Gameplay or Graphics. Gameplay DUUH
Nathzee - The n00b Effect (a rant about gameplay over graphics and story.)
By now you probably know what i am talking about.Many mods i've seen have good maps, but there just plain shooters with some dialog and gameplay.No puzzles or anything that challanges the developers/coders.
Lets start with some examples.
Exhibit A : Modular Combat
This game sacrifices amazing models and beutifull maps for what ? Gameplay.This is something VALVe has done for years.But they have amazing graphics also.Why ? They have a massive company with expert coders and level designers.Mod/Idea groups don't have this extra.
Next exhibit.
Exhibit B : Coven
Probably the best sacrifice of models and maps.This mod is probably the best example of new gameplay features never done before.It's one of the best mods i've played.Why ? because it's amazing gameplay with something that "Graphic" mods don't have is this.Fun.
A graphic mod doesn't have the same level of fun as a gameplay mod.If someone has played coven he WILL understand that.(If your gonna play coven get a group of friends.It's an amazing experience.)
Also i would like to talk about HLSS(Half Life Short Stories) Mod.
Mod : Human Error
In this mod it uses the regular mapping but with some amazing gameplay mechanics.Like using a controlable manhack.This leads to some great puzzles to be done.Also driving an APC down the road while shooting rebels is also amazingly fun.And that my friends is a Gameplay mod.Now on to the Graphical mods.
Graphical Mods
Whats obvious about the title.Graphics.The mods that look nice but don't do anything new to create a new kind of gameplay mechanics.Now let's get some exhibits.
Exhibit A : Neotokyo
Why is this a graphical mod ? We'll its simple.It doesn't challenge any gameplay mechanics.
At the end of the day its just a boring mod with some guns, changed running speed and night vision.
Invisiblity isn't challanging, it's something done and done again.The models maybe are beutifull but i got bored of it in 2 days.
Mods with gameplay like Research and Development are one of the best examples of Gameplay mods without beutifull maps.But your thinking about those screenshots.That's just the Orange Box engine in work.
You probably are gonna curse me about that amazing puzzle room.Those orange and blue sparkling things(Forgot there name).That's some scripting and particles.
Exhibit B : Kingdoms Collide
Why ? This is not anything new.It's rather the worst experience i have had with mods.This mod isn't something i'd like to play due to it's repetative combat.It's just a bad balanced mod and a combination of reality boring gameplay mechanics.I haven't had fun playing this mod.Sorry but it's just not that good.
Exhibit C : Golden Eye Source
Why this ? Even thought its a recreation it still doesn't challange any mechanics.I've actuallity don't seen why just not get a emulator and a ROM for Golden Eye 64.It's probably more fun and has a single player experience that is fun.GE:S is repetetive in multiplayer and has little fun.That's why i stopped playing in the first day.It's yet another model with nice engine optimization and pretty models and maps.If someone can tell me why it's fun i will understand unless you rant about my rant.
Closing part and a few extras
I'd just like to give a small shout out to the little gameplay mods that try so much but don't get anyone on them.Start getting these mods.There 50x the fun.
Jailbreak : Source
Some cool gameplay with a fun personality behind it.
GraviNull
A unique concept that proves its point.
Resistance & Liberation
A great mod with great mechanics and some fun teamwork and gunplay.
Half-Life 2: Wars
Probably the standing out mod here.It's a FPS turned into a RTS.Creating a unique game using the Orange Box engine.
And any other mods i haven't meationed that have amazing gameplay mechanics in exchange of graphics.
Wanna know a interesting fact ? I never wanted a cool looking blog. Why ? I made an amazing writing over a cool looking format.Words are more needed then looks.
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Additional things that just came into my head.
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Have you ever played Team Fortress 2 ? Left 4 Dead 1/2 ? or even Portal ? You will understand what i am saying.Even thought they have great graphics.That's because it's not a mod.A mod has a small development group.Yet those games have a massive team of art directors, level designers and coders.Now that you understand why the small groups must make these choices.
Remember a 3 hour amazing gameplay experience is rather better then a pretty game with the standart.shoot, kill, die, respawn, repeat (S.Ki.Di.R.R).Remember these things.If you ever are gonna want to make a VALVe leveled game.These are the thing you will probably think of.
Word.
Thanks.
Good post,agree with most of it. But i disagree with this:
"Exhibit B : Kingdoms Collide"
very unique game play, and it is still in beta. if it is optimized and made smother (smother attacks ect.) it will be a great game.
I don't agree with some of the mod choices, but I certainly agree with the logic behind this post.
Gameplay over graphics, any day of the week.
We'll if you talking about Goldeye source lets look at it...
What new in the gameplay without the casual run and gun play ? okay...aim down to get better aim.That's nothing new to gameplay.NeoTokyo did it.Altought i dont remember who was first.
To me, being a gameplay mod isn't about bringing something new or innovative. It's much more about where the team's focus is, and whether they favor gameplay over graphics.
An example of this is Coven -- one of my favourite HL2 mods.
Coven's primary focus is on fun gameplay, not graphics. However, it isn't entirely new or innovative.
Coven is based on an idea similar to the HL1 mod Vampire Slayer and aims to be its successor. Although only similar -- and despite the lead coder of Coven not having played VS -- the official description of VS very accurately portrays Coven. Vsmod.co.uk
GoldenEye: Source has pretty graphics, but the primary focus of its team is on remaking GE64 as closely as possible. For the teams of both GE:S and Coven, gameplay comes first and graphics are a secondary goal; So I think of both as gameplay mods for the same reasons.
I understand what you're trying to say, and while I agree with much of it, I disagree with your choice of games as well as how you went about this.
For example: Neotokyo. It's more than just a CSS clone with better aiming. It's a tactical shooter that makes you think about your advantages and disadvantages in a certain situation and make the most of it. It also forces players to cooperate and use teamwork on a level equal to that of teamwork in many Gaming Leagues.
Although I personally don't like KC, you're fairly misguided in believing it brings nothing new to the table. It's a third person melee on the source engine. It's nothing short of a marvelous achievement (in my books) considering it's primarily used as a first person engine, not to mention the fact that hit detection using melee weapons is quite different than hitscan detection with a fairly long range.
What I didn't like about the way you presented your argument is that you took snap, initial judgements about games which didn't fancy your interest rather than investigate them, which would have possibly revealed different results.