The implementation of the job system, especially in Bravely Second where job level doesn't effect stats. Having all your job abilities plus all the abilities from another job and a selection of passive abilities from any combination of jobs gives orgasmic levels of depth and complexity.Elvis Starburst said:
Everyone's always raving about those inertia-ridden jetpacks. But deep down everyone knows grappling hooks are where it's really at...Johnny Novgorod said:
Now I'm thinking about a possible sandbox-ish air combat game, maybe even set in a Crimson Skies-style alternate history, where you take on different enemy squadrons to weaken their hold on territories, and can end up facing enemy ace pilots more than once with said aces growing more and more determined to shoot you down with each loss.Kyrian007 said:
So Kyrian never actually explains what the 'Nemesis' system is, but what you describe is at least kinda sorta-a little bit done in Sky Rogue, so there's that:American Tanker said:
Getting better gear is the exact opposite of unlocking abilities because abilities change gameplay whereas gear rarely does (barring gear that does have abilities/skills attached to it). Getting that better sword to deal more damage to take down some higher level monster is in actuality just keeping the game exactly the same as it once was. Those early dungeons/quests where you're taking down monsters say in 5 hits; well, now you're taking down those higher level monsters in those same 5 hits because you got a better sword that does higher damage. Literally, nothing has changed about the character or the gameplay. Whereas in say DnD, your archer's DPS goes up because he can fire more shots per turn because the character is getting better instead of the weapon. Borderland's loot system really does nothing for the gameplay but makes the player waste time constantly switching to new weapons/shields and selling all the junk whereas the skills in Borderlands are the things that change gameplay. So many RPGs would be tons better without loot systems.Zetatrain said:
Souls has a pretty bad leveling system because the gameplay never changes from the very beginning (it's the very same problem with loot systems as I talked about right above this). Your character and gear just get better stats over the game but you are still doing literally the same exact thing all game. You level your stats and weapon to kill enemies in the same 3 or so hits from the beginning dungeon to the last dungeon. Nor does Souls really have much depth to the combat making you feel you're getting better at the mechanics. Compare Souls to like Bayonetta where when you've mastered the dodge offset mechanic and your totally playing the game differently from when you started. Whether we're talking over-the-top spectacle fighters or slower methodically paced action RPGs, the player should either be changing/improving their playstyle by mastering mechanics or the player character getting new abilities/skills that change gameplay; Souls features neither of those elements.Rangaman said:
There's tons of RPGs with far too much fighting and if you skip fights, stat-wise you're just not going to have the numbers to continue on. Then, of course, lots of RPGs have the issue of the game becoming joke easy if you do all the sidequests and you end up over-leveled just because you wanted to experience all the content. Fix that core issue that is the cause of that kind of stuff happening instead of just giving the player a tool to change encounter rates. RPGs shouldn't be about "keeping up with the Joneses" with regards to damage output. That's the core issue most RPGs have and eliminating that would be basically a streamlining revolution for the genre. Just think about say Mass Effect 2 and 3, did you ever care about your damage output or level in those games? Unless it was to unlock such and such skill, you definitely couldn't care less about it. The player should be like "I can't wait until I get to level 16 so I can do this" instead of just needing to be at level 16 to have respectful damage output. The core of an RPG isn't about that bullshit.Bad Jim said:
YOU MUST RESPECT THE DEVELOPER'S CREATIVE VISION!Dalisclock said:
Definitely, I made a whole thread [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.1034115-Why-every-shooter-should-have-leaning] about leaning rather recently. I don't see why leaning is not in every shooter (even TPSs) because when properly implemented, it can take up 0 buttons so you are not wasting any buttons. Or at least put in a mechanic that replaces it.fix-the-spade said:
I hate to be the guy to pop your bubble 14 years later, but unless your passengers/anyone within earshot had that same mp3 in their game folder, they wouldn't hear your song. While you're up there jamming away to Iron Maiden, your passengers would have simply heard one of the regular soundtrack songs instead.fix-the-spade said:
I was thinking more along the lines of they both make your character more powerful. Technically my comment is correct, though looking back it would of been more accurate to compare lvl locked gear to stat progression.Phoenixmgs said:
What you described is usually only a problem if all the enemies scale to your level.Phoenixmgs said:
To each their own I guess. The only game I ever felt was wasting my time with comparing and selling equipment was the first Mass Effect and that had more to do with a shitty UI and scroll speed for the menus than the game cranking out too much loot.Phoenixmgs said:
