Convince Me That I'm Wrong About RPGs

[Hawgh]

Well, RPGs are generally about playing a role. Acting out some sort of whole, albeit fictional, persona. Yes, there are naturally ways to play a given RPG that makes it easier, achieving absolute equality between all character options would be an exercise in futility and frustration.

A quote that one of my friends is fond of repeating: "In real life, if you focus solely on maximising your killing potential, then you are not a person, you are a psychopath."

RPGs are more about story and character motivation and story, rather than stabbing dudes.
I've never seen an MMORPG where anyone honestly focused on roleplaying, so I'll just ignore them.

 

[Jack Macaque]

Play Diablo 2, you will be home.

 

[Nanaki316]

I know how you feel, RPG's are my favourite type of game and I've often looked on websites for people's best builds or ways to beat a certain boss etc but at the end of the day I come away and think "Well sod that it's not enjoyable, I'll find a way to do it the way I play." I don't think there's any one way, or easy way to do these things in games. I think it really does come down to how you play.

 

[kingcom]

In all fairness, these aren't really "good" examples of the RPG genre. The RPG genre never transferred well over to electronic gaming. It's too restrictive, far too limited. With too few real roleplaying opportunities.

If you want to try a "real RPG" talk to me about D&D sometime. Once you break the proverbial chains of playing on computer, you feel so free...

That really requires likeminded people in my experience, getting the wrong person to play a TT game in general can go very wrong (though a good GM REALLY helps).

 

[Geeky Anomaly]

I wouldn't say that you're "wrong", just that maybe you had a bad experience.

First off: Anyone who tells you that you're playing a single player RPG WRONG, can go screw themselves. If you're playing a SP RPG, and you BEAT THE GAME, you did it right, that simple. I can't believe people have said things like that to you, that just enrages me.

Second bit: As a good friend of mine once said, "WoW and games like it aren't bad...it's the people I can't stand." And for the most part, he's right. These games you have been playing aren't the problem, it's the people. I'm a former WoW player, and I can say that builds, specs, rotations and even profs don't mean crap. Here's all that really matters for MMOs:

Everyone Alive + Boss Dead = Win.

If your friends are giving you a hard time about how you choose to play a SP RPG, don't play it around them. If your online pals are ripping on you for a build or spec in an MMO, take what they say with a grain of salt. You can not play with them, even just play on another server.
The greatest extent of pointers I give to other WoW players are usually common sense-based. Things that not everyone realizes right away. Like, do not apply a new serpent sting until the old serpent sting has expired, or is about to.

The only time I tell people how to play a game is when they ask me questions like, "How do I ensure Wrex will survive on Vermire?"

We play games because we derive enjoyment from them. If you enjoy the game, then play it. If the people deprive you of the enjoyment, then you need to eliminate the people from the picture. Don't cut your gaming pleasure off short just because someone tries to get in your business.

 

[Zyxx]

You're not "horribly, horribly wrong", you just need to work out why this is a problem for you.

I'm not much of an MMO player, but my friends who are have complained of something similar: other players who berate them for not having "perfect builds".
One simply responds, "I just saved the entire party from wiping, so I think I'm doing okay. But, if you WANT to spend another 4 hours sitting around waiting for a 'perfect' cleric to come along, be my guest."

Single-player wise, you might try the Megami Tensei series if you haven't already. Typically, all of the "party members" besides the protagonist are eminently replaceable - don't like how this demon turned out? Fuse it with another and get something totally new! Realize that a demon you've gotten rid of would be really helpful in this new situation? Save up a bit of cash and buy it back. It might just have the customization options you're looking for. Yeah, some creations might be "better" than others, but you don't usually have to restart the whole game if you decide you want to change one.

*Warning: MegaTen games are NOT easy no matter how well you build your party. You might try one of the Persona games first - they're slightly tamer.

 

[Xrysthos]

I agree, at least to a certain degree. I enjoy RPGs and MMORPGs myself, but as a rule I always choose skills that benefit my playstyle. Some choices might yield better numbers for damage done, but unless you're into end game raid content in an MMO the talents/skills you have are not important. Everybody used to laugh at my rogue in World of Warcraft, because I focused my talents around utility, such as stuns, which yielded lower damage, but made fights easier. Play games the way you like them, and forget about crunching numbers (unless that's how you like it, of course).

 

[Xaio30]

Look at it like this: It takes more skill from you to pull off a "bad" build, and may therefore make the game much more challenging and enjoyable!

I use to take RPGs which i've played (too many times) and give myself such challange. Avoiding certain powerfull spells etc.

