[Discussion] Ye Olde Debate

[Abnegation]

So this is one of the on going debates in the world of fan made games. We all have our differing opinions on it, but: what is the most important part of a fan game? This could be graphics, events, scripting, you name it. So what do you guys think?

 

[Blaziquaza]

Scripting, then events, then mapping, then music.

 

[flamemaster]

mapping, eventing, and story.

 

[thepsynergist]

Story, Music, Mapping, Graphics.

 

[Rossay]

Graphics (tiles, sprites, maps, characters). That's all I really look for in a good fangame.

Over-the-top complicated plots just annoy me and events are really just a given for any Pokemon game.

 

[ProdigyX]

Graphics/Mapping then story!! and GRAMMAR!

 

[D. Lawride]

Story AND grammar, maps, graphics and THEN features; be it Pokémon or not, I consider these to be the most important aspects in a fangame.

 

[DarkDoom3000]

features/events, mapping, story,
graphics and sound come last. Hell, you could make a game which is made of entirely black and white pixels. just make it good.

 

[Afternoon]

Graphics (tiles, sprites, maps, characters). That's all I really look for in a good fangame.

Over-the-top complicated plots just annoy me and events are really just a given for any Pokemon game.

Amen.
Although I like it when the plot isn't just about winning against your rival and the elite 4... And I think music is an important part of a fangame as well. Most of the time I turn off the sound because the music is so annoying I want to throw my computer against the wall.
By the way, I wanted to know, can we use actual songs like idk a song of the black eyed peas or something in a fangame? That'd be cool.

 

[marcc5m]

Graphics and tiles. Good scripting, eventing, story, blah blah blah is nice, but with good graphics it can turn it from nice into amazing.

 

[Cilerba]

Obviously a story, along with decent graphics are most needed in a game, but another thing that plenty of games lack, is proper Character Development. By that, I mean the personality of the character, how they act, etc.

 

[Dragonite Ernston]

I'm going to say that graphics is one of the features that will set some games far above others, even if it's not the absolute most important one.

However, also important is interfacing. Graphics and interfacing are not the same thing. I'm talking, of course, about how the system is controlled.

If your gameplay is choppy and your animations smarmy, but the graphics are excellent in screenshots, there's going to be a huge dissonance.

 

[Gmack]

Hm,what is the most important part of a fan game, huh?
Well, I guess graphics would be first. That's what I usually work on first.
Then comes features/events. These actually put together the entire
game, so they're pretty important. Lastly, I finish with music.
That's what I do when I start developing, but that's just me.

 

[Yuoaman]

It really depends on the game itself. In a game that prides itself on its plot I expect to see interesting characters who develop over the course of the game, while I do expect the plot itself to be interesting enough to hold my attention. Gameplay is a close second, as if the game is not enjoyable to play then what is the point of even playing?

 

[インフェルノの津波]

what is the most important part of a fan game?

Drive and Purpose. How can you do anything else if you don't have those two?

 

[ProdigyX]

Graphics attract people to the game the most, but when playing it of course the Story.. But if you want a lot of fans, im sorry but graphics is the way to go.

 

[Maruno]

Immersion. If I'm just going through the motions, e.g. having to grind 10 levels, I'm not going to have any fun, and the point of a game is for you to enjoy it.

Of course, what's immersive for some won't be for others. I like free exploration, and being able to wander round and find lots of little quirks and talk to people without having the creator's plot breathe down my neck. Others will prefer something they can rush through, meaning Gym Leaders that can be challenged immediately without grinding. Others will enjoy raising their Pokémon more than anything else, so include IV analyser gadgets and biasers (things that encourage certain IVs/natures/moves, etc.). Others will want nothing more than a way to battle online against other players, so just a minimal region is needed. And so on.

No game will satisfy everyone, so make sure you know which gamer base you're aiming for. Importantly, make sure you tell the gamers what's in your game. If you have an epic story on rails, let us know that's the point of your game so that someone like me won't expect much of what I prefer (free roaming). And no, you won't be able to fit everything in. You just won't. Not if it's ever going to be released.

 

[Pharetra]

In my opinion, the most important thing of a fangame are the visuals. I mean, I prefer playing a game with crappy music over a game with bad visuals, since it's always possible to mute the game, but without visuals...

 

[Himalama]

I think both graphics and storyline are very important.

 

[PiaCRT]

@Maruno
I highly agree with that. I think exploration makes a game more fun. There are RPGs like Two Worlds (Xbox 360) where the main goal is to find your kidnapped sister, but outside of that plot is an immersively humongous world for you to explore and sidetrack from the main plot. It's nice to not have "TEAM blahblah is blahblahing blah" everywhere you go.

@P-Sign
its all about preference. If you like BW graphics, you might not like a GSC-style game. If you like GBA graphics, you may not like HGSS. It's all about what the player wants.

@everyone saying graphics

Basically what I said above. Just cause a game has good graphics won't mean it's good (...Wont point anyone out...). You can have Pokemon Colosseum graphics but if its a game where everyone talks like their a bunch of hippos and Pokemon center tiles in a players house, it really just kills the game.