What does Cutting Edge even mean? (Gaming)

by Kahzgul, Friday, June 19, 2015, 20:14 (3445 days ago) @ Cody Miller

Are you just talking about graphics? Then sure, pushing more graphics generally requires more programmers and artists. But what about gameplay? Or Story? I think a small studio can easily compete with a AAA budget game in those areas. Heck, just look at Destiny, with its huge team and budget and development time vs even Halo which had better missions and a better narrative!

It's the whole package. Take story. You need to write it, cast it, record it, mocap it, etc. As far as 'gameplay' goes, that covers so much such as level design, animations for bad guys etc. All of this is complex and expensive.

Story has nothing, whatsoever, to do with motion capture. Literally nothing. Budgets also do not equal good writing. Ever see Avatar? Biggest budget in history, totally cutting-edge effects, shit story. It's a 3rd grader's interpretation of Pocahontas at best.

Ever see Reservoir Dogs? Miniscule budget, very few locations, purely practical effects, incredible writing. Top-notch storytelling without fancy sets, crazy computer effects, or an absurd budget.

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Let's back up: Ever read a book? There's zero motion capture there, and pretty small budgets, but they can tell fantastic stories. Sure there are some bad books, but by and large books don't get published without having a compelling story first.

Video games, of all forms of entertainment, are anachronistic in this regard. They sometimes focus on story, sometimes on gameplay, sometimes on presentation, and only a fraction of the time do they manage to excel at all three. A game that chooses to include a story should, in my eyes, make every effort to make that story important and meaningful to the player. Every game should have good gameplay. Presentation is nice, but it's all window dressing. Putting lipstick on a pig does not a supermodel make.