I hope you've played Baldurs Gate 2. If not, try it.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well in RPGs there are usually hundreds and thousands of combinations but there are some that just work better together.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Yeah, I'm not sure if my problem is with the games themselves, or with the people I'm around making me feel like it's a problem with the game. But so many people can't be wrong, right? I mean, I understand that doing things like only raising attack is a bad idea, and everyone should know that. But when an entire IRC channel is convincing me to restart a game because I put things up in a balanced way, I can't help ut feel like I'm seriously making a mistake.

Seriously dude; your friend sounds like a bit of an arse if you don't mind me saying so. There are plenty of times when I've seen genuinely bad characters*. But despite being a big element RPGs aren't all about stats and gear; they're games and their goal is fun!

However there's a point that needs to be made here! Online vs Offline play. The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dragon Age; any game where my equipped gear changes my appearance I tend to go more for style over function. However in World of Warcraft I equip some of the ugliest gear purely for the benefits it offers (and this kills me inside).

However in any RPG I make it a rule to have three characters: Tutorial, Fun and Serious. My tutorial character barely makes it past the first few levels and is near enough only there to test the water and see what the game's like. My fun characters is pretty much a Role Play character; he has the weapons I like and wears the gear I like. My serious character is, as the name implies, my serious attempt to murder everyone in the game. Usually disregarding personal preference for benefits.

*A majority of these bad characters were actually mine! I struggled on my first Final Fantasy VII, Fallout 2, Eternal Sonata and Oblivion characters because I charged in with the retarded disgregard for the game's mechanics and the necessity of certain skills, gear and levels.

 

[Hemlet]

The people you've just described...well there's several choice words for them that I'm not going to list or this post will just go on for-goddamn-ever.

The short version: Tell these people to eat a dick and go right back to playing how you want. If it really annoys them, make a game of how much you can piss them off before they degenerate into just shouting "NOOB" over and over.

The long version: The people that tell you or any other player that their way is the right way in relevance to an RPG are self-important dick holes who've completely missed the point of an RPG being a game and have instead decided to treat it as a second job. The ONLY time min/maxing matters is if you're playing competitively and actual stakes are involved. If you want to play as a jack-of-all-trades type then you go ahead and fucking do it, just be prepared for the game to arbitrarily punish you from time to time. As for single player RPG's, what your friend was bitching about isn't the "right way". It's the "easy way". If he wants to play the "easy way" then that's his deal. You want to try something different, so do it.

on a completely different note, my captcha was "service ttedsely". Ummm...I'd...I'd rather not thank you...

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

OP snip

My Advice: Play better designed RPG's i.e. RPG's that are NOT math problems with a game attached to it. I'm playing Fallout New Vegas with a highly unusual build for example. I'm a saintly smooth talking, rifle toting, lock-picking Thief with a penchant for salvaging guns to mint condition. Why did i pick Speech, guns, and lockpick? Because A)Guns are plentiful and can be easily maintained, B) I Hate coming across a speech option and not being able to pass it, and C) I am OCD for locked doors for some reason.

Most importantly, I WANT to be a "^^that char description" in Real Life. But i can't be. So I'll do it in a video game, because that's what RPG's are for.... Escapism.

EDIT: Oh and about your friends:......what everyone else said.

 

[Ren3004]

When I play an RPG I level up the skills that make the most sense to me. You're supposed to play a role, not be forced to play as you "should". I don't play any MMORPG, but yeah, I guess in that case you could be dragging down your group if you're playing a tank and level up magic, for instance. I mean, once two of my friends were saying that in WoW they HAD to use attack A and then attack B in every fight.

Bottom line, if you're playing a single-player game, do whatever you want. Unless you can't beat the game with your build, what matters is you're having fun.

 

[darkstarangel]

Well as you said you've been playing really well with how you do it, so go by that. Stop worrying about retards who live off these games think its your game, you play it to enjoy it so play it how you like it.
I personally get sick of manually levelling up, especially when there are a million options. Sometimes I just wanna build up on what I need & use & stick with that. If any no life looser MMORPG reacts like im violating some sacred code I just point to my crotch & tell em to feel free & choke on them anytime Douchebag.

 

[Shymer]

Most people have a blend of four behaviours that they exhibit; the need to win, the need to be right, the need for harmony and the need for recognition. People differ in the intensity with which these things are important to them.

In my experience, which is not exhaustive, people who enjoy computer games have a natural inclination to be more intense about the need to be right. I am one of these people. These people are more task-orientated (like people who need to win more than anything) than people-orientated (those that crave recognition, need harmony). As a consequence, their 'people skills' may need honing.

