What are your priorities?

1 - Gameplay
2 - Atmosphere and Design
3 - Music and Sound
4 - Graphics
5 - Story

1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere, Style and Design
3. Graphics
4. Structure
5. Audio

1. Graphics
2. Gameplay
3. Music and Sound
4. Atmosphere and Design
5. Story

How can you guys say that graphics are unimportant when video games are reliant ON the graphics?

1 gameplay
2 atmosphere
3 audio
…
20 graphics
…
50 story

what are muds and roguelikes?

I prefer action oriented games, so this is a big deal.
Most people place this low, but I prefer pretty looking things. Probably a bit too much though. I have trouble going back to, or trying out old games. Especially if they're old 3D games, those age like milk without the right graphic design.
Important, but doesn't necessarily mean "deep" for me. A minimal, but to the point story that lets gameplay speak for the rest is just as good.
I'm not much of a sound guy, when it comes to judging games on it. Music is nice and can definitely help with atmosphere, but I wouldn't place it higher.

Honestly atmosphere and design go hand in hand with all of the above.

Gameplay | Gameplay Story
Gameplay Graphics | Gameplay Atmosphere and Design

1. gameplay
2. atmosphere and design
3. music and sound
4. story
5. graphics

the same goes for EVERY game

I don't know where to put Story and Graphics. Story really depends on the kind of game you're making but graphics probably don't matter too much if it's just quality instead of aesthetics.

sure is autism here

Are you fucking retarded? Anyone with more than two braincells can see they're just listing options.

Depends entirely on the genre but in general I would put:
Gameplay
Design
Graphics
Audio
Story

They're called games, a game without good gameplay is simply incapable of being a great game.
That said, there is a level of quality where you can have a game worth playing that doesn't have exceptional gameplay, but those are invariably for fans of the niche they fill.
>2. Graphical Fidelity/Aesthetics this is a tie, and it is no mistake
They are called video games, and video is descended from the latin word for sight, so the shit you see in a video game is pretty fucking important.
Sound is the secondary human sense, not as important as sight but still way more useful than smell and taste, and far easier to stimulate through the medium of vidya than touch.
If you did everything else properly, you already fucking did this part in all the other parts.
If you're in a niche full of games that are similar in most other respects, this element may pull you ahead, but that's hardly much of a survival strategy in a market defined by the free market philosophy.

1. gameplay
2. music and sound
3. atmosphere and design
4. graphics
5. story

Reasoning:
1. If a game is not fun to play, if the mechanics are broken, if it has game-breaking glitches, it is shit. Gameplay perfection comes first. Without it, nothing else matters, people don't want to play your garbage.
2. Music comes second because it is actually more important to atmosphere than the visual design. You can have a completely black background and white dots for characters, but upbeat music will make you imagine a happy scene and depressing music will make you sad. A catchy theme will make people remember your game for decades after. Look at all the orchestral arrangements and amateur covers of Mario, Zelda, Sonic, etc. Look at the MGR threads we had that consisted mostly of STANDING HERE and RULES OF NATURE rather than any actual discussion of the game. You can have nothing but gameplay and music with minimal/nonexistent graphics and art and the game can still be good.
3. Atmosphere and Design can keep a game looking good forever, no matter how old or shit the console it released on was. Metal Slug games still look phenomenal. Wind Waker is still gorgeous. Games that pushed for realism in their time age like milk, while games that are stylized to take advantage of their system's limitations will look good forever. Paired with good music and solid gameplay, you have a winning recipe.
4. Graphics is barely important, as outlined in the previous paragraph. Games that push for graphical fidelity over stlyization end up being remembered only as benchmarks to test new machines with. Crysis, Doom 3, whatever the fuck people were using before I owned a nice PC. Nobody remembers the games for being fun, they remember their PC they built in 2008 could run it at 70 frames per second. Who gives a shit?
5. Story is not important at all. Some of the most famous games of all time had zero story, or a pathetic excuse for one by storytelling standards. "Bad guy stole the princess, get her back." No twists, no character arcs, no drama. Some classic games like Super Metroid and many JRPGs would be worse off without their story, but that's because they were GOOD stories. I'd rather have zero story than a bad one. The best way to tell a story in an interactive game is to build it into the world and let players piece it together for themselves by progressing or exploring, which I think fits under the "Atmosphere/design" category rather than plot.

1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere and Design
3. Graphics
4. Story
5. Music and Sound (Ties with Story actually)

1. Passionate developers
2. Attention to detail when creating the game

Literally all that's needed.

For FPS it should go: 1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere and design
3. Sound and music
4. Graphics
5. Story
One of the main reasons FPS have lost their former charm is because devs focus on creating games that are nice to look at and use lots of cinematic exposition. Making combat that is fun or realistic and environments that are exciting to explore are now afterthoughts to AAA developers. Focus on good gameplay and design is left to smaller devs who don't always have the resources and skill to pull it off.

