MKV has it right, what you really should do is tell us what the problems are (with the doc or with the games) and then we can adjust and come up with new ideas. If you have tried all of the ideas from the doc then Great, but I seriously doubt it. What we are discussing in this forum is additions to the doc. Care to share?

OK, now I am wondering if I change the name of the doc so that it emmits the word ''RPG'' as well as removing all references to ''RPG'' in it? Hmm.. Seems like too much of a task, even for such an inconsistency

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

I could write a book about what is wrong in RPGs. That would be like writing a book about what''s wrong in politics or whatever. Everyone knows. It''s nice to talk about these nice features everyone should have in their game. I don''t think RPG-developers are stupid in that sense, even some of the games look like they''re made by complete idiots I mean, they know these things. It''s just that easy way is better way.

Then why is it that I am asking for simple solutions to simple problems? For the most part I have had no trouble implementing some of the easier ones. Why then do professional game developers seem to fail at their task? This is for people who want ideas, not who just want a list of problems... Why do I get flak for writing about the EXACT same things that people have been writing about in these forums. I just sumarised them and put them all in one place... What is the deal with that... Don''t feel that I am coming down hard on you, but you don''t seem to be reasoning for your cause at all. What is your standing and what do you see as problems and the solutions?

Now.. does anybody have something more on topic to say? Or at least constructive?

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

quote: Original post by paulkp

What''s that stupid doc anyway? It was not found when I tried to read it. Besides you people sound like morons when you''re talking about more realistic approach without thinking how it affects to the gameplay. Say, if you get realistic cuts and start to bleed, the gameplay would turn into a nightmare.

This is the kind of assumptions that come along when people assume things based on a genre. Like MKV said, if the rest of the game is built around the fact that combat is potentially devistatingly harmful then it can work. Just because most other RPGs have combat around every corner it doesn''t meant that all games must.




"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd

"Though the course may change sometimes, the rivers always reach the sea" --Led Zeppelin

Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

dwarf, I think that what LF once said is quite true. The reason why the professionals don''t try something new is because they are happy w/ the way things are. Diablo 2(although I only played the 1st) looked to me pretty much like Diablo 1, but it sold like crazy. Baulder''s Gate was pretty shallow but I''m sure it made a ton of money, and now everyone''s copying it.

In a way I can''t blame them for being afraid to take chances considering how much they pour into the development of games, but we hobbyists have the liberty to take chances and I''m glad that we do.

(BTW, I never did finish that site for the Doc...Voodoo''s looked better than mine so I gave up )


"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd

"Though the course may change sometimes, the rivers always reach the sea" --Led Zeppelin

Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

Yeah, the way I see companies going is that they are milking the current system for all that it is worth before they pursue their new thoughts and ideas. This is too slow, and much the way that the computer industry operates at the moment... Diablo II was not like the first. It had a lot more characterisation in it and was faster and more greusome with less waiting than the first. It was a lot better in terms of ideas than the first. I think that it had more depth and better story than the first as well.

Yeah, I am glad to be amature. I would love to stay amature and still earn the dough, because I can then make the games that I like, not the games that people have already liked.

Oh, and about the site, yeah I figured youd given up. Voodoo4''s was really good. I think it was mainly your colour scheme that played it down. Professional goes with black and white (or standard colours). Anyway, I have got the doc up to v00.05.00 and it is about 20,000 words (almost). I am going to do the HTML for this one myself... I will see if I can upload it onto the GDNet articles section or something. They might find it interesting there. I will re-send a request to them

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

Guys, go have a look at www.gamasutra.com NOW, and read the DiabloII postmortem...
I especially like the part where they claim surprise that people thought DiabloII was a lot like DiabloI, when they scrapped over 90% of the original code...

And, it didn''t have a design doc!


People might not remember what you said, or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
~ (V)^|) |<é!t|-| ~

quote: Original post by MadKeithV

I especially like the part where they claim surprise that people thought DiabloII was a lot like DiabloI, when they scrapped over 90% of the original code...

I thought that was quite funny (I read it in the Game Developer Magazine). "My Tetris clone isn''t anything like Tetris, it shares no code with it!"

-Jussi

(quote space for sale (for free (really!)))

The reason that they were shocked was because they didn''t think they had the same setting. The similarities is what renders it another Diablo game. It is more fast paced, but it still has the same system. It may have better graphics but the system is still the same. The general game mechanics haven''t been changed. It was these mechanics which made the game...

I printed out that doc because it was so useful. I might see if I can glean some more ideas from it

PS. MKV, do you post on gamasutra at all?

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

Just informing you all of the NEW UPLOAD. v00.05.00 is up...

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche