Top 5 Most Important Aspects of Your Game

So you've decided to plunge yourself into the world of game development, have assembled a team of mighty warriors to tackle all of the big issues and are ready to create the next best game in the industry... trumping WoW, Guild Wars... (you get the idea). You've chopped up all your brainstorming and assembled some really keen concepts for a storyline and you're ready to go. But amongst all of the programming, the character concepts, the dungeons, and the quests - what are truly the most crucial areas of your game that will determine whether someone enjoys themself? Read on, and allow me to share with you what I think.

When we do opt to take that plunge into the development of a new game, there are five things you should think about meticulously, and pay a lot of attention to. There are probably more of these that may hinder or assist you to along your way, and your ordering may be different than mine, but they are what I always hold to be the most important. On the next week we shall reveal each aspects, and at the end of the week culminate with the entire article. For today we'll begin at the top, with #5 5.

colowin : Storyline

When crafting your game, there is absolutely no better inspiration for features and activities, quests and dungeons, than your own highly developed and custom tailored storyline. Some may balk at this statement, claiming that storyline is easily overshadowed and un-necessary when you have intense graphics that produce your fingers tingle, or once you have combat so intense you are literally ducking taken care of from behind your monitor. While these things definitely contribute to an awesome game, and can lead to plenty of excitement (in fact, they're on the list too!), they cannot make up for a lack of storyline. A very important factor many players crave whether consciously or not, is a strong storyline that leads them into caring about the game - it entices you - and makes you feel as though your wildest dreams may actually be possible in this environment. Storyline can be simple and to the point while being so flawlessly done that it serves because the crux of the complete game (EVE Online: We're flying through space, blowing people out of your sky...) and at the same time being so rich and deep with lore (the complexities in lore and story surrounding EVE is indeed great that it entangles even the standard ships and inventory items) that it compels players to create their own histories.