*sigh*
RPG's haven't really progressed since Baldur's Gate 2 and Fallout 2. What I'm talking about is improvements in quests, more impact on gameplay through choices, more choices of playstyle, an actual great working dialogue system, which I'll elaborate on below, great, realistic combat that gets rid of the stats (I'll elaborate below), more interaction with party members and more flexibility with party members (I'll elaborate below), NPC's that have their own motivations and shape the world around them, not through scripted events (e.g. if you challenge governments they may or may not start a revolution, they may welcome or shun you depending on your reputation=some may like if you're selfish and others might hate you for it, for example and some of your reputation will only be seen by high ranking NPC's and not the common citizen), combat not based on death, but on a choice between winning and losing your stuff or being captured that shapes the story in different ways (e.g. if you're captured in DAO by werewolves they may not respect you and be more aggressive and quick to throw you in some sort of dungeon or bite you and try to turn you into one of them, which makes your mission more personal), etc.
1. Working dialogue system
What I mean by this is giving the player more dialogue options. If you're going to have voices you must have multiple voices and if you highlight one of the shortened answers, it should be expanded upon until you stop highlighting it or you should be given the option to see the whole text automatically. Moreover, all dialogue options should be gray and never separated into good/bad/snarky. Furthermore, you should be able to start dialogue while walking. I don't understand why this isn't a feature yet. I shouldn't have to stand still to blab on to an NPC and other party members should be able to cut in even if they weren't originally in the conversation, depending on proximity and such. Finally, persuade shouldn't be a skill. It should be a matter of finding information and using information to persuade someone in a logical way. Bioware and other companies seem to believe that having a better persuade level makes your voice more like Morgan Freeman or something. In the real world, persuading is based on your familiarity and trust level with people and how well you're acquainted with events, not your looks or voice, but your argument itself. This creates choices based on whether you want to find out more or just finish quickly with a situation and such. You could initially have your character stutter, but he should become more confident as you try to persuade more. Or you can have your character be a mute throughout the whole game if you so please, and let your actions speak for you.
2. Realistic combat and getting rid of stats.
When I play DAO, I want archers to use cover and have archer battles. 1 or 2 hit kills with arrows and a Fallout style targetting system. Allies with shields use the shield to block and you SEE and HEAR the clang of metal against metal. You can also modify them with different fighting styles, like telling Alistair to use the shield more offensively or Sten to be based on counterattacks over brute force. 1 hit potential kills with everything, but the emphasis is on blocking and avoiding strikes. This makes all classes deadly and useful, especially mages, who become even more of a threat. Skills need not be taken out, but you can maybe prioritise the head with your archers or the limbs to cripple combat ability to serve your melee fighters. If I hit a guy in the shoulder I want to see him pull the arrow out or at least seem pained. This of course presents new ideas for fighting enemies like the undead, who feel no pain and thus, different party combinations are necessary for various encounters, which mages best for fighting spirits and demons, archers best for standard enemies and melee's best for possessed beings and against dudes in heavy armour. Stats should be removed almost altogether or simplified or made based on choice. For instance, you can choose the route of your character at birth, picking two traits. Dexterity makes it easier to use short weapons, strength makes all damage output except for mages more potent, stamina makes your abilities consistently powerful (while abilities never have a cooldown, repeated use of them makes them less effective, but strength also levels up stamina slightly, willpower is used for magical resistance and magical damage output and constitution is gone, only a trait based at birth. There may be others as well, but basically, you can choose to have a more agile, smaller character or a large, stockily built character who's more resilient or a standard frame based on strength or a slim frame for magic use and so on and so forth.
Continuing, stats for weapons should be removed entirely. One example where stats make games stupid is in DAO, in the Dalish origin. Master Ilen gives you a bow, which has worse stats than the bow you already have. Although the bow he gives has a lot of value that has nothing to do with the stats, the stats make it disadvantageous to equip it and thus, get in the way of the story and your character.
3. More interaction with party members.
Let me give an example:
You're running from a golem that has ambushed you. One of your party members was cut off from the party as he/she went to finish off an enemy. Your mage can choose to remove the blockage, but if you do that, you won't be able to get the loot. So you don't choose the goal and the loot and you save your party member. As you wander into camp, your party member comes up and presents you with something:
"Hey, we know we couldn't get that loot, but we all pooled our money and got you this"
*she presents you with a brand new Dalish longbow bought from a merchant*
Later on, you stop using it and you lose the approval of your party as a whole, while some, like Morrigan, may approve of you chasing greater power.
This is just one example of incorporating everything in the game, from simple loot and such, to fuel interaction with your party members.
