CLEST'S PROFILE

author=Feldschlacht IV link=topic=2377.msg41715#msg41715 date=1225769542
Then no offense, but that's just not using common sense. It's almost universally implied that only locations important for the games plot are depicted, and the rest are just implied to be there. If someone makes the conclusion that 'LOL THERE'S REALLY ONLY SEVEN TOWNS' then everyone is going to assume that person is dumb.

That specific point is a good one, I'll give you that. I'll try to think of something. Can you think of another example?

Actually, if the WORLD map which encompasses the whole world (again you can circle it) doesn´t show other locations neither any NPC at least hint at those locations, they don´t exist. It is a different story with Suikoden for example, where you just see sections of the world and still ppl talk about places you never visit so you actually know there is something else.

Let me exemplify it better: We live on Earth and we only know Earth and a bit of its suroundings, so it is still possible for me to believe that there is inteligent life in other planets. Now If I had an universe map which could show me everything on any planet and it wouldn´t show signs of inteligent life oufide Earth, I wouldn´t believe in extraterrestrial life anymore.

I can believe anything until it is PROVEN otherwise and what world maps do is exactly register all that a world has at least on the surface, just in miniature.

What I am pointing is just that it is very easy to make the player imagine the world is big and alive, but full world maps are a huge hinder to this.

Note that aside from Figaro, I see no problem with FFVI world as it is, it could very well be a lot of villages scattered all over for various reasons, has enough ports and culture. Figaro is the only thing that always bothered me :P

I even think that south Figaro could have been built where it is for agricultural reasons, but still it would, with figaro´s technology, be wise to build a small port south of the castle to transport goods and soldiers if need be, and that is probably a problem the Empire spotted to take south figato out.

Mog: Greatredspirit said many things that others including you and me said here, just that he picked a different set of words.

In essence he said that in most RPGs you have no defined government system or a system that is described in a way but portrayed in another way.

Also he noted one common political mystery in RPGs: how or if most small cities are governed? This is exactly your notion about Shin-Ra, just that Shin-Ra is the substitute to most castle cities in fantasy RPGs out there: It is a castle city and the rest are just far away isolated cities from which the capital city gets nothing and offers nothing, so how are those cities ever connected?

Even loving FF6 I always asked why in hell was the town of Figaro built so far from the castle and look how complicated it would be to collect taxes/defend the city or get support/supplies from it to the castle.

Regarding roads and ports, well sure that adding an absolutely realistic number for then could compromise gameplay, but the number we see in most RPGs go too far from the limit where cities would become large ports with 5 houses :P

Anyway since everyone is talking about their games...

My setting (it is a setting made for whatever game I decide to do): first of all it is a damn large setting impossible to portray fully in games, but that´s the idea, it is "galactic kingdom" with 7 solar systems and more than 40 planets not to mention natural and artificial satelites and space stations.
My games will usually cover sections of those settings and when it comes to planets you never roam through a full world map, but just visit certain regions of the planets.
The government system is similar to feudalism in which you have a king rulling over the galaxy, and a system lord to each solar system, however you still has governors for each major city and the really small villages tend to be run by mayors.
Taxes are collected easily due to the fact that transportations are common, from trucks to space ships. There are passenger ships flying between planets constantly.
Communication is made though devices linked through small satelites spread around the planets which provide data transmission through any computer-like device, this dapa may include sound, images, text etc.
Monsters are hardly a problem since they only live in areas far from human dominated areas.

Great point, specially since deep and explorable setting is the only thing an RPG has that no other media has.

For that I always start development by defining a setting and then the inteligent beings who live there and from that, their societies and culture.

It is sad how most of the time this is really ignored and in many cases, the world revolves around the hero and the hero´s mission when it should be the opposite. FF7 is exactly the case, everything seems to exist in the game for the sake of the heroes and their story.

Also I shall note some more examples of good political/society development in games (some are Tactical, but still FFT was too):
-Tactics Ogre
-Front Mission: With the internet in recent games you can, view facts from all the series in newspaper sites and you can visit industrial and governamental sites as well as the completely believable economical alliances/blocks presented in there.
-Phantasy Star 1, 2 and 4: Intheresting covering on planet colonization and how ppl view history even when most records are lost (this mainly from 2 to 4).
-Super Robot Wars OG

Now it is a challenge, yay!

Harmo: The black dragon looks nice, now I have a better idea of what you want :)

Will look better if someone else enters...