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Incline Things in RPGs that make you happy

Morkar Left

Guest
Open world
Travel mechanics which are more than just pointing on a point at the map. Traveling as an integral part of the adventure.
6-8 Party members
skills that aren't combat skills
different solutions for a quest / problem (not necessarily in dialog but sneaking / stelaing / taking another route / solve a riddle etc.)
choices when leveling up
a good economy
horses and horseriding combat (stilljust wishful thinking)
 

Terpsichore

Arcane
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
1,789
Location
why
Attention to details, discovering little things here and there, lore, secrets, etc. Basically a game that had a lot poured into it, and not just for quotas and sales but for the sake of a better game. Also interesting and unique loot, not just stat sticks on a linear progression.
 

Mexi

Dumbfuck!
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
6,811
Choices where the line between good and bad is blurred.

Well-written companions.
 

Artyoan

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
632
-A large variety in armor/robe aesthetics
-Spells and skills that offer non-combat utility. Others here mentioned MM6 which is a great example.
-Gold/Currency stays relevant for the majority of the game even if you spend conservatively
-Unbeatable, or near unbeatable, enemies roaming areas you are in at the early game that you must avoid until the late game
-Consumables are greatly limited on how many will be available for use mid-combat
-Hybrid classes aren't grossly inferior and have something to offer that neither parent class does

It's the only game I've found that does it but Dragons dogma's pawn system has me itching for games with extensive character creators for atleast half my party if not the whole thing and they retain enough personality so as to feel quite different. Makes me wish more rpgs did something like this since user generated content can be so unique.
 

miles teg

Scholar
Joined
Jan 18, 2015
Messages
130
I recently played Ultima IV for the first time and I didn't expect the the dialog system would work so well. There is something fascinating in having to actual type something (even if it's just a word) to get a response. It really makes you more involved, even if it's an illusion of interaction. I wish there was a mod that ported this system in Morrowind, so that the lore dump felt less like reading a wiki and more like a real discussion
 

bataille

Arcane
Joined
Feb 11, 2017
Messages
1,073
Items with history and some sort of activity associated with them. For example, the power armour in Fallout of Nevada. Contrary to the core fallouts, to get power armour in that game you have to collect an assortment of clues and bits of information, scour the entire game world for items and parts, come across a few places and people, pass some checks and only then get the armour. Even if you start actively looking into this matter early on, you'll still complete the task very late into the game.
Honestly, I can't remember any cases that are as strong as this one, but milder examples are quite common.

Another borderline mental example is dark souls, but it's got so many historical items that the concept itself becomes trivial and loses much of its meaning.
 

Serious_Business

Best Poster on the Codex
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
3,909
Location
Frown Town
The destiny of Great Men is not to find happiness

Therefore I am happy about everything

HOLLLLLLLLLLLLY SHIIIIIT

I love 'em rpgs

Exp and levelling up and some big goddamn swords

Hell yeah

burp
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
Dungeons that aren't just another hallway with some difficult (random encounter) monster fights. Like the dungeon in FF4 where(almost) every door turns into a monster upon opening it.
 

mogwaimon

Magister
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
1,079
As an addendum to what I posted before, because I'm like fifteen years late to the party but I finally got around to beating Majora's Mask (Yes, I know, it's technically for JRPG section, and yes I know it's been a long time coming but I never owned it as a kid and when I borrowed it from my friend some years back I got stuck on the fucking fish boss)
It's striking how empty recent Zelda games have become since Majora's Mask with games up to Skyward Sword(haven't played BotW yet) completely bungling the NPCs, which really sucks because MM had some really endearing NPCs accompanied by quite a few decent quests. It was a relatively small cast but you build up an emotional attachment to them because they feel like actual human beings instead of cardboard cutouts with a quest attached that you only do for the EXP, so the game gets a lot out of a little. Even feels sort of like an adventure game (You know, Day of the Tentacle and the like) because of the puzzle element to the quests.
It helps that their dialogue actually changes based on the situation, like if you don't do the ranch quests the poor family is basically catatonic with grief over their livelihood being stolen and the impending apocalypse but if you do the quests and come back on day 3 the two girls are in the barn and, you don't really get anything for it but it's worth going back at least once because the older sister is giving the kid an adult drink because she knows it's their last night and the poor kid is oblivious to the whole thing. It's those little things that certain developers *coughBethesdacough* completely drop the ball on and it results in a dead world.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like it when an RPG bothers to give the NPCs some flavor beyond just being a walking quest-giver or some sort of caricature/archetype, or an info-dump. It's the little things.
 

