What can change the nature of Role-Playing Games?

[achilleas.k]

Sry for the chain-posting. Added to previous...

 

[sighmoan]

And why do people want to take RPG elements away from RPGs? That's daft, if you don't like it don't play it, there are plenty of us who do like it, and if you don't stop trying to spoil our fun maybe we start looking at your games and implying that they need stats to make them better....
OK? OK!

The problem with "RPG elements" is nowadays instead of meaning "a story driven by the choices of the player and their character" it means "getting experience and leveling up".

Also I hope Alpha Protocol does well and ushers in a golden age of RPGs that have settings other than fantasy or sci-fi. You know what I want? An RPG where you play as an Indiana Jones-style adventuring treasure hunter and his band of talented misfits as you go to exotic locales all over the world searching for a treasure of unspeakable power.

But I like gaining experience and levelling up, that is why I play RPGs and not wrestling games or FPS or any of the other genres you might care to mention.
There are enough games and enough genres to keep us all happy, why do non RPG'ers have to constantly point out the futility of experience and skills? Iygwim?

Yet if another system is able to provide much the same gameplay, much the same ways of thinking with regards to character construction, development, focus etcetera - but lacking such drawbacks as the inevitable grinding, the "out-of-character" missionrunning and all that - can it not be beneficial?

Naturally, this is a subjective opinion and if stats and grinding (yes, I state them as if they are inexorably mixed) is what one is looking for in a game, then that's fine. Personally, however, I'm more interested in using the technology and capacities available today, the lack of which stats and skill points were compensating. Ultimately, there may be different interpretations of what makes an RPG, as made very obvious in previous threads on the subject - to me, it's Baldurs Gate, PS:T, Mass Effect; all with a focus on dialogue, moral choices and so on. Stats, levels, and attributes were certainly also a common denominator, but I just think it doesn't have to be.

 

[Axeli]

Yeah, let's make RPGs like every other genre, because it's obvious RPGs need to be made for those people who hate RPGs, not the fans of them.

 

[Axeli]

But Bioware (as a perfect example) give you all that, my ONLY issue with Bioware is they are very fond of either level capping or making it so that there might as well be a level cap, they taunt you with skills you will never get.
I understand what you are saying, but when RPGs moved to the consoles from the notepad, gaining experience and skills and the whole levelling up concept has been a staple for the average Roleplayer!

Pfft. Bioware games don't have role-playing, they have choice-playing.

 

[Nwabudike Morgan]

Yeah, let's make RPGs like every other genre, because it's obvious RPGs need to be made for those people who hate RPGs, not the fans of them.

In like 20 years, at the rate we're going, there will only be one game genre. One where you level up by shooting orcs as you push a ball around a soccer field while you race other cars who are doing the same with the goal of lining up 3 balls of the same color to clear them from the board so you can then jump from floating platform to floating platform to get to an altar where you place pure water, a lock of your hair and a drop of your blood into a chalice in order to summon a dragon and save the universe from unspeakable evil. COMING HOLIDAY 2030. RATED M FOR MATURE.

 

[Wuvlycuddles]

As far as combat goes, i'm willing to accept any system, so long as its not broken.

What i want to see is new and interesting character development and interesting stories. I mean, i enjoyed the DA:O story but the character development was uninspired. Oooh i level up and i get a new skill! YAWN! Seen it all before a million times.

And i definately don't wanna see more rediculous moral choices, going from evil bastard to saint in the same conversation let alone over the course of the game is somewhat silly. i mean if you are going around being a total bastard, shouldn't the "Good" options not even occur to your character?

 

[Nwabudike Morgan]

Aslong as it has a decent combat system, and the need for actual exploring I'm in.
That or Mount and Blade, which I have.
WHICH IS FUCKING AWESOME.

Did that World War I mod for Mount and Blade that people were talking about years ago during the M&B beta ever wind up happening?

 

[thiosk]

I'm actually interested in pushing more for adding a procedurally-generated element to RPGs.

 

[tanithwolf]

I would really like to see a lot more choices in games and better punishment for stupid choices.

 

[StriderShinryu]

As far as combat goes, i'm willing to accept any system, so long as its not broken.

What i want to see is new and interesting character development and interesting stories. I mean, i enjoyed the DA:O story but the character development was uninspired. Oooh i level up and i get a new skill! YAWN! Seen it all before a million times.

And i definately don't wanna see more rediculous moral choices, going from evil bastard to saint in the same conversation let alone over the course of the game is somewhat silly. i mean if you are going around being a total bastard, shouldn't the "Good" options not even occur to your character?

This is much along the same line as my thinking. I'm not going to decide on one system or another because if it's a good game it doesn't really matter to me if it's 1st/3rd person or realtime/turnbased or whatever. If whatever the game is doesn't appeal to me then I won't play it, there's enough great games out there now a days that every game that has the acronym RPG on the box doesn't have to appeal to me. This isn't the NES or even SNES era where if you were an RPG fan you pretty much had to suck up whatever the one RPG was that came out because the next one wasn't coming for another 3 months.

On moral choices in games that are going to offer them, absolutely. I did end up picking up DA:O and I'm very much enjoying it, but I want my choices (moral and otherwise) to mean more. If I've decided I'm going to be a badass then the experience should be totally different than if I decide to be a good guy, and choosing something more along a middle path should be just as full and viable an experience too. Using just the dialogue of DA:O as an example, if I've gone far enough down the "badass" side I shouldn't even get "goodguy" options or if they are there they should be altered so that I have to pass a persuasion/cunning check to use them.

