GTMATT'S PROFILE

I went back and re-read some of the older posts - the idea makes more sense.

I still think games with story benefit from a safety valve, to appeal to different kinds of players. In an rpg, grinding is the safety valve to beat a hard puzzle. In a game like Zelda or MGS, twitch skills are a way to overcome that one difficult puzzle you hate without having to solve it, and keep the plot going.

Then again, each game is the unique vision of its creator and the various influences that inspire it, so my own opinions aren't law. I just humbly suggest making your game accessible to those who like the style of your game but don't share your persistence in willingness to solve particularly tricky challenges.

Back on the real topic:
One way to fill in a hundred battles without running out of interesting challenges but also without sacrificing quality is to repeat a previous challenge but in a new context. That way, you're rewarding them for recognizing that they can bring the context of a previous encounter into something similar. For example, if you have rock enemies that have 10x defense until you use a hammer tool to break their shell, revisit that later on in an insect hive where the hammer can be used to break a thick carapace. An added benefit is that tools used in one dungeon don't become forgettable or just gimmicks to open passages.

Even better, let two different old tools or skills make the mob with the thick carapace vulnerable in different ways. Maybe the hammer opens up physical vulnerabilities while levitating him makes it harder for him to hit players.

There's no universal formula for word counts in games.

Minimal dialogue can be used as a strategy for creation tension, vagueness, and confusion when it facilitates the theme of the game. Part of the reason Super Metroid and SOTC benefited from scarce dialogue was because you were a lone adventurer exploring a strange, alien word. It makes the player feel more isolated.

Contrast that with games where you're really trying to characterize the actors. There, you might want a lot of dialogue and even indicate what characters are thinking.

I do agree that visual cues tend to be more compelling than tossing an IRC /me into a text box, but you work with what you have.

Working on a secret project and decided to lurk on a few forums to get a barometer reading as far as what the RPG fans of 2010 are into.

I was kinda suprised to see that this particular community is run by oldbies and veritable ancients from days long past- I was really active in the rpg95 scene and the early days of rm2k. Was more of an IRC guy, and never released any games.

Glad to see that you guys are still up to no good and that actual full games (that sound really cool) have been finished.

If your game is going to be jRPG style, then dropping players into the world with no guidance will differ from what they're used to, and you risk alienating them.

Then again, it takes bold steps to innovate. It's a toss-up.

If it's a wRPG, players are likely going to be more amenable to sandbox-style play.

An open start like that does sacrifice an opportunity for tight narration, which works in a game that's quite open-ended, but not so much in a game that eventually railroads the player into one quest. It's important that players KNOW what kind of game it is- otherwise they might misinterpret your intentions.

If I start a game up and I don't know what to do, I'm likely to go on gamefaqs or a forum. If I find out that what to do next can launch me on several different independent paths to success, I'm pumped. If I find out that I'm supposed to find 1 of 7 wisemen who will all put me on the same quest, I'll assume narrative error on the part of the creator for failing to make that clear sooner.

In your defense, I can think of a few good RPGs where the player is tossed into the world without being told what to do:

-old ultimas
-darklands
-legend of mana

Darklands totally pulled off the "just do stuff until you find out the real central plot" while LoM was more the "Do stuff to get on one of several paths to success that ultimately lead into the central plot"