Your Preferences in RPGs...?

[Tanjaxxx]

Here are mine, in no particular order;

 

1. Freedom:

 

Of exploration, or choices, of different ways to solve a same quest, of playing the character you want to play as...The thing that bothered me in Poe (Pillars of Eternity) was the stats. Or rather, the fact that a Wizard and a Barbarian both use Intelligence and Might. What if i wanted to create a dumb, blood thirsty barbarian and a squishy wizard...? I couldn't. Not really. 

 

2. Non-goofy graphics:

 

I really HATE cartoony graphics. Old I can deal with, but goofy? No way! This is one of the things that turned me away from Divinity Original sin...that and the feel of the world, which we'll get to in an instant. 

 

3. Serious (Depressing, yet hopeful) world setting/felling with a pinch of ironic humor: I think Arcanum nailed what I wanted a game to feel like. With music, sexism, racism (elves dwarfs etc, that kind of racism), general gloominess, yet, ironic humour; Example, there was a funny memorial that said;

 

"Here lies an Atheist. All dressed up and with no where to go."

 

Despite me being an atheist myself, and a woman (sexist world lol) I really, really loved this setting. But what was best about it, was that you could always raise up in the world and make the people who once called you names respect you (or you kill them lol. :D) 

 

4. Good music (Hopeful, yet depressing):

 

Well....yeah. xD It's my preference. Again; Arcanum, and Poe wasn't too far from it either. 

 

5. Lots of lore, and books that you're free to read:

Poe's lore got me the most. But in Skyrim, I could read books in a more extended way, which was also awesome (Too bad Skyrim's lore didn't get me as much a Poe's though.)

 

6. Character creation is a MUST. 

 

7. Background choices are a HUGE plus in my book. But there have to be many to pick from...

 

8. I HATE voiced player character. 

 

Honestly, it takes away immersion (how you think the character sounds, or how his reaction sounds etc..)

 

9. Skympy or/and no personality in portraits. Besides being pretty or hot lol. 

 

I love playing pretty characters (well, it depends who i'm playing). HOWEVER, I want them to have some actual character. There's a huge difference between my profile picture (The druid elf) who is both pretty and shows character, and some half naked chick who has a plastic face and just looks hot. 

 

A lot of you may mistake this comment for jealousy (or so i noticed), but It's actually just what I think any serious RPer would want (me included)....or would you disagree? 

 

 

-----

 

And that's all for now, I guess....best hey, that's just my view on things, what do you think? )) 

 

 

Update:

 

10. Companions and companion relationships:

 

^^

 

11. I prefer Poe's personality system over the alignment one. 

 

:D 

 

12. Please don't chose who my character is and how he/she feels for me....:

 

*cough* Fallout 4 *cough*

 

13. I like romance....but it has to be my choice, nothing forced down my troth.

 

Also, it's only fair there are lesbian and gay options in as well. Since well...RPG? Freedom??

 

BUT ALSO, I like it as a side thing that adds sparks to the story...if the whole tale was just revolved around some...romance....first of all, what kind of a gaming industry would do such an abomination, and second of all...why?? Thankfully, I've only seen fully romanced based rpgs in text based games (aka choice script). 

Edited April 20, 2018 by Tanjaxxx

[Keyrock]

I'll throw a few out, in no particular order:

 

• Different settings - I am so sick of standard Tolkien-esque fantasy settings and am slowly starting to grow sick of space opera too.  There are so many other settings out there to explore.  Give me wuxia, Indian mythology, wild west, modern espionage, hard sci-fi, anything but the beaten to death standard elves and dwarfes fare we've been getting for decades.
• Turn-based combat - Particularly if it's a party-based game.  If I'm only controlling a single character then real time actiony combat is cool.  If I have to control a party, especially if it's a large party, then give me turn-based.
• Non-combat methods of dealing with conflict.  Allow me to bypass a lot of (if not all of) combat by using diplomacy, deception, stealth, etc.
• Choice & consequence - Real C&Q, not just window dressing.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Keyrock

[Melusina]

- character customisation

- classes - like in Pathfinder RPG

- female male option

- skills, lots of them

- feats? yes please

- great artwork, preferably cartoonish like in Kingdoms of Amalur or NWN2 or one in Ghost of a Tale or Nine Parchments

everything else? Pass.

