Poll: Should Console RPG's all have realtime combat?

[IamSofaKingRaw]

[img_inline caption="" align='right' src=http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSjnoEYmLOB-fx3wYTrcYGhCJy3vNklhoE8P3ex-alfbLelahg&t=1&usg=__2sBuuVkQmT0mcoFnMLBloDhw2bg= height=200]So I was playing FFXIII today[footnote] I got to Gran Pulse and NO it doesn't get any better[/footnote] and got frustrated on how bored I was and rgequit and I thought to myself " why te fuck do I hate this game so much?" I mean, it has Summons and its another FF game whats not to love?

Then it hit me harder than Chris Brown did to Rihanna. The game doesn't play in Realtime. Do you know why people realise how linear the game is? Its because every 30 seconds you have to enter a battle zone where you fight for 1-2 minutes an then continue on your way. You're not in survival mode making sure you and your party are safe. You simply walk down a realy long path and (unfortunately) have to fight nnoying creatures.

Don't get me wrong I love linear games (MGS4, Resident Evil 5 etc) but in those games you are busy trying to survive so you don't have the time to realise the fact thatyou are going through a linear path. This is why I liked FFXII much better. Its more open worlded and exploring vast environments fighting off enmies at the same time immerses you into the game world. You can hate it because of the characters but the gameplay is solid. You can ignore the characters in any game because they only really speak during skippable cutscenes but you can't ignore terribe gameplay.

 

[Omikron009]

I prefer realtime combat to turn based, but it doesn't mean that every console RPG should use it. There has to be something for everyone.

 

[Ninjamedic]

I think the problem is that more and more RPG developers are putting more focus on combat and neglecting RP, character depth and choice.

E.g. Mass Effect 2
Dragon age
FF13
Fallout 3

Thank christ the sequel to the latter (New Vegas) is having massive expansions on the Role-playing aspects.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Well I prefer separate battle screens in jrpgs, I really don't see the problem with turn-based combat especially since it's far more polished than when they try to do realtime combat (I personally hated FFXII's gameplay, I thought it was the worst of the series besides X-2)

If I had to use a good example of realtime combat in console rpg I'd probably say Mass Effect 1, in which the combat flowed pretty well (as opposed to 2, which was just battle arenas as you got a cutscene before every fight).

 

[Draithx]

Can people stop baseing all console rpg's on FFXIII?
Its combat was horrible, but not every turn based rpg has bad combat.

 

[IamSofaKingRaw]

Can people stop baseing all console rpg's on FFXIII?
Its combat was horrible, but not every turn based rpg has bad combat.

But why should gmes not have realtime combat mixed with turn based? Something like Chrono Trigger at least.

 

[Pyro Paul]

It all depends on the number of charicters the player controls.

when you control just 1 player then real time combat usually works the best. it gives the player a more direct sense in threats, allows more fluid prioritizing, and has a better engagement-responce system. see Radiata stories, Kingdom Hearts, or Masqurade bloodlines.

however when you have multipule players you control turn based works the best. it allows the player to think tactically and arrange his attack order to best play up his strengths or his enemies weaknesses. examples include all of the final fantasies up until 6, Lost Oddossy, Shining Force, and an assortment of multipule other games.

the problem with FFxiii is that it is a basterdization of the two. in effect the player is given the worst of either catagory and told to run with it. the player lacks any direct control, you give single orders through a turn based menu. further more you are allowed only to manipulate only one of the charicters and often are hurried along in combat as to prevent the usage of more complex tactics.

 

[Draithx]

But why should gmes not have realtime combat mixed with turn based? Something like Chrono Trigger at least.

Because some games work fine as turn based? Do you think that games like SMT and Disgaea (Both turn-based console rpg's) would be better if they were realtime?

Please do not use FF13 as the standard for JRPG's / Turn-based RPG's. The ammount of threads saying that jrpgs/turnbased rpgs are horrible based solely on FF13 is extremely annoying.

