Alrighty. They suck. Even the people who like them think they suck. If there's one thing i've learned in my short time here at GDNet, it's that RPGs are tedious, ill-concieved, abstract pieces of crap. Nobody likes them, but a few people like them *in theory*. I'm issuing a call for the end of "RPGs". If you were thinking of making an RPG, give it up. Your hearts in the wrong place. Anyone who SAYS they want to make an RPG really wants to make one of a few other things... A combat game A M(UD, USH, OO, etc.) A graphical adventure kinda game A management/strategy game So I say SCREW RPGs! They're a stigma, a label we have become dependant on. We think we're cool because we want to make these virtual worlds, when we don't have clue #1 about the real world. Our motivations are wrong. When you sit down to make an RPG, you are really referring to a vast collection of cliches and traditional statistical groups that you want to copy verbatum. Throw in some forgettable characters, and the story from your D&D campaigne 2 years ago, and you've got a game, right? When you have an idea for a game, god please don't call it an RPG! Just start from scratch, designing a system that suits the gamplay/story/resources you want to use to make that game. Assume nothing. Be creative. Trust in your own ability to create something of value without relying on ANYTHING! When I say anything, that goes for all of the idealist crap that landfish himself has spouted out his various orifices in the past few months. If you want to make a combat-based game, perhaps Murder-based experience is the best way to go! Damn the moral or ethical implications! Damn the abstraction! Damn it all! If you have given thorough pontification to a systmes compatability to your idea, and aren't accepting anything simply because it goes with the traditional package, you'll be well off! NEVER, EVER MAKE AN RPG! Make a game! And make it a good one! Or I will come to your house and *0*&* the (&%^*&^ with your (&^&^32#@# and a hampster. Thank you for your time. Edited by - Landfish on 6/20/00 6:26:02 PM

Okay man, RPG''s are stories told by someone where the reader gets to perform actions that help determine the inevitable outcome. Your statments about never making an RPG are quite rediculos. Yes i agree if you want to make a game, make it good, but most people clasify games under genres. What you are saying is to total obliterate the type of games that tell a compelling and enjoyable story. It''s like saying "burn all fary tales" it''s not going to happen. YES! there are some developers who are turning the genere into a cpyright/idea borrowing paradise, and on top of that, again you are right there are RPG''s with no story to even speak of, but do not put down those developers who wish to create a compelling story and good gameplay simply becasue of some rottem apples.

One could just as well make a plea to stop making 3D first prospective shopoters becasue no man or bookcase can hold the entire multitude of them..(has anybody ever tried this? how many shelves would it take to hold every 3D FPS?

but back to the subject, it''s funny to see personally, and i''m truly sory that you have played one too many badly developed RPG''s but to tell peope to stop making them becasue they suck no matter what..... that''s just plain dumb!

/* the vies expressed in this post are my own, and wholy open to being flamed, but you are warned that the author also has a flame tounge, so do it in private not whre everybody can see how ... you are.....
*/

pheonixcross@hotmail.com
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"I''m going to go and repair my igloo now"

I don''t care if i get flamed for this, but landfish, I respect your opinion, I just don''t agree with it...at all. I have been driven to RPG''s because FPS is senseless shooting with a story attatched, Action/Adventure are great, just don''t give me the story that I get in an RPG, a long novellike experience. That is what I want from RPGs. Not primarilly gameplay, not just action, not just adventure. It feels great to level up and see what massive damage you can do atyour new level, or after buying a weapon how much more damage you do to an enemy. People seek this kind of thing - to level up - to gain in status...I mean for crying out loud people on this dang forum do it! They go from Initiate to ????, and you can''t tell me that it doesn''t feel good to get out of the initiate level and on to other higher things!! This is definately a thing that people play RPGs for. Why are they a stigma, or a label we have become dependant on? Because they are the kind of thing we all want to do. Someone one day asked me why I play them when it takes me forever to get to a fight, and all you do is go back and forth. I couldn''t explain why, I just like them. I hope this post doesn''t make me hated, especially by you landfish, I really do respect your opinions, and you have really enlightened me but I had to defend my position. No offense.

Leveling up is fun, for about 2 seconds. I say leveling up is the worse thing that ever happened to storytelling/role playing. I remember getting dumped a level in my paper/pen days because i mentioned my level to a NPC. This was the best DM i ever played with. I''m not trying to prove my stupidity here (i''ll do that later), rather how unimportant levels are to the genre of RPG''s.

Actually, maybe we don''t need the classification "RPG". What does it say anyhow... your character has stats? you can level up in this game? or how about, maybe you''ll get lucky and finish the game the way you''d like to.

Who PLAY''s a ROLE anyhow? Do you?





The measure of intelligence is in the question not the answer.

=)




"Learn to hate what you love. In order to truly love, you must be intimately familiar with it''s weaknesses, and love it nonetheless. Otherwise you are merely diluding yourself."

Let me just say, I love contradicting myself. I love it when others contradict themselves, too. It''s only then that you really have to think about what someone has said, rather than assuming you understand.

What does RPG mean, boys? Can someone tell me that? EXACTLY what are these things? Not "Role-playing game". What are they? How do they differ on a basic level from anything else?

If I were to make an extensive, semi-linear (branching plot paths), realtime combat, historically researched, horror-game, where the character assumes the role of someone plunged deep into ambient intrigue surrounding a small Wallachian town called Rothel in the year 1223... is that a roleplaying game? No playerside statistics, not hit-point systems or levels. Minimal management. Play control sharp enough to be considered an action game, but with a VERY strong plot and divergent pathways on a scale you would only see in an rpg? NPC interaction is crucial to the storyline. Game isn''t combat centric.

IS THIS STILL AN RPG?

No suprose encounters. No "go here to get this object and take it there". Is this STILL AN RPG?

When my characters speak in voice over, and everything is motion captured, is it an RPG?

What do you think?

Paul Cunningham, I like you. I''ve only seen about three days of posting, and already, you''re contradicting the hell out of yourself. That last post is some of the truest truth I''ve ever heard, and some of your other posts make me want to scream. Keep up the good work!

quote: Original post by Landfish

Paul Cunningham, I like you. I''ve only seen about three days of posting, and already, you''re contradicting the hell out of yourself. That last post is some of the truest truth I''ve ever heard, and some of your other posts make me want to scream. Keep up the good work!

Thank you Matyr of Chaos LandFish. I shall keep up that good/evil work. Hmmm... what next.


The measure of intelligence is in the question not the answer.

I fully agree with Landfish here. We should be trying to NOT
write to a genre, everyone should have a natural style that
shows in their games. Let the game players/reviewers/marketing
people decide what pigeon hole to stick your work into. Just
make it a natural thing.




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Disco Love For Everyone

Spaz, I agree with both your statement and your signature. =)

I think the Chicken of the Sea forgot to take his nap...hehe
I agree w/ you Landfish...the sooner we remove the name RPG, the sooner we can just make a damned good game. FPS''s are starting branch out w/ more interactivity, and so shall the Genre Formally Known As RPG (GFKAR).