Am I playing it right?

[Sketchy]

This is a problem I have with RPG's that have the option to be good or evil. I feel like if I play one particular way, I miss out on the stuff that I would get if I were playing it the other way. This is done on purpose most likely, to extend replayability. However, I am one of those people with very short attention spans and find this to be a serious problem with my gaming. Does anyone else feel the same, or a similar way about another scenario?

 

[Gitsnik]

I don't either way, but if you're having an issue with an attention span then perhaps RPG's aren't for you? There tends to be a bit more immersion than an FPS (for example).

To extend the good vs evil thing in said RPG's, I always find that the Evil side doesn't sit quite right with me. Every now and then I want to save that village (with a bigger goal in mind than growing a devilishly evil moustache and parading around like some kind of drunk daemon) but an "evil" character couldn't possibly do it.

Bring on multi-styles a-la "Chaotic Evil" in D&D.

 

[Graustein]

From what I've observed, it's less good/evil than it is Mother Teresa/Selfish Jerk. Seriously, most of the evil choices I've seen aren't even malevolent, they're just selfish and rude. That's why I'm not a fan of CRPGs.

 

[dukethepcdr]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game. Think of them as an interactive story in which you are playing the role or part of the main character. Don't think in terms of how many points you are getting or what level you are or any of that stuff. Ignore the stats and focus on the story. Talk to the characters, explore the map, try out different weapons/spells/armor etc, look in all the crates, caves etc. Relax and just enjoy the game world. That's what RPG's are about. They aren't about seeing how fast you can get to the "end" or "beat" the game. They are about making choices, interacting with characters and telling the story in as much your own way as you can.

 

[runtheplacered]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

 

[Graustein]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

 

[Graham]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

It shouldn't be at least. Tell that to everyone still grinding their Diablo II characters though...

 

[Graustein]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

It shouldn't be at least. Tell that to everyone still grinding their Diablo II characters though...

I've yet to meet anybody who roleplays in Diablo II
Diablo II is almost an MMO without one-click combat. And with a story. And no sidequests.

 

[Praelanthor]

damn i just started replaying Morrowind too i love that game oblivion and fallout 3 dont hold a candle to it

 

[runtheplacered]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

It was a joke.

 

[Graustein]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

It was a joke.

My bad. I'm terrible at detecting sarcasm over the internet.

 

[runtheplacered]

The trick to enjoying RPG's is to not think of them as a game.

I don't see how this gets me uber loot any faster.

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

It was a joke.

My bad. I'm terrible at detecting sarcasm over the internet.

No problem. I do the same thing all the time.

 

[Sewblon]

Most RPGs are meant to be played through as a virtuous character since you are almost always a messianic figure So I playthrough once as a good character and if I am still interested I play an evil character on a second playthrough.

 

[Alex_P]

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

There's "is" and "should be".

I agree that it shouldn't be.

But, practically speaking, it looks like a lot of games -- easily the majority -- have reward systems that most definitely do make killing and looting the major goal.

-- Alex

 

[Alex_P]

My problem is that with most games I'll make the story go in a direction I think is most interesting the first time around, so trying to do things differently the second time just results in a crappier story. It's kinda like "Okay, you've read this mildly interesting book, now check out this crappy fanfic retelling of what would happen if the protagonist was way lamer and suckier!"

So, when I replay RPGs, I'm usually making all the same story choices the second time around, anyway.

-- Alex

 

[Graustein]

The point of roleplaying isn't to get phat lewtz.

There's "is" and "should be".

I agree that it shouldn't be.

But, practically speaking, it looks like a lot of games -- easily the majority -- have reward systems that most definitely do make killing and looting the major goal.

-- Alex

True. However, I said roleplaying, not RPGs
Roleplaying in the sense of really getting into it, trying to be that character, so on and so forth... that's not for phat lewtz, that's for the experience (no, not EXP). No reason this is restricted to RPGs either, I enjoy putting myself in the mindset of my character, regardless of genre. Adds to immersion.

RPGs though, are often for phat lewtz. Which is fine, nothing like pimping out your Diablo II/WoW/Runescape/Flyff/whatever character with awesome stuff.

 

[not a zaar]

Most open-ended RPGs tend to not reward you for making particular moral choices - if you side with Evil Faction X, Good Faction Y won't let you into their treasure cave. I'd prefer it if there was an identifiable punishment for doing certain things, such as a permanent stat change or characters becoming irreversibly hostile. That way it'd feel less like a game and more like actual role-playing.

Have you ever played Fallout? This is pretty much exactly what you're describing. You always have the freedom in Fallout to approach any situation as you see fit. You can even kill any NPC you want (including children if you're a real sicko). And the attitude you display and actions you perform will affect how others react to you and may even open or close off parts of the game to you.

 

[geldonyetich]

Well, original poster, the thing is that there exist players who want to have choices that demonstrate noticeable differences in the way the story plays out. Frankly, your whining that you have a short attention span, and can't tolerate not getting the entire game because those differences exist, is just annoying to these players.

Maybe you need to stop being so shallow about how "your gaming is seriously ruined" by developers attempting to provide what players have been wanting for decades? Maybe learn to stop being such an instant-gratification demanding sycophant who wants developers to simply dump the entire game in your lap, perhaps like some kind of non-interactive cutscene where you can ooh and aah over the pretty graphics, in their entirety, without having to worry about anything you do within the game stopping you from missing a pixel?

In other words, no, I don't think you are playing it right.

However, I endeavor to be fair. So, to scale it back a bit, I'll just say that different genres suit different audience niches. Apparently, your preferred genre is "really shallow RPGs where choices aren't influential enough to justify their own content." Also known as completely linear, non-open-ended, games. Good news, there's no shortage of those games, and I know this because I'm continually confronted with them and I think they suck.

Stick with those, keep your peanut butter off my chocolate, and we can exist in harmony. Alternately, you can change the way you play games enough that more developers can be encouraged to advance the state of computer RPGs, but I'll not force you.