Do you care more about gameplay, story, or atmosphere?

Discussion in 'Gaming Discussion' started by Silver Snake, Apr 7, 2021.

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Gameplay, story, or atmosphere?

  1. Gameplay

    21 vote(s)
    51.2%
  2. Story

    15 vote(s)
    36.6%
  3. Atmosphere

    5 vote(s)
    12.2%
  1. Silver Snake

    Silver Snake Magician of NUF|Show-off|Awkward|Genius

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    I'm quite new to this whole "gaming" thing - well, I've been off and on with it throughout my life, but I've only truly been getting into it as of recently.

    It seems to me that the highest regarded games are one's with great stories. The Chrono Triggers, Final Fantasies, Witchers, Niers, and Mass Effects.

    Yet to me, all of these seem so lackluster. I'm definitely in the camp of enjoying the gameplay elements more than the story ones.

    But what is good gameplay? Didn't the prior games mentioned have good gameplay? Well, to me, good gameplay is like a good puzzle. You should be able to figure it out before a failure state is reached, so that the learning from failure state isn't reached. As learning from failing isn't really learning, rather, it's being told you didn't win because you didn't do this. What do I mean by this?

    It's like in Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy, where you're told or hinted at to not attack an enemy during a certain time or else you'll get counter attacked. Now why isn't that fun gameplay? Because we're told what to do and when to do it. There's no interactivity or player ability being displayed here. We're simply punished for not doing what the game wants us to at that certain time.

    I think Monster Hunter has great gameplay. Sure, all it is is memorizing the monsters' attack patterns, but compared to Dark Souls, where the Bosses do an insane amount of damage in a short time - not allowing the player to learn the attack pattern in a single life - in Monster Hunter, you're given enough healing and little enough damage so that it's actually possible to learn the boss's attack pattern in a single life. Now yes, this makes it so a single boss fight can be an hour long, but compared to the short fights in Dark Souls where you can die near instantly , this is a much better solution. Monster Hunter gives you the time to learn, where Dark Souls punishes you for not already knowing what to do.

    I really thought I would like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, but I'm leaning way more towards puzzle dungeon games like Lufia II and Golden Sun, and tactics games like Fire Emblem and Disgaea.

    But I still don't really care for games that just give you a word or math puzzle. Like, I like games that have logic puzzles, or puzzles that you don't really see as puzzles. How can I control my troops to get them in the most advantageous position? How can I get this tile pushed down without having to step on it? Those sort of puzzles.

    But then there's the third camp, the atmospheric games where story and gameplay aren't really a factor. The Stardew Valleys, the Minecrafts, the Don't Starves. Personally, I've sunk hours into these kinds of games, to the extent that a night once went by without me even noticing. I was having that much fun just building and gathering. It wasn't challenging and there was no story, but it was fun.

    But I think I currently enjoy gameplay way more.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2021
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  2. elengee

    elengee Daoist Ninefaps

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    depends on the mood you have, for instance nier automata i'd give the gameplay a 7, the story a 7 but the atmosphere a 10. Yet this game which felt irritating at times due to a lack of depth in combat system and the pods firing being so weak that it felt obsolete for the most part the atmosphere deeply touched my emotions and made me view the game through a 'nostalgia filter'.

    Same must be the case for other games like Final Fantasy 7, for a lot of people that's part of their childhood.
    Still, the opposite, great gameplay but no atmosphere to it sounds more like old arcade games that you know you played but can't recall.
    While pacman combined both, although in a very simplistic manner.
     
  3. brigs11

    brigs11 Well-Known Member

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    Gameplay is what I get the game for but story is usually what keeps me playing. I tend to not get very far in games without a good story.
     
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  4. lunarshadow

    lunarshadow Well-Known Member

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    Short answer is: it depends.
    Longer answer: I love a good story, but I can watch tv and movies or a read a book for a good story. If it's a game I want an interactive story that grows along with the character I'm playing and the character decisions I makes. Games like that... don't exist.
    So for single player games, gameplay is the absolute most important element. I need to be enjoying what I'm doing to want to keep playing.
    For multi-player games, it's atmosphere. Honestly the point of multiplayers games for me is to be social and enjoy time with my friends. So I don't need great gameplay there, but the atmosphere will be what determines if we stick with that game or move to another game.
     
