Would you trade new ingame content for an engine upgrade?

[Ath192]

Show me your evidence. I've seen no indication whatsoever that graphics is what causes people to leave MMOs. It's just not that important to players and a lot of people play on potatoes so their graphics settings are low regardless.

Old school Runescape and WoW Classic have older graphics and do fine. New World is a beautiful game and that did fuck all.

I've seen the opposite much more often: inaccessible graphics requirements reducing player population. Rift had this issue significantly at launch.
I seriously doubt people are leaving FFXI due to graphics lol

This is a nonissue for the vast majority of people. For a new MMO to come out and grab players in an established MMORPG, it would need considerably more than graphics, I assure you.

Here is an article of a study saying that around 75% of gamers do think about graphics when buying a new game. MMO or not bad graphics will prevent new players from wanting to try it out and make old veterans want to try new games with new graphics. So long as the gameplay is good.

https://www.cinemablend.com/games/75...ame-64659.html

Me and my friends left FFXI for FFXIV because it looked much better. Unfortunately it wasn’t too good at the beginning but we waited for the game to be re-released and it paid off big time.

We would do the same if another FF MMO came out that looked better.

Eyeballing this thread it does seem the majority would put off content to improve the graphics engine and all the system improvements that said work would bring to the rest of the game. (Glamour dressers)

I do not see the opposite more often. And you are confusing the reasons better looking MMOs have failed. New World, PSO2 NG launched with great anticipation and healthy playerbases but it was the unpreparedness of the game and gameplay issues that so far have tanked them.

Finally Nvidia and AMD combined cannot supply the world with enough new next gen GPUs for new PCs and consoles throughout the world right now even with shortages (they said demand was unprecedented). A high indication people are ready and investing in new graphical technology. Presumably to not play RuneScape.

Old games have fans that make them do “fine” yes.

Now I need to see your evidence that people prefer worse looking games please, and that they wouldn’t leave said games if a newer and better looking version of them came out.

By your logic everyone would still be running the PS2 because all newer consoles bring to the table is more horsepower for better graphics. Gameplay can be good or bad in any device after all. But that isn’t the case is it?

[MidnightEquinox]

WoW Classic SoA died pretty quickly

I played Classic for a whole year through and did not observe any dying on the server I was on. Admittedly, I was too busy playing to look outside, so maybe I was on a magical server idk. AQ launch was such a mess a bunch of us on Horde got teleported out of the gong area into U'ngoro Crater lol. I don't know what SoA is, though.

I'm not sure that the raidlogging issue is related to the game's graphics. :P

Here is an article of a study saying that around 75% of gamers do think about graphics when buying a new game.

Why would you not think about graphics when buying a new game? That number could as well be 100%. And graphics can also include artstyle. You can have a nice art style without top of the generation graphics. I think FF's artstyle is fine.

I'm not sure how "graphics are not super important for an MMO" gets interpreted as "nobody looks at graphics ever" or "let's have worse graphics on purpose".

But people looking at graphics is not equivalent to "here's a wonderful MMO but the graphics are not top generation so I'll skip it". And especially "I'll try it" has very limited value for MMOs, you want people to stick, if they stick word of mouth makes everyone try it anyway.

So long as the gameplay is good.

Yeah and that's the problem. As far as MMOs go, the gameplay is not always good. Often it is not good.

If a new MMO comes out with genuinely good gameplay, people will switch to it, full stop. It obviously shouldn't look super ugly but it's not graphics that will make or break it, not for a game people often play to mess around with friends.

My logic is for MMOs specifically. FPS players seem to value graphics a lot, for instance.

FFXIII is an example of graphics chasing going awry...

Me and my friends left FFXI for FFXIV because it looked much better.

That's you and your friends. Most people avoid FFXI due to the fact that it always sounded horrendously grindy, FFXI players even wear it as a badge of honor. And, well, FFXIV exists, and it's newer (which has many advantages besides graphics). I've never heard of anything that makes me want to play FFXI in favor of FFXIV, graphics have nothing to do with it, and honestly what kind of circle of friends do you have where FFXI is even on the table? Barely anyone registers that game as existing outside of FF fans.

Eyeballing this thread it does seem the majority would put off content to improve the graphics engine and all the system improvements that said work would bring to the rest of the game. (Glamour dressers)

This forum is composed of like 5 repeat posters, nothing said here represents anything even remotely.

[sharknado]

Yeah and that's the problem.

You are quoting the wrong person

[Ath192]

I played Classic for a whole year through and did not observe any dying on the server I was on. Admittedly, I was too busy playing to look outside, so maybe I was on a magical server idk. AQ launch was such a mess a bunch of us on Horde got teleported out of the gong area into U'ngoro Crater lol. I don't know what SoA is, though.

I'm not sure that the raidlogging issue is related to the game's graphics. :P
Why would you not think about graphics when buying a new game? That number could as well be 100%. And graphics can also include artstyle. You can have a nice art style without top of the generation graphics. I think FF's artstyle is fine.

I'm not sure how "graphics are not super important for an MMO" gets interpreted as "nobody looks at graphics ever" or "let's have worse graphics on purpose".

But people looking at graphics is not equivalent to "here's a wonderful MMO but the graphics are not top generation so I'll skip it". And especially "I'll try it" has very limited value for MMOs, you want people to stick, if they stick word of mouth makes everyone try it anyway.
Yeah and that's the problem. As far as MMOs go, the gameplay is not always good. Often it is not good.

If a new MMO comes out with genuinely good gameplay, people will switch to it, full stop. It obviously shouldn't look super ugly but it's not graphics that will make or break it, not for a game people often play to mess around with friends.

My logic is for MMOs specifically. FPS players seem to value graphics a lot, for instance.

FFXIII is an example of graphics chasing going awry...
That's you and your friends. Most people avoid FFXI due to the fact that it always sounded horrendously grindy, FFXI players even wear it as a badge of honor. And, well, FFXIV exists, and it's newer (which has many advantages besides graphics). I've never heard of anything that makes me want to play FFXI in favor of FFXIV, graphics have nothing to do with it, and honestly what kind of circle of friends do you have where FFXI is even on the table? Barely anyone registers that game as existing outside of FF fans.

This forum is composed of like 5 repeat posters, nothing said here represents anything even remotely.

You kind of dodged the question big time and provided zero evidence. Instead resorting to attempting to discredit the evidence I provided. Honestly if you can’t provide any evidence besides how you personally feel about it then I don’t know why you think we should take your opinion as more valid.

Heck, even Runescape redid its engine (straight from wikipedia) Seems like FFXIV's popularity is growing too.

The first public version of RuneScape was released in January 2001 in beta form, with Jagex as its copyright holder being formed later that year. As the game's popularity grew, the game engine was rewritten and released as RuneScape 2,[11] with the original version of the game being renamed RuneScape Classic. The third iteration of the game, known as RuneScape 3, was released in July 2013.[12] Old School RuneScape, a separate, older version of the game dating from August 2007 was released in February 2013, and is maintained alongside the original client. It was announced that mobile ports of both versions of RuneScape would be released for Android and iOS devices in 2018.[13][14] RuneScape was released on Steam on 14 October 2020.[15]