[kanisatha]

Agree with a lot of what's been said already, especially deep and expansive character development (incl. skills, talents, etc.). Being story-rich, lore-rich, and reactivity-rich are also important. Bust most of all, must be party-based. Not having a party is a deal-breaker for me.

[Katphood]

Good story with a little bit of mystery to it. 

[Heijoushin]

I suppose I like RPGs that allow for a little creativity... so like everyone says, expansive character creation. On the other hand, J-RPGs tend to have very little character customization, so from them I expect a damn good story. 

 

Tone-wise, I'm good with a broad range in theory, though I draw the line at goofy. Divinity Original Sin and Dungeons were two games that should have been right up my alley, but turned me off with over the top cheesy humor.

 

Combat system... uh, this is tricky. I don't like this action mixed with RPG trend in recent years (FF13&14 for example). Either make a good solid action game (like Devil May Cry) or an RPG, but don't do a half-way mess.

[HoonDing]

cute girls

[Fenixp]

RPG-32 is apparently preferred by Russian army, so it would be my choice too as they most likely know their ****.

[Katphood]

cute girls

 

You spelled waifu wrong.

[evilcat]

Good story or The Experience. It is another medium, no CGI will cover bad story.

The experience is when there is no predefined story but it is made up from components in game. Skyrim did it to some degre.

 

The Moments. The small part which are very well planned and are somehow epic, or shattering. Some small bitter sweet substory, or the great revelation. Or just moments of feels. In the end with remember sum of Moments.

 

Branching paths. Preffer games when problem could be solved in my way, by force, smooth talk, thievery, unspeakable rituals.

"Clever" solutions, if i there is situation specific, logic solution, which player can discover. Like using environment against enemies, or preparation.

 

Gameplay over simulation. Prefer if fun parts are numerous, and boring parts sparse. Being forced to enjoy travel gets boring after some time. Unless travel is somehow fun, but even then it gets tedious after several repeticion.

 

Companions. They often offer own story withing story with personality and interaction. And they stick with us, so there is a reason to read their backstory.

It could be connected wih cute waifess. ;-)

 

Things i like, but are not necessery:

Action rpg, acting under time pressure gives extra thrill.

Consistent audio video. Especially if soundtrack is so good it could be listen alone. Graphic for me reached the point when it is no obstacle, so just avoiding glichess or goofy animations and it wil be fine. Copypaste design or empty levels could be a disadvantage. It is more about versality of graphic not precision.

Different setting, there is not so many crpg, and the big one are more on high fantasy side. There is not even good Space Opera crpg out there. Some horror, vampires, Warhammer 40k would be a novelty.

Edited April 21, 2018 by evilcat

[the_dog_days]

1) Fun. The three big name RPGs that came out last year were perfectly fine (BotW, HZD, and Nier Automata), except that I didn't find any of them fun. Fun is an unidentifiable quality that is rooted in opinion, but the most important.

 

2) Nothing is more annoying than pointless or entirely separate gameplay loops (which was my problem with BotW). Having a good, tight-yet-flexible set of gameplay loops goes a really long way.

 

3) When I am genuinely interested in a story I like cut scenes. Similarly, if I don't care about the story I don't want to watch your cut scenes. If a game has a meh story but doesn't use many if any cut scenes this improves its quality (Skyrim, for example). If a game as a great story and has a fair number of cut scenes this also improves its quality (Dragon Age: Origins). I guess you could say that my #3 is cut scenes directly proportional to how engaging the story is.

 

4) Art style (I'm including audio design in this). Everyone has their preferences, but a clear, definable art style goes a long way.

 

5) Deep lore. Back in middle school I bought my first coffee table lore book (Middle Earth; I love the LotR). Now they're practically an addiction. I love deep lore in a setting, but at the same time my interest in the setting wanes if and when the lore becomes inconsistent (Mass Effect, the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Fallout, Star Trek, Star Wars, superhero comics etc).