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  5. 911

    911 [Officer][Official Police][Tag me when needed]

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    Game? Im playing lots of games, and recently started to re play terraria.
     
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  6. ANonMouse

    ANonMouse Well-Known Member

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    I'd categorize don't starve into gameplay... The challenges you go through as you try to complete your objectives are very compelling. Frustrating at times, but compelliing. It reminds me of management games, which I enjoy but find hard to get into new ones because of how long the initial learning process can be.

    Anyways, gameplay is king for me. Sometimes I like story, but generally I don't care much about game stories that try to be movies with all the cutscenes. I liked Nier's story for example, but I'm not a fan of god of war's story. I do like interesting characters and character interactions though.

    I think lunarshadow has a point : I can get stories from movies or books, but only with games can I get interactivity (although technically books interact with your imagination resulting in your experience, and everyone's experience differs to a degree). Thus, "gameplay" is king imo.
     
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  7. Silver Snake

    Silver Snake Magician of NUF|Show-off|Awkward|Genius

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    Addendum

    I really enjoyed this one puzzle in Lufia II. I had to get three tiles pressed down simultaneously so the door to the next room would open, and you could only do that by either stepping on one or having a pot placed on it. The only trouble was that I only saw one pot in the room. So what did I do? I ran around the room looking for a solution, and that's when I saw something - enemies could also step on and activate the tiles. So I solved the puzzle by running around and stunning the enemies when they stepped on the tiles, so I could be sure that they would stay on them when I made my way for the exit.

    The reason why I loved this so much was because this wasn't the only way the puzzle was intended to be solved, it turned out that the other two pots were hidden behind two pillars. All I had to do was pick them up and place them down, but I found my own solution.

    Puzzles that can be solved multiple way by using the game's built-in mechanics - I love them so much.
     
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  8. Return

    Return Ṩ͢͢͢aℽonara

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    if you want a great story then try watchdogs 1 and assassin creed series from beginning until "unity "
    and try aselia the eternal for story only and use trainer to bypass the battles cause the gameplay sucks and i am sorry for not reading all that description you wrote cause i am reading a heavy world buildling novel right now
     
  9. Green Apple

    Green Apple Actually I'm secretly an orange.

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    First of all the masterpiece game will have all the parts on the highest level. Atmosphere, gameplay and story.
    However if a game is standing out in one or a couple of aspects, you will play that game exclusively to enjoy what it does the best, and close eyes on the lack of other elements.

    Gameplay in games vary a great deal, hence the variety of genres, which makes it possible to find your cup of tea, even if it is not something mainstream. Some games are to test your skills and reaction (usually shooters and similar action games), some test your brain (tactical, puzzle etc), some are meditative and creative (minecraft), some horror (said silent hill) and some are the mix of everything, with one main genre and a specific setting.

    Basically, if you are new to the gaming, just try playing different gameplay genres and different settings to find out which games you prefer and what kinds of games makes you most excited.
    I'm myself mostly of a sandbox, rts, action rpg, tower defense, survival and a little bit of shooters, horror, moba, rpg genres player.

    Atmosphere in games is all about visuals, mood, and music. Good sound design plays a SIGNIFICANT role in the impact the game carries. My personal favourite in that regard - first Silent Hill games, Prey (the newer one on the space station), Dungeon of the Endless, Hollow knight.

    P.s. Seeing that you enjoy Minecraft and want a game where you think for yourself to improve I strongly suggest you try out Factorio. It is a sandbox where your brainpower decides which designs you can come up with and if you want a challenge you can play on the deathworld settings to make local creatures (biters) very pissed off at you attacking often, adding the challenge of tower defence to the game and giving you pressure.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2021
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  10. imK

    imK Artful Dodger

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    Gameplay 100% - The story, the art, all of those things I appreciate greatly. I primarily buy games hoping to enjoy the gameplay. Everything else is secondary to me.
     
