When making a great game there are a number of factors that need to be considered if your game is to survive in a market full of great game designs. Below are listed a few of the more important factors that need to be considered when designing a great game.
It is a common misconception that the best games are based on the best graphics. While having great graphics, this factor alone will not make a great game when other factors are not up to standards that match the graphics. However, having said this, it is fair to say that when combined with other equally important game design factors, great graphics can certainly give a game an advantage over other games with lower quality graphics.
A few examples of this are the graphics rich worlds of such games as Halo, Mist, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Star Wars, and this is just a few of many games that might be considered to have great graphics. So it is safe to assume that one factor that is vital towards a good game, but that needs to be combined with other equally important factors, id for the game to have great graphics. This factor is also a very important game design factor as it covers the point of playing the game, the goal. Top88
That is to be achieved and the possible interactions between elements of the game such as objects or Non Playable Characters. While a game must have a decent gameplay and storyline, again this fact will not make a great game by itself. When mixed with great graphics however, these two factors will give a game an edge above the competition.
Gameplay can be either a simple process or a very complex process and still make a great game, as we can see when we compare the game ‘Tetris’ to the game “Final Fantasy”. Both games were smash hits that have so far remained in many peoples list of great games. Gameplay in itself has many facets that contribute towards the entire Gameplay factor, that we will not explore here, but to name a few, a game designer would consider such things as, Storyline, alternative choices, natural physics, player interaction, etc. etc. So again, we can see that this factor alone will not necessarily make a great game but will definitely contribute towards a great game when combined with other important game design factors.
The Game Sound factor in game design is pretty much on par with Game Graphics. The quality of sound in a game can help determine a good game or not. Examples of this can be found in some of the earliest classics, when we think about games like Zelda or the ancient Atari game called Forger. Many of us can think of an old game that we can still clearly remember the game music to, granted some were annoying, but most were catchy and addictive. Then coming forward in game history we get to games that rely heavily on the game sound experience, such as games like Silent Hill or F.E.A.R. These games would not be nearly as good as they currently are if they had lesser quality sound. And so again we see another important factor that needs to be added to a game to make it a great game.