What do you guys/girls look for in a CRPG?

[MarathonGuy1337]

For reasons unspecified I was curious as to what the active users of RPG Codex look for in a CRPG be it from an Indi game studio, double-A studio or triple-A studio (not like we get much of the later but still).

Is it the ability to role play free without limits or do you prefer more liner games?

(Fallout and Diablo)

Is there a preference over Western styled RPGs or Japanese styled RPGs?

(Final Fantasy and Pillars of Eternity)

Is it the ability to level up your character, with many different abilities, skills, attributes and so on that allows for a deep combat and levelling system or perhaps a narrower class focused game where the play selects different well-balanced templates?

(Baulder Gate and Mass Effect)

Is it the games narrative, be it the main quests or side quests contained with the game? Is it the world building, ambiance and tone that's really important to you?

Is it the type of gameplay such as Turn Based, Real-Time, Real-Time with Pause, Looter or even a hybrid genre between RPG and another video game genre?

(Disco Elyisum, Fallout 3, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines)

Is there a preference to the camera view, be is isometric, first person, third person or any others that I've missed?

(Elder Scrolls 2 Daggerfall and Dragon Age Origin)

Is there a genre bias amongst CRPG fans such as with Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Western, Military or Space Opera (not like we get much beyond Apocalyptic and Fantasy but still)?

(Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magica Obscure, Jaggard Alliance 2)

Thats about it for questions

 

[lukaszek]

shall your questions be answered by looking at topp 100 rpg polls?

 

[MarathonGuy1337]

shall your questions be answered by looking at topp 100 rpg polls?

Maybe but I like to hear peoples takes and opinions, poles and such only give you raw number data which is useful but also doesn't let you discuss with people one on one. Sometimes it's best to ask people in a more loose fashion.

 

[hello friend]

Is it the ability to role play free without limits or do you prefer more liner games?

I like the option of being able to approach things in multiple ways, but would take a focused experience over an unfocused one. A happy middle, really, but games that jump the shark with the open world sandboxyness tend to be boring to play.

Is there a preference over Western styled RPGs or Japanese styled RPGs?

I absolutely can't stand most JRPG gameplay conventions, and the art is typically an eyesore.

Is it the ability to level up your character, with many different abilities, skills, attributes and so on that allows for a deep combat and levelling system or perhaps a narrower class focused game where the play selects different well-balanced templates?

Being able to tinker with your build is part of the fun.

Is it the games narrative, be it the main quests or side quests contained with the game? Is it the world building, ambiance and tone that's really important to you?

A servicable narrative framework can be nice, but this is rare and it's better for a game to get out of the way and not vomit too much lore and exposition onto your lap. Mood and vibe of a game, art and sound direction - these things are much more important than characters and story.

Is it the type of gameplay such as Turn Based, Real-Time, Real-Time with Pause, Looter or even a hybrid genre between RPG and another video game genre?

Turn based can be good, real time can be good. Real time with pause never ever works. It is trash and every dev who puts it in their game should be shot.

Is there a preference to the camera view, be is isometric, first person, third person or any others that I've missed?

I like 'em all.

Is there a genre bias amongst CRPG fans such as with Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Western, Military or Space Opera (not like we get much beyond Apocalyptic and Fantasy but still)?

I like Fantasy and Space Opera the most but would like to see some more original takes. One thing I'd love to see is an rpg set in some unholy mashup of ancient china, aztec empire, and ancient israel. Cool architecture and byzantine religious customs. That would be cool.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I recall that Sir Crispy (?) previously made a thread about this with poll options and all.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

boobs
guns
space
systems that lean into a computer processing information and therefore aren't streamlined for simplicity

 

[Dadd]

Necromancy and jiggle physics

 

[luj1]

MarathonGuy1337 First of all the game has to be fun

If your game doesn't have combat, or if it has poorly designed combat, it's going to be less fun

If your gameplay comes down to walking around and reading it's going to be less fun

1. CRPGs came from wargaming tradition so gameplay to be tactical and fun
2. The ruleset has to be well designed and support given gameplay
3. There has to be some mystery, and that mystery needs to be expressed maturely via low exposition

 

[Vic]

video games are art. they are the emotions of the people who create them, transfered onto media in form of graphics, music, gameplay, etc. to them entice the same emotions in the recipients. You can't ask people what makes a good game because it's up to you as the developer to come up with a cool idea, something that invokes a certain emotion in you and transfer that emotion unto your player via your game. if you manage to accomplish it you have a good game, if you're just in it for the money or you lack skill/talent then nobody will care.

Again, video games are art, much like books and movies and music. The best make you feel a certain way and stay with you for a long time. So what am I looking for in a video game? It has to be cool. I'm just a dumb consumer who thinks he doesn't like 3d open world games until somebody clever/talented comes along and makes an awesome game, and all of a sudden I'm like "I love 3d open world games!"