This post is like a self-help book for the agoraphobic that reads "Just go outside and meet some people"

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Subjectively the only things that matter, and in the right order:
1. Enough content for the price
2. Runs well on recommended hardware
3. New ideas/Improvement on old ideas
4. Has to be a full game/Story. No cliffhangers
5. Fun and polished gameplay
6. Has to be a game. No VN:s or walkingas.
VNs and Walking Novels are still good digital entertainment, just not games.

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When it comes to sound I think it gets overlooked. Having shitty fucking sound could cause the lost of immersion. Sound would also be Atmospheric. Music can make gameplay way more exciting then it is. Look at slow shitty JRPGS, a great sound track in the background, can have a staggering effect on what you're seeing while you play to defeat a strong enemy.

This easily is whats going to make your game standout the most.

Do I have to say anything?

I believe this is very important, since what you're playing is basically visual base. There is a difference between realistic Graphics and a visual design that has a fantasy style. I choose fantasy look any day, over shitty realism. Realism never ages gracefully.

I chose "story" last, cause the majority of games with serious tone story lines. Usually come off as pretentious or unoriginal. Snobby hipsters can go fuck'emselves.

When you get down to it, all of these can be important. I'm having conflicts with which one are truly needed. Guess it depends on what kind of game you're making. But since video games are visual base, and you play them by using a controller I guess Gameplay, and Graphics are the most important over all.

1. Gameplay
2. Technical Smoothness (Polished, Runs well, UI is logical and useful)
3. Art Aesthetics
4. Sound and Music
5. Animation quality (If applicable to the type of game it is)
6. Graphics

I'm actually starting to be most impressed by games that nail the technical smoothness part more than anything. Everything seems so sloppy and poorly put together these days.

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Forgot to say that this nigga with a shotgun is on point. Great post.

do I really need to point at the current state of AAA games?
but anyways , my point was mostly that these kinds of things are individual for every game made, for example good story and atmosphere can make even shitty gameplay worthwhile

If the game is an RPG or an Adventure game:
1. Gameplay
2. Story
3/4. Atmosphere and Design / Music and Sound
5. Graphics

If it's any other genera:
1. Gameplay
2/3. Atmosphere and Design / Music and Sound
4. Story
5. Graphics

I consider Atmosphere and Design and Music and Sound to be of roughly equal importance.

1:Story
2:Atmosphere and Design
3:Gameplay
4:Music and Sound Though I would argue music ties into atmosphere
5:Graphics

I can forgive clunky combat and not really mind if the game and setting itself is interesting, like VTM:B.

Atmosphere doesn't even fit on that list, music, story and visuals combine to create atmosphere

1. content
2. gameplay
3. atmosphere
4. story
5. graphics
6. music sound

But that can change depending on the game. I judge a game on what it defines itself as and what games are similar to it

These absolute fucking kikes.

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3
2
1
4
5

prove me wrong nigger

gameplay
atmo
sound (sound is more important than bgm which i almost always turn off)
story
graphics

You, my good friend, are right. Why would I need to prove such truths wrong. A fun shitty looking game with hot tunes from maybe a decade or more ago blasts AAA mulitgorillion dollar or nintenbabby releases away all the time.

You can't disprove objective truth, user.

1: Gameplay - It's got to be fun, and have good controls and flow. The purpose of a game is to distract from the unpleasant parts of life.

Everything else is tied. I can't say that graphics are unimportant, or are of paramount priority, and I greatly appreciate good sound work, as well as UI/font/world design. A shitty story is something the left would cotton to.

Games that I will play for a long term period of time or dedicate significant amount of effort to for modding or other contributions.
1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere and Design

3. Graphics
4. Music and Sound
5. Story

For example, at some point in a competitive online shooter, I will mute music, turn down graphics for less distraction, and not consider story at all.

Game that I will play once and forget some time later.
1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere
3. Music and Sound
4. Story
5. Graphics

For example, gameplay and world is a hook. Music and sound will keep my attention even if I completely dislike the protagonist and the characters. I can play old games.

Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay
Shitty template thread

Everyone ITT putting music behind graphics/atmosphere, I would like you to know that you genuinely disgust me. You have brain damage. Think of what your favorite game would be like if it were identical to the way it is now, but with no music. No BGM, no theme, sparse or simple sound effects. Fucking ponder whether you'd still like it. Plebeians.

Woah I had no idea that putting it last would mean completely leaving sound out of everything.

I don't know how sound/music wouldn't be included in atmosphere, so I combined them and separated design as its own category.
1. Gameplay
Even a simple game can be fun if it plays well.
2. Design
With good design just a few simple rules and mechanics can produce an interesting and complicated system.
3. Atmosphere
Consistent style, fitting music and appropriate sounds, including ambience.
4. Story
If you play a game with any depth for any longer period of time, it's always fun to learn thing about the world and stuff in the game.
5. Graphics
"Good" graphics are not really important so long as categories 1-4 are fulfilled. I can look at simple ascii graphics or sprites from almost a quarter century back if all the other stuff is implemented well.

