Which aspects of a game contribute most to its atmosphere and immersio

[sack_patrol]

This is a poll that I saw on a different website but I thought it be nice to see what you guys have to say on this matter.

 

I personally have to go with the setting. For me that's the most important because looking at games like Fallout 1 or Bioshock 1...they for example have excellent setting, great places and are really original and obviously immersive. I couldn't say that sometimes plots and characters aren't important but if I were to imagine a brand new game...no matter what it is...I could imagine it not having a story and not having any characters, but simply the places and it's originality would be enough to get me interested in it. Again I will give as examples Fallout and Bioshock - 2 very different games, both story-like and graphically, yet Fallout with it's primitive graphics and technology used to make the game, isn't one that wouldn't stand up to Bioshock. Another good example of a great setting would be Half-Life 2 though it really delivered the while package with great characters, plot, audio and grafix. For me, imagining a game and then removing all the things that are in the poll except one, then asking myself: "would I play it if it only had THAT 1 thing?" tells me which aspect is most important for me. Though looking at it realistically it would still be boring playing a game with nothing but maps and walking around them with nothing happening.

[Deathmineral]

For I guess it would be the main plot but it's sort of a guess because I'm not sure, especially since a lot of that stuff is mixed, like I could say main plot but if you were to remove the characters then it wouldn't exist so the idea of whether I would play or not if it only had that 1 thing is kind of hard to apply. The main plot is usually what keeps me in most games though, but that's not always the case. Interesting question though.

[bp9801]

I go more for the game mechanics and the main plot/overall story. If a game has a great story but the basic mechanics of it suck, then I'm not going to fight the game just to finish it. I'll stop playing the game and find something else that works for me. You can build the most amazing game in the world that is highly compelling.. but if something in the mechanics is out of place, like how a character walks or moves or even how the controls are set up... I won't be playing that game for very long. Controls can be remapped sure, but if one button handles 5 different things I don't really like it. I don't want my melee button to also open doors or talk to a person. Just doesn't work.

[LoArmistead]

A mixture of everything. I like a good, immersive soundtrack, a good plot, good graphics and a believable settings. I really like war games, and one thing I really like is tos ee other things going on in the background while you're on your mission - guys going on their own missions, people getting blown up. I like it when game developers concentrate on the confusion in combat and the overall fog of war. It really adds to the realism for me. I like being able to turn 360 degrees in the battlefield and see several different activities taking place.

[tkrow21]

It's a debate between setting and graphics (as I'm a visual person).

[damian]

I go more for the game mechanics and the main plot/overall story. If a game has a great story but the basic mechanics of it suck, then I'm not going to fight the game just to finish it. I'll stop playing the game and find something else that works for me. You can build the most amazing game in the world that is highly compelling.. but if something in the mechanics is out of place, like how a character walks or moves or even how the controls are set up... I won't be playing that game for very long. Controls can be remapped sure, but if one button handles 5 different things I don't really like it. I don't want my melee button to also open doors or talk to a person. Just doesn't work.

exactly

[SenitaL]

If you get everythign in the list above then you have a winner! So it was VERY hard for me to Choose (i chose setting in the end)

 

1 - Personally i too need an interesting Setting, like when Bioshock 1st came out i was Really excited and the world, although not realistic was very creative and rich to explore, i could tell with the setting there was great potential for a good story, unlike COD for example.. there isn't much room for imaginative stuff, its just the same old WWII thing.

 

2- Story, like i said above, with a Lush Setting you can go wild with your Story and its really flexible instead of being limited. A Great story is a MUST for a game to be truly sucessful in my eyes.

 

3- The graphics, 4- the Sound, these 2 tie in together and provide the Backup or pillars if you will, to enhance the immersion of the 'world'. Remember Dead Space? Lacking in story but it Damn well made up for that with its sound Design in my opinion. Sound is one of the most Underrated aspects of a game these days and its kinda sad because its also one of the most important. As for graphics, well the more realistic doesnt nesseseraly mean the better, look at Prince of persia (2008) its Graphical style is Beautiful, hardly realistic but i think it rightfully won an award for the most artistic game back then.

 

Anything else after that is just Spit an Polish (gameplay mechanics ect.. which can be fine tuned later on)

Edited February 17, 2010 by SenitaL

[CowKing]

1)The Sound - It's really hard to get into a game if the music isn't moving or addictive and don't even get me started on voice acting

 

2)The Graphics - Usually if they work there asses off on the graphics side of the game they are not going to release a bad game, this is excluding games that just demo amazing technology ie. Unreal tournament

[_TheAlexO]

a mixture of everything.. just look at the Mass Effect series. Its to good because of all of the above combined into one great melting pot of awesomeness.

[slick2500]

I like an immersive story myself. That is why I have played Half-Life and Half-Life 2 a billion times.

[Union Of V]

Sound and Style. The audio is definitively what creates the athmosphere of a game, but it also has a lot of potential for warping the player's feelings - an abandoned radio playing music over an apocalyptic landscape, or overpowering subbass as the player stumbles on an awe-inspiring feature. I've also become interested in more direct uses of music - say portal, where music's only played maybe three times in the entire game, but it's rarity is what makes you suddeny become alert when it does come in. Or MW2's multiplayer, where the sudden introduction of upbeat music accompanies the feelings of "oh . 500 down and only a minute left" or "booyah level 31!!!" depending on the context. Seriously underrated.

 

Style's another important aspect. Which games had the most athmosphere? Easily the ones with the most style. By presenting a world in a way that's out of the ordinary (whatever the ordinary may be) you immediately force the viewer to look at things in a certain way. Say Borderlands' lightheartedness, Bioshock's protagonist's situation trapped and forced to wander through the vestiges of the past, or the new Kane & Lynch's personal gritty plot - the athmosphere of all three concurs with their respective graphical styles.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Union Of V

[karnavor]

Audio and graphical style.

 

Games like Fallout 3 and Team Fortress 2 have solidified my belief that good music can make video games great.

Edited February 17, 2010 by karnavor