Comments on: How Important Are A Social MMO’s Graphics?

By: KrazyFace

KrazyFace — Fri, 31 May 2013 07:22:13 +0000

You hit the bullseye there Godz. Without sufficient rewards and “stuff” to spend hard-earned in-game money on, we lack a goal to work for. Regardless of graphics (although dblrainbowgirl speaks the truth) desirable (and expensive) things in games are what push the gamer to play -- even if it’s the most monotonous task ever. Egg collecting anyone?

The only thing that can trump beauty or aesthetics in games are buffed stats. Example; If you made a sword for Skyrim as DLC that looks like a giant pink lollypop, who’d use it? But, if you made that lollypop the most powerful weapon in its world, and only obtained via a massive quest, people would do the quest, and use the weapon.

By: Godzprototype

Godzprototype — Thu, 30 May 2013 20:22:20 +0000

Graphics aren’t everything. Journey had very basic graphics. Straight tones. Then of course there was the goal and what it took to get there.
Damn good example of what a social MMO should be.

I guess the trick is setting new goals when the old ones have been completed. A different journey. Maybe in a different form.

Burbie’s right. Neon Downtown in Japan is cool. A place to work, and places to spend what you’ve earned.

By: dblrainbowgirl

dblrainbowgirl — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:31:46 +0000

I personally enjoy high level details to enhance the immersion experience. Clothing is a great example. Beyond basics, the finer details like lace, sparkle, metallic, leather and matte textures make the clothing appear more realistic…and thereby more desirable for purchase. Most of the dance locomotions create a natural fluidity of movement that gives the user a sense of attitude and tone beyond their ‘chat bubbble.’

Detail in spaces also invites a lot of exploration and feedback. Subtle beauty, light/shadow and even the presence of weather patterns make for picturesque environments that literally set the mood for a space…and can make for some nice photo ops

By: Burbie52

Burbie52 — Thu, 30 May 2013 10:06:12 +0000

Granzella has a work for pay system in place in Japan with their Neon Downtown area. It is very popular there I am still hoping it will show up here soon. The new bartender outfits are an indicator to me that they may bring it here as it features a bar there.
Graphics are important to me, I have loved watching as games have gone from a blip on a screen being batted around to what we have today. Home is a wonderful place for this, and I don’t see why we can’t have both graphics and what you are suggesting. As our gaming consoles evolve and begin to sustain larger memory capabilities like the PS4 is going to have why not have the best of both worlds. At this point I think the graphics are a big selling point for Home, but that is because as you say there is no real point or goals to achieve here unless you make up your own agenda, which many have with the limits Home has to offer. Adding more to immerse people into the environment would definitely attract attention. Great read as always Norse.

By: KrazyFace

KrazyFace — Thu, 30 May 2013 07:39:18 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree. I learned from the early years of gaming that graphics are not the be-all and end-all of games, but playability and (as you’ve said) a reason to properly immerse yourself in another world. Take Gurk for example, never heard of it? No surprise. It’s a little smartphone game that wasn’t made too long ago, but anyone that looks at a screenshot of it would guess it came from the 1980’s. It’s a mini RPG, and has a fun leveling system and does the whole “better and better weapons and armour” thing nicely. There’s no major flare or whizz-bangery here, just a distilled, pure RPG game -- and it’s free. It’s also obe if the best smartphone games I’ve ever played -- ever!

The F2P (free-to-play) system works because it gives the consumer much more than just a free trial, it lets them stay in a world without obligation to pay. But of course as all core Home users know, to properly enrich that experience, it’s best to invest in a few fun things along the way if you plan on staying.

I’m not sure how Home would fare with an internal currency system, it’s a very interesting (and thought provoking) question…