Poll: Things JRPGs have that WRPGs can use

[KRbertsproduck5]

I dont think we can do rpgs right. I hated fallout 3.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Something JRPGs have that WRPGs can use? Distinctive music. Tunes in JRPGs tend to be more memorable compared to it's rather generic Western counterparts.

 

[Volafortis]

JRPG's could use some actual role-playing element from WRPGs. There are a few JRPGs that have them, but not many, and none are as in-depth as WRPGs. (A combat system doesn't make an RPG. Defining your character's role makes an RPG.)

The main thing an RPG needs, is to let the player feel like they are driving the story-- not the PC or an NPC. Games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Oblivion, Morrowind, etc... do this very well. JRPGs rarely do this at all.

 

[G-Force]

Can someone define how wide we can spread the definition of role playing?

Is it limited to just story choices made by the player at certain points (i.e. moral/dialogue choices) or does it also factor in customization and character growth as well (character generation and allocation of skill points into stats etc)

People criticize JRPGS for not allowing character customization and having fixed character roles for your party and cite Final Fantasy series as the flagship example for having static character roles. Granted while there is no skill point mechanic in these games, there are still ways the player is able to alter their character.

Final Fantasy 7 had the Materia system which allowed the player to assign what type of spells each character can wield of all types (offense, defense and support).

Final Fantasy 8 allowed characters to equip certain summons and with the draw system, you could pick and choose what specific spell each character can cast

Final Fantasy 13 level up system allowed you to alter your parties stats allowing characters like Hope to learn physical skills or be magic users

Outside of that there are many games that take a "blank slate" approach when it comes to role playing. The Persona series allowed the player to choose which party members to befriend and what other Persona they wield and base off of those choices, their stats in battle were affected as well.

Would any of these examples count as proper character customization by the Escapist standards?

 

[Humble85]

or having a castle crawling through the desert - that is more style than substance.

Er, what's wrong with castles in the desert?

Err...ever thought about it? Building a castle..on sand ? You know the expression, "dont build on sand"? But, that wasnt even my point...it was the fact, that said castle could crawl underground, beneath the desert, beneath mountains, and come out on top top on the other side of the continent. dont get me wrong, I fucking loved that castle, but if you ever DMed yourself you know you should be able to atleast have half an explanation of how it works. Suspension of Disbelief only goes so far...

Yeah, so I just thought about it.

Edit: I get coming out on the other side of the continent and such, but building castles on sand is perfectly reasonable. Building tunnels underneath sand is reasonable as well. Difficult, but definitely possible.

Haha, you're right. Thanks for pointing that out, didnt think of it. But still - thats a pyramid. Generally a tomb for dead kings, build over a very long time by very many slaves, having a broad foot in order to not sink into the sand. I am on the other hand talking about this one:



While I agree with you that it is perfectly reasonable to build a big structure in the desert on sand, I argue that there are certain things one has to consider when doing so. There are far to many people that build houses on sandy ground and didnt know what was coming.

But that is what I was trying to point out in the beginning: Most JRPGs are shamlessly running on the Rule of Cool [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool], and that to such an extent it sometimes hurts. I would have less of a problem with Figaro Castle if it was acutally build like a pyramid and people would be living more underground...and if there were indications of food supply and all that jazz. There are many (western?) DMs and writers who can think up good, at least half believable explanations for their stuff, creating even more background and fluff - look at Warhammer 40K for example, with its overkill of cool guns, but they at least still try to explain how it works. If anyone would explain to me why theres a city with skyscraper/apartment-blocks in the mostly medievil/steam-punky FF6, that would be a beginning.

Maybe it's just me, but I prefer some plausibility with my RPGs. But i guess that is just the difference between eastern and western style of RPGs.

 

[Humble85]

I would say these are not roleplaying:

Final Fantasy 7 had the Materia system which allowed the player to assign what type of spells each character can wield of all types (offense, defense and support).

Final Fantasy 8 allowed characters to equip certain summons and with the draw system, you could pick and choose what specific spell each character can cast

Final Fantasy 13 level up system allowed you to alter your parties stats allowing characters like Hope to learn physical skills or be magic users

This on the other hand would be, at least IMO:

The Persona series allowed the player to choose which party members to befriend and what other Persona they wield and base off of those choices, their stats in battle were affected as well.

But, as an P&P-RPG player most things today that pass off as "Role Playing Games" on consoles/PCs to me are not really RolePlaying. The more freedom one has to actually play out a personality and -really important- play in a certain way, the more it deserves the label RPG. My personal lacmus-test is: Can i break into a bank/merchants home if I want to, without it being part of a quest? If yes, then its a good sign.