 

[Jrpgfan]

video games are art.

if you're just in it for the money or you lack skill/talent then nobody will care.

 

[ferratilis]

 

[gurugeorge]

Fundamentally, I view RPGs, as they exist, as a series of fail states in time (due to technological limitations) on the way to creating the perfect adventure simulator (something like the Holodeck, but where you can sit on your ass ).

Each fail state has its own integrity and charm (e.g. turn-based, isometric, RTwP, Action, 3rd person, etc., none of them are definitive, they're all attempts to capture some aspect of the ideal), and for a lot of us, we grew up with some of them so we have a particular imprint on them and fondness for them. Some of us even think the thing we grew up with is definitive of the genre

At least I would have said that's what the RPG is, but unfortunately companies in the past couple of decades have chased the lowest common denominator (which isn't an adventure sim, with all its potential trials and tribulations, so much as a kind of guided tour with handrails) so much that the quality is declining and developers aren't dreaming about that ultimate thing as much. The dream is being forgotten.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Is it the ability to role play free without limits or do you prefer more liner games?

I prefer the former, but a well-crafted linear game is better than a poorly done open world game.

Is there a preference over Western styled RPGs or Japanese styled RPGs?

JRPGs in my view generally tend to be all the same gameplay-wise, with a few interesting exceptions. So CRPGs.

Is it the ability to level up your character, with many different abilities, skills, attributes and so on that allows for a deep combat and levelling system or perhaps a narrower class focused game where the play selects different well-balanced templates?

I prefer something like Dungeon Master or Might and Magic VI, where you set up your character in a certain way, but once that's done you can advance your character in any skill you so desire. Games where there are narrow class focuses tend to be boring if it feels like all you're doing is watching numbers go up without any input in the matter.

Is it the games narrative, be it the main quests or side quests contained with the game? Is it the world building, ambiance and tone that's really important to you?

I think these tie into the same thing, for the most part. A game with a good narrative tends to be one with good world building and ambiance. However, a game can and does have a better world and atmosphere than a story.

Is it the type of gameplay such as Turn Based, Real-Time, Real-Time with Pause, Looter or even a hybrid genre between RPG and another video game genre?

Copout answer, it doesn't matter as long as the game is good. Well, I don't care for looter shooters or Diablo II-style ARPGs. That said, I find first-person RPGs and RPG/adventure hyrbids more appealing as those games are much rarer than other genres. That last one also ties into your perspective question. First-person RPGs are so rare to find that even a mediocre new game tends to be treated much better than it really is.

Is there a genre bias amongst CRPG fans such as with Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Western, Military or Space Opera (not like we get much beyond Apocalyptic and Fantasy but still)?

I'm sick of generic fantasy settings, or things that knock off D&D. I guess they sell, but I as a player am sick of seeing generic fantasy world RPG. If you're going to do something like that, do something like Morrowind where the world has elements of weirdness to it. These people thought and felt differently than ourselves, so they should come off differently than ourselves. I also feel post-apoc is overused. Horror, military and space opera also fit into that category where even mediocre games get propped up because of what they are. Exception, JA2 is a masterpiece. But with horror, you have a handful of games that get dragged out every time someone brings up the subject, and people brofist them even if most are okay. Or space opera.

 

[Zanzoken]

I like to role-play where I can build and develop a character. Different builds should solve problems in different ways.

Western, don't really like JRPG design principles.

Strongly preferred classless as it allows for more creativity and experimentation.

I like a strong main quest with a compelling story to drive the player forward. Not much on side quests unless they offer something special and make sense in the broader context of the main story (most don't).

I like all types of gameplay but my favorite RPGs have tended to be action-oriented (much to my chagrin as a Codexer).

I don't care about genre as long as the world is well built. It's a huge draw for me if the people and places in the world are believable and the game world is properly reactive.

 

[Norfleet]

Lack of shitty Japanese pornographic cartoons.

 

[Sexy Beast]

beautiful women

 

[The_Mask]

Have several gameplay systems.
60% of your systems should be transparent and easy to master. This is something for normies. Their mastery is necessary to beat the game.

35% of your systems should be interactions between the simple systems above, that can be discovered by exploration of the world and lore. Their mastery is not necessary to beat the game, but they do offer small rewards and an easier time.

And then 5% should be things that only true fans of the game find out, and only by playtesting and trying things out. These gameplay elements should probably be just 1. It shouldn't be taught. And its mastery shouldn't stop progression, but it should make the game substantially easier. (think Dark Souls Poise)

The story should be simple if you can't write, or you know you're not very smart. Even MCA says that twists aren't ideal all the time, and so learn from him. If you have a great writer, that reads and writes a lot, and you have a LOT of confidence in him, you can probably do twists, but have them be tasteful, and certainly NOT preachy. (this part requires brutal honesty to yourself)

Sidequests should not outshine the main quest, and should inform the world, and elements from it.

