What do YOU want in a RPG Video Game?

Yup. The terms JRPG and WRPG are irrelevant here, there are already enough threads out there to talk about them. It's just RP Gs in general. What do you want in one? What are qualities you love to see in your favorite type of RPG? What parts of the RPG engine do you wish wouldn't be included?

Come at them, bro.

• Action RPG gameplay. Fun stuff.
• A reincarnation system. Basically, your character restarts at level one with a different class. He keeps some skills and some stats. I find that this is often the easiest way to make level grinding bearable, and even (dare I say it?) fun.
• Alternatively, just a job system in the vein of Final Fantasy V.
• Plot doesn't have to be too good. However, characters have to be believable and well written.
• Some strange form of leveling. Think the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X, or something like that.
• Pretty large amounts of post game content. It's always fun to minmax your characters to beat the newest bonus boss.

If a game has one or two, I'll probably get it. If a game has 3+ of these, I'll buy it immediately.

Oh! What he said! Plots that don't drag on and on are the greatest!

edited 25th Jan '11 1:49:51 PM by Deathonabun

I want an unstoppable sex goddess. =P (Nah, j/k. Couldn't resist.)

But really, there's too many things to note, so I'll just limit it to one thing: I would like for the game to maintain a good pace. Nothing kills my drive to play an RPG more than feeling that the plot hasn't gone anywhere for the past 3 hours.

All I want is for every weapon, class, armour, item etc to be viable to the end of the game. The strategy,learning curve etc with each piece should be different but other wise be balanced in regards to getting the job done. Also grinding to be abolished by law in games.

edited 25th Jan '11 1:56:04 PM by HellmanSabian

• Turn based gameplay that involves strategy more intensive than "press x, occasionally heal". I really, really like the idea of having two fields where characters can be. Like in Breath Of Fire 4. I'd like to see that idea again. Also status effect, debuff, and buff spells. Make those useful.
• Characters that entertain me. Which isn't too hard...Japanese archetypes ahoy I suppose.
• Music. The music must be awesome. To be awesome it must avoid being too ambient and fit the setting.
• Sprite based animation.
• Loads of side quests are not needed but greatly appreciated.
• WORLD BUILDING. Things like bestiaries and encyclopedias and video cassettes.
• Town NP Cs with multiple scripted phrases that are entertaining. Think Lunar 2.
• Puzzles in dungeons.
• No strange leveling systems.

edited 25th Jan '11 1:55:25 PM by Aondeug

• no romance.
• puzzles that actually make me think
• rich, layered characters
• a magnificent villain that you immediately love to hate to love who also has a plan that makes sense
• a foxboy

You really like world building don't you? Were you traumatised by playing Oblivion for example? (Joking)

• Lots of Stats.
• Character Development or very entertaining characters in general.
• I don't mind graphics nor grinding that much.
• Agreed with Aondeug with World Building.
  • And to that extension, Music.
• Enemies that make you use different strategies instead of repeatedly pressing X to win.

I've loved world building ever since I was a wee little Aondeug. I blame Tolkien.

The world of Oblivion is the one thing I really liked about what little of it I've played. Wandering around looking at shit was a blast.

True but "I saw a mudcrab the other day" style conversations between NP Cs just killed it for me.

Monster trucks, Captain Falcon, and a mechanic that allows you to disarm enemies. Mook chucking bombs? Take away his bombs! Problem solved!

Also, more RP Gs need to have a post-game sidequest where you play the villian in a flashback to how he/she got the macguffins before the heroes.

I want the PSP version of Tactics Ogre. Thankfully it's being released next month on the 15th. /not-so-subtle-plug

More FPS centric RP Gs. Borderlands and Bulletstorm appeal to then unknown parts of my soul.

