Thanks for the offer.. I do know something you can help me with - fancy beta testing my rpg?

Allow the player to play the ROLE of the character. Do not make linear stories. I hated Shining Force because it was extremely linear, and I had no choices to make that would affect the outcome of the game (other than the death of my party). A broad main story line is useful, as well as having many optional side quests. Give the player the feeling they can choose to participate or not participate on the whim of their character.

The current MMORPGs suffer from too much choice, with not enough direction. There is no "reason" to live in those worlds. So you end up in a race for levels or items.

I personally liked the Sega version of Might of Magic (I think it was equivalent to PC MnM2). You had an overall mission, with the freedom to go anywhere in the world. The game was "winnable". There were great rewards in advancement, items, skills etc. But you had a reason to be there, a reason to go around exploring/adventuring. The UI was clunky, but it''s an older game, therefore forgivable. StarCraft was an incredible game. Huge amount of content, but mining ore for cash and fuel got to be monotonous. Good story and allowed freedom for the player.

The old gold box D&D games (SSI Pool of Radiance etc...) were pretty fun, not too linear, but they definitely kept you on track with the story line. Baldurs Gate is an excellent RPG.

OK: There are three ways you can create an RPG. You can make the RPG world-driven, story-driven, or some combination of the two. To create a world-driven game, all you need to do is create a large, realistic, diverse world, set up rules that drive the said world, and release the player''s custom-made character to explore, butcher, rescue, etc. To create a story-driven game, you need to create a linear sequence of events, including interactive portions of the linear story (combat, equipping characters, etc.). A game that is too world-driven is, no offense, boring as hell, unless there are multiple background plot threads that your character can follow up on. A game that is too story-driven is similarly boring except when VERY well done. Square has pulled off story-driven "games" that have wonderful backgrounds, but playing them feels like watching a well written TV series, not playing a game. The exception to that last statement comes up only when the game''s combat system (or some other interactive part) is fun and non-redundant enough to keep the player from feeling like a spectator.

Finally, there''s the third, and in my opinion, best, option. For goodness sakes, combine the two! There is no conflict here. Look to games like Baldur''s Gate for inspiration. Or, if you want something slightly less imitated, games like Star Ocean: The Second Story are almost entirely story-driven, but have 50+ endings based on decisions made by the player during the story. Be creative and don''t listen to people who hate your game unless they comprise an overwhelming majority.

Duran Strife: Brainless, but deep

Freedom in RPGs is a MUST. These are games you should try (if not for "research," because they''re awesome):

-Fallout 1/2 (NOT Fallout: Tactics)
-Baldur''s Gate
-Bard''s Tale

I have nothing against rpgs that stress freedom of choice but I''m really tired of people harping on RPGs that tell a story.Or sort of lead you from one plot point to another.

I find these very entertaining.And if the story is good enough I do play them more than once.ff7 is a great example.I think a little leading is a good thing because with games with too much freedom you tend to lose that sense of purpose and urgency that comes along with a great plot.Besides a good plot driven game doesn''t have to be devoid of choice anyway.You might have to fight this 4 headed Tiamet Dragon but you might have to draw him over to a corner of the castle where his body won''t fit and get stuck in the wall,or you can lure him over to a corridor where a gate with sharp metal spikes await.That plus optional side quests and other such diversions gives people more than enough berth in gameplay.

Good RPG is the one you enjoy playing. Why not make a game like that? Why do you need to ask what makes a good RPG when you already know that?

Because I dont think I know everything.

Allow the user a certain amount of creativity with their character. Creating a charcter that is adapted to your playing style can be extremely rewarding. This does of course require a certain amount of flexibility within your world with several possible means of advancing the game.
I found Baldur''s Gate great fun because there was loads to do and many places to visit, but BG2 grated too much. The characters are too static and predefined - you know exactly what stats a level 17 fighter will have long before he is level 17 (apart from maybe the hitpoints tho statistically after 10 levels the spread won''t be too much). Planescape Torment did this much better. (this is obviously a problem with the AD&D rules). There is little real room for creativity on the part of the player.
Wizardry, Diablo, Jagged Alliance and Dungeon Siege spring to mind as better examples (I don''t care if Diablo''s no RPG there is a certain amount of room for creativity) and all take a slightly different route. Take a look at other table-top RPG''s for inspiration as well.
Obviously the story should be important in a real RPG (ie not purely action based) and draw the player in, but this won''t work without being able to identify (in some way or other) with the main character. Its all about immersing yourself in a different world.

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Original post by Krice
Good RPG is the one you enjoy playing. Why not make a game like that? Why do you need to ask what makes a good RPG when you already know that?

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Just because someone likes playing something it doesn''t mean they know how to translate that into a good game. It''s difficult because it is often the little things that make a game great and those are hard to quantify. However, knowing what you enjoy is definitely a good starting point. A tough thing to do when designing an RPG is to balance the player''s choice vs the story. It''s tough because no two people will have the same opinion on what is best.

My personal preference seems to be a story driven game with some freedom of choice, but not total freedom. Although I don''t think a story has to be great, it just needs to keep the player focused and driven to continue. I get the most enjoyment from character development and it seems like I stick with a game longer when I feel like my character has a personality. The personality might be totally in my mind, but the development is driven by choices I make in the game. Often those choices are just small things like text tree conversations with NPCs.



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http://www.3dcgi.com/

I think that it really depends on the game, some work some ways, and others work other ways. A lot of the time a certain combination will work geat once, and not work for anything else. There are just some aspects of games that simply can''t be quantified. It either works or it doesn''t.

Deus Ex is an interesting example. The plot is pretty linear, and there are several things that happen along the way that you have no choice over no matter how much the developers try to make you feel in complete control. Yet even with the linear plot, you really feel like you have complete freedom and control, when really, you dont.


Anyway, decide which combination of game elements you want in your rpg, which aspects you''ll focus on, and how linear you want the story, then balance all the other variables to those initial opinion-based decisions.