TELL CRAZE: WHY IS YOUR RPG FUN?

I cater to masochists and offer them pain.

(Serious answer? Maybe when I get home.)

I think my RPGs are fun because they...

- have difficult battles that encourage the player to strategize for success/efficiency
- feature a wide variety of puzzles in dungeons to break up the action (of which push blocks are a minority)
- reward players for exploring and being observant
- are well-written with easy to follow stories that are still interesting enough to keep things moving

To be honest, though, I've never really considered my 'target audience' and I'm not sure I even HAVE one. I'm not at all familiar with the tastes of RPG fans, let alone the subsections of that genre.

To Arms! is fun because:

-You get to customize, outfit, and choose the class and skills of a BUNCH OF D00DS! It is like the fun of being able to customize one dude (see MAGE DUEL) multiplied by THE NUMBER OF D00DS THERE ARE. And To Arms! has MORE D00DS (tm) than the next game.
-You then get to use all of the abilities and equipment of all of your D00DS in pitched battles against deadly enemies! The excitement is challenging and strategically deep; abilities are varied AND balanced. Convenient custom-systems help keep you from getting overwhelmed by the number of d00ds you are commanding; eventually, your entire army is a flawless extension of your will.
-To Arms! has no exploration or puzzles! 100% of the energy that would have gone into them has gone into the battle system, and the story (see below). Whether this will make the game more or less fun depends on the kind of player you are, but don't knock it till you've tried it.
-To Arms! has an episodic, relatively complex, dark and highly political storyline which will evolve significantly over the course of several episodes. In addition to having likable characters and witty banter, there is a plot involving medieval intrigue and real human drama that should be great fun for kids and adults alike (not kids, never kids, only adults). Like a lot of my old games (pre-Mage Duel stuff) To Arms! has lots of cutscenes, and they are very cinematic.
-(Somewhat) Shiny Graphics! Good for your eyes!
-Original Sound Track! Good for your ears!
-Tired of games with whiny teenage protagonists? Your main character in To Arms! is a GRIZZLED OLD MAN WITH A SWORD who begins the game by beating a ten year old boy over the head with a wooden sword to MAKE HIM LEARN. And this is the GOOD GUY!

I am still waiting for someone to say why these make their games fun, instead of just "LOOK AT ME AND MY GAME PLZ" advertising.

Then again, I suppose I'm dealing with RMers.

@Chaos:

The only way you could get a more low level (in the technical or programming sense) dissection of WHY my game is fun is to...play (or I guess develop) my game. (Well actually, reading all the blogs might help too.) I responded directly to the exact wording of Craze's question. If it came out sounding like an advertising pitch, maybe the question should be more specific? Because right now the question basically reads as:

"Pitch (in a Hollywood executive sense) your game to me."

What kinds of people are you expecting to find your RPG fun?

People who like customizing units and fighting in pitched strategic battles.

Do you offer the types of challenges/rewards that interested that kind of player?

Yes (see post above).

Edit: I don't know if this justification was necessary, maybe you didn't even read my post before making that comment. Not everything is about me, got to write that one 100x on the chalkboard.

I have read the reading documents, they are why my game is what it is.

I'm here not to talk about my game, but what I think is the funnest RPG is... I am replaying Dragon Quest 3 for GBC. The graphics are a lot better, but less bright. They are very dirty. Its still the same game, but with bonuses. Because this is my 20th time through the game, I made sure to pick the shittiest party I could.

The game was so fun to me because you can do what you want. Its your game. You aren't playing a character or following a story. You are just playing. That's why that is so fun to me :-)

post=135553
I am still waiting for someone to say why these make their games fun, instead of just "LOOK AT ME AND MY GAME PLZ" advertising.

Then again, I suppose I'm dealing with RMers.

I did. But I'll break it down for you in point form.

1) I find it fun and fun is subjective.
2) I facilitate that objective by play testing and taking out non-fun parts
3) I expect to find my own game fun, and people with tastes similar to mine.
4) Naturally, I design things that I thing I would find fun in the game.

I would like to reiterate more concisely that my entire post is about why. Maybe it is a little too high level (again, in a programming sense)?

Fine. I will do the same thing that Kentona did and lay it out for you.

1) I makes games that I find fun and fun is subjective.
2) I expect to find my own game fun, and people with tastes similar to mine.
3) Naturally, I design things that I think I would find fun in the game.
4) To that end, I enjoy games that reward me with cutscenes and plot twists after exploring a dungeon or fighting a tough boss battle. Storyline is what usually keeps me playing a game. Unraveling that mystery. Seeing if my predictions come true. Hence, I strive to attain this in my games.
5) Also to that end, I enjoy games that don't have good versus evil. I like to have some juicy ethical dilemmas and no-win situations to ponder. It's something to think about while grinding. Hence, I strive to attain this in my games.
6) Speaking of which, I like some grinding -- it's a peace-of-mind experience, much like fishing. However, I like grinding with a twist, whether that be from unique skills or a unique character-building system. Hence, I strive to attain this in my games.
7) I like puzzles. I like dungeons that look pretty. I strive to attain this in my games.
8) Like many people, I don't like getting a game over ten times in a row, unless the battle is short. Thus, I try to balance out games as best as possible.

Why am I going over this? Like kentona, I already explained "why" in my initial post. Chaos, I found your remark somewhat of a cheap shot.

Of course people will be listing things which they think makes their own game fun, because the things we find fun differ more or less for the all of us. When it comes to RPGs I personally think the funniest part, or at least which hooks myself into the game for hours is the micromanagement, as in, the character customization.

Being able to build the type of character you prefer and then seeing how well you manage with your own type of character or a party you have formed from all the obstacles that are set before you.

This is what I pay most attention to when I want my game to be fun: the character customization systems - player being able to make through the ordeals with their own set ups.

Oh and I like funny characters in funny situations, though I'm not so good at it myself.