Archive: 38 posts

---

In my previous post it was intresting to see that Visuals and Fun are top priority of most people. But let's say you played a level that has alot of platforming and complex puzzles, but is visually not very pleasing. On the other hand you played a level that has amazing visuals but lacks alot in platforming. I honnestly have to say that Visuals are pretty overwealming in LBP. I see some levels that just take my breath away, and make me lean towards my TV screen and force me to take screenshots. One such level I recently played was the Snow Queen trilogy, that was just amazing. And the best thing was that it wasn't just walking through scenory, there was some playforming in it too! Only reason it didn't get a :star::star::star::star::star: was because it didn't have any score bubbles or items for me to take home with me So I ask you the question, citizens of LBP. Which is more important for you? Visuals or Platforming?

2009-06-22 10:24:00 Author: snowyjoe Posts: 509

---

I'd say visuals... not that platforming isn't a close second. Obviously a nice mix of the 2 is preferred. Take Nattura's Lost Tomb of Anubis, not that much in the platforming department, but visually stunning. I'd much rather have a level with ok platforming and amazing visuals, then really fun platforming and the level is nothing but Dark Matter.

2009-06-22 10:29:00 Author: TripleTremelo Posts: 490

---

You only have to look at my levels to know that visuals are more important to me. I'm not interested in playing levels where you need hundreds of attempts just to make 1 jump. I want to reach the end of every level I play and see what's in it. I play for FUN , not to be frustrated. I have played some levels that look visually stunning and then for no reason the creator throws in a near impossible platforming section and only gives you 4 lives so I never get to see the rest of the level. I can never understand the thinking behind that. I want people to finish my levels and see it all. The only reason i can see for people doing that is because it's a very cynical attempt to make people keep playing it so they get more plays recorded on the level and also to make the level appear longer than it actually is. I don't resort to those sort of cheap tactics.

2009-06-22 10:37:00 Author: mistervista Posts: 2210

---

I have seen some amazing levels but with no real game play I rated them well but they don't get a replay from me. One example is "warzone" beautiful level awsome fx but not much game play and very short. I guess the thermo is responsible for the balance between gameplay and visuals. Posted from my new toy apple iPhone

2009-06-22 10:39:00 Author: XVS1100 Posts: 59

---

I wish i had a iphone :'( But I guess everyone has their own diffrent definition of "fun" But mistervista wouldn't it be more satisfying for a player to acturally feel like he accomplished somthing in the level rather than just moving your sackboy forward? If a level is beautiful and just as hard, wouldn't it strive you to try and finnish the level to see what amazing thing lies beyond the corner?

2009-06-22 10:50:00 Author: snowyjoe Posts: 509

---

Visuals is most important to me, but of course platforming is also needed for a good gameplay, but the first thing that you'd see is how the level was made, the materials and if the creator put attention to detail. I wish I were more simple and cared less about visuals D:

2009-06-22 11:06:00 Author: AwesomePossum Posts: 446

---

Neither matter to me. I've seen levels where you just put down the controller and watch them and I'm still amazed. I think that if a level is fun, it doesn't matter what is fun about it, whether it is the visuals, the platforming, or some other aspect that makes it unique and interesting to play.

2009-06-22 11:12:00 Author: BSprague Posts: 2325

---

I wish i had a iphone :'( But I guess everyone has their own diffrent definition of "fun" But mistervista wouldn't it be more satisfying for a player to acturally feel like he accomplished somthing in the level rather than just moving your sackboy forward? If a level is beautiful and just as hard, wouldn't it strive you to try and finnish the level to see what amazing thing lies beyond the corner? NO Yeah I'm all for fun platforming but some levels are just too horrendously difficult that all fun goes out the window. I'm not a bad gamer, I have finished plenty of difficult levels and other games but when I spend half an hour trying to do one section and then eventually beat it I don't feel pleased at overcoming the challenge at all. I just think 'thank god that's over, I'm never playing that again'. Once is more than enough. I will replay levels that are fun though and have done so many times.