... /sighs and sets aside money in bank account

edited 25th Jan '11 2:09:43 PM by Bur

• A fun, Munchkin-friendly, Class and Level System that makes me feel overpowered without actually making me overpowered.
• A fast-paced, action-packed battle system. Lots of skills, combos, and flashy kills. Hell make the battle system closer to a fighting game than any RPG.
• Vast, deep, engaging, not-necessarily dark, plot loaded with mythological references with a bit of Kojima-esque insanity thrown in.
• Good array of customizable, BALANCED, party members with lots of characterization between them.
• A Science Fantasy type world with lots of World Building.
• No sex, limited fanservice, and VERY limited romance.
• Lots of post-game content. Bonus dungeons, Bonus bosses, Tournaments, New Game Plus, Multiple Endings, and loads and loads of Easter Eggs.
• Badassery, loads of it.
• And finally, awesome music I can rock out to!

edited 25th Jan '11 2:21:10 PM by Neo_Crimson

Good points expect that almost nobody on Allah's Green Earth can match Kojima's insanity on plots. Expect that Suda 51 guy. Maybe.

edited 25th Jan '11 2:13:06 PM by HellmanSabian

• Amazing music, first and foremost.
• The chance to customize my character's attacks/abilities in some way. I find that it gives the game a lot of replay ability.
• Good characters.
• World Building. Lore, legends, stuff like that.
• A fast-paced battle system. Turn-based games don't really do it for me. Far too slow for my tastes.
• Story and graphics aren't very important to me, but good ones are certainly appreciated.
• Awesome cutscenes.

edited 25th Jan '11 2:15:35 PM by Electivirus

• Tales Of Symphonia Gameplay
• Kosuke Fujishima art style.
• Earthbound+Marion & Luigi writing.
• Chrono Trigger-esque Plot.

As a formula for my perfect JRPG. I haven't played enough WRP Gs to figure out what elements I'd want from those.

An aversion to RPGs Equal Combat. If you want to kill every Joe that gets in your face, more power to you, but it's always refreshing to see games offer peaceful solutions to conflicts. In fact, more emphasis on the Roleplaying part of roleplaying game in general, with (optional) interactions between party members like Mass Effect's elevators or either games conversations, decisions that have an effect on the story as a whole, etc.

A lot of the rest of what I was going to post has already been mentioned.

edited 25th Jan '11 2:25:39 PM by Hashil

• Action RPG or Turn based with button prompts
• HP bars for the environment and enemy limbs to give more creative options for combat than "hit him till numbers stop popping out of his head"
• Excellent worldbuilding and party characterization (If I'm gonna save this world, make me actually care about it).
• A more advanced version of the Bioware "four missions before the finale" plot system. Give the player a choice on how the story goes.
• A party of characters that automatically mold themselves complement your playstyle, but leave an optional "default" and "custom" mode that can be switched on or off when the player likes.
• Romance is optional, but affects the story and party relations (within reason, of course)
• Villains from all over the morality spectrum from Hero Antagonist to Complete Monster (the Big Bad could be anywhere in-between)
• The villain to actually be fallible while still competent. Let him play some speed chess once in awhile.
• Less PC buttkissing. I know my character is usually awesome, but I don't need a party of sycophants here.
• Friendly NP Cs performing tasks just a vital to the world saving as your character.
• An Order Versus Chaos morality system rather than the much maligned Good V. Evil. Good v. Evil could exist, but it's gotta be more subtle than most and actually impact how people react to you in a meaningful way (say, a good chesssmaster partymember betraying a psychotically evil Villain Protagonist).
• No psychobabble. I cannot stress this enough.
• Limit weapons and armor to choices that actually affect gameplay in a tangible way. I do not want to cycle through thirty legendary swords to find one that provides 5% better Electric damage reduction when I can have a sword, spear, and so on that actually play differently.
• Make enemy mages just a fragile as my own. I don't want anymore decrepit old men slinging nukes and taking more beatings than that tank I just fought.
• Give the party a reason to tolerate the Token Evil Teammate as well as a way to control him/her. I do not want to see my party continually trust their mission to a lunatic with no real insurance that he won't go a a rampage when he gets bored. Do not sugarcoat said teammate's actions just because their nominally on our side.
• If my character or people with him/her are unusually young or skilled for their roles and background, give more reason for it than "s/he's just that good".
• Put the big final battle in the middle of the game, then spend the rest dealing with the fallout and reconstruction. It'd shake things up and wouldn't be anticlimactic if done well.

