Best RPG? Should I make one?

To me, RPG stories aren't made up of standard story elements, like dialogue, plot, etc. I think creating a believable and interesting setting is more important than any other aspect of storytelling. This doesn't only apply to RPGs, or video games, but I think it's especially important in an RPG. A great RPG is one that you can imagine yourself in, one where the world is worth saving.

 

In my opinion, the keyword for a great rpg game is Role-playing. My absolute favorite rpg's like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are great because you truly feel like you are role-playing. I've played a lot of tabletop rpg's and compared to rpg video games the graphics are much worse and it takes far longer to do even simple things but what makes them fun (other than the social aspect if you're playing with friends) is the true feeling of roleplaying.

Almost all rpg games on the appstore have very little player choice, in zenonia you can decide to kill your enemies with magic or a knife but there is no option but to kill those enemies. What if you could sneak past them, or travel to a different part of the world and learn a new spell to defeat them? No, you have no other options but to follow the path set down for you. No actual roleplaying there.

I agree with the posters before me who said that there are very few (if any) truly great rpg stories. But in my opinion sometimes the best story is the simplest one, one with very few scripted events and no lengthy dialog scenes. One where you are in the story instead of watching it. One where you make the choices instead of them being made for you.

In essence, I have the most fun playing an rpg when I feel like I'm making the story myself, and when I forget about the numbers and resistances to certain elements etc.. The most fun I can have playing an RPG is roleplaying, and I have seen only one rpg on the iphone that gives me that. That rpg is The Quest, it has awkward controls and outdated graphics but more than any other game it brings me closest to the holy grail of RPG's: True Roleplaying.

P.S. I am also fascinated by the idea of a boss-only rpg, I think it would be unique and, if done right, truly amazing.

 

I'm in the camp of players who like story and character more than anything else in an RPG. That means I hated Dungeon Hunter, disliked Zenonia, and won't buy an Action-RPG unless it's having a deep sale.

Somehow though, I feel like a larger part of the market likes Action-RPG more than a nicely developed character set and a nice story line. That's just a feeling though. Plus story seems tougher to develop than cookie-cutter Action-RPG.

If I could convince you for my own benefit, I'd say make this just for me: a deep storyline where I either get touched by something that happened to the characters, want to protect some character from dying, or feel the suspense and awe of some boss that gets my heart beating during the battle. And hell, throw in a great musical score in there also. Then after that, make a game that surrounds it!

Whatever you do, good luck. I like RPGs and tend to buy them, even if they suck. I just wait till they go on sale.

 

action rpg without too much grinding please!

 

PLEASE not! Action RPGs get boring so freakin' easy. Turn based games are a lot enjoyable.

 

@balu
question of opinion, really. i like action, you like turn based.

 

There are lots of ARPGs, VERY few turn baseds.

 

I also agree that the market is getting over saturated with ARPGs. However, the problem with the current turn based ones is that the combat can often get pretty monotonous, even more so than ARPGs. You'd have to keep the combat refreshing to keep people from having to just select 'attack' for about 10 minutes before the battle ends.

A good example of refreshing turn-based combat is the Grandia series, which has a combat system which is far too complicated to explain in less than a few paragraphs, but in short it revolves around an active turn based system similar to the FF series while also having a semi-free movement system, so you'd have to consider the time of your characters' active bars along with their positions in the field. Uh, I probably didn't explain that very well, it's probably better to look it up if you're interested.

Of course, good storylines and character development are an absolute given in turn based RPGs.

 

The only turn-based RPGs I can think of:

Quest
Undercroft
Final Fantasy I & II (Does that really count? They're ports)
Monster RPG 2
Yipe
Song Summoner (if that counts)
Chaos Rings
Elven Chronicles

The only action-RPGs I can think of:
Zenonia
Zenonia 2
Chronicles of Inotia
Inotia 2
Across Age

I'm sure there are many from both that I'm missing (probably more from the A-RPGs since I don't care about them enough to know the small games). I'd say from looking at my list that I can't show that either genre has more games than the other.

Zenonia, Zenonia 2, Inotia 2, and Across Age came out recently and were big hits. For turn-based fans, we got Chaos Rings, the FF ports, and tons of Quest.

So...I say I want more turn-based since the FF ports don't count for me although I do want them and will get them at some point so I'm left to only Chaos Rings and Quest. But if I liked action-RPGs, I guess after I got done with Zenonia 1 & 2, Inotia 2, and Across Age, I'd want one or two more.

 

Okay, I think we got enough Action RPGs for the platform (in fact iPhone/iPod touch is not optimal for them), and turn-based ones are also coming up (although a Pokemon-like game is still awaited). I think what the platform lacks is Strategy RPGs. I would request a game like Fire Emblem, that's it. And a request to Gameloft (if any of them is reading this), please rip Fire Emblem off for your next project.

 

Are there any Action RPGs like Solomon's keep? As in they have graphics that look like they do and good?