1. Explosions
1a. Frequency of Explosions
1b. Potency of Explosions
2. Is the protagonist cute and or hot
3.Everything else.

1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere and Design
3. Music and Sound
4. Story
5. Graphics

1.Atmosphere and Design : This includes immersion and aesthetic, both game and UI
2.Gameplay. This includes Fluidity. Depending on genre, also animations (battle animations, pace of game).
3.Graphics. this quality of models and animation, if not related to core gameplay.
4.Story (if applicable to genre), writing. This includes lore (honestly, no one in this day and age can even compete to the shit kirkbride wrote so I dont give a shit about story anymore.)
5.Music and Sound

I can already tell this thread is filled with plebs who think gameplay = combat. You are all beneath me.

I usually play games with background noise now. There's tons of great soundtracks and little time to replay all the games to have them so just listen to my favorite ones while playing different games.

I swear to god, everyone who posts this image and variations of it comes off pretentious as fuck.

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It doesn't necessarily, but if your ranking is correct then removing it entirely shouldn't ruin the game.

Devs use placeholders to test the gameplay.

Story in vidya is like story in porn
It's expected but not necessary

That's retarded reasoning and it wouldnt matter for me anyway because my hearing is shit anyway

I know that feel user

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1. Gameplay or Story
2. Story or Gameplay
3. Atmosphere and Design / Music and Sound
4. Music and Sound / Atmosphere and Design
5. Graphics

I treat Gameplay and Story as the highest interchanging as sometimes a good story or a story I personally like strongly will give me enjoyment if the other is lacking.

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1.-Gameplay I know, don't judge me
2.-Story
3.-Graphics
4.-Atmosphere and design
5.-Music and Sound

You're right tbh, swap em round

1. FUN
2. everything else

1 - Gameplay
2 - Atmosphere/Design
3 - Sound Design
3.5 - Music
4 - Story
5 - Graphics

1, Gameplay
1, Story (also giving it a number 1 spot since a good story can compensate if the game play is lacking)
2, Atmosphere and Design
2, Music and Sound (Also giving it a number 2 spot, it basically goes hand in hand)
3, Graphics

Depends on the genre. A good story can improve a game but isn't necessary. RPG's basically need a good story.

1. Gameplay
2. Atmosphere, Design
3. Music
4. Graphics

What's this "story" you keep getting so flustered over?

I honestly can't stand text and full voice acting. I tried Original Sin the other day, I loved the shit out of the combat and then they stuck me in this shitty harbour town with a billion talking sidequests and got transported to some end of time place and I lost my interest there.

1. Does the game have breasts or cleavage?
2. Are they SJW, or shilling some kind of Jewish secret society propaganda?
3. is the game edgy
4.Do this game let my fulfill my flavor of the month fantasy?
5. Does it look stupid/childish/cartoony in a subjectively bad way.
6. Is the game "Good"?

I approach video games in the most subject manner possible, even if a game is said to be "good" that doesn't mean i'll like it. It's the same with gameplay, i've played plenty of games that will probably do said game better, i don't care about how good the gameplay is in mario 3d world since i've already played mario 64 or whatever the precursor is. Sometimes gameplay takes a back seat in certain genres, like RPGs, or simulation games, and other times it's much more focused like Arcades or platformers.

1. mechanics
2. aesthetics
3. performance

i play too many shmups & fighting games to care about story

Was going to post my list but this is the best list.

this is some strong bait.

Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay

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user, I think I've found your perfect game.

It IS fucking perfect game you dingus. It even has actual interactive multiplayer, unlike tetris.

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1. Design
nobody's gonna play a game where everything looks like an android flash game, and no, design/artstyle doesn't go from ascii to photorealism, that's graphics you dumbass
the game needs something to convince people and pull them in and make the whole experience that much pleasurable

2. Gameplay
of course the game has to be actually good and entertaining, how the world responds to your actions and how you can interact with the provided set pieces, how replayable the game is etc

3. Story/setting
the story still might be a deal breaker when it comes to a game that looks timeless and plays perfectly, but it CAN be ignored
noone wants to play 50 shades of jrpg that drags on forever or yet another fucking zombie suvival game

4. Graphics == Sound design/Music
these 2 are interchangeable depending on the game and both can make up for the other if lacking in department, or you can forgo these altogether, a good example being old ascii games
just
make it not look like ass

Just make something good, to be honest.

1. Graphics. Framerate and art direction are paramount.
2. Gameplay.
3. Atmosphere and design. A bad UI can ruin a game, and a good atmosphere can make up for shortfalls in story (I'll just substitute my own head-canon).
4. Story. World-building is fucking ace.
5. Music and sound. If the music and sound are bad I can just play it while listening to better, more appropriate music or podcasts.

3
1
2
4
5

1. Gameplay
2. Gameplay
3. Story
4. Graphics
5. Audio

So, what? You play Borderlands as the girl?

1. gameplay
2. music and sound
3. atmosphere
4. art style
5. story
6. muh graphics FX