• Plot choices - don't railroad me into doing one thing all the time. Linear gameplay isn't for me.
• Allow me to determine my role. There shouldn't be just one "correct" Player-Character build to do the game. Sure, some builds might find certain aspects of the game easier or harder, but if i want to play a certain role, I should be permitted to do so.
• Make what I do matter. If I do [A], then efect [A] shoudl happen. If I do [B], then I should get a different effect. Doens't have to be white or black difference, I can appreciate shades of gray.
• Related to the aove, if you do want linear play, the main questline should be pretty clear-cut. Got to give the speed-runners a good path to do their youtube videos with, right?
• Wide-open Sandbox. If there's no physical constraint as to why I can't take a left turn down the street, I should be allowed to make that left turn down the street, even though the quest wants me to go right. Related to plot choice. I like exploring.
• World-building. Since you'll allow me to go pretty much wherever, go ahead and fill the world up with little details and intricate little things that show that you cared enough to take your time making the game. I'll show you that I appreciate it by pausing to smell the flowers on the way, so to speak. So I might take 80 hours ot complete a game that should only takes 20 to beat...
• Realistic NPC's. Give even the totally non-important NPC's names. Make them look different. Make them sound different. Give them some filler dialogue, stuff that they talk about with other NPC's if you simply stand around and listen. If I have party members, it'd be cool if they spouted off some occasional dialogue as we travel along - doesn't have to be earth-shattering plot-driven stuff, either - maybe I can hear two of my party members exchanging some playful banter or something, or discussing strategy, or simply shooting the breeze.
• Moods. Go ahead and make me feel something. Be it happy, sad, anger, fear, whatever - due to things that happen in the course of the game that I controlled, or events that I can't control.
• Immersive. Probably all of that is to get me to immerse myself into your world. Even if your game has bugs and flaws, if it's immersive, I will re-load it to get myself back into the experience.

Not even sure if the game mechanic needs to be there for me to notice - perhaps if I use a skill a lot, it improves over time, versus choosing to put points or something into an ability or skill as I level. I think leveling shouldn't be this huge "DING you're level 18" thing, but maybe a more gradual under-the-hood change. Immersive enough, and I won't notice a hitpoint meter or an ammo counter.

• Good writing, deep characters, and a satisfying ending without Plot Holes and Deus Ex Machinas.
• Interesting dungeons with challenging puzzles.
• Strategic combat. Boss fights must be strategic rather than a marathon. Regular combat should be strategic enough to be interesting without making the battles drag on forever. No Artificial Stupidity, please.
• No random encounters. Scripted or visible only, please.
• Fun, quirky, or memorable NPCs and locations. It should feel like a living world.
• Little to no fanservice, please. It's hard to take a half-naked character seriously. (Well done) romance is a-ok, though.
• No more than 6 or so characters, please, unless you are a damn good writer or it's a Strategy RPG. More and you tend to end up with several flat, static characters that don't seem all the relevant to the plot.
• Only include voice acting if everyone can act and no one is doing that annoying "squeaky voiced girl" thing.
• Music that supports the mood, not just pop music thrown in because everyone is doing pop music these days. Music by Yoko Shimomura is a plus.
• Believable female lead is also a plus. Failing that, strong female character who is not the Staff Chick.

Music by Yoko Shimomura is a plus.

A woman after my own heart. =D

If a game company could just make use of the following, I'd probably die happy:

- Realistic violence. I mean, the experience points are nice, but they don't give that heat-of-the-moment satisfaction that puts a smile on my face. Gore is a big plus to me, so there's nothing less annoying than an enemy who turns out to be made of smoke puffs. Or red.

- Less level grinding, it's really just a cheap trick to pass off two hours of plot as an epic adventure in stabbing things.

- Assuming the presence of spells, make a spell system that's a bit more complex than rock-paper-scissors.

- Useless classes are right out. Uber-powerful ones too. People shouldn't be hindered because they chose an interesting class, nor should they need to pick from a select few abilities to make any progress in the game.

- The typical Magic Fantasy was stale when Tolkien did it, now it's just boring. Normally I'd say any idea can be interesting if used well, but at a certain point that goes beyond human capabilities.

And finally, because they never seem to get the hint:

- Your bosses don't need to be made of fucking iron! One million hitpoints is going too far. Even for the final boss. Even for the bonus boss. When 9999 damage starts being a slap on the wrist you know you fucked up somewhere.

I'm totally expecting too much of game designers.

edited 25th Jan '11 2:46:30 PM by Brutal