Role-playing games are a highly specialized type of game that actually requires far more attention to detail than other, less immersive genres. When the computerized versions of the genre took off, there were plenty of money-hungry companies that decided to invade the genre without really trying to understand what the vital elements of role-playing games were. In some cases, these companies actually have the guts to buy smaller companies that know the genre and they destroy the old legacy of great traditional games.
Considering that this may have an impact on the future of computerized role-playing games, I feel it is important to educate these gaming giants in an effort to help them understand the only things that matter to them. To sell role-playing games, you need an audience willing to buy the product and if a company consistently puts out clever shooters under the guise of role-playing games, they will only destroy their reputation and go bankrupt. I know that the word bankrupt is a recognized word by these money-hungry companies, so I stress one thing, try selling a clever shooter to role-playing fans and you’ll be broke!
Secrets of Amazing Role-Playing Games
Personally, I’ve been a role-playing gamer for about thirty years and I just fell in love with two systems that I probably can’t name because of the article writing guidelines. What I can say is that very few game development companies come close to the pen and paper versions of the best role-playing games on the market, you know, that people actually enjoy. I will say I rejoice when role-playing games become computerized because it means I can do my role-playing without needing to hunt for people with similar tastes and although some games have improved to become great role-playing games, they are sadly few and far between. Among. On that note, from role-playing styles that include pen and paper, computerized games and online games,
Okay, so what are the elements of a good role-playing game? I’ll give you one at a time but the most important piece of advice to remember during this whole discussion is immersion. To be a truly great role-playing game, it must grab the player’s attention and not provide a diversion that allows the player to return to the real world. Players must stay in the fictional world if they want to feel that they have experienced a great role-playing game.
One of the most important elements of immersion is the storyline; a totally believable yet gripping storyline. A role-playing player doesn’t want to load the latest game and finds to their dismay that the storyline consists of the flimsy idea that they have to kill a lot of stuff to get enough experience to kill the bad looking guy. Who wants to play a game where bad guys are designated as bad guys for no good reason? Have you ever played a game where you were part of one group of people and you were chosen to beat another group of people but there was no real evidence to show why the other group was bad? The worst of these are recent thug games where one criminal organization wants to defeat another criminal organization and you are the killer. Who would really be a fool to fall for such a terrible storyline? Cut’
Secrets of Amazing Role-Playing Games
A good storyline can’t be a shallow excuse for war and it has to be something you want to be a part of. The storyline should also be included in the gameplay itself and delivered in a way that doesn’t interfere with the reality of the gameplay as well. There’s nothing worse than a massive cut-scene that drops into the middle of the game and leaves you sitting still for more than a minute or two. For role-playing players, game immersion comes from being a character, not from watching cut-scenes as if you were watching television. What’s next… advertising?
Another part of a great gaming experience is realizing that you have been part of a fictional world since you were born. This is delivered by knowing where things are in the world and knowing who the current leader is, as well as knowing current events. This can be done cleverly by providing snippets of information naturally during conversations with non-player characters. Some very important information can be expressed in meaningless banter, just as in the world you are immersed in right now.
One thing that will jolt role-players out of the game is a sudden unwanted conversation with a hastily introduced character explaining where the next local town is and that you should be careful because there’s a war or something. This is only done in games where the map is updated as you discover interesting places. Making a large city located not ten miles from your current position something you have to find is the most ridiculous thing and only fits scenarios where you’ve been teleported to a new reality or you’ve lost your memory though the latter should be used sparingly because it’s been too much games out there that rely on characters experiencing amnesia.
Another immersion problem is the introduction of a love interest in the game without your participation. You’re messing around, minding your own business and then suddenly, one of the craziest characters you never knew existed, impacting the gameplay because of the vital role they’re supposed to play in the group you’re a part of. . They should, at the very least, let a little flirtation get in the way of the conversation before a love interest is thrown into the mix. To me, someone suddenly having such an interest is an immersion breaker because there is absolutely nothing to encourage a relationship. If there is a possibility of a love interest in the game, then it needs to be introduced in a believable manner and should not be outside the control of the character.
There is one game where this happens and the involvement of two love interests is the reason for one of the non-player characters to do worse being a support while the other being a big support. Sure, the idea is new but it’s also very childish as it is assumed that these two love interests are so enamored with players that no one can do without them. It’s worse than watching Baywatch or Desperate Housewives.
I’ll just add one more element to the mix because I wouldn’t reach a conclusion if I allowed myself to point out every requirement of the best role-playing games. As I said earlier, the important factor is immersion. The real problem solver for me was the inability to develop the type of character I wanted. I experience this more often than not in games where you have no choice over the skills your character can develop. Of course, this is the worst case scenario and there are many games that allow limited development but there are only a few games that allow real development.
A truly great role-playing game should allow players to progress in any direction and compensate for this flexibility by including multiple paths through the game. There’s no point in creating a computerized role-playing game if the characters do the same in every game. The most annoying of these problems are games where you can have a character that uses spells but they develop the exact same spells at the same point in each game. This is a little more forgivable for warrior types but even in this case there are plenty of games that allow for dozens of different fighting styles.
Now, if I continued this discussion, I would add other topics like attribute renaming for no good reason, allowing more than one quest to be rendered at a time, real-world purchase requirements during gameplay and other ridiculous practices. .
I did promise to show you which types of games are best for role-playing games, so here they are. Non-online computerized games are the only games that allow full immersion and I’ll explain why.
Unlike tabletop games, you are not bothered by the requirement