RPG Factors

[DarkMoose]

What do you think should be in an RPG? I want mine to have things that keep players interested, so they don't get bored with it. I've thought of a few things:

--Mystery/Suspense (Like the haunted grove in Zelda 3 =)
--Sadness (Like... uh, thinking of example.. like some events in Chrono Trigger. That had some sad moments)
--Anger (Gotta have some characters die, maybe...)

Sadness and Anger... those two are good I think because it's always great if you can play with players' emotions. I think that makes a great game. Anyone wanna add some ideas?

I think it's best that you don't look at other games, try to do something original, something that has never been used....

Make your players afraid to play alone in the dark.

Or, make them laugh till they fall over =)

Z.

[DarkMoose]

Originally posted by pjvdg
I think it's best that you don't look at other games, try to do something original, something that has never been used....

That's a good point. But then most of the stuff I listed is really broad. Mystery for example - there's so many things that can be mysterious, so if you have something mysterious in your game, it can be original too.

I agree there should be a lot of original stuff besides that, though. Suprises in games are always nice.

[Techi]

I have begun planning a RPG game. This game is quite similar to the Tenchi muyo game (can be found at www.tenchiintokyo.org - following section multimedia | games for snes). I have a story line that includes anger (a character gets kidnaped with a power gem) characters chase evil one to free kidnepee, free the kidnaped one the kidnaper evolves, gang go into space, fight evil one, gang evolves into super fighters, evil one defeted. all the way the characters have to fight more monsters + villans. i have also drawn some characters by free hand. I hope to have the story line fully typed up in about a week and i will start to create bitmaps of the characters (i also have to keep up the design of my web page, my college work, vb projects and my outside education )

i will post my typed story in a pm to you when complete then i will post characters when they are designed.

[Good Dreams]

An RPG game must be very flexible. If the player as a role, it has to be a role that he likes. It's common to be the good guys for example, but how about being the bad guys? Or better: making a game which is impossible to tell the difference between the good and the bad guys...

When I say flexible, I mean that the story must be made as much as possible by the player. He/She or it must be the director and the actor at the same time. It's difficult to visualize it because it's a hard thing to do.

You should stick to the game's type: role playing game.
I hope I was enough clear.

[Good Dreams]

Being sad, horrible, childish, violent, carnal, or what ever doesn't matter I think. Considering, of course what I have just said.

[Zaei]

Of course, the player should be able to do whatever
he/she wants. But at the point we are now (and
especially with VB), its pretty much impossible.

Suppose your player wants to dig a hole. Or he wants
to build a castle. Perhaps he wants to invent the steam
engine. You could study the world, and try to create a
game that models the reactions between hydrogen and
oxygen, and all of the elements. This wont work,
because it would never run.
Your RPG is a vision. It is, as you say a ROLE Playing
Game. That role can either be the role he wishes to
play, or the role you want him to play. It can be your
game, or it can be his game. MMORPGs are the players
game. If the player wanted to go running off and hide,
what good is your awesome, all encompassing story?
FF7 sold copies like nobody's mother. But if you had
wanted to say, wield spears, instead of swords, you
were SOL. On the other hand, EverQuest is as
addicting as crack, yet you can play any personality that
you want!

To the point of my ramblings, just because you, as the
player, are stuck playing a role that the games creators
have put you into, doesnt mean that the game is no
good. In fact, you could go, and create what you think
is the coolest character ever together, and find that its
no fun at all for you to play. The question of the type of
RPG you want to make is up to one person. YOU. Dont
make the game you think that people would flock over.
Make the game that YOU want to play.

Z.