You might understand how these people (myself included) would spend their time (or researching on the 'net) optimising a 'build', thus proving themselves right. They may try and share this with you - perhaps not recognising that you don't need 'help', or that they are not necessarily expert at communicating it without flashing their 'correctness' to prove to you how right they are.

All they are doing is exposing where game balance has not been balanced by the game developers and using that to their advantage. I like these people for their creativity, their attention to detail, and the lengths to which they will go to prove a point. However, sometimes their (my) manners leave a lot to be desired.

That you may approach games in a different angle, or with different intensity is brilliant. Do it your own way. Games are about fun. Fun is about a game appealing to your particular hot buttons, which may not be winning/being right.

Perhaps one of the limitations of mainstream RPG design is that they are often developed by people who exhibit these task-orientated behaviours. That is good because they would not necessarily finish the game without being that way - but it does lend itself to games where recognition (social gaming) and harmony (building/management) are not explored to their fullest.

I don't think your story is a reason to steer clear of your friends. I would advocate appreciating them for their focus and drive to be right all the time. Gently humour them about their lack of social graces, and consider whether you need to take their advice to enjoy the game you're playing. Sometimes optimising the build breaks the challenge. If you finds that's the case - put it to one side and leave it for another day.

Good luck!

 

[captainwolfos]

I personally LOVE playing MMOs. But I play them MY way. I've been told only once that I needed to restart my character because it sucked, and that was way back in the day I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but still miraculously managing to stay alive XD

My advice: ignore everyone else and do it your way. It's your game and your character(s), after all. I play RPGs for the chance to be a stalwart hero (or a complete lunatic) most of the time, and I can do that perfectly well without paying much heed to any numbers, aside from how many dudes I have to kill.

 

[kingcom]

Most people have a blend of four behaviours that they exhibit; the need to win, the need to be right, the need for harmony and the need for recognition. People differ in the intensity with which these things are important to them.

In my experience, which is not exhaustive, people who enjoy computer games have a natural inclination to be more intense about the need to be right. I am one of these people. These people are more task-orientated (like people who need to win more than anything) than people-orientated (those that crave recognition, need harmony). As a consequence, their 'people skills' may need honing.

You might understand how these people (myself included) would spend their time (or researching on the 'net) optimising a 'build', thus proving themselves right. They may try and share this with you - perhaps not recognising that you don't need 'help', or that they are not necessarily expert at communicating it without flashing their 'correctness' to prove to you how right they are.

All they are doing is exposing where game balance has not been balanced by the game developers and using that to their advantage. I like these people for their creativity, their attention to detail, and the lengths to which they will go to prove a point. However, sometimes their (my) manners leave a lot to be desired.

That you may approach games in a different angle, or with different intensity is brilliant. Do it your own way. Games are about fun. Fun is about a game appealing to your particular hot buttons, which may not be winning/being right.

Perhaps one of the limitations of mainstream RPG design is that they are often developed by people who exhibit these task-orientated behaviours. That is good because they would not necessarily finish the game without being that way - but it does lend itself to games where recognition (social gaming) and harmony (building/management) are not explored to their fullest.

I don't think your story is a reason to steer clear of your friends. I would advocate appreciating them for their focus and drive to be right all the time. Gently humour them about their lack of social graces, and consider whether you need to take their advice to enjoy the game you're playing. Sometimes optimising the build breaks the challenge. If you finds that's the case - put it to one side and leave it for another day.

Good luck!

One of the most insightful looks into people I've seen a while.

 

[Snowalker]

Its not a matter of "How to do it perfect," its a matter of, "what makes sense." If you're wanting to be a warrior, boost strength and pick skill that either boost your health or deal dmg, and if the game provides, a couple that do both. Wanting to be a mage? Wisdom and intelligence, then spells in your magic school of choice. I think thats what people are talking about. If you can't grasp that, then don't try making something complicated, like a mage-warrior, or a magic-assassin... Because that require expertise in balancing skill with attributes.

There are choice, and their are fuckups, because a mage with maxed out strength but little wisdom is fucked beyond belief. So, yeah, if you don't like the fact you can screw up, then don't play RPG. Maybe you're talking about master builds, ones in which nothing is beatable. Those exist in any game, not just RPG's. Simply put, don't worry about them in Single-player, and they'll be nerfed in mmos eventually.

 

[StormShaun]

RPG = FUN
MMORPG = WASTE OF TIME