We measure game worth in terms of total complexity now? (Destiny)

by uberfoop , Seattle-ish, Thursday, August 11, 2016, 19:21 (3035 days ago) @ Cody Miller

But people have more fun with more detailed levels

Really? I don't, at least not generally speaking. If anything, I think modern AAA games are overly cluttered, even to visual detriment. A lot of games would look more pleasant and play more smoothly if a whole lot of details were simply not there.

better AI

What's "better?" Sometimes the extremely simple stuff is what works. Halo 1's AI works as well as it does specifically because they chose to express a single emotional state. AI in the original Doom just meanders toward you, and that's perfect in context.

better music

Doesn't always necessitate high complexity.

smoother and more animations

Depends. What do you need them for? Sometimes having a limited set makes a game more readable.

Furthermore, I'd contend that the push toward smooth hyper-real animations has bogged down controls tremendously over time. Making characters move in a realistic-looking way through complex environments requires sluggishness and some amount of decoupling from controls to character.