 

In short, I like games that adhere to an artistic vision, play to their strengths, and don't dabble in things that don't fit just because studio XYZ is doing it and having a lot of success.

[Tanjaxxx]

Good story or The Experience. It is another medium, no CGI will cover bad story.

The experience is when there is no predefined story but it is made up from components in game. Skyrim did it to some degre.

 

The Moments. The small part which are very well planned and are somehow epic, or shattering. Some small bitter sweet substory, or the great revelation. Or just moments of feels. In the end with remember sum of Moments.

 

Branching paths. Preffer games when problem could be solved in my way, by force, smooth talk, thievery, unspeakable rituals.

"Clever" solutions, if i there is situation specific, logic solution, which player can discover. Like using environment against enemies, or preparation.

 

Gameplay over simulation. Prefer if fun parts are numerous, and boring parts sparse. Being forced to enjoy travel gets boring after some time. Unless travel is somehow fun, but even then it gets tedious after several repeticion.

 

Companions. They often offer own story withing story with personality and interaction. And they stick with us, so there is a reason to read their backstory.

It could be connected wih cute waifess. ;-)

 

Things i like, but are not necessery:

Action rpg, acting under time pressure gives extra thrill.

Consistent audio video. Especially if soundtrack is so good it could be listen alone. Graphic for me reached the point when it is no obstacle, so just avoiding glichess or goofy animations and it wil be fine. Copypaste design or empty levels could be a disadvantage. It is more about versality of graphic not precision.

Dofferent setting, there is not so many crpg, and the big one are more on high fantasy side. There is not even good Space Opera crpg out there. Some horror, vampires, Warhammer 40k would be a novelty.

 

If you're looking for a cyberpunk CRPG (Kinda gloomy Sci-fi) I highly recommend Shadowrun Hong Kong. 

As for vampires, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines is from Trojka, and one of the best RPGs out there...you may also want to try their CRPG (Since the vampire one isn't isometric etc) called Arcanum Steamworks of Magic...aka, possibly my favourite game of all time (It's steampunk though.) You also chose your companions in Arcanum, your portrait, your own special background, race etc etc....

 

Now, this isn't an rpg at all, but if you're looking for something spacy, I recommend a strategy game called Stellaris. 

 

Think you'd love at least one of the following. ) 

[Tanjaxxx]

1) Fun. The three big name RPGs that came out last year were perfectly fine (BotW, HZD, and Nier Automata), except that I didn't find any of them fun. Fun is an unidentifiable quality that is rooted in opinion, but the most important.

 

2) Nothing is more annoying than pointless or entirely separate gameplay loops (which was my problem with BotW). Having a good, tight-yet-flexible set of gameplay loops goes a really long way.

 

3) When I am genuinely interested in a story I like cut scenes. Similarly, if I don't care about the story I don't want to watch your cut scenes. If a game has a meh story but doesn't use many if any cut scenes this improves its quality (Skyrim, for example). If a game as a great story and has a fair number of cut scenes this also improves its quality (Dragon Age: Origins). I guess you could say that my #3 is cut scenes directly proportional to how engaging the story is.

 

4) Art style (I'm including audio design in this). Everyone has their preferences, but a clear, definable art style goes a long way.

 

5) Deep lore. Back in middle school I bought my first coffee table lore book (Middle Earth; I love the LotR). Now they're practically an addiction. I love deep lore in a setting, but at the same time my interest in the setting wanes if and when the lore becomes inconsistent (Mass Effect, the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Fallout, Star Trek, Star Wars, superhero comics etc).

 

In short, I like games that adhere to an artistic vision, play to their strengths, and don't dabble in things that don't fit just because studio XYZ is doing it and having a lot of success.

1. Fun; I think the reason we don't enjoy these games are because they're not 'true' RPGs'?

 

I mean, I haven't heard of all you listed, but the Nier one for example, you can't create your own character, and as far as I know, there aren't even dialogue options? 

[Tanjaxxx]

Agree with a lot of what's been said already, especially deep and expansive character development (incl. skills, talents, etc.). Being story-rich, lore-rich, and reactivity-rich are also important. Bust most of all, must be party-based. Not having a party is a deal-breaker for me.

