Clean > Clutter
Stability > Usability = Gameplay >>> Sound >>>>>>>>>>>>> Graphics
Don't make the mistakes of the UT200x/UT3 era and go for style over substance. Make the substance what you're selling and fit the graphics to that. No-one's going to notice the high res textures mid-match.
Detail is great, but there's a limit. No-one wants to be hung up on yet another static mesh. No-one wants textures and lighting that get in the way of clear visibility and smooth gameplay (connected with that, for the love of god make the player models actually visible. I don't want to have to deal with the UTComp glowstick brightskins again).
Take maps like CTF-Grendel, CTF-Anfractuous2, DM-Goose, DM-Rankin and DM-Ironic as examples of the right kind of approach with the graphics vs gameplay situation. They didn't look bad at all, they had atmosphere and they had a nice feel to them. But they were also very clean in their approach and there were very few places to get hung up on or distracted by. Players had room to move, and they allowed for lots of different combat scenarios. People loved these maps, and they got played to death for a damn good reason.
Contrast that with maps like CTF-Geothermal, CTF-Chrome, DM-Asbestos, DM-Inferno and DM-IronDeity. Cramped, cluttered maps with very little room to move, which force players to fight in only one style. Visually, there was a lot to look at, but the gameplay just sucked. No-one liked playing on them, and no-one will ever remember these aside from lessons on what not to do.
Drop the clutter, drop the additional shiny stuff that's not required. Give us flow, variation (within reason) and room to move. By all means, stick in some funky details here and there, but don't let it get in the way of the game.
No-one wants another DM-IronDeity...
Stability > Usability = Gameplay >>> Sound >>>>>>>>>>>>> Graphics
Don't make the mistakes of the UT200x/UT3 era and go for style over substance. Make the substance what you're selling and fit the graphics to that. No-one's going to notice the high res textures mid-match.
Detail is great, but there's a limit. No-one wants to be hung up on yet another static mesh. No-one wants textures and lighting that get in the way of clear visibility and smooth gameplay (connected with that, for the love of god make the player models actually visible. I don't want to have to deal with the UTComp glowstick brightskins again).
Take maps like CTF-Grendel, CTF-Anfractuous2, DM-Goose, DM-Rankin and DM-Ironic as examples of the right kind of approach with the graphics vs gameplay situation. They didn't look bad at all, they had atmosphere and they had a nice feel to them. But they were also very clean in their approach and there were very few places to get hung up on or distracted by. Players had room to move, and they allowed for lots of different combat scenarios. People loved these maps, and they got played to death for a damn good reason.
Contrast that with maps like CTF-Geothermal, CTF-Chrome, DM-Asbestos, DM-Inferno and DM-IronDeity. Cramped, cluttered maps with very little room to move, which force players to fight in only one style. Visually, there was a lot to look at, but the gameplay just sucked. No-one liked playing on them, and no-one will ever remember these aside from lessons on what not to do.
Drop the clutter, drop the additional shiny stuff that's not required. Give us flow, variation (within reason) and room to move. By all means, stick in some funky details here and there, but don't let it get in the way of the game.
No-one wants another DM-IronDeity...