 

I agree and disagree. I'm a massive fan of the Fire Emblem series, and I agree that the appstore is missing a true TBS RPG that makes you care about the characters like Fire Emblem does. However, I do not want Gameloft within a million miles of this franchise (just to clarify, I'm not a Gameloft hater, but this is absolutely not a genre that I could possibly see them doing well).

 

None of those films have good stories though, they are all very average pot-boilers, the only one that really stands out is Transformers 2 for having a real mess of a plot, the problems there though are more Michael Bay. The differences in these films is actually the direction, in fact the writing and plotting of even Die Hard(the best film there), really isnt that good. Listen to the lines, what makes the lines work is Bruce Willis' iconic performance, what makes the film is the directing and cinematography and casting, all the other aspects of film. In fact, this is how all action films become interesting, it is rare that an action film has a strong story. You care about the characters because of the performances, the editing and directing, and often cheap pulls at emotional strings.

The problem with RPG's is they rarely have these to fall back on, the cheesy dialogue really shines through when there isnt a great actor delivering them, there is literally no chance to see fine editing, because of the form of a game(a film editor would essentially cut out almost all of what gamers consider the game in any RPG). RPG's though, have gameplay and the drawn out progression. What connects the players to the characters is more the gameplay, and the progression. The plots are simply written to have a mass appeal similar to action and drama films.

So to sum up what I am saying, because it may be difficult to get the gist of it. Concerning RPG's, It is the gameplay, much like the acting, directing, cinematography, and editing, that masks the weak plotting and writing. Much like how you think, somehow, that Die Hard's awesomeness is because of the story and writing, you think many RPG's are awesome because of the stories and writing. But actually it's because of the gameplay, and what we are willing to forgive(the cliches and video game tropes that never seem to go away), and the idea of 'control', or placing you the player into the story. These are what elevate the plots, make them seem more interesting.

Of course, to go on a tangent(you notice I ramble), there are more successful stories and less successful ones in RPG's. There is 'really really bad' RPG writing, I am not saying they are all the same. I am just saying that what elevates the better RPG's is more the presentation and gameplay and freedom. I do think that RPG's can be very good at creating moods, but I consider this something almost all video game genres can do, and even can do better than written forms of entertainment.

Another Tangent, I actually think that this generation, action games, are much stronger story telling vehicles than RPG's. This may lean because I have a bias towards Film, but they can more closely mimic a films pacing and even editing than any RPG can, and still deliver the player interaction. Games like MGS actually would make fun action films(actually just look at Escape from LA). I dont think they are wonderfully written, but they tell their stories a much better way than any recent RPG's.

EDIT: I think re-reading your last post, we are actually coming close to being on a similar page, but still slight differences in opinions.

 

Indeed I have found this all very interesting!

Budget and timeframe of completing something are both a big issue with RPGs. The amount of planning, writing, programming, artwork, and music that are needed compared to other genres and simpler games are astonishing. If I had to pay myself or someone else a salary for all the work I do, I couldn't afford to make Spirit Hunter Mineko! Don't get me wrong, my budget is decent sized, but that will all be absorbed in art, music, and eventually promotion. Thankfully I can write, design, code, and do some of the art myself.

Bringing up "Iron Man" intrigued me, because it did a lot of stuff right. Since I'm creating a unique IP, I look at it as though this first game is Mineko's "origin story". Iron Man was a very successful "origin story" movie, introducing characters and making them likable, so you care about what happens next. Hopefully I can be even half as successful at making people care, it would be much better than many games out there

Personally, I don't see why you need to avoid Fantasy world settings. There's a reason why developers keep doing them... People like to escape from reality, be entertained. That combined with years of fantasy tropes to draw on means your audience will be able to understand and enjoy the fantasy world more easily than some other scenario you dream up. Not to say you cannot be creative and different! Definitely don't sit down and try to clone Lord of the Rings, or Zelda, or whatever. Take the fantasy setting, but make it your own...

Oh, and don't do another action RPG- If you make it turn based, I'll be first in line to buy it!

 

I agree, I like fantasy settings. After all, why fix what's not broken? Just because fantasy is done a lot doesn't mean you can't be original with it.

 

I'd love to see an old school first person RPG in the vein of Undercroft, Wizardry 8, HOMM, Etrian Odyssey, and Class of Heroes. Single character like The Quest would work as well. Bonus points for decent graphics/interface as these types tend to do graphics rather poorly.

I'm currently engrossed in The Quest right now. But the poor graphics and obtuse quest system are bothersome. Still really enjoying the game though

 

Actually, now that I think about it, I really think you should make a turn based strategy RPG in the vein of the Fire Emblem series. There are a fair few TBS' in the appstore already, but none of them contain true RPG elements (and when they do, they're minimal). The Fire Emblem series excelled in the character development department both in terms of story and gameplay. It almost forced the player to care about the characters (if a character dies, they're gone for good), and the stories themselves were surprisingly well told for a TBS series. You wouldn't have to worry about the combat getting dull either, as you'd be too busy thinking about your next move to get bored. I think if you did it right, it would be successful, since there's nothing like it in the appstore so far.