 

Do you like more when you have companions, or when you make the party yourself? 

 

I personality prefer to have a party set up for me, since the ones you make yourself you can't interact with...

Edited April 21, 2018 by Tanjaxxx

[Heijoushin]

I couldn't get into Nier either, but I don't think an RPG is defined by character creation. What is a 'true' RPG to you?

[Tanjaxxx]

I couldn't get into Nier either, but I don't think an RPG is defined by character creation. What is a 'true' RPG to you?

 

I say the word 'true' lightly....but to me personality, it means a lot of things. To narrow it down, let's say the biggest 'rpg' that i don't consider it being a real rpg is the Witcher series...why? 

 

Mostly because you can't even make your own character. You can't CHOSE who you play. The Witcher is just kinda pre made for ya...I'm not saying the Witcher series is bad as far as video games go (far from it), i'm just saying that it's lacking in freedom that RPGs need imo.

 

Like I started above. An RPG should be about freedom. Freedom to explore, to create your own character, to play however you want, solve quests in different ways and all that great stuff....

 

Pillars of Eternty for example, the characters I make there, I love the best. Because they're truly mine. With the personality system and the stats that I can modify for RP only (combat aside, I play on story mod now lol), with such an immersive, personal story...it was great. And what i'd call a 'true' RPG. Despite some minor flaws...

 

So yeah, I guess a real rpg means to me it has to allow you to play who you want, and how you want. ) Personal story is just a huge plus though.  Not needed, but I couldn't get into games lil WoW because I heard there are many great stories in, but none are about your character. 

Edited April 21, 2018 by Tanjaxxx

[LadyCrimson]

cute girls

And cute guys. Don't forget the cute guys. Preferably ones with accents and glasses. Er...what was the topic again...

 

Some years ago I probably would have had a moderate list of specific things I liked/must haves in RPG's (and other genres). But like all my other hobbies where I eventually became so saturated with the styles, tropes, environments, patterns, trends etc. I don't really view things that way anymore.

 

That said, I do tend to prefer party games when I can get them (at least three) over lone heroes, real-time combat, a lot of non-combat "busy work", a large exploration factor and individual character/s that I can personally relate/get into. Or that I at least find amusing. Lack of characters I care about are why Betheda's RPG's generally don't keep my interest for long, for example.

 

But mostly - endorphins. it's all about the endorphins and I find what makes those show up to the party increasingly tends to be unpredictable and surprises me more often than not, these days.

[Tanjaxxx]

 

cute girls

And cute guys. Don't forget the cute guys. Preferably ones with accents and glasses. Er...what was the topic again...

 

Some years ago I probably would have had a moderate list of specific things I liked/must haves in RPG's (and other genres). But like all my other hobbies where I eventually became so saturated with the styles, tropes, environments, patterns, trends etc. I don't really view things that way anymore.

 

That said, I do tend to prefer party games when I can get them (at least three) over lone heroes, real-time combat, a lot of non-combat "busy work", a large exploration factor and individual character/s that I can personally relate/get into. Or that I at least find amusing. Lack of characters I care about are why Betheda's RPG's generally don't keep my interest for long, for example.

 

But mostly - endorphins. it's all about the endorphins and I find what makes those show up to the party increasingly tends to be unpredictable and surprises me more often than not, these days.

 

 

I agree with you 100% on Bethesda games...'their' best game in fact, were the ones they didn't even make lol. Fallout 2 and New Vegas which was Obsidians work.xD

 

I never really, truly consider them to be that 'bad' or that 'greedy' or that much of ****, before Fallout 4 came out though (and then its paid mods'.),,,I can not express in words just how disappointed I was...after all that hype....oh wait, yes i can;

 

They don't allow you to play who you want (you can only have one background, and its linked to your gender...the F?), the voiced PC (player character) ; - horrible choice, they decided for me how my character feels....what??!

 

But then again, even a dev at Bethesda said it was just meant to be a shooter with some rpg elements....well.....in that case, they won but still. God Awful. Fallout is truly in ruins now...for me at least. 