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  11. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    It doesn't make sense to look at games through any lens other than gameplay tbh (Well, aside from Visual Novels I guess, but those are an unique case).

    I mean... If I want a good story, I can just read a book. It's plain impossible for a game to deliver a story better than a book, because... Well, you're playing the game, you're spending a bunch of time doing the battles, walking around and what not instead of actually seeing the story... So like... The story simply can't be delivered with the same impact, because you can't see it in a proper pacing.
    Sure, the story can still be enjoyable, but there is just no way a game will ever deliver a story in a better way than a book could. A book is simply a better medium for it, so if I want a good story, I'll go for a book.

    And like, the ambience is of course nice. Seeing pretty visuals, a great soundtrack, a well-made setting are all great things, but... They're fundamentally supportive aspects. None of those can really stand on their own and sell a game... Because they just don't make things fun by themselves.

    At the end of the day, any game lives and dies by its gameplay. A mediocre gameplay can be carried on by a good story/ambience and lead to it becoming popular, but... At the very least the gameplay still needs to be mediocre for that to happen. And even then, many people will just give up on the game because the gameplay is boring.
    On the other hand, if the gameplay is bad, the game won't sell. No matter how much of a great story/ambience the game has. A terrible gameplay will lead to terrible sales. Nothing can salvage terrible gameplay because the game relies on its gameplay to be played... That's just how it works in the end.
     
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  12. Nimroth

    Nimroth Someone

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    For me I simply split games between ones I play for the story and ones I play for the gameplay and I typically don't try and compare them with each other since I enjoy them for different reasons.
    If I play a game for it's story then I honestly don't really care much about the gameplay unless it is outright terrible and similarly if I play a game for the gameplay I don't usually care much about the story, in either case it would be a bonus.
    Most games I honestly would play for the story though, because even if games might be characterized by gameplay, most types of gameplay just don't interest me enough to pick up a game in the first place.
    At the same time the few games I do play for the gameplay tend to be the ones I spend most time with, those are mainly strategy games however.
     
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  13. Myriadfold

    Myriadfold 『Silkmaid』『Ishhara's Devotee』『Daoist』『WW Vet.』

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    40% gameplay, 60% story.

    if the story is crap, you may as well not even bother to play in the first place because there is no fun to be had and no journey you are eager to discover at every stage.
     
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  14. Isaac20

    Isaac20 Dark Lord | RS

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    I can play a game with a bad story but with amazing gameplay. But it's hard to play a game with a good story and bad gameplay.
     
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  15. Lurking

    Lurking Do the dead suffer, or is it a sweet release?

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    try the LoZ series
    good puzzles in zelda, mostly non lethal

    good gameplay and also good story
     
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  16. Deleted member 304540

    Deleted member 304540 Guest

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    I play mostly RPGs (mostly the longer ones) so I'll answer based on that. I like a good story that keeps me interested to know what happens next. If a game doesn't have that then I'm likely not going to finish that game. I like different types of gameplay but it has to work. It's not the main thing for me though and it doesn't have to be stellar. Of course a great game gets story, gameplay and atmosphere right.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 12, 2021
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  17. Ddraig

    Ddraig Frostfire Dragon|Retired lurker|FFF|Loved by RNG

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    It depends honestly, I am not playing monhun for story, no one is, - I am playing it for the gameplay and atmosphere. On the other hand I am playing Devil Survivor for the Atmosphere, Story and Gameplay. The same holds true for other games.
    It is about what the game promises and what it can deliver afterall. Like Imagine playing a Castlevania and the gameplay sucked ass. Yeah that game is gonna go in the below average tier.
     
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  18. Khatulistiwa

    Khatulistiwa An Egg Eternal

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    Gameplay for me, i still sometimes play back the old PSX games like Brigandine with emulator, because i like the gameplay so much
     
  19. Daria_00

    Daria_00 Active Member

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    Graphics for me, then story and gameplay.
     
  20. ongoingwhy

    ongoingwhy Meat Pie Lover

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    Gameplay is the most important for a game. If the story is more important for you, go read novels or watch movies instead. If you need the story to be good to play the game, why even bother? It's probably garbage.
     
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