Graphics and their importance in a game.

[133794m3r]

Ok, right now i'm currently designing a PBBG, but my only problem is i have no pixle artist which is who i want to do most of the "map" graphics and such other things as that. And i don't really have 200+$ lying around to pay an artist. So, my question to you as a community is, Would players mind to play it text based for the first part and add the "map graphics" and such later?

Right now my site layout was to make it a bit like a traditional MMO, with the main viewing window for the map and such in the center of course. And chat on the lower left handside of it. BUT it seems that none of my artists i originally rounded up know how to do pixle art. And well none of them can comprehend how to do it really. So would it be a good idea to go ahead and release the game minus the minimap graphics and call it "beta" or should i just wait till i can afford to pay for a pixle artist. They can do all of my other things for me such as the interface artwork etc. etc.

I just wasn't sure how sucessful it'd be on launch day w/o map graphics.

Currently the game's in the "last design arch" as it'd be called if i have to label how far it is in the design phase. I'm just about to begin the coding of the engine that i'll be using for it. I want to know if i should spend some time trying to get some money for the artwork for it, rather than doing the coding with my other coders. Of course it all has to go out at once just a matter of which comes first in your eyes. If the graphical minimap would be the most important part of the game to start off.

The game will be a MMORPG. So i was going to have quite a few maps and dungeons for players to go and explore. If i don't have the graphics for the minimap, obviously i won't be able to do dungeons that well and if i did i guess i could just make it a "you're blind" type of thing but that i don't think would go over too well with players.

[shoespeak]

Well, I find it kind of strange that you are calling it the "final design arc" but are just about to code the game engine...usually, I start by coding the engine and once I know the game is fully functional, I go about adding graphics.

I would say that having a good, strong engine is way more important than graphics. Graphics are the icing on the cake...yes they are instrumental in attracting and keeping visitors, but think about this: You could pay an artist to make some amazing graphics, but if the game is buggy and boring, nobody is going to stay for long. Don't waste the money!

So I would suggest spending as much time and effort as possible to make sure that the game is functional and works.

After that, you can go about getting graphics. Who knows, maybe some people from the community will be able to draw and will offer up their services.

[JGadrow]

@shoespeak
Well in "proper" design, the game is completely finished being designed and has been iterated over in paper prototype before implementation. This way, you know that you're about to code a game for which the core mechanic is already well-tested and proven to be "fun."

@OP
I agree that the best way to go is to code it so that you can replace graphics with meaningful text. Just because you code it that way doesn't mean you need to release it that way. Also, there are several free art sources on the net that you can use as placeholder content if you wanted. I believe somewhere on this forum is a listing of several sites that provide free artwork for browser-based games.

[133794m3r]

well of course i'm going to spend a good long while with the game engine. I'm not even going to do a beta testing stage until i'm sure the game atleast works and that there's not a ton of bugs.

And well yeah... i'm kinda making this thing from the "proper" way of doing things. Design and Concept Artwork at the same time. Then coding and artwork at the same time. And hmm i'll have to try to find some of those sites as i'd like to have atleast place holders so i can check things such as "auto-movement" basically click to move adn allowing players to move around a map by clicking on any of the "tiles". So long as they can move to it(being that it's not some solid eg tree).

[jannesiera]

Place holders is definitely the way to go. Most successful studios and companies do this too. It's easy, cheap and fast, so why not? You don't want to spend much money on artwork before you have a stable engine / game anyway.

This site has some good tile graphics you can use for free, you should check it out.

http://www.lostgarden.com/

[Marek]

http://www.lostgarden.com/ has a lot of GREAT articles about game design. It's worth diving into the archives, there's a lot of good stuff there.

One of the things that the Lostgarden author discusses, by the way, is precisely the topic at hand: how important are graphics? Graphics obviously add a lot to the *enjoyment* of a game, but they don't add to the inherent *fun*. The fun comes from the game mechanics. There's a whole science surrounding game mechanics that are fun. http://www.lostgarden.com/ has a bunch of articles on that, as well.

[jannesiera]

Graphics obviously add a lot to the *enjoyment* of a game, but they don't add to the inherent *fun*. The fun comes from the game mechanics.

I disagree. Fun doesn't come from the game mechanics or the graphics, alone.

Graphics have their part in the fun (immersion, psychological, stimulating your fantasy, ... ). Off course it depends on how they are used etc. Mechanics are the bones and structure of a game, which have their role in the game, so who have their part in the fun. The content is another aspect, but even things like the community and good / bad player interaction have a big role in (and in many cases the main reason for) the fun.

Fun comes from the whole game. Sometimes it can come from something small (like funny descriptions and images) or maybe it's fun because the game is balanced and you're interested in the theme. For some people the game will be fun, for others it won't be, there are many more factors than the game mechanics. Graphics are also one factor.

[Chris]

Fun comes from non laggy server

As for gfx, sure you can make it without pictures. You can even make a whole final game without even one picture and you still could get away with it. If you should, is another question...

[jannesiera]

Fun comes from non laggy server

This is why I think you're such a negative person xD. Everything that's not hate / anger / jealousy is fun to you .

[Marek]

Graphics obviously add a lot to the *enjoyment* of a game, but they don't add to the inherent *fun*. The fun comes from the game mechanics.

I disagree. Fun doesn't come from the game mechanics or the graphics, alone.

Graphics have their part in the fun (immersion, psychological, stimulating your fantasy, ... ). Off course it depends on how they are used etc. Mechanics are the bones and structure of a game, which have their role in the game, so who have their part in the fun. The content is another aspect, but even things like the community and good / bad player interaction have a big role in (and in many cases the main reason for) the fun.

You make a good point.

[AcidicOne]

Coming from a strictly non PBBG sense having playing numerous PC games,  gameplay first then eye candy, who cares what the game looks like if the gameplay is crap,simply put because once the "Wow!" of the eye candy wears off all you have left is the gameplay.

[133794m3r]

Coming from a strictly non PBBG sense having playing numerous PC games,  gameplay first then eye candy, who cares what the game looks like if the gameplay is crap,simply put because once the "Wow!" of the eye candy wears off all you have left is the gameplay.

I've never been a fan of text based games though is the main problem that i have. I was posting this as a question to see how high i set them on my priority list. I'm of course going to have two "sites" so to speak, i'll have one for those with a slower internet connection which'll load the bare minimum graphics and one for those who have a fast internet connection and it'll load all of the pretty eye candy once i get it up and running.

My current hurdle i'm attempting to jump is how in teh world i should design the home page... I know how i wanna show the game once you get inside, but the front page is still nothing to me yet...