Iznaliu

Arbiter
Joined
Apr 28, 2016
Messages
3,686
As an addendum to what I posted before, because I'm like fifteen years late to the party but I finally got around to beating Majora's Mask (Yes, I know, it's technically for JRPG section, and yes I know it's been a long time coming but I never owned it as a kid and when I borrowed it from my friend some years back I got stuck on the fucking fish boss)
It's striking how empty recent Zelda games have become since Majora's Mask with games up to Skyward Sword(haven't played BotW yet) completely bungling the NPCs, which really sucks because MM had some really endearing NPCs accompanied by quite a few decent quests. It was a relatively small cast but you build up an emotional attachment to them because they feel like actual human beings instead of cardboard cutouts with a quest attached that you only do for the EXP, so the game gets a lot out of a little. Even feels sort of like an adventure game (You know, Day of the Tentacle and the like) because of the puzzle element to the quests.
It helps that their dialogue actually changes based on the situation, like if you don't do the ranch quests the poor family is basically catatonic with grief over their livelihood being stolen and the impending apocalypse but if you do the quests and come back on day 3 the two girls are in the barn and, you don't really get anything for it but it's worth going back at least once because the older sister is giving the kid an adult drink because she knows it's their last night and the poor kid is oblivious to the whole thing. It's those little things that certain developers *coughBethesdacough* completely drop the ball on and it results in a dead world.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like it when an RPG bothers to give the NPCs some flavor beyond just being a walking quest-giver or some sort of caricature/archetype, or an info-dump. It's the little things.

Zelda games aren't usually considered RPGs though.
 

mogwaimon

Magister
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
1,079
Zelda games aren't usually considered RPGs though.

I mean sure, there's no stat block but you get quests to save the princess and you have an inventory and all that. Zelda is one of the early action-RPGs, or at least I've always considered it to be one.

Even then if you don't define it as an RPG, my point still stands. Games with engaging NPCs make me happy. Skyrim's bland world still sickens me to this day, even as a Bethestard who used to stay up all night playing Morrowind at a friend's house on his Xbox
 

Iznaliu

Arbiter
Joined
Apr 28, 2016
Messages
3,686
I mean sure, there's no stat block but you get quests to save the princess and you have an inventory and all that. Zelda is one of the early action-RPGs, or at least I've always considered it to be one.

I think the sticking point is the relative lack of character progression.
 

mogwaimon

Magister
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
1,079
Your character improves through the acquisition of items and gains extra health through either quest completion, collectibles, or defeating a boss monster. I mean, just because the system is simple doesn't mean it isn't there. There's also the fact that Zelda games revolve around dungeon exploration, which is also a staple of RPGs. But again, we're not trying to define Zelda's genre here. I was just pointing out that more RPGs could learn from Majora's Mask NPCs.
 

Alienman

Retro-Fascist
Patron
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
17,042
Location
Mars
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Nice UI. Like for an example book graphics when you decide to read one instead of just a pop-up thingy with text in it. Small stuff like that, it really increase the immershun for me.
 

Iznaliu

Arbiter
Joined
Apr 28, 2016
Messages
3,686
Nice UI. Like for an example book graphics when you decide to read one instead of just a pop-up thingy with text in it. Small stuff like that, it really increase the immershun for me.

Apple tried that with iOS and it ended up going too far.
 

Lurker47

Savant
Joined
Jul 30, 2017
Messages
721
Location
Texas
-A journal system. Automatic or otherwise.
-Tiny utility skills in combat instead of just one big damage spell every level.
-An inventory with decent size.
-An open-ended starting zone so different playthroughs don't feel tedious.
-A mage class.
-Unique-feeling classes in general.
 
Last edited:

Erikolaiz

Educated
Joined
Jul 19, 2017
Messages
81
All the features described in this tribute to the Gothic series. Recommend watching it if you're a fan, it's very well made. Think he covers everything down to the smallest feature, and showcases them well.

 

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