General Discussion

  The basis for this post stems from the following rating comments from Vestas (emphasis mine) on Wizard101. Please note, this post isn't specific to Wizard101, it just uses it as an example. Also, I'm not trying to "call out" Vestas. He's entitled to his opinion. I just want to discuss the overall topic:

Vestas(posted Sat Nov 22 2008)
Definately sub-par graphics stylized in a WoW fashion at lower details. Like WoW though it runs on anything, even integrated graphics cards. Gameplay is, believe it or not, entertaining and character development is highly customizeable. Relatively simple gameplay based on common trading card game motifs. Nails the mark as an MMO the whole family can enjoy without risking exposure to bad apples on the internet. Targeted for the pre/early teen years it's actually fun for adults too, if not very deep. There are better games out there however few have the parental controls and ease of use for young family members that can have their parents play with them.

Overall, his comments seem positive, but that one line stands out. What does "sup-par graphics" really mean? This statement is both incredibly broad and emphatically negative, but it begs the question "What do players expect in terms of graphics and are their expectations appropriate for the product?" I've seen players post negative comments about the "graphics" for almost every game I've looked at. Frankly, some players seem like graphics snobs. Nothing will ever be good enough for them. 

Personally, I think it's important when reviewing and/or rating a game's graphics to distinguish between style and technology.

Style:

In the case of Wizard101, the style is definitely colorful and "cartoony" as opposed to "realistic", but I consider this to be completely appropriate to both the game and it's audience. As such, I don't consider the graphics style to be "sub-par". Had this same style been applied to WAR, AoC or LotR, then it would be completely inappropriate to those games and their audiences, IMO. All of those titles and their lore demand grittier, more reaslistic graphics (unless you consider the 1977 TV Version of "The Hobbit" to be the quintessential art style for MIddle Earth).

Technology:

There are a lot of factors here, including the engine, is it Open GL or DirectX, shader technologies, specular lighting, shadows, particle effects, textures, etc... Are animations included under the broad category of "graphics"?

In the case of Wizard101, KingsIsle doesn't appear to be using very many high-tech features, but they do make use of particle effects and bloom as well as limited use of specular lighting and shadows. As the rater noted, however, the game runs well on almost any system, which is appropriate for the game's demographic (kids/tweens) who probably don't have high-powered PCs. As such, are the graphics really "sub-par"? Based on what criteria?

That same question, "Based on what criteria?" applies to every other game's graphics. Just scroll through the games in the list and you'll see complaints about each of their "graphics", but very few reasonable discussions on what makes them so "bad".   If a game doesn't use all of the new, cool, "shiny" features available with the latest graphics technology, but still doesn't perform as expected, then I think concerns are justified.  Likewise, personal prefererence towards or against a game's style are justified if they're presented as "opinions", such as "I'm not a big fan of X's graphical style" as opposed to factual statements, such as "X's graphics suck!  They're worse than 1999 EQ graphics!".  The problem, however, is that few people seem to be able to articulate those issues/concerns/opinions well.

~Ripper

Better graphics means better immersion

There are 2 sides to graphics quality, the style which is a personal view, and the technique which is measureable.

Right now there are 3 major graphical engines out there that can be used for MMO's

Project Offset
This is a new engine, very hyped, now owned by Intel and being used in the development in 2 new MMO's as far as I know. You can find examples on the quality this engine can produce on youtube, just search for the name.

Cry Engine 2
Used in the Farcry 2 game, and coming up in Entropia as well. Better looking than my wife... and just as demanding!!

Unreal Engine 3
The next generation of Epic's incredible graphics engine, used by the Stargate MMO developers.

All 3 engines has everything needed to challenge even the best graphics card and thats a problem when it comes to customers, because its only a minority that has these cards. Also buyers wants to use the highest settings or they will feel left behind. This was foreseen by Blizzard, creating a game that used comparable low graphics quality, where Everquest 2 did the opposite, and lost that battle.

In general, the price to develope a good looking game is high, and MMO's in general have never been among the best looking.

I'm not really that picky on graphics. As long as it doesn't give me a headache/motion sickness and cause me to have a seizure or my eyes to burn.

a lot... but is not everything ^^

Originally posted by Inzra

Better graphics means better immersion

Better story/lore means better immersion

Edited: didnt like it bolded

Originally posted by razerblade29

Originally posted by Inzra

Better graphics means better immersion

Better story/lore means better immersion

Edited: didnt like it bolded

I never bother much with the story/lore of any mmo I've played, I find it almost restricting in a way. I'd prefer a game where the players make the story/lore from the launch of the mmo.

So to me, graphics mean more than story/lore.

I have respect for the rp'ers that can rp well, but they don't need story for that either.

I want the graphics to have a personality. The undefinable aspects like style and soul.

Better technology does not always mean better graphics.

touche on the graphics snob there. sometimes im one of them.

graphics could mean immersion but then not entirely. i base my gaming preferences on a lot of different factors like lore and the tendency for grinding.

for me, graphics is more defined by the style rather than the technology. better graphics mean most artsyfartsy stuff in the least technological/system requirements possible.. that would really be impressive.

that's just my opinion though.