What does an ideal cRPG look like to you? What game has come the closest to that idea?

[Tihskael]

For me the game that probably comes closest to my idea is The

Spoiler

Spoiler

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 10th Anniversary Edition for the PC

 

[Sentinel]

Baldur's Gate 2.

 

[Butter]

Grimoire. Even when you're jaded and your dopamine receptors are shot, once in a while you find an RPG that inspires a sense of wonder. You don't know where the boundaries are, and it seems like it always has more secrets worth uncovering.

 

[Darth Canoli]

It's all about art direction, not that it really matters for a RPG.
System, encounter and quest design are way way way more important.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Fallout 2

 

[luj1]

What game has come the closest to that idea?

ToEE / JA2 / KotC 1-2 / Dark Sun / Fallout Tactics

These are the purest CRPGs by form

Isometric + turn-based + squad-based

 

[Nikanuur]

I'd say that probably none of the CRPGs ever made is an ideal one. Strange as it may sound, because I love many. I suppose any game has got some quirks or things I (we) have to put up with. Some worse than others, some just strange, little, unnecessary choices. It makes me sad to see players often shunning the whole product (game) for a few of these. We've always had it like that. Most of the things in our lives are like that. So, I believe a game doesn't have to be ideal per-se to be a 10/10 experience. I think these are really two different points, sadly not many people seem to share that thought.

Anyway, as for the list of the greatest CRPG experiences for me:

1. Betrayal at Krondor for emphasizing the importance of good characters and story in the CRPG experience.
2. KOTORs for awesome AD&D stuff out of the blue in a RPG-dry season.
3. Dark Sun I+II, which are both cute and gritty.
4. ToEE, River of Time, and Wizards and Warriors for being the truest diamonds in the rough.
5. Baldur's Gates for being the first truly epic gaming experience. It actually even intimidated me out of playing initially, heh.
6. Icewind Dale II for being one of the first PC CRPGs to allow for an infinite number of builds and thus replays.
7. Albion (1996) for being a pure CRPG love letter.
8. Wizardry VII. Very frustrating, fondest of memories. My friend was flamberghasted when I told him I could fathom the number and kind of enemies from the type of my hardrive's screeching prior to loading a battle.
9. Last but not least, Wasteland 3.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak from people here, but I'd say the last game is one of the closest things to an ideal CRPG. Not the best of experiences, but the ideal CRPG mynd you. It's because all the necessary features of the CRPG genre are present, none are really bad, some are good, and some even shine. The devs chose the golden middle-grounds for most of the game's features, and that means the game is accessible to both casual players and CRPG veterans.

 

[Tavernking]

Swordflight Chapter 1 was ideal, slowly losing interest with Chapter 2 though.

 

[Tihskael]

I'd say that probably none of the CRPGs ever made is an ideal one. Strange as it may sound, because I love many. I suppose any game has got some quirks or things I (we) have to put up with. Some worse than others, some just strange, little, unnecessary choices. It makes me sad to see players often shunning the whole product (game) for a few of these. We've always had it like that. Most of the things in our lives are like that. So, I believe a game doesn't have to be ideal per-se to be a 10/10 experience. I think these are really two different points, sadly not many people seem to share that thought.

Anyway, as for the list of the greatest CRPG experiences for me:

1. Betrayal at Krondor for emphasizing the importance of good characters and story in the CRPG experience.
2. KotCs for awesome AD&D stuff out of the blue in a RPG-dry season.
3. Dark Sun I+II, which are both cute and gritty.
4. ToEE, River of Time, and Wizards and Warriors for being the truest diamonds in the rough.
5. Baldur's Gates for being the first truly epic gaming experience. It actually even intimidated me out of playing initially, heh.
6. Icewind Dale II for being one of the first PC CRPGs to allow for an infinite number of builds and thus replays.
7. Albion (1996) for being a pure CRPG love letter.
8. Wizardry VII. Very frustrating, fondest of memories. My friend was flamberghasted when I told him I could fathom the number and kind of enemies from the type of my hardrive's screeching prior to loading a battle.
9. Last but not least, Wasteland 3.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak from people here, but I'd say the last game is the one of closest things to an ideal CRPG. Not the best of experiences, but the ideal CRPG mynd you. It's because all the necessary features of the CRPG genre are present, none are really bad, some are good, and some even shine. The devs chose the golden middle-grounds for most of the game's features, and that means the game is accessible to both casual players and CRPG veterans.

You know what, I will check out Wasteland 3 now.

