What Is More Important To You?

[Atrocities]

I have read a great many posts over many forums about Space Empires V where posters raised issues about the lack of eye popping graphics and Empire At War quality eye candy game play.

So I ask you all what is more important to you, a games graphics, or a games game play?

For me it is hands down a games game play. EAW and its expansion pack, are great looking games, but they have no real game play depth and lack replayability past a week or two.

While SE V, albeit it not a runaway hit as of yet, may not have eye popping detailed graphics, does have it where it does count, in the game play depth department.

I often find myself wondering why any one would want graphics over game play? Sure eye candy is always welcome, but to be blunt and honest, what good is eye candy if the game has no challenge and lacks replayability?

EAW and its expansion are good games, but neither is worth the true value of a game like Space Empires V or even Dominion 3. Something has to be said about games like these, they are indeed masterspeaces in their own rights, and in my humble opinion, kick the utter arse out of many mainstream games.

[PDF]

Great, we're now 2 in the "Gameplay over Gizmo" club !

[Smolf]

I would like to join the exclusive club as member #3

[President_Elect_Shang]

The way a game plays hands down no debates accepted! In the graphics department I prefer detailed 2-D graphics over 3-D.

[StarShadow]

Gameplay. Where do I pick up my membership card?

[Santiago]

You really need somewhat of a balance between graphics and game play.
In general terms

Great graphics and poor gameplay = quick game death. Word spreads quickly.

Great gameplay with poor graphics = a loyal but small following with little incentive for the programmer or publisher to continue.

In the SE series, if it wasn't for MM's dedication SE would have died long ago.

As far as SE V specifically, I prefer SEV's gameplay over the poor graphics. I've tried SEV on 3 different machines and have gotten 3 different results. If the UI and the main system view can be fixed the game would be a lot better off.

Sometimes I think an expanded SE IV graphics with SE V capabilities would have been the way to go.

[frightlever]

Well yeah, Gameplay but the single player gameplay isn't there yet for SE5 anyway. Perhaps MP is working better.

I played through a SE5 Balance game last week (first time I'd stuck it out - 1.17 makes a big difference) and the AI is still pretty poor and no disrespect to the Balance mod should be implied but that's how it is RIGHT NOW.

[Gusset]

Gotta be the gameplay. My imagination can fill in the graphics if needed.

Why else would I still be spending large amounts of time playing MOO2 online, a game that was released in 1996?

I am hopeful that SE5 will be the "next MOO2" for me, and it will be gameplay that makes that happen or not.

[Kana]

I agree completely with you AT...

Santiago I dont know when you were born, but I remember before there were video games. One of my all time favorite games was one I played on the the Atari 800. It was a wargame sim of Midway, and the graphics were all ascii characters. I played that game for hours, it was nail bitting sending out your fighters to attack the carriers, and you wait patiently for the text report of how many you lost, and how many carriers you hit and or sunk.

[President_Elect_Shang]

I thought that was an Atari 2600 game? Speaking of the 2600 my favorite was Megamania! Man I could sit and play that thing for hours and hours. My girlfriend at the time was over the night I rolled it three times. Funny I can recall the name of the game but not hers; short, blond, cute, and that’s about all I can recall. Oh and she had the cutest little button nose.