[MUD-Dev] Importance of graphic in different stages of gaming

[Edward Glowacki]

This is a tangent on the recent thread on "The importance of
graphics". It's based on my own personal experience and biases, so
take everything with a grain of salt. =)


I'd argue that a typical player (or user of any software for that
matter) goes through a series of phases, each one focusing on a
different part of the product.

  1. Pre-purchase - Graphics, promises, and technical details are
  the key factors.  "X has the hottest ray-traced graphics,
  [screenshot], 200 different character classes, 10,000 spells and
  effects, 500 weapons, 700 multi-player game maps, and over 100 cut
  scenes filmed in a Hollywood studio."  Let's see, 10,000 spells,
  like "red magic missile", "green magic missile", "mauve magic
  missile"...  Your game is largely irrelevant at this point, all
  you need is good marketing... =)

  2. Initial impression - Graphics and sound, ease of learning,
  first few levels.  "Wow, look at the way those ray-traced 'mauve
  magic missiles' leave a semi-transparent smoke trail and whistle
  as they fly!  How'd you do that double-flip sword attack?"  The
  player is learning the game, exploring, and evaluating.  They are
  still impressed by all the fancy graphics, but the novelty is
  fading and they may be starting to notice that the game is not as
  user-friendly as it looked on the back of the box.

  3. Mid-term gaming - The game itself (storyline, game universe,
  game mechanics) becomes important along with the UI.  "I raided
  the Tomb of Mauve and got the uber Mega Mauve Magic Missile spell
  and the Rod of Mauveness!"  At this point the player has gotten
  over all the early hurdles and is just playing the game.  They
  don't ooh and ahh at the graphics anymore.  If they make any
  comments about the UI, it will likely be due to flaws, not good
  features of the UI, for exactly the same reason you never think
  about the sewer system until your toilet overflows...  Somewhere
  in this phase is where most games will be discarded as players
  lose interest or find flaws in the game they aren't willing to
  deal with anymore.

  4. Long-term gaming - Replay value, game play, user interface,
  overall quality.  "This game is one of my all-time favorites.  I
  have total control over my character, my will becomes his actions!
  I wish they hadn't used so much mauve in the game, but other than
  that it rocks!" If you can get the player here, they'll probably
  by the next game you produce.  A large part of it is how polished
  the game is, and how much work went into tweaking the user
  experience.

Note that flashy graphics are only important in the earliest phases,
and in the long run they are overtaken by the rest of the game.  So
the importance of graphics is directly related to what your goals
are.

If you're out to make a quick buck, then graphics are probably the
fastest way to move a few copies of the game out the door and get
some cash, but if the game doesn't live up to its expectations, you
probably won't get a lot of repeat customers.

If you'd rather set yourself up for continued business and customer
loyalty, then a polished experience and a quality product is more
important.  Given a fixed budget, this means less time/money to
spend on flashy graphics.  And in the long run, your graphics are
going to look outdated very quickly anyways as new technologies
emerge, especially in the PC and console game world where things
move very fast.

-ED
s
--
Edward Glowacki			glowack2 at msu.edu
Michigan State University	
"...a partial solution to the right problem is better than a complete
solution to the wrong one." (http://uiweb.com/issues/issue14.htm)

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