I have recently come up with an idea for an RPG, but I''m having some designing woes. By default, I would assume that a Role Playing Game would allow the player to choose any role that he would like to take. To do this, I believe that the player must be able to customize everything about his character(s). However, if you give the player this option, you risk having a somewhat flat storyline because you cannot truly develop the character throughout the game (develop within the story, that is); i.e. the game simply becomes a run-around-and-kill-stuff game. However, being able to customize the character to the teeth brings in a wonderful replay value, allowing the player to (essentially) never complete the game in every possible way. So, as a player (not a developer), which would you rather have? A great, immersive story with characters chosen for you or a relatively flat storyline with fully customizable characters? Thanks for any and all insight. ~del

I don''t see why you can''t let the player customize his character without suffering on the storyline side.
Can''t you do both?

the endless replays value of customizable characters does not work.
In the end there is no real difference between customized characters. In the end there are only a few classes and a alternate storyline belonging to each.

hmm rather a story first then a run-around-and-kill-stuff game.

Without doubt fully customizable characters. "Immersive storylines" more often than not, interfer with gameplay. I couldn''t really care less why I''m running around killing stuff and gaining levels. I just want to be sure that its FUN to run around and kill stuff.

IMHO, replay value is way overrated. The game has to be interesting enough so that the player will finish it once.

Now if you like Diablo style pseudo-RPG, why not? But personally, it''s the kind of game I find really boring.

rather enjoy multiple ends not so much determine by how you respond to comments in the game but of like what side quest you do. that whay if the gamer feels like he wants to know more about the story he could take the quest or he could just try in finish the game.after all that said i would enjoy an rpg that has less story than a huge story

I think the idea of a fully customizable character would be appealing, but why does it have to be done through menus and such. The Ultima games had a nifty way of doing it at the beginning by questioning your motives based on 8 virtues. Based on your answers it modified your character.

Having an opening sequence with your character as a child have a set of miniquests that judge how the player controls the character, then extend that to set the characters base attributes. It means more writing, but would be more worthwhile. I also think that the 'ROLE' playing aspect of games needs to be shifted so that every single puzzle/conflict in a game can be resolved by different methods. Why should you have to kill the bandits who are robbing merchants in the forest. Perhaps you could just run them off, or negotiate a protection scheme. Each time the player makes a choice like this the characters stats could be adjusted to meet the type of gameplay.

I also think something needs to be done about tedious level building. Almost every RPG has a point where you run around in circles looking for random encounters that are fast so that you can speed through those few levels; perhaps having a mini quest system, similar to Exile IIIs jobs where you actually get rewards and have goals that also result in you gaining the needed experience.

In summary neither one is good enough for all players; immersive storyline is critical but a storyline that is too static will not have replay value; a game where you can create your character from the start with the abilities and paths you have chosen is not as much fun either. To capture the essence of an RPG you need to creaet a flexible game where the player can change the path the character takes to match the players desires for the game.

edit - forgot the summary paragraph.

[edited by - ChaoticCanuck on June 25, 2003 12:46:57 PM]

Faction standings might play well into this. You could set up a whole "eco-system" of factions. Problem is it becomes a generic world that you manipulate through your decisions.

You would have to set up side quests, and hopefully a main storyline that you decide as a character which role you want to play. For example, evil army attacks and is marching across the continent, will you join the bad side and go on quests for them, associate with the shadier characters in between sides, defend the cities, etc.

I don''t think storyline necessarily has to be hard linear. There could be primary world events that you affect by the roles you play. The story could be becoming aware of the roles that the primary NPCs take (kings, councils, extra-planar beings) and how they interact with each other, and how your actions as a hero affects those relationships as you agree to go on quests as their representatives.

Story line should come first. I doubt I''ll ever play through Final Fantasy 7 again, but it will always be one of the best games I''ve ever played due to it''s great story (and many other factors too, of course) and I don''t feel it lacks anything as a result. Rarely do I play through a game more than once. I''ll play it hard core for a few weeks and then move on to something else, so most games have to impress me the first time ''round. Gameplay is key, of course. I wouldn''t have made it to the end of FF7 if the game itself sucked. The Bouncer had a problem in this department. It had a pretty cool story line and the atmosphere was awsome, but gameplay kinda sucked. However, they''ve pumped up the replay value by allowing you to play through the (relatively short) game over and over again using your character from the last time ''round, allowing hyou to beef him/her up progressively. I played through twice, couldn''t make it through 3 (the story wasn''t great enough for 3 and again, gameplay was weak).

So to recap, gameplay and story line come first, replay value later.

Enjoy!

--He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

I think "replay" value is overrated. All it means is that the developer only has to make half as many area because they''ll be played twice. If you REALLY want replay value, use the NewGame+ concept, where the player can play the game through again, but retain the items and experience levels he gained on first play through. This way you can focus the game on it''s story development.

As for Customized Characters, nothing says you can''t have both. Storywise though, you probably can''t let the player customize his characters, but rather you can consider the backstory as how the character got into his class, and from the game start his growth is dependant on how the player uses him. Since the entire party (i assume there will be more then 1 playable character) will be travelling together, the whole development-story-arc of the character can be completely separated from the development-gameplay-arc, based on the premise that the X characters will always be together and share relatively similiar experiences. "Hey, remember those teenagers we fought in the cave of eternal awkwardness?" "Sure, we were all there."

With a good enough story and the ability to retain all of the player''s effort put into the game already, they could play the game through a second time to really understand the story, and at the same time find all of the items they missed the first time and level99 their characters.