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0 pointsmoffkalast3y ago0 comments

Often times better graphics make a game worse because they're at the expense of everything else, while also making the community smaller because most people can't run it.

Yes, I'm still slightly salty about the train wreck that KSP 2 turned out to be.

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10 comments · 4 top-level

jjoonathan3y ago· 4 in thread

It never fails to amaze me how quickly the hate train starts or how fast it gets going when it comes time to blame technical artists for the shortcoming of others, even though they are arguably the best in the industry at reliably accomplishing amazing deeply technical feats that deliver joy.

I'm glad I figured this out before spending much time going down that path, but I still know people who did, they're the smartest people I know, and it always frustrates me to watch critics line up around the block to take a shit on them, blaming them for problems they didn't cause and snubbing them for accomplishments that they did.

Jcampuzano23y ago

To be fair, I don't think anybody is undermining the effort/ingenuity some of these technical artists/engineers have. Its moreso the overwhelming focus of AAA game studios on this over gameplay.

These artists/engineers have accomplished absolutely amazing things and really pushed the limits. But somewhat ironically... gameplay/story is still king when it comes to 'games.

I will say, when a game does blend the two, they are usually highly applauded, it just rarely happens nowadays that a game has both very good graphics, and very good gameplay.

jjoonathan3y ago

You're not being fair, you're making excuses. I was responding to a post that literally said "better graphics make a game worse."

Bad writing and bad mechanics can absolutely ruin a game far beyond the ability of art to compensate -- but it's both absurd and cruel to blame this on art.

2 more replies

s1artibartfast3y ago

I think it is odd too. Why do people care?

It seems like the reasonable response to a product you dont like is to not buy it and then ignore it. Why do people get fixated, angry, and shit on products they dont like.

moffkalastOP3y ago

It's not odd, it's the result of false marketing and frankly very much the direct fault of publishers. They spend an untold amount on promotional campaigns showing prerendered footage, gameplay running on workstations with unrealistic specs, and buy endorsements. All together that makes people invested and makes them expect too much. It's very easy to feel lied to and betrayed when the final result doesn't even closely live up to the promises. It's even worse for sequels, as they inevitably get compared to the original by its fans.

If the promotion wasn't false advertising there would be no backlash and people would act rationally, as you say. Nobody hates on something they've never seen before unless somebody tells them to expect more than they'll get.

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eterm3y ago· 1 in thread

I think I'll still be fuming about KSP2 for a long time. I don't know why I let myself have any hope it'd be good given the development history but I still bought (and returned) it on launch.

KSP didn't deserve that.

cptcobalt3y ago

Yeah. In contrast to the creativity applied to Tears of the Kingdom that took the framework of Breath of the Wild and extended it majestically, KSP2 is a brazen & soulless cash grab that under delivers under the guise of "Early Access".

jetbalsa3y ago· 1 in thread

Hi-Fi Rush is a perfect example of how a game should be It had all the details you want in a game to make it look awesome but the style and art was paid close detail

dietr1ch3y ago

(https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817230/HiFi_RUSH/)

naavis3y ago

To be fair, KSP2 landed in early access only very recently. No one has claimed it is a finished and polished game.

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