Mapping doesn't matter.

[RoseSkye]

Browse the screenshots and download those you would like to play. If not rate the games (before you play it) and tell me which you would download and try out on looks alone. Number them from best to worse. In the mix are good games and horrible games

Screens: ShowHide

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3E4SCFCY

Screens: ShowHide

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=34LVL3DV

Screens: ShowHide

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E97G267E

Screens: ShowHide

underworld

Screens: ShowHide

http://rpgmaker.net/games/1333/downloads/2127/


Malice the taste of freedom

Screens: ShowHide

http://www.mediafire.com/file/yjomnmhnhjd/Malice%20Ttof.exe

Blue Horizon

Screens: ShowHide

http://www.mediafire.com/file/olsswm66uc2owke/Blue%20Horizon.exe

[winkio]

honestly, from the screenshots provided, all those games look like they would suck, I wouldn't play any of them.  Also, quit being dumb every time people disagree with you.

[RoseSkye]

A. Quit being dumb? Watch your mouth we're not that close, pal.
B. I'm proving a point. If the mapping didn't matter then these games would be gems. I've played every one of these games and only two or three of them are good.

[winkio]

You don't have to prove a point every time someone disagrees with you.

Back on topic, there's a difference between polish, and fancy graphics.  Maps don't have to look fancy, but I do agree that they should be polished: no mistakes, no unnecessary clutter, and no eyesores.  That said, I'm fine with flat, square looking maps if they play well.

[RoseSkye]

My point is that you need pretty maps to catch someone's attention first. I usually look through rm games all the time to see how creative people are. Sure, I download games for the hell of it and I play so many rm games that I seriously could give a fuck about the "story" I just skip right to the screenshots. I'm also fine with bad mapping -after- I start playing the game and see that it isn't too bad, but I usually skip over really good games with bad screenshots due to the whole mapping thing.

[winkio]

So what you are saying is that it's not the actual mapping that matters, but the presentation?

[RoseSkye]

So what you are saying is that it's not the actual mapping that matters, but the presentation?

Nope, even if the game has an awesome presentation if I see a screen with just grass I'll probably just skip over it.

[winkio]

So mapping matters, and you need pretty maps to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if theres mapping once a game is being played as long as it isn't too bad.

So you need a good presentation to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if the in-game mapping is not quite as good, as long as it's still acceptable.

[RoseSkye]

So mapping matters, and you need pretty maps to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if theres mapping once a game is being played as long as it isn't too bad.

So you need a good presentation to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if the in-game mapping is not quite as good, as long as it's still acceptable.

bingo

[winkio]

So mapping matters, and you need pretty maps to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if theres mapping once a game is being played as long as it isn't too bad.

So you need a good presentation to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if the in-game mapping is not quite as good, as long as it's still acceptable.

bingo

Let it show on record that I got RoseSkye to agree with me.  Llort mission: accomplished.

[Blizzard]

Who actually said that maps don't matter? As far as I remember we were saying that maps are NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in a game.

The opposite of "most important" is "not most important" and not "unimportant". The opposite of "not unimportant" is "unimportant". Get your logic straight. -_-

[Kagutsuchi]

I only pointed out that there are more to rmxp than mapping,  I wouldn't have been as excited as I was about Caro Ru Lushe 'Nocturne's Gospel' if it didn't look awesome. Though chaos project doesn't have as good mapping as lets say Quintessence, but CP is a lot more fun.

So mapping matters, and you need pretty maps to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if theres mapping once a game is being played as long as it isn't too bad.

So you need a good presentation to catch someone's attention first, but it's fine if the in-game mapping is not quite as good, as long as it's still acceptable.

bingo

Let it show on record that I got RoseSkye to agree with me.  Llort mission: accomplished.

Hail to the king baby!

EDIT: Actually those screenshots makes me want to try out Legend of Aetheria, the game after it (whatever it is named) and the ark og gladoria.

[RoseSkye]

Hybris and Ark are good games.

[Taiine]

Never judge a book by it's cover.I've played most those games already, and even some that have rather bad mapping have a good story behind them that kept me tied in.

I don't see how this is proving anything, I've played almost all of those games before. :/

[RoseSkye]

                 . <--- point
               (o.o) <--- your head

[Reygekan]

Mapping matters in making your game look prettier and well constructed. Really pretty maps pop out and get a lot of attention. I do find though that the kinds of especially flashy and poppy maps that do get my attention might not necessarily play the best, because there's a lot of visual information for the player to take in, and they may look cluttered or have too many effects going on. This isn't always true, and I'm not claiming it is, but I'm a firm believer in general mapping simplicity. Games like Pokemon, for example, have extremely simple, boring maps but they serve their purpose and play very well.

Good art, to me, can take the place of good mapping for the "pop-out" factor that they cause, and serve equally well for their "advertising" ability. This doesn't make mapping obsolete, I can't remember which Castlevania game it was (it was on the XBox), but I remember playing a game only to feel like movement was a chore due to it's level design, and to find that it was reviewed similarly. It CAN break a game, but as long as the fundamentals are down it's not going to be as large a risk as horrible graphics, a convoluted story, bad gameplay, etc.,

[AliveDrive]

Personally I like at least a moderate level of attention to be put into the maps. I actually prefer XP's Default RTP. I sometimes find foreign ones distracting unless the are basically flawless, and flawlessly mapped as well. :/

As for this argument, if the story sucks, but the maps are pretty, and easily traversed, then I might still give the game a chance (because more often than not, you see improvement in a lengthy game.)

If the maps suck, I will probably have a good jolly laugh at the lazy mash job. But as long as I don't get stuck on crap, a good story will keep me playing.

That's just me.