 

[Googenstien]

If done well either, both and any combat is great.. I like whatever the game throws at me - as long as its good. But being an old school Pen and Paper D&D player I love to roll up a character and play them in a turned based style game so I cant think out my strategy(s)

 

[Slaanax]

I like turned based combat, but variety is the spice of life!

 

[migo]

It's not real time combat that makes the difference really. In fact I prefer turn based. Infinite Undiscovery was rather interesting in that aspect, but given how it actually worked with camera angle problems I much prefer FFX or Tales of Vesperia.

 

[KeyMaster45]

When it comes to the FF series it just feels alien to not have turn based combat. That being said I think they need to stop trying to trick people into believing their turn based is real-time by using some jacked up combo between the ATB system and traditional turn base.

In my personal opinion I think you need to do one or other other, and that's why I'm waiting for versus and didn't buy FF13. I think square had a really good thing going with their KH combat system, albeit a very simple system that could be improved. I would hope that they examine the reception of 13's combat system and the future reception of Versus' combat system to make a decision on how combat will work in 15. (since 14 will be yet another online game /groan) Hopefully the Versus combat system will work well enough that they use that instead of constantly trying to make turn based seem like real time.

 

[danintexas]

You can have my turn based combat from my cold dead hands!

In all seriousness - Turn based for me has a place in some RPGs. - IE Disgaea series is king of these IMO. The current game I am playing right now IMO is a good mix - Paper Mario 1000 year door on the Game Cube. Its turned based with active controls for the specials.

 

[Pyro Paul]

Can people stop baseing all console rpg's on FFXIII?
Its combat was horrible, but not every turn based rpg has bad combat.

But why should gmes not have realtime combat mixed with turn based? Something like Chrono Trigger at least.

that is Active Time Battle.
that is a Turn based combat system where the enemy doesn't wait for you. it is in no way 'real time'
it has been a Staple the FF series of game since FF7.

again, if you want examples of Real time RPGs look into Kingdom Hearts or Radiata Stories (oddly enough also apart of Squares game roster)

 

[veloper]

NO!
There's few enough intelligent RPGs left as it is. Save the SRPG!

 

[Kialee]

I haven't liked turn-based RPGs for a long while. Those with 'active' portions (Paper Mario) are more tolerable, but otherwise, it's just dull. If I wanted to take turns going back and forth, I'd play Pokemon. Otherwise, I want to play an actual video game.

"ouch that was harsh kia" Here's the reason; I don't see turn-based RPGs as anything actually tactical, but instead some vague sham of what tactics and strategy are. Hence why if I play something based on turns, it's going to likely be a turn-based strategy game, like Civilization.

 

[Akihiko]

I honestly prefer it if you get taken into a battlezone on an RPG. It can turn into a massive clusterfuck very quickly otherwise, if one of your idiot party members AI runs off and pulls more mobs(You can't expect to control all your party members in real time, XII tried it and that was as clunky as.). Tales of games does realtime combat in a battle zone very well after all. As for Final Fantasy XIII, well if you don't like the combat, that's your opinion not mine, I found it to be an interesting experiment. I personally hated XII's combat instead, you had to buy gambits if you wanted to use them, which was a stupid idea. It was annoying to control other characters, having to scroll through your other character to get to the next character, then go through Magic choosing what type it is, and then scroll down a really long list to get to the spell you want. That kind of menu scrolling is fine in turnbased, but when your trying so hard to be realtime, it just falls flat on it's face.

As the others said though, try a different game if you want seamless battles. FInal Fantasy isn't the only RPG series out there after all.

 

[chaser[phoenix]]

Personally, I prefer turn based combat. Old fashioned.

Although still, I really can't get into newer RPGs with voice acting and things of that nature. I suppose to some people it brings the characters to life more, but in my opinion it's the wrong genre to have it.

But regardless, I prefer turn based combat and strategy to defeat my enemies

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Games, in a perfect world, have a choice in the start up options as to which you prefer. But, that takes too long for developers and is a waste of time. I prefer real time combat to turn based, it's much more immersive and is more logical. I did use VATs in Fallout 3 a lot though.