: Customising your appearance, name, etc.


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## rkp (May 21, 2004)

The story line is a main factor for me in any game but the action must be good as well.
Games like Freedom fighters,Metal gear2,Halo,and the best of the best HALF-LIFE.


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## ravenus (Jun 2, 2004)

Vodstok said:
			
		

> Daikatana. This game was just awful. Bad. Terrible. This is what happens when you get an arrogant team lead who causes a production to have a turnover rate of an entire team every few months (because they couldnt work with him. his name is John Romero.


The history of Daikatana was certainly a troubled one but it's problems didn't come from an arrogrant lead rather from one who was too naive. it was essentially decisions that sounded very noble on paper that did DK in.

Ion Storm was launched with a great deal of fanfare and money but it suffered from a lack of necessary foresight. The office was a lavish glass-walled penthouse suite - after the initial euphoria, the team had to cover their cubicles with black paper to avoid the glare of sunlight on their monitors.
Romero hired a lot of complete newcomers based on samples of mods/maps to work on his magnum opus. Unfortunately they didn't have the temperament to handle the harsh schedules of game development. Ion was supposed to represent the triumph of game design over technology but technology proved too big a hurdle. After working for more than a year on DK using the _Quake_ engine, they saw the graphical advancements of the _Quake II_ engine and realized that if their game had to be competitive they would have to redo everything in the new technology. This was what exposed the rawness of the developers, who cracked under the unforgiving pressure of professional game development.

Romero was not an arrogant leader but he was basically unsuitable; he was too used to doing things themselves and, from his days with the pros at id, relying on others to do their job without supervision. Also Romero was too busy in media activities (some of which, like the "I'll make you my bitch" ad backfired since people interpreted it as arrogance on his part and became fodder for the growing anti-Ion press that was building up) and not devoting enough face-to-face with the group. This was disastrous for the inexperienced team that could have done with stronger guidance. Internal political chicanery (involving a certain Todd Porter) also caused rifts in the team that Romero appeared blissfully unaware of.

The walkouts that happened were essentially the last straw. There was a brilliant expose of this at salon.com, unless they've taken it down. With Romero becoming so desparate to get team members that practically novice mod/map-makers would get hired based on tiny samples of work on the internet, disaster was inevitable.

Sure, Romero is an attention-loving chap but he was never arrogant. His fans will recall him to be one of the friendliest and most unassuming guys they came in contact with. If anything he had so much contact with gamers that his work slipped up, as his former colleagues from id will confirm. I recall, during the making of DK, I had a brief amount of e-mail correspondence with Romero and it was truly a nice experience chatting with him about games, music (he's a huge guitar-rock fan like me). he was even nice enough to send me a level for Quake that hadn't made it to the retail version (originally designed as a part of The Dismal Oubliette but cut out for size problems). I really like Romero as a person and would like for him to get back to what he does best, programming and designing levels for games. Let someone else handle the leadership end.


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## ravenus (Jun 2, 2004)

Ah getting back to the topic, the most imp things for me in a game are:

1. Atmosphere (for me _Blood1_ is the ultimate in atmosphere, also love the Lucasarts adventure games - _Curse of Monkey Island_, _Grim Fandango_)
2. Ease of controls
3. Good weapons (in case of FPS)

I'm not a big stealth fan and steer away from games that require you to be stealthy.


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## Brian G Turner (Jun 2, 2004)

Thanks for the background info there, ravenus - interesting reading.


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## Stormydreamer (Jun 3, 2004)

I think that are only two main things for me:

1) The storyline. I simply can not play a game I am not interested in. Like Morning Star said, if it evokes an emotion, if it draws me in, I'm very happy.

2) I like the everything to be very _clear_. I like simple controls, not necessarily perfect, but basic. I like the graphics colorful and clean, again not necessarily _great_ graphics, but... defined. It's hard to explain, but I suppose what I'm really getting at is the atmosphere idea again. I like to know that the developers actually put something into this game, not just slapped it together. I suppose I also value a sense of creativeness, something unique, not the same old same old. 

Games like Zelda, Rayman, Hype come to mind. They're all very different from your average game, have great storylines, and have that sense of clarity.


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## aftermath (Jun 4, 2004)

For me it has to be the story that draws me in. I am basically a RPGer only, and with that said, I need a good story. I don't care for graphics, for I will play text based (ZORK!) and NES or SNES for a good game. Also, people mentioned controls. I don't much care about controls. I can overcome them. But a good, deep battle system is very important.
Like in FF7, the materia system. I loved that. I was much like the system in FF5.
And then you have Chrono Trigger which was unreal real.


