Sandbox RPGs-My view on the Genre.

[DreamKing]

I think that RPG's should have different conflicts depending on what your actions are in game.

For the sake of argument, in a modern RPG, have your character get a job at a local store, and work their way up until they become manager. Another story path would have the character trying to destroy the store to make a mall or something to that effect. Another story path would have the character try to obtain an item on sale in the store before it's all gone.

 

[Pablosdog]

Problem is, fallout 1 and 2 weren't based primarily on freedom in enviroment. They did have a story that you had to follow, and it was important. Getting rid of a great storyline a la fallout 3 one of the primary reasons old school fans vilify the game.

Graphics should be secondary to gameplay always, so much is about immersion these days, yet that was never the point of fallout in the first place. It was to emulate pen and paper style games and work as a spiritual successor to wasteland. The creators themselves decided that turn based gameplay was the most apporiate(and still is) for the game. Realtime rpgs existing then, hell even first person realtime rpgs existed then, yet they still opted for that viewpoint and combat system. Fallout 1 and 2 had moral choices that were leaps and bounds over most modern games, yet you still had freedom around it. There should be a balance between these things,unless a game has a formula(like fallout) that is heavily story depedent.

On video game stories sucking...
Planescape: Torment would like to have a word with you.

 

[rossatdi]

The main problem I found with Fable 2 was the lack of challenge. Any one with two opposable thumbs could get through the game's hardest missions easily, and even if they died there was no punishment.

What I want from a huge open ended RPG is a large mine of increasingly difficult missions, which makes the super-badass legendary weapons and equipment actually worthwhile. Or at least make them cool to look at or something.

My fondest RPG memory is probably, no surprises here, from Morrowind. I spent some time starring at the map and thought I'd go explore the island atolls to the south. I swim out there to find a dungeon half sunken and have a merry half an hour rummaging in the dungeon before swimming out. There was a fair number of tough ass monsters and some sweet unique loot as reward. T'was great fun and rewarded my exploration.

 

[Axolotl]

Problem is, fallout 1 and 2 weren't based primarily on freedom in enviroment. They did have a story that you had to follow, and it was important. Getting rid of a great storyline a la fallout 3 one of the primary reasons old school fans vilify the game.

Really? Look at how you follow that story, you're not given any helpful clues and only 3 parts of the story are mandatory. Almost hald of the visitable areas are completly unrelated to the storyline, and the main focus of the game is freedom to solve problems however you want. Also isn't Fallout 3 more storyline focused?

Can't comment on Planescape haven't played it.

My fondest RPG memory is probably, no surprises here, from Morrowind. I spent some time starring at the map and thought I'd go explore the island atolls to the south. I swim out there to find a dungeon half sunken and have a merry half an hour rummaging in the dungeon before swimming out. There was a fair number of tough ass monsters and some sweet unique loot as reward. T'was great fun and rewarded my exploration.

I couldn't get into Morrowind, the combat just rendered it feeling pointless and left me wishing that it was Turn-Based. But I might try it out again because you make it sound quite awesome.

On Fable 2 try playing as a Skill Based Hero for more challenge, but yeah some sort of difficulty meter would have been nice but to easy is better than to hard (see Baldur's Gate). My main complaint with Fable 2 was that the map was essentially a line from Bloodstone to Oakfield with the pirate place tacked on, there was nowhere to explore.