[Tanjaxxx]

 

cute girls

And cute guys. Don't forget the cute guys. Preferably ones with accents and glasses. Er...what was the topic again...

 

Some years ago I probably would have had a moderate list of specific things I liked/must haves in RPG's (and other genres). But like all my other hobbies where I eventually became so saturated with the styles, tropes, environments, patterns, trends etc. I don't really view things that way anymore.

 

That said, I do tend to prefer party games when I can get them (at least three) over lone heroes, real-time combat, a lot of non-combat "busy work", a large exploration factor and individual character/s that I can personally relate/get into. Or that I at least find amusing. Lack of characters I care about are why Betheda's RPG's generally don't keep my interest for long, for example.

 

But mostly - endorphins. it's all about the endorphins and I find what makes those show up to the party increasingly tends to be unpredictable and surprises me more often than not, these days.

 

 

Also Skyrim is great...not the base game (boring asf), but with the mods their fans took time to make. 

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

I couldn't get into Nier either, but I don't think an RPG is defined by character creation. What is a 'true' RPG to you?

 

I say the word 'true' lightly....but to me personality, it means a lot of things. To narrow it down, let's say the biggest 'rpg' that i don't consider it being a real rpg is the Witcher series...why? 

 

Mostly because you can't even make your own character. You can't CHOSE who you play. The Witcher is just kinda pre made for ya...I'm not saying the Witcher series is bad as far as video games go (far from it), i'm just saying that it's lacking in freedom that RPGs need imo.

 

Like I started above. An RPG should be about freedom. Freedom to explore, to create your own character, to play however you want, solve quests in different ways and all that great stuff....

 

Pillars of Eternty for example, the characters I make there, I love the best. Because they're truly mine. With the personality system and the stats that I can modify for RP only (combat aside, I play on story mod now lol), with such an immersive, personal story...it was great. And what i'd call a 'true' RPG. Despite some minor flaws...

 

So yeah, I guess a real rpg means to me it has to allow you to play who you want, and how you want. ) Personal story is just a huge plus though.  Not needed, but I couldn't get into games lil WoW because I heard there are many great stories in, but none are about your character. 

 

 

The Witcher is literally role playing - you're playing a very well defined role and choosing a number of things within it. Now you may not like that role, like so many people don't like the Nameless One from Torment, but it is a role nevertheless.

 

There's no implicit superiority of being able to choose from a bunch of stats, and predefined facial features. God knows, you could make just about anything in Oblivion but the game was utter junk.

 

There was little real freedom in either The Witcher or Torment (or Final Fantasy games for that matter), yet they stand head and shoulders above many 'freeform' RPG games.

 

...There's no hard and fast rules about RPG's, the end product just either works - or doesn't. For example: I had fun playing Pillars of Eternity, but no matter which character I made or how I played the game, (plenty of options there) at the end of the day, the story and a majority of the characters were still quite 'meh' and undermined the value of the entire experience and time invested.

There's no use making a pretty fish for a dirty, stagnant, fishtank - if you get my meaning.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Drowsy Emperor

[Tanjaxxx]

 

 

I couldn't get into Nier either, but I don't think an RPG is defined by character creation. What is a 'true' RPG to you?

 

I say the word 'true' lightly....but to me personality, it means a lot of things. To narrow it down, let's say the biggest 'rpg' that i don't consider it being a real rpg is the Witcher series...why? 

 

Mostly because you can't even make your own character. You can't CHOSE who you play. The Witcher is just kinda pre made for ya...I'm not saying the Witcher series is bad as far as video games go (far from it), i'm just saying that it's lacking in freedom that RPGs need imo.

 

Like I started above. An RPG should be about freedom. Freedom to explore, to create your own character, to play however you want, solve quests in different ways and all that great stuff....

 

Pillars of Eternty for example, the characters I make there, I love the best. Because they're truly mine. With the personality system and the stats that I can modify for RP only (combat aside, I play on story mod now lol), with such an immersive, personal story...it was great. And what i'd call a 'true' RPG. Despite some minor flaws...