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## mac1 (Jun 10, 2004)

Most important element in a video game...
... its that tiny little 3 letter word "FUN"!​​Regardless of what kind of game it is the fun factor is by far the most important, it the way in which games are fun that varies so much. The likes of Final Fantasy VII, Ocarina of Time, Deus Ex and The Illusion of Time are magnificent due to the strengths of their stories. Some games like Halo and Perfect Dark were great fun they were so intense. Others like Pilotwings 64 were so relaxing you could whine away the hours simply doing nothing. Some games have beautiful graphics, but other dont need them, I have been on a bit of a retro-gaming phase of late, spending hours playing such classics as Flicky, Bomberman, Pong, SMB3 and F-Zero (SNES). None of these games had any real plot, for the most part (by todays standards) they have atrocious graphics, but they are fun, and at the end of the day that is the most important element in a video game.​


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## erickad71 (Jun 10, 2004)

When I was a child we lived in California and a friend of the family had pong. I don't know what it was about that game, but it was very addicting.


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## Myla Starchild (Jun 10, 2004)

I have to agree with Bigmacscanlan - fun is the most important thing.  So many games are just too difficult!  You can have a game that looks incredible, has an innovative control/fighting system, and a complex epic plot - but if it's too hard to be fun, what's the point?


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## Esioul (Jun 12, 2004)

I can't play games that frighten me too much. If I meet a nasty skeleton I just scream at it, and yell for my brother to come and fight it for me. I've trained myself not to mind the worms and rats in Morrowind, but I can't cope with the skeletons yet.


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## Myla Starchild (Jun 13, 2004)

I love scary games!  Keeps them moving!


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## Esioul (Jun 13, 2004)

*Shudder* they scare me!


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## Lacedaemonian (Jun 28, 2004)

I like a good story line and well thought out characters.  I like the gameplay to be at least a little free roaming and obviously slightly challenging.  ie I like a good RPG - Adventure.  

Ico is the most atmospheric game ever made.  The graphics are stunningly beautiful and the gameplay can be very challenging.  You actually get a deep sickly sense of virtigo playing this game, and generally shat yourself evertime you neally fall of a ledge.  Check it out. (PS2)


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## Hypes (Jun 28, 2004)

Stunningly beautiful PS2 game? Sounds a tad idiosyncratic.


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## Lacedaemonian (Jun 28, 2004)

It's a perculiar game.


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## G-borg (Jun 30, 2004)

Two things:
1. Level design
2. Camera angles

Nothing more nothing less


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## qwik (Sep 30, 2007)

I'd have to say graphics, because without graphics the game just looks bad to the eyes...


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## Talysia (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm the opposite. The graphics don't matter so much to me.  For me, the most important element of a video game would have to be the storyline. But then, the games I play are mostly RPGs, so I'm probably biased...


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## Pyan (Sep 30, 2007)

One of the things for me is progression - the ability to set parameters so the game can become harder and harder as you get better and better at it.


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## Thadlerian (Sep 30, 2007)

Vodstok said:


> Atmosphere is #1 with me.?


Yeah, atmosphere is mine too. Lots of games to verify that. Grim Fandango, with that incredible art deco/film noir feeling. Thief, with its dark, dark steampunk cities. The Monkey Island games, with nighttime Melee and Scabb islands, oh, _that_'s something. Transport Tycoon with its sweet, carefree _Thomas the Tank Engine_ setting. Homeworld, when returning to Kharak, and Agnus Dei going off in the dark, empty blackness. Privateer, its rough bases surrounded by endless space. Final Fantasy VII, with Cloud climbing to the surface of Midgar. Final Fantasy VI, with the Magitechs marching towards Narshe during the majestic opening theme (and don't mention the opera scene). Anarchy Online, with its bleak, far-future wastelands and towering cities. Halo, with the Flood slowly pushing the Covenant back through blizzard-filled canyons.

Beat them.


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## Ginkus (Oct 1, 2007)

Options, customization, and insanity.


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## sarakoth (Oct 5, 2007)

multiplayer atmosphere

multiplayer community

speacial multiplayer options (haha, those noobs that only play single player)


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## Green (Oct 6, 2007)

As much fun as multiplayer is, I always find that any atmosphere within the single player is completely lost (barring sports games).

Take COD for example - single player feels like you're in a WWII movie or something like that. Go multiplayer and it's just a bunch of you farting around with machine guns.

Like I say, that's a load of fun, but it loses something in the transition.

Can anyone think of a multiplayer that doesn't turn into that kind of thing? I would be interested to hear of one that keeps the single player atmosphere.


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## idrawgirls (Oct 7, 2007)

Great Cinematic


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## sarakoth (Oct 9, 2007)

Green said:


> As much fun as multiplayer is, I always find that any atmosphere within the single player is completely lost (barring sports games).
> 
> Take COD for example - single player feels like you're in a WWII movie or something like that. Go multiplayer and it's just a bunch of you farting around with machine guns.
> 
> ...


 
The Battlefield series have no single player campaign story missions checkpoints objectives mode. It's all multiplayer action.


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## Green (Oct 10, 2007)

So they don't really count then  They don't have an atmosphere to lose.

PS - Vietnam was and is my favourite of the lot. Ok, never played 2142, but still.


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