2009-06-22 11:44:00 Author: mistervista Posts: 2210

---

I totally agree with the 100s of attempts to make one jump, I also don't get the number of levels with platforms that are high enough to be just reachable with a jump. Not difficult or challenging, just annoying really. Bear in mind that interesting platforming doesn't have to be difficult or a death-fest. I like things to be challenging, but totally enjoy original gameplay where the chances of death are minimal. IMO You've missed an option off the poll "either - there are plenty of great levels with one but not the other".

2009-06-22 14:35:00 Author: rtm223 Posts: 6497

---

You need both. Seemless gameplay is invisible so it's harder to recognise the quality. HARD TO EXPLAIN. Good question.

2009-06-22 14:42:00 Author: midnight_heist Posts: 2513

---

The question was super easy for me. - I can like a bad looking level if the platforming is complete awesome. - I cannot like a good looking level if the platforming is abysmal. .

2009-06-22 15:58:00 Author: RangerZero Posts: 3901

---

For me, it's got to be visuals. They seem just a touch better. You can have good visuals with little or no platforming, but platforming is generally difficult without a certain visual standard.

2009-06-22 16:29:00 Author: Coxy224 Posts: 2645

---

I'd say both, without platforming the level is just a showcase and without visuals it's like a H4H level. If I had to pick one I'd say visuals since if a level looks good but doesn't have much gameplay I might stay longer than if it didn't have visuals but a lot of platforming.

2009-06-22 16:48:00 Author: brnxblze Posts: 1318

---

You know, this subject is interesting because I honestly don't think a lot of people even REALIZE exactly what makes them really like a game. When you walk out of a level and you enjoyed it, you might THINK that it was because it looked amazing.... but if you took that same level and made the platforming a frustrating experience you may not have noticed the graphics as much. In the same way, if you have good gameplay but the graphics are TERRIBLE you have a problem. A good game absolutely, positively requires a) good gameplay and b) at least CLEAN graphics. Notice I didn't say GOOD graphics - a good memorable game can have great gameplay but clean understated graphics and people generally won't even notice the lack of graphical detail (see H.A.T.E., Hyper Sphere, Splat Invaders, Run For It)

2009-06-22 17:38:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

---

I agree with several of the last posts here, a level needs a mix of both in a way. I've played levels with gorgeous graphics or effects, which earned a heart from me, as well as levels with terrific platforming. But the level needs to at LEAST give both a chance. A combination of both is what draws me into a level, excellence in either will keep me interested and having fun.

2009-06-23 06:34:00 Author: Burnvictim42 Posts: 3322

---

I'd say visuals. Walking through a beautiful level is always fun! And I know how hard it can be to make a level really good-looking.

2009-06-23 12:38:00 Author: ikbeneland Posts: 57

---

Doesn't having a "both" option defeat the purpose of asking which in more important? I just thought that was odd, so even though was was tempted to say both, I chose platforming. Looks are great, but if there isn't good game play there is no point to the level.

2009-06-26 07:42:00 Author: Walter-Kovacs Posts: 542

---

I'm not totally sure the question is valid regardless - it really depends on the game. For instance, if you're playing Tetris, which is one of the most addicting games ever, you're not thinking about graphics because the game isn't designed around graphics. If you're playing something like Oblivion, which is supposed to immerse you in a realistic world - good graphics are crucial.

2009-06-26 16:06:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

---

I believe it's whatever you're looking for at the time. Sometimes I want to play the platforms and challenges. Other times I prefer the visual, musical or created objects levels.

2009-06-26 18:51:00 Author: Lady_Luck__777 Posts: 3458

---

The reason I'm overcoming a challenge in a given level is to see what's next... if there's nothing worth seeing or experiencing, then I have no reason to engage in the activity that's presented in the level. That's how I know I place visuals above gameplay, even though I need both. It's the visuals that enthrall you and bring you in, but it's the gameplay that keeps you coming back. I need at least a decent visual style, and it has to be at least playable. I can deal with average looks and average gameplay, together, or in a combination of excellent and average... but anything less than average in either, and the level's really lost itself. One thing I like is that not all levels on LBP really have anything to do with platforming, or even gameplay in general. Some are merely visual, and interactive or non-interactive experiences so good that you're just there to see it through... some are simple score challenges or puzzlers that can rest their laurels entirely on their addictive and engaging gameplay. Case in point: music levels. Conversely, a level like Bi-Polar Negatives to me, as a visual concept being slapped onto run-of-the-mill platforming is a waste... not exploring such a beautiful visual concept's potential as anything more than a race level, makes it feel like a waste. Like a super model working at McDonalds. One instance where visuals cannot come before gameplay... no matter how perfect it makes your level look, don't use grabbable material for your floors and walls if you're going to be grabbing something like a key that needs to be escorted or handling any grab or two/three way switches in those areas. There is nothing more annoying than trying to grab a block that you need to take with you and repeatedly grabbing the environment by mistake. Use of sound is just as important as these IMO. If a door opens, something breaks, or an enemy dies please have it coincide with a sound of some sort. It's all a part of the presentation.