 

So yeah, I guess a real rpg means to me it has to allow you to play who you want, and how you want. ) Personal story is just a huge plus though.  Not needed, but I couldn't get into games lil WoW because I heard there are many great stories in, but none are about your character. 

 

 

The Witcher is literally role playing - you're playing a very well defined role and choosing a number of things within it. Now you may not like that role, like so many people don't like the Nameless One from Torment, but it is a role nevertheless.

 

There's no implicit superiority of being able to choose from a bunch of stats, and predefined facial features. God knows, you could make just about anything in Oblivion but the game was utter junk.

 

There was little real freedom in either The Witcher or Torment (or Final Fantasy games for that matter), yet they stand head and shoulders above many 'freeform' RPG games.

 

There's no hard and fast rules about RPG's, the end product just either works - or doesn't. 

 

 

I really dislike when games make a character for me....I'd rather make a deep character myself and play her/him. PoE for example, made it possible to have several very unique characters due to personality system, character creation and deep dialogue options. 

 

I didn't like Oblivion either. I don't like Bethesda games too much, as you could have noticed....

 

Thing is, there's lacking in immerser dialogue. A lot. Even when the PC isn't voiced, they fail horribly IMO.

 

Again though; When I said , 'true' RPG (in ''), I meant only my opinion on what's a true RPG. You can like Witcher or whatever, and you can consider it to be true as well. It just isn't my piece of cake as far as so-called RPGs go.  

[evilcat]

 

If you're looking for a cyberpunk CRPG (Kinda gloomy Sci-fi) I highly recommend Shadowrun Hong Kong. 

As for vampires, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines is from Trojka, and one of the best RPGs out there...you may also want to try their CRPG (Since the vampire one isn't isometric etc) called Arcanum Steamworks of Magic...aka, possibly my favourite game of all time (It's steampunk though.) You also chose your companions in Arcanum, your portrait, your own special background, race etc etc....

 

Now, this isn't an rpg at all, but if you're looking for something spacy, I recommend a strategy game called Stellaris. 

 

Think you'd love at least one of the following. ) 

 

Thanks for recommendation, these are some great games.

I have played all 3 of recent Shadowrun games, they are good. Especially Dragonfall, can really find Story and Glory in it.

Vampire Bloodlines is one of my favorite games, great combination of rpg, action, stealth. It is sad that we dont have more horror, vampire games. Teen suckers was a popular throphe some time ago.

Havent tried Arcanum, it seems to before the point when enought graphic is enought, but may be worth a shot.

And there modern Deus Ex, i never asked for this but it is something else than another fantasy.

 

I like Grand Strategy games (Galactic Civilization, Cities Skylines and such) this games are good example that you can have no story, but the history writes itself. Need to give a shot to stellaris at some point.

Edited April 21, 2018 by evilcat

[kanisatha]

 

Agree with a lot of what's been said already, especially deep and expansive character development (incl. skills, talents, etc.). Being story-rich, lore-rich, and reactivity-rich are also important. Bust most of all, must be party-based. Not having a party is a deal-breaker for me.

 

Do you like more when you have companions, or when you make the party yourself? 

 

I personality prefer to have a party set up for me, since the ones you make yourself you can't interact with...

Yeah me too. The point of having those companions with you is to be able to interact with them and to know that they have their own preferences and agendas.

[melkathi]

I mostly stopped playing RPGs.

Because of "choices that matter" where the choices and consequences are arbitrary forced into the story without truly being mutually exclusive.

and because of the other thing I hate: the insistence of painting everything as morally gray. Things aren't always gray, sometimes they just are black and white, and trying to convince your audience otherwise does not make your story deep, does not make you a good writer.

[the_dog_days]

I mostly stopped playing RPGs.

Because of "choices that matter" where the choices and consequences are arbitrary forced into the story without truly being mutually exclusive.

and because of the other thing I hate: the insistence of painting everything as morally gray. Things aren't always gray, sometimes they just are black and white, and trying to convince your audience otherwise does not make your story deep, does not make you a good writer.

 

Funny you should say this. I was playing Command and Conquer earlier to day and was reminded of how refreshing it was to have a obviously good and bad side.