 

[Tihskael]

Swordflight Chapter 1 was ideal, slowly losing interest with Chapter 2 though.

I search the game and all I see is Lilura.

 

[Daedalos]

Fallout 1.

Mysterious and interesting story-hook to get you going on your adventure. That's paramount. Setting a good story-hook is so fucking great when it happens, because you are intriqued to play on and not just fuck about, but actuallly care.
Good satisfying combat that feels good (sound/animation)
C&C to your actions throughout the game
Artstyle and presentation + worldbuilding

 

[Slaver1]

Lots of mechanics taken from Battle Brothers like economy, combat and itemization but with cutting edge Infinity Engine style art, fully modelled characters and fleshed out animations. Then throw in a decent linear storyline and proper characterization.

It seems likes such an achievable, tantalizing goal-- until I remember we're in the gay clown world era with endless indie trash occupying one end of the spectrum and focus tested AAA retreads on the other and nothing in between.

 

[Momock]

Fallout 2.

In short: an open ended open world combined with an open ended main quest solvable by many ways that transpires on everything you do during your adventure.

 

[Jvegi]

I look for immersion and fun mechanics that allow me to express and develop my characters. When I was a kid it was easier for games like unmodded bg2 to satisfy me in that regard, but with experience I hate to sadly state no(?) games are great in all areas in which a perfect crpg should deliver.

The game I have played in my adult life which comes closest, as in I had little to no complaints and was properly immersed while enjoying the mechanics throughout the whole thing, is Fallout 1.

 

[gurugeorge]

It's contextual, relative to the tech possibilities at the time (and me being a graphics whore, the graphics) - so for me the Fallouts, the Betrayals at Krondor, the Infinity Engine games, the KOTORs, the Arcanums, etc. approach that ideal in their different ways, but really only in the context roundabout when they came out. They all have a piece of the ideal that's out there in possibility space: something that combines cutting edge graphics, intricate tactical gameplay, sterling encounter design, a build system with great depth and complexity, and rich story/character development.

But sadly, that's the most expensive and difficult kind of game to make, and yet the potential audience for it worldwide is relatively small (2 or 3 million max probably, with maximum hype, realistically only about 200-500k as a dedicated, steady, and annoyingly nitpicky audience ).

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

Conan Exiles

It's a game that let's you customize and shape just about everything, right down to damage multipliers and enemy spawn rates. It's that way right out of the box so no mods required though it still has plenty of those. No censorship, no wokeness, no underlying agenda or message. It's just kill or be killed. You can build anything you want, do anything you want, there is no compass or objective markers. But it also can't just be an empty sandbox, and Conan has plenty of challenging dungeons with puzzle solving and bosses. I consider it to be the ideal cRPG.

 

[JarlFrank]

The best of Arcanum + the best of Morrowind mixed with the encounter design of Knights of the Chalice.

 

[Nano]

Anything that doesn't have elves.

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

Anything that doesn't have elves.

Not even busty smokin hawt elf waifus?

Spoiler

 

[Nano]

Not even busty smokin hawt elf waifus?

Uh, no.

 

[His Dudeness]

Icewind Dale 1.

1. Uses the best D&D system to date.
2. Classic magic items.
3. Requires you to make your own party, no self inserts from the developer.
4. Dungeon crawling.

 

[Sigourn]

I don't think there's an ideal cRPG.

Like, I could say Baldur's Gate II (which I heard is leap aheads of Baldur's Gate). But I don't necessarily want a party-based cRPG.
I could also say Fallout 2. But sometimes you just want a party-based cRPG.
Yet, sometimes you want a combat-focused cRPG, like Icewind Dale.
Or a dungeon crawler, like Wizardry.
Or a mix of genres, like Deus Ex.

It's pretty much what Nikanuur said I believe. There's just too much stuff out there to narrow it down into a single formula. I don't want to play Fallout my entire life just like I don't want to play Deus Ex my entire life. Different experiences. No ideal cRPG for me. I can tell you what I don't want in a cRPG, and that's a game that wastes my time. And frankly, I've had my share of Beth RPGs wasting my time.

 

[Camel]

Baldur's Gate 2 and Morrowind.

 

[JarlFrank]

Icewind Dale 1.

1. Uses the best D&D system to date.
2. Classic magic items.
3. Requires you to make your own party, no self inserts from the developer.
4. Dungeon crawling.

Except make it turn based.

 

[Camel]

Swordflight Chapter 1 was ideal, slowly losing interest with Chapter 2 though.

Hi, Lilura!