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FIDDLER ON THE AIRSHIP: THE BEST TRADITIONS IN RPGS
Posts
karins_soulkeeper
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CloseNot all rpgs have this, but I like those low-tension portions of the game that have nothing in them but character development. This doesn't count anything before everything goes wrong though. What I mean are those brief 'breathers' sneaked usually before the build-up of a climactic event. It helps attach me to the characters and motivates me to slog through the pile of hellspawn, in hopes of another similar event somewhere up ahead.
I played an RPG to role-play, not to terrorise the goblin population for lewt.
And role-play, I shall.
I played an RPG to role-play, not to terrorise the goblin population for lewt.
And role-play, I shall.
author=emmychauthor=Feldschlacht IVYesssss <3author=LuchinoThis is a great one. Not that all sidequests have to be this way, but sidequests that flesh out either the world, characters, or the plot are awesome and proves that you're putting in serious work.
- Sidequests that don't act as filler, but rather gives some back-story to your PCs or even the villains.
You know the loyalty quests in Dragon Age and Mass Effect? Where you hang out with a specific party member and get to know them better? Those are tHE SHIT <33333
I agree. Bioware didn't invent the concept of 'character quests', but they have definitely helped refine them as opportunities for real character development and interaction, and your party members growing closer as a team.
I'm with LockeZ on the X of X stuff, completionist that I am I like knowing there is something I'm missing so I can go and hunt it down. Seriously, bestiaries for the win for me.
However the world building stuff is really what makes me happy in games, fleshing out the character's via non-obligatory side quests, lore in books and scrolls, key items that can only be used by a certain party member (weapons being the prime example) gravestones with 'kiiled fighting the in war of X' type stuff that adds to the immersion of the world.
There is also a feature that used to be de riguer in RM games but isn't so much anymore, the HQ or home base. I think it used to be there to allow swapping out of party members but once scripts were written to do that on the fly they seemed to disappear. I always used to like picking up items and sending them home to find the next time I went there they were displayed or referenced. It gave the impression that the whilst the focus is on the party there is a world out there with everyone else doing their thing.
However the world building stuff is really what makes me happy in games, fleshing out the character's via non-obligatory side quests, lore in books and scrolls, key items that can only be used by a certain party member (weapons being the prime example) gravestones with 'kiiled fighting the in war of X' type stuff that adds to the immersion of the world.
There is also a feature that used to be de riguer in RM games but isn't so much anymore, the HQ or home base. I think it used to be there to allow swapping out of party members but once scripts were written to do that on the fly they seemed to disappear. I always used to like picking up items and sending them home to find the next time I went there they were displayed or referenced. It gave the impression that the whilst the focus is on the party there is a world out there with everyone else doing their thing.
Aegix_Drakan
6037
author=LockeZ
I think readable books are one of my pet peeves, actually. I hate that there's an entire bookshelf with two sentences of text on it. I sort of hate examinable objects in general. It's a cheap cop-out to let the storyteller engage in masturbatory ~~~world-building~~~ that has jack shit to do with the plot. If what you were telling me were actually relevant, it would be conveyed through a cut scene.
That's....Exactly why they're optional?
So that people who like the game's world can learn more about what makes it tick, and have the option to learn more, while not keeping the "I want to complete the story, important bits only PLZ" people tied down?
I like to use them to flesh out the world in way that the main plot doesn't quite require. Example: You can skip all the readable stuff in the final dungeon of Illusions of Loyalty (some of which talks about an upcoming optional boss, some of which refers to a previous boss, and some of which hints at an unseen twist in the political conflict you're involved in), and not miss anything (The optional boss battle remains a surprise, the previous boss just remains a "thing that ambushed you", and the extra twist to the political conflict is brought up in the next major scene).
The only time I've really broken form the optional world-building-if-you-want-it-but-you-don't-need-it was Heresies of Discord, where it was the entire POINT. You're investigating a long-abandoned shrine where no one has really set foot for centuries and you're trying to find out what is was used for. Of course there aren't going to be people down there to interact with, meaning you have to rely on information left behind by the people who one used it!
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
I can see some of the issue, in that a lot of worldbuilding stuff isn't exactly germane to the story or gameplay. Since things like books are assumed to be "the most interesting/important info on this shelf," it'd be best if the creator(s) put either something that applies to the characters/story, or something that's thematically similar to support the overall narrative.
Which isn't to say that worldbuilding couldn't be used in that way, just that a dry history tome in a castle isn't the best way to express it.
Which isn't to say that worldbuilding couldn't be used in that way, just that a dry history tome in a castle isn't the best way to express it.
yeah lockez i really don't get your point.