2009-06-27 00:28:00 Author: Unknown User

---

personally i think you need both to make a good level a darkmatter only level could be the best platformer ever but it still would be complete without the visuals likewise you could paint the mona lisa of a level but it wont get more than two stars if all you do is run in a strait line

2009-06-27 03:24:00 Author: redmagus Posts: 667

---

You only have to look at my levels to know that visuals are more important to me. I'm not interested in playing levels where you need hundreds of attempts just to make 1 jump. I want to reach the end of every level I play and see what's in it. I play for FUN , not to be frustrated. I have played some levels that look visually stunning and then for no reason the creator throws in a near impossible platforming section and only gives you 4 lives so I never get to see the rest of the level. I can never understand the thinking behind that. I want people to finish my levels and see it all. The only reason i can see for people doing that is because it's a very cynical attempt to make people keep playing it so they get more plays recorded on the level and also to make the level appear longer than it actually is. I don't resort to those sort of cheap tactics. Quote for absolute truth. I've also to say that I find difficult to get hooked by levels with the basic background. Many guys work their own backgrounds and they do a really great job (I think at the Silhouette levels for example), and I have to be honest and say that MM had released very few backgrounds, so I try to play the levels anyway, but I find them unpleasant.

2009-06-30 12:53:00 Author: OmegaSlayer Posts: 5112

---

If I had to choose between visuals or platforming I would definitely go with platforming. I mean think about old platformers like Super Mario World, while you were playing it were you thinking "Hmm, that bush in the background looked great!" or were you thinking about how fun the gameplay was? I mean imagine if all MM's levels were just walking through all this beautiful scenery, after a while that would become extremely boring.

2009-07-08 20:41:00 Author: Dr_Vab Posts: 134

---

Both for me! Woootz!

2009-07-08 20:57:00 Author: Miglioshin Posts: 336

---

I've played levels with awesome platforming, yet some of them have standard visuals and it brings down the experience a tad bit. It's the same with all looks, no play. So they both go hand in hand, and a good balance of the two makes a perfect level.

2009-07-08 20:59:00 Author: KoRnDawwg Posts: 1424

---

i love visuals. all my levels are focused on visuals. the only problem is the thermometer. cardboard used in the right way is so useful. haha

2009-07-08 21:09:00 Author: Unreal_Styrofoam Posts: 99

---

Visuals for sure, as they intially engage the senses, which is why Advertising Agencies spend countless hours trying to come up with the perfect package for a product. But visuals should take you somewhere...a destination. And you can't reach that destination without a journey. For me, how I reach that destination is not as important, as long as it was interesting. It could have been a story, a tutorial, platforming, logic, a quest, a mystery, hidden objects, puzzles, or a shooter. In all of the games I've played and enjoyed over the years, each has possesed at least one of these elements, along with a visual that was packaged to be pleasing to the eye.

2009-07-09 05:53:00 Author: RickRock_777 Posts: 1567

---

I would honestly be perfectly happy with a level that had absolutely no gameplay at all, just walking through a really cool well designed landscape. I'm all about seeing weird creative places other people come up with, that's the whole reason I play games like this. (Or games in general, really.) Platforming is fun but I just sort of see it as a way of getting around an environment, not the point of the game. Although really, who says the level has to be a plaformer? There's all kinds of different gameplay styles to choose from. (Although even then I'd say visuals over gameplay, assuming the gameplay is at least functional I dont care if it is absolutely amazing or just good enough that the game doesn't freeze or glitch or anything.) I'm all about story telling, visiting cool places and exploring, all that sort of thing.

