I hate turn based combat. When I see turn based combat I nearly throw up. It never happens in real life, and would be completely stupid (ok, I hit you, now you can hit me). It says to me that the game designers care more about how much the game sells than how original and fun the gameplay is.

Moe''s site

Moe: Although turn-based combat never happens in real life, nor does combat which relies on the speed and precision with which you click your mouse button or press keys on your keyboard. For the common citizen, real-life combat is a matter of someone coming at you with a knife, and you running away or handing over your $700 mobile phone.

Turn-based combat was developed because people like to use a bit of strategy, and have time to think about what they''re doing. In short, some people have a taste for it, but you can''t hope to satisfy everyone.

There is one thing that bugs me in many RPGs. Monsters with levels. In Diablo II, for example, there are many enemies which are just an upgraded version of the ones you fought previously. All they''ve done is upped the stats and recoloured the sprite.

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"so hard and lonely too, when you don''t know yourself" - RHCP

[rant]
I despise RPGs in their current (and past) incarnations. There's no Role-Playing in these so-called Role-Playing Games (What role do you play? Divine animator of all things?) The overworked and tired medieval theatre makes me skip the game instantly, and the hype that accompanies "classics" like the Final Fantasy series just makes me sick.
[/rant]

*Whew!* Got that out of my system.

Since I don't play RPGs (I've probably played a grand total of 6 hours of RPG games), I can't be specific. But I can tell you what I expect just from the name of the genre that I find totally absent:

1. Being limited to a single character - your role - and having to interact with other characters, both members of your party (if you have/lead/join one) and otherwise.



2. Being able to define yourself and grow in the role. Don't tell me my name, don't make me some spiky-haired imp who carries a silly sword half my size (and twice my weight). Don't give me cheesy "boots" that look like Roman Garrison rejects. I happen to have a preference for black leather - you dig?



3. Do not ever force me into any situation. I'm way more interested in simply exploring environments (I don't buy or play FPSes either, because running around frantically killing things bores me. I'm already merciless enough verbally). Give me the option to refuse to go into battle - call it cowardice if you like - and possibly be evicted from my party, or even tried for treason against the state. Give me drama, dammit!



4. Please, please, pleeeeeeeease give me half-way intelligent counterparts.



5. How the hell do you expect me to walk such a long distance? Y'all never heard of horses, carriages and carts, cars and motorcycles? And preferrably some form of transportation with intelligence (either an animal or an operator). Arthur C. Clarke said he dislikes forms of transportation in which he can't read, sleep or think. Hear, hear.
   
   Let me be able to direct my horse in a particular direction and she'll keep ambling while I lean back in the saddle and adjust my Stetson to keep out the sun...



6. Diplomacy. Bartering. Negotiation. Alternative methods of resolving conflict. Unless, of course, you're making a wargame...

There ends my abbreviated list of RPG gripes. Fix at least half of them and you might make an RPG gamer out of me (be warned, I'm an extremely casual gamer. All I play is sports games in exhibition mode and Solitaire).

[Edit:] Formatting.

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Thanks to Kylotan for the idea!

Edited by - Oluseyi on January 15, 2002 7:17:17 PM

quote: Original post by Oluseyi
[rant]
I despise RPGs in their current (and past) incarnations. There''s no Role-Playing in these so-called Role-Playing Games (What role do you play? Divine animator of all things?) The overworked and tired medieval theatre makes me skip the game instantly, and the hype that accompanies "classics" like the Final Fantasy series just makes me sick.
[/rant]

Heh. I love the ''tired medieval theatre'', as do many others (there''s a good reason why it gets reused! ) but I agree with you that many RPGs are overhyped.

I also won''t get into the semantics of "role-playing" since it''s one dead horse that has been well-beaten. Suffice it to say that many of us have differing opinions on what RPG means, which convinces me even more of the need for a new name for such games.

quote: Being limited to a single character - your role - and having to interact with other characters, both members of your party (if you have/lead/join one) and otherwise.

The Ultima games do this, but approach it in a way you would probably find very unsatisfying: you play yourself At certain points, you are expected to live up to certain expectations of your role, and there are consequences for not doing so.

quote: Do not ever force me into any situation.

Final Fantasy 6 seems to do this a lot, which is annoying to me too.

quote: Please, please, pleeeeeeeease give me half-way intelligent counterparts.

In Ultima VII, your party will happily shoot you in the back during combat if you''re not careful Otherwise, they just tend to follow you quietly, interjecting the odd phrase at opportune moments. The Final Fantasy 6 characters are no better.

quote: How the hell do you expect me to walk such a long distance? Y''all never heard of horses, carriages and carts, cars and motorcycles?

Chocobos don''t count? Ultima VII has carriages and carts. They dumped them again for Ultima VIII, I believe.

quote: Diplomacy. Bartering. Negotiation. Alternative methods of resolving conflict. Unless, of course, you''re making a wargame...

Surely that''s all an RPG is... a wargame where your army is pitifully small


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