Personally, I'd love to see relationships and love in RPGs get a lot more attention than they currently do. Just as moral choices and story pathways do, this could end up being a real game changer if done right and not as just a dating sim and/or cutscene selection method like they are in most games now a days.

That said, I really don't think RPGs need to follow any particular course. There is room on the shelves for both JRPGs and WRPGs, not to mention hybrids of both, and there's definitely room for improvement in both of those as well.

 

[sean.A7x]

More games like oblivian and fallout 3 , basically i just want bethsteda and more games like borderlands aswell RPS FTW

 

[Axeli]

But Bioware (as a perfect example) give you all that, my ONLY issue with Bioware is they are very fond of either level capping or making it so that there might as well be a level cap, they taunt you with skills you will never get.
I understand what you are saying, but when RPGs moved to the consoles from the notepad, gaining experience and skills and the whole levelling up concept has been a staple for the average Roleplayer!

Pfft. Bioware games don't have role-playing, they have choice-playing.

Finally someone else who agrees with me.
Bioware is all about Choice...and that's it.
They suck at everything else.

Agrees with that non-trollish point anyway.

See, it's fine to express your opinion, but just jumping into a thred with the "X sucks" line without any point being made is what is obnoxious.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

I would love to see tactical combat, with the ability to enter a nations military or a rebellion (perhaps as a side quest line like the Dark Brotherhood was in Oblivion, not necessarily the main quest) and rise through the ranks to order troupes into battle. Something like what modders implemented in Enclave Commander for Fallout 3 but done by professionals as an originally implemented aspect of the gameplay.

All within an RPG guideline of course.

 

[Quaidis]

Obviously we need rpgs to slide towards the farming simulation genre. Real Time fighting, or milking a cow? Why not both? And while you're at it, why not plant some flowers that turn into deadly minions that will join your party? And screw saving the world. We need a farming simulation rpg spike that's all about killing masses of innocent people and conquering things. In Space.

HarvestMoon meets RuinFactory meets EvilGenius meets DOOM... With a well-thought-out feel to the game like ChronoTrigger. And let's throw in some light sabers.


I could do this all day.

 

[Dr. Octogonapus]

As far as combat goes, i'm willing to accept any system, so long as its not broken.

What i want to see is new and interesting character development and interesting stories. I mean, i enjoyed the DA:O story but the character development was uninspired. Oooh i level up and i get a new skill! YAWN! Seen it all before a million times.

And i definately don't wanna see more rediculous moral choices, going from evil bastard to saint in the same conversation let alone over the course of the game is somewhat silly. i mean if you are going around being a total bastard, shouldn't the "Good" options not even occur to your character?

This is much along the same line as my thinking. I'm not going to decide on one system or another because if it's a good game it doesn't really matter to me if it's 1st/3rd person or realtime/turnbased or whatever. If whatever the game is doesn't appeal to me then I won't play it, there's enough great games out there now a days that every game that has the acronym RPG on the box doesn't have to appeal to me. This isn't the NES or even SNES era where if you were an RPG fan you pretty much had to suck up whatever the one RPG was that came out because the next one wasn't coming for another 3 months.

On moral choices in games that are going to offer them, absolutely. I did end up picking up DA:O and I'm very much enjoying it, but I want my choices (moral and otherwise) to mean more. If I've decided I'm going to be a badass then the experience should be totally different than if I decide to be a good guy, and choosing something more along a middle path should be just as full and viable an experience too. Using just the dialogue of DA:O as an example, if I've gone far enough down the "badass" side I shouldn't even get "goodguy" options or if they are there they should be altered so that I have to pass a persuasion/cunning check to use them.

Personally, I'd love to see relationships and love in RPGs get a lot more attention than they currently do. Just as moral choices and story pathways do, this could end up being a real game changer if done right and not as just a dating sim and/or cutscene selection method like they are in most games now a days.

That said, I really don't think RPGs need to follow any particular course. There is room on the shelves for both JRPGs and WRPGs, not to mention hybrids of both, and there's definitely room for improvement in both of those as well.

While on the topic of love in RPGs, I'd have to belive that it won't be appearing much in them, and even if they do feature it it isn't going to be that well developed or engaging (I have not played Dragon Age: Origins, so I wouldn't know anything about the level of NPC interaction in the game) because there is not really much of a demand for it. Right now gamers want to see more blood splatter than romantic chemistry in gameplay.
And to address the rest of the large white box hovering over my typed characters: combat is moving away from turn-based fighting.....unless you include FF games which will never truly abandon it's turn-based roots. Moral decisions are an area that I'd rather not get into because while they seem interesting, I'd rather not think about whether I should shoot the random dog or give him a treat (Dogmeat has alot of health)

 

[lacktheknack]

Anyone remember "The Shining Force", Fire Emblem's granddaddy?

I want there to be more games like that (Fire Emblem is close, but perma-kills ruined it for me).

 

[ResonanceSD]

There have been quite a few threads about RPGs here recently and I want to ask the other escapists a question.

What would you like to see the RPG genre do in the future? Where do you want it to go?

Do you want more FPSRPGs like Deus Ex or would you prefer a classic isometric perspective? Do you want tactical combat or would you prefer a simple intuitive system? Turn-Based or real time? Do you want choice and consiquences or do you want more epic storlines? Or do you just want a NetHack style game thats all about the loot/build? How dialogue heavy would you mlike future RPGs?

I'm curious as to what the answers are.

A new Deus Ex would be epic. Also [Obligatory Torment: "Nothing can change the nature of a man" here]

Poor planescape, so epic =(