Another thing I really like is when you can use the triggers (L2/R2) to switch sub-menus. Tales of Zestiria would greatly benefit from this, but the menus already use the bumpers for character switching and the triggers for specific stuff within the sub-menus. =| It was one of my favorite things in Xenosaga 3 and Dissida 012 though.
Another thing I really like is when you can use the triggers (L2/R2) to switch sub-menus. Tales of Zestiria would greatly benefit from this, but the menus already use the bumpers for character switching and the triggers for specific stuff within the sub-menus. =| It was one of my favorite things in Xenosaga 3 and Dissida 012 though.
lockezzzz whyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY U TAKING AWAY THE BEST THING ABOUT PARASITE EVE 2
no i really liked getting in the hotel rooms and "it's an old tv. It will work with a 50c ooin" or "From the window you can see the restaurant a few blocks from here. Wait! Something is moving inside it..."
kjdfbgvdjfhvkfjk it was so good
also also i can't really pick a thing. I like rpg tropes. All of them. Nothing in RPGs annoy me.
no i really liked getting in the hotel rooms and "it's an old tv. It will work with a 50c ooin" or "From the window you can see the restaurant a few blocks from here. Wait! Something is moving inside it..."
kjdfbgvdjfhvkfjk it was so good
also also i can't really pick a thing. I like rpg tropes. All of them. Nothing in RPGs annoy me.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If you like worldbuilding then by all means share your love and affirmation for it in this topic. But to me the only kind of good worldbuilding is the kind I don't notice, just like special effects - when I realize it's happening, it feels like it's for the writer's benefit alone, at the expense of the player.
I'm not saying this is an objective truth! Just that people shouldn't assume that just because something is listed in this topic, that it's a good thing to do.
I'm not saying this is an objective truth! Just that people shouldn't assume that just because something is listed in this topic, that it's a good thing to do.
I fukkin' love world maps for no sufficiently rational reason. I even had a poster of the FF6 one on my wall (and I want to get better ones besides what I take from old Nintendo Power magazines)
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
author=LockeZ
I'm not saying this is an objective truth! Just that people shouldn't assume that just because something is listed in this topic, that it's a good thing to do.
I think most of the readers here are capable of understanding the difference between opinion and fact, especially given the "I" phrasing of most of the posts.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Generally my opinions are facts though.
hedge1
862
Since no one has said it yet, one part I love is the airship you can walk around in and fly around in. Bonus points if there's also a reason to walk around inside it (like free heals, shops, party changes, etc).
Darken
3952
Don't really have anything specific to elaborate on so I'll just list off random things I can think of
-Cultists that totally don't represent religion but do. And you end up fighting arch demon thing in a secret church under the town.
-Hiding a terrifying monster in a super tiny unexpected place (see FF8's jurassic park as a training area)
-Town in an impractical location
-There's actually something behind the waterfall
-Sound effects in any 2D Squaresoft game
-When an alternate setting tries to substitute for fantasy elements (sandwiches instead of potions)
-A job system that has shitton of jobs but is completely unbalanced for that quantitative reason
-No voice acting, no giant portraits. Just chibi characters communicating via text boxes. I like this format a lot.
-When you're level 1, got a stick, and wondering how long it'll take you to upgrade to that sweet armor. Basically the beginning of any RPG that doesn't set you up to be a badass right away.
-Similar to the last point, when your character is alone and down on his luck. Really is only emphasized in some RPG Maker games.
-When you do nonsensical mini games right after an important horrifying event happens, further enforced by the down on his luck protagonist.
-Prerendered backgrounds
-Big fucking tree somewhere for some reason
-Cultists that totally don't represent religion but do. And you end up fighting arch demon thing in a secret church under the town.
-Hiding a terrifying monster in a super tiny unexpected place (see FF8's jurassic park as a training area)
-Town in an impractical location
-There's actually something behind the waterfall
-Sound effects in any 2D Squaresoft game
-When an alternate setting tries to substitute for fantasy elements (sandwiches instead of potions)
-A job system that has shitton of jobs but is completely unbalanced for that quantitative reason
-No voice acting, no giant portraits. Just chibi characters communicating via text boxes. I like this format a lot.
-When you're level 1, got a stick, and wondering how long it'll take you to upgrade to that sweet armor. Basically the beginning of any RPG that doesn't set you up to be a badass right away.
-Similar to the last point, when your character is alone and down on his luck. Really is only emphasized in some RPG Maker games.
-When you do nonsensical mini games right after an important horrifying event happens, further enforced by the down on his luck protagonist.
