Quote Originally Posted by Velhart View Post
Hmm, complexity is almost never a good thing.

The best way to design a game is to have simplicity with depth. Making things complex for the sake of being complex only makes it unappealing and hard to approach (yes even for "hardcore players"). If you are a game designer, if you go off the idea of wanting to be complex, you are already asking for trouble in many areas.

Look at Super Mario Bros. if you need an idea of simplicity with a lot of depth. Or even most very popular/critically acclaimed titles across all genres both offline and online. One thing that most of them have in common is they learned to be simple in design, but in depth of what you use those simple mechanics for around you.
What? I am quite sorry but that is an insane statement. Complexity 'adds' depth where done tastefully, even your Mario example the depth (I don't agree that mario is a game with a lot of depth) comes from situations that make your interactions more complex such as complicated jumping segments or enemies with complex mechanics) comes from complexity despite the game not being super complex. Simplification always results in 'limited' depth, the complexity of a system determines how much depth can be had from it. IGNORING THAT, if complexity was never a good thing then we would be playing games where we have no characters but would just be represented with a square instead because character art and 3d worlds is unnecessary complexity right? How about needing to move in combat? Don't need it, its another layer of complexity right? Don't have gear, levels, don't make people do anything because complex mechanics in any way are bad right?

Again, I am sorry but that is simply wrong.