First off, keep in mind I'm just a fan of games and know absolutely nothing about programming. I just remember playing a lot of shooters and RTS's in the late 90's and the only thing I ever wanted was more content. More maps. More guns. More skins. More units. More scenarios. More mods. More more more. Even all the way back to 1992 when I started to play games with Super Mario World... the only flaw I found with that game is that there were only 97 levels
While I'm not the biggest fan of Minecraft or Terraria, I really applaud them for what they are doing. Creating a diverse and expandable world should be the focus of almost every video game. Sadly, we all know how the big companies do it... giving us a turd covered in golden graphics and withholding content like a succubus. I haven't played Donkey Kong Country Returns yet, but it seems like a good example of what I'm getting at.
Would it be possible to expand an engine horizontally instead of vertically? I hate how there are "limitations" imposed on a game because the supposed latest and greatest state of the art computer software can't handle it. And really, I never minded crappy graphics. In fact, I kind of miss the artistic style of old games. A lot of Japanese games still retain it though - and I believe the new Wii is going for this approach (Less focus on graphics, more on extensive content). (edit: Actually the new wii is pretty much entirely for graphics, dumb comment on my part)
Can't somebody just make an FPS with mediocre graphics from 5 years ago but with 50 maps, 50 guns, 50 skins, an SDK that's easier and more user friendly, massive maps that hold 256 players, environmental destruction, a system for building towers or pillboxes and laying land mines, etc. etc.? I know most companies are profit driven and it's safe to go with what has been selling millions of copies, but am I totally missing something from the programming aspect? I'm sure when Super Mario World came out it was developing by some of the greatest minds in the video game industry... But now you can download an SDK (or what have you) and making a full map is as simple as point and click, and modding is as simple as assigning a picture to a sprite. Crappy graphics also help performance and actually expand the customer base significantly by allowing inferior machines to run it at peak performance.
Soooo who's with me?
While I'm not the biggest fan of Minecraft or Terraria, I really applaud them for what they are doing. Creating a diverse and expandable world should be the focus of almost every video game. Sadly, we all know how the big companies do it... giving us a turd covered in golden graphics and withholding content like a succubus. I haven't played Donkey Kong Country Returns yet, but it seems like a good example of what I'm getting at.
Would it be possible to expand an engine horizontally instead of vertically? I hate how there are "limitations" imposed on a game because the supposed latest and greatest state of the art computer software can't handle it. And really, I never minded crappy graphics. In fact, I kind of miss the artistic style of old games. A lot of Japanese games still retain it though - and I believe the new Wii is going for this approach (Less focus on graphics, more on extensive content). (edit: Actually the new wii is pretty much entirely for graphics, dumb comment on my part)
Can't somebody just make an FPS with mediocre graphics from 5 years ago but with 50 maps, 50 guns, 50 skins, an SDK that's easier and more user friendly, massive maps that hold 256 players, environmental destruction, a system for building towers or pillboxes and laying land mines, etc. etc.? I know most companies are profit driven and it's safe to go with what has been selling millions of copies, but am I totally missing something from the programming aspect? I'm sure when Super Mario World came out it was developing by some of the greatest minds in the video game industry... But now you can download an SDK (or what have you) and making a full map is as simple as point and click, and modding is as simple as assigning a picture to a sprite. Crappy graphics also help performance and actually expand the customer base significantly by allowing inferior machines to run it at peak performance.
Soooo who's with me?
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