-Prerendered backgrounds
-Big fucking tree somewhere for some reason
hey darken do you like balmung cycle by any chance
i will admit that i LOVE the "down on your luck"/"L1 with just a stick" feeling though. it's always my favorite part of oldschool rpgs, before they get samey and you cast firaga every turn. FIGHT TO SURVIVE
i will admit that i LOVE the "down on your luck"/"L1 with just a stick" feeling though. it's always my favorite part of oldschool rpgs, before they get samey and you cast firaga every turn. FIGHT TO SURVIVE
Darken
3952
Could never get into balmung cycle for some reason. one of those games I've always started up but eventually forgot about it / lost the save file / switched computers etc. I'd say half my list probably applies to The Way since it constantly swapped out party members just so you could be on your own half the time and constantly reminded you how much you/Rhue sucked at the plunge system.
author=PizzaI was going to say the moments characters are charming and talk to each other but you already have me circled.
Let's see...
I love side events featuring the main cast, or even the villains just goofing off. The Tales Of series is good for this, and Final Fantasy has its moments as well. It's nice to be able to see the characters act like real people every once in a while, and chill out at a campfire, or hot spring, or restaurant, for no other reason than they just want to. The piano practise in FFV comes to mind, as does the entirety of the Gold Saucer in FF7.
I think FFIX did it particularly well. I loved the active time events, especially when concerning the guards at the gate, gosh they were so funny at times.
author=Feldschlacht IVI'm gonna jump on this bandwagon too. Heck several sidequests I implement are for this purpose. Though I also use it to explore other characters and worlds, in M:R you went off with hilarious space pirates, then ended up working for Satan and one of the Dark Seraphim (Anathema) to see what's all going on, then you're fucking dimension hopping with weird dudes in robes and fighting cats in hell and aliens on Earth and wow.author=LuchinoThis is a great one. Not that all sidequests have to be this way, but sidequests that flesh out either the world, characters, or the plot are awesome and proves that you're putting in serious work.
- Sidequests that don't act as filler, but rather gives some back-story to your PCs or even the villains.
Guess what I'm saying is character-focused sidequests are the fucking best!
VA reminds me: Letting the player rename characters! When I was a kid playing old RPGs I almost never stuck with default names. I'd rename them after myself and friends, references, or silly jokes. When I played WA1 I named Jack after myself and Rudy after the friend who introduced me to the series and I'd tell him as I progressed who was the more useful party member.
Really I just want to tell the political adventures of intrigue and betrayal of Dongs McKenzie
Really I just want to tell the political adventures of intrigue and betrayal of Dongs McKenzie
EXPLORATION. Incentives to explore every nook and cranny of the world. Games like Star Ocean 3 had rewarding map completion bonuses. (FF4 Remake had it too, but the design in that game was so basic that it doesn't really count). Final Fantasy 12 had all sorts of bonus Espers. Final Fantasy 8 had a ton of spells you could play around with, and obtaining some of them required exploration. Xenoblade had all sorts of collectibles, secret scenes, and quests; it was a single-player MMO, and the environments were GORGEOUS.
I like large, interconnected areas that can be thoroughly explored for bonuses that are both (1) rewarding in and of themselves, and (2) useful for completing endgame content. More and more RPGs are taking from the MMO model of having a loaded endgame, and this is not a bad thing. I want to really feel like I've played in a world and seen everything I can. Too many games just feel...bare. This applies to platformers as well.
In recent years I never had the time to finish a game that had truly large areas. Carlsev Saga 2 was going to be like that but I stopped working on it after making about 500 maps (thankfully some were recycled for Zephyr Skies -=wink=-). Most of my VX Ace games are pretty tightly focused. I got so consumed by detailed mapping (a requirement in exploration-heavy games) that I just couldn't finish large areas due to a busy schedule.
I like large, interconnected areas that can be thoroughly explored for bonuses that are both (1) rewarding in and of themselves, and (2) useful for completing endgame content. More and more RPGs are taking from the MMO model of having a loaded endgame, and this is not a bad thing. I want to really feel like I've played in a world and seen everything I can. Too many games just feel...bare. This applies to platformers as well.
In recent years I never had the time to finish a game that had truly large areas. Carlsev Saga 2 was going to be like that but I stopped working on it after making about 500 maps (thankfully some were recycled for Zephyr Skies -=wink=-). Most of my VX Ace games are pretty tightly focused. I got so consumed by detailed mapping (a requirement in exploration-heavy games) that I just couldn't finish large areas due to a busy schedule.
