Elysian Shadows

So, I was curious to find out everyone's opinion on this. How would you compare present RPG's (2d and 3d) to the old school RPG's. What do you think could be and should be improved on? What are their Pros and Cons and how do they compare across the generation gap. What improvements would you like to see be made. What would you like to see in the future in the way of RPGs?

I've always been a huge fan of the Baldur's Gate games (and Icewind Dale) as they have intriguing stories as well as in-depth character creation. If I was ever to make a RPG on my own I would first and foremost focus on the story I wanted to tell, as that is the bread and butter of the genre.

A great story is the backbone to every RPG, but the core mechanics can also make a game great. I am starting to design an RPG and so I am trying to find what people like about the RPGs of the now, and what they miss of the RPG's of the yesterday. And what they would like to see in the RPGs of tomorrow. I want to make a truly innovative play experience, and in order for me to do this effectively I am seeking the opinion of my fellow peers.

Personally I always felt that RPG games were all about exploration and development. That you didn't have a single linear path you had to take, but instead were given options based on your current alignment, story progress or whatever. And it wouldn't hurt to not make the game too easy. Games these days are filled with tutorials, guides, walkthroughs, hints, tips and other stuff that discourages learning by trial and error. If you wanted to make a great 2D RPG - look at Zelda - A Link to the Past or Terranigma for the SNES. For PC you should check out anything related to the Forgotten Realms universe (like I said earlier about Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale), and Fable. Even though Fable is a somewhat recent addition to the genre, it's still quite good. Then of course you have newer titles such as the Elder Scrolls series, but that would take years to develop on your own.

I've always been fond of the Final Fantasy Series. To me a great RPG has a great hook at the very beginning that hooks you and draws you in as the story progresses. Once drawn in the story has to keep you captivated. One thing the Final Fantasy series does a good job of is setting the tone with music. Having the right music adds a great deal to the story and helps create that fantasy world for the player. So, in summary I would say a greate RPG both past and present would need to have:

1) A good hook to draw you in from the beginning
2) A compelling story
3) Great Soundtrack

I'm a fan of action-packed combat. Diablo 2 is my RPG of choice. I like to bash monsters to death with heavy weaponry, have them die a bloody death, and be healthily rewarded with items and experience. I also like the exploration aspect, finding hidden treasures every so often or objects I have no idea what the hell their purpose is but they look badass. Character customization has never been my thing, I don't waste time caring about what color my dude's hair is as long as his gear is fucking awesome. I'm not personally attached to my characters but rather use them as a means to end, the end being the death of my enemies. I can't stand turn-based games, Pokemon on Gameboy being the only exception. Even then, at higher levels I got pretty damn sick of having to click "Run" twenty times a minute when I was trying to get to my destination.

Even though I prefer hack-and-slash combat styles, the game MUST have a well thought out story, preferably with audible narration. Music is a huge deal and can drastically effect the tone of the game world. Bosses should be difficult to beat, but you should not have to spend the first 12 attempts guessing how to defeat him and then be able to do it easily once you do. Such artificial difficulty is unnecessary and poor game design.

Disclaimer: This post is obviously very opinionated, but I hope it helps give you a general idea of goals aim for.

My video game background basically consists of Final Fantasy. Similar games like Seiken Densetsu, Chrono Trigger, Secrets of Mana, Dragon Quest, etc. were all fun, too. Of course, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim were really fun for some reason, despite being very different in comparison. If I were to pick an aspect that I felt most defined whether or not I enjoyed a game, it would be the entire concept of getting equipment (whether by forging or finding) and items, trying them out in battle, and getting the coolest stuff for my characters at that moment. Storyline is, of course, an important factor, but the exploration serves as a foundation for allowing a good story to be told, and I think it's something that all RPGs should strive for. Graphics, sound, etc. are all tertiary factors for me. Throw in a secret dungeon with difficult puzzles and enemies and stick an Excalibur somewhere in a secret path in a guarded chest, and I won't exactly care about those things. Turn-based stuff is more appealing for me, unlike dandy, but action-RPGs are perfectly fine XD The main problem I had with Skyrim was that there wasn't exactly any unique, uber equipment that was hidden. Everything great could just be made with no effort, and had no special value.

Diablo 2 (and probably 3 for me) would be my favourite. It also depends on how you play diablo. Whether you play with sound off, and ignore general banter and reading text, or whether you get into the game and the storyline etc.

I just don't feel like turn based or 'battles' are in the same category. Personal opinion, but to me they are different. Some of these games feel like 2 games in 1, i like the game and the combat to be in the same world.

Past.

The past has Chrono Trigger and that there is the greatest RPG to ever be created its soundtrack, its story its artwork are all amazing as well as its gameplay and mechanics it hooked me in and kept me going till i acheived everyone of the multiple endings(love the meet the dev team one!) so definitly the past because of Chrono trigger,Final Fantasy 4,6 and Ocarina Of Time all of my most favourite games :P!

I am creating a innovative, multiplayer rpg, with some basis on older editions of DnD, and am attempting to get peoples opinions on what gameplay features made for fun or sucky games in the past and present rpgs.

Anyways, thank you all for your responses, it is appreciated

I loooove the older DnDs. 4th edition is like playing a game. Not enough roleplaying.

I myself enjoy RPGs that provide good quest returns. I like my items to make me visibly stronger, but I also like for the difficulty to move up accordingly.

So my checklist would be:
-Great Story
-Nice art/music (definitely want to draw people into the environments)
-A sense of accomplishment
-Definitely like it when the game is dynamic. Like others said different story based on alignment and what not


I commend you for taking on an RPG. I myself wouldn't be able to devote to it.

in comparison with old school RPGs and RPGs of this day and age, i've found that when games lead you to moments of self-discovery it delivers more satisfying feeling of accomplishment and discovery. for instance, in the first elder scrolls i picked up and played, the elder scrolls III: morrowind for the xbox, i throughly enjoyed how the game DIDN'T tell you what quests you were on, show you waypoints to the next of your mission, etc. you had to think for yourself, look in the diary, talk with NPCs. games these days make it WAY TOO EASY

JamesParkes wrote:in comparison with old school RPGs and RPGs of this day and age, i've found that when games lead you to moments of self-discovery it delivers more satisfying feeling of accomplishment and discovery. for instance, in the first elder scrolls i picked up and played, the elder scrolls III: morrowind for the xbox, i throughly enjoyed how the game DIDN'T tell you what quests you were on, show you waypoints to the next of your mission, etc. you had to think for yourself, look in the diary, talk with NPCs. games these days make it WAY TOO EASY

Yeah. Borderlands for instance. There is absolutely no difficulty. I don't even bother reading the quest statements. I just follow the arrow and push the interact button.