Companions should appeal to the player's vanity. And, ideally, any men should be an example of masculinity in their field, and women should be feminine, femininity shown as the strength it is.

Music should underline any boss fights and companions. Don't bother with anything else. SFX is *much* more important.

Graphics should feed the player's vanity. Spells. Items. Anything that is related to the player should present some attention, but this ought to be the area of smoke and mirrors. Less is more. Never forget: the best videocard in the world is... the player's own imagination.

 

[MarathonGuy1337]

Well for my first post this blow up!

But seriously thanks to everyone for the feedback!

Highlighted below are some of the funnier comments.

boobs
guns
space
systems that lean into a computer processing information and therefore aren't streamlined for simplicity

I think we can all agree with that!

beautiful women

No arguments

Conan is clearly Chad RPG player

Necromancy and jiggle physics

Dam right!

Now If you guys will excuse me, I have some deep medication and contemplation to see to.

 

[Not.AI]

1. Every object the player should be able to interact with. (Arx Fatalis -> Go Play It)

egg -> inventory

fire & inventory (egg, skillet) -> omelet

(NPC, omelet) -> ("Ty Yum", Reward)

And it should be unexpected. No quest that points to omelet as goal or highlights ingredients. People see egg and fire and guess, "what if ..." If you can see it, you can do something with it." Forgotten corollary of: If you see a mountain, you can go there and climb it.

2. Things and people don't just stand around waiting for the player... Like you see a couple NPCs in Gothic 2 going outside and passing water periodically.

 

[skeletonmeister]

I myself like games where you can make your own party and imagine the type of conversation they have in between segments of the game. Just letting the role part to the players and the play part for the game.

But honestly the option to kill whatever NPC I want is good enough

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I myself like games where you can make your own party and imagine the type of conversation they have in between segments of the game. Just letting the role part to the players and the play part for the game.

You should check out Wizardry 8 if you haven't, I love the party banter they have. Don't think any other game comes close to it.

 

[Krice]

I like two things that almost never exist in rpgs even they should.. The first one is just exploring the game world, which should be interesting in itself, not just a backdrop for action. The second one is I guess "true" role-playing that has more than one solution (=combat) to progress. I don't actually like tactical combat of rpgs, at least if there is lots of it. I find it boring. I like a good story and characters, which is also a rare find these days.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

I'm sick of generic fantasy settings, or things that knock off D&D. I guess they sell, but I as a player am sick of seeing generic fantasy world RPG. If you're going to do something like that, do something like Morrowind where the world has elements of weirdness to it. These people thought and felt differently than ourselves, so they should come off differently than ourselves. I also feel post-apoc is overused. Horror, military and space opera also fit into that category where even mediocre games get propped up because of what they are. Exception, JA2 is a masterpiece. But with horror, you have a handful of games that get dragged out every time someone brings up the subject, and people brofist them even if most are okay. Or space opera.

I'm also tired of the oversaturated homogenous fantasy settings in crpgs and would prefer more creative settings. However, I don't think the post-apocalypse genre is overused yet and other genres barely exist at best.

When it comes to post-apocalypse crpgs, there's basically only a handful of games/subgenres at present. Fallout, Wasteland, Underrail, Death Trash, Horizon Zero Dawn, Stalker... am I missing any?

 

[deama]

I generally prefer a good interpretation of various systems working together, with a good story.

These days there's too much focus on trying to "copy" the classics rather than refining what they did, or even trying something vastly different, but keeping the spirit alive.

One of the most annoying ones I've seen so far is copying a classic shooter, like doom, and slapping a pussy on the player character.

Another one is "russian fallout". It may sound like a good idea, but it's not really different enough from the original. At least a "chinese fallout" would have been more interesting I think.

 

[Norfleet]

One of the most annoying ones I've seen so far is copying a classic shooter, like doom, and slapping a pussy on the player character.

To be fair, this is a pretty effective technique, because A: Classic-style shooters have no real characterization anyway, and B: Marketing research indicates that women prefer playing as women more than men are concerned with playing as men. Therefore, the optimal protagonist is a hot chick who keeps her mouth shut.

Another one is "russian fallout". It may sound like a good idea, but it's not really different enough from the original.

Look, developers go with what they know. The thing is, they're not actually creating Russian Fallout. You just see it that way from the Western perspective. Russia is already a post-apocalyptic setting. What you see as a post-apocalyptic setting is considered a wish-fulfillment setting, because the setting is just regular Russia, but the difference is that the player is capable of doing something about it.

At least a "chinese fallout" would have been more interesting I think.

Yeah, but I think China would object to being portrayed a a post-apocalyptic setting, and thus the game would be shot down.