2009-07-09 06:10:00 Author: RadicalStan Posts: 99

---

So I guess most of you guys prefer graphics over gameplay when you buy other games...

2009-07-09 17:45:00 Author: Dr_Vab Posts: 134

---

So I guess most of you guys prefer graphics over gameplay when you buy other games... I'm not sure that's true. In history, virtually EVERY game that had good graphics but bad gameplay has failed. However, there's a STRONG history of games that had virtually NO graphics and great gameplay that have succeeded. In LittleBigPlanet there are many levels that have jaw-dropping graphics but fiddly gameplay and therefore are rated poorly. Most people will say they prefer graphics over gameplay until they actually try playing a level that has great graphics but bad gameplay. The REAL question is - how bad does gameplay need to be before you start to care? And whats the definition of gameplay? Simple walking through a level COULD be a nice experience. I'll give you an example: The Snow Queen Trilogy by IceMaiden: Sure, great on graphics and light on gameplay - but the gameplay isn't BAD, so it becomes a very positive experience. Now, if she put a bunch of fiddly platforming in so that you kept shifting from plane to plane inconsistently, and made it difficult to walk - all of the sudden the gameplay matters because you can't concentrate on the beautiful scenery. Easy gameplay is not necessarily bad gameplay, just as simple stylized graphics are not necessarily bad graphics. All-in-all it's the way the entire package is put together that determines whether its a good game. My definitions: Good gameplay - I had fun. Good graphics - Either I loved them or didn't think about them because it was fun.

2009-07-09 18:02:00 Author: CCubbage Posts: 4430

---

I'm glad there was a "both" option in the poll, because I think they're both equally important. I mean, if a level has amazing platforming but looks horrible, I probably won't play very much of it, but, that said, if a level looks more amazing then a MM level, but you don't do anything in it, I won't play that level either. But if there's a level that combines both, I'll play it for sure.

2009-07-09 18:12:00 Author: dandygandy2704 Posts: 1002

---

Play levels like Cristel's TicTacToe or guneye's ConnectFour or LittleBigLife by Corbu. None of them are heavy on visuals or implement platforming, but I enjoyed all of them. So neither are important to me, I just like good levels.

2009-07-10 01:44:00 Author: BSprague Posts: 2325

---

u need both for a level to work

2010-11-25 18:06:00 Author: FEAR Posts: 337

---

Gameplay, becuase I'm no good at graphics xD Though originality in either is what makes an excellent level.

2010-11-27 08:44:00 Author: kirbyman62 Posts: 1893

---

Both. A level with awesome platforming but the platforms are just one material rectangles would be lame. Whereas a beautiful level that's just walking straight right and not doing anything else would be boring. Above average visuals with decent platforming would work for a good level. Of course, its more than just that however, most good levels need a story too.

2010-11-27 10:54:00 Author: Matimoo Posts: 1027

---

I prefer amazing visuals. It gets boring if there are a lot of over used gameplay. The level is awesome when visuals are great and there are a few original gameplay ideas. The level shouldn't be spammed with too many unoriginal ideas, even if it looks great.

2010-11-27 23:26:00 Author: Saku401 Posts: 83

---

I'm for "both" because it's great to have a difficult and challenging level which also impresses with unique and stylish graphics

2010-11-29 14:53:00 Author: iArekusu Posts: 402

---

Now this is a tricky question. Really, a good level needs high standards of both good visuals and good platforming. Neglecting either could result in a level that's a sight for sore eyes, or a level that looks good, but is relatively boring.

2010-11-29 19:52:00 Author: Dialgax07 Posts: 94

Posts: 1077139    Threads: 69970    Members: 9661    Archive-Date: 2019-01-19

Aus dem Archiv wurden alle persönlichen Daten wie Name, Anschrift, Email etc. - aber auch sämtliche Inhalte wie z.B. persönliche Nachrichten - entfernt.
Die Nutzung dieser Webseite erfolgt ohne Speicherung personenbezogener Daten. Es werden keinerlei Cookies, Logs, 3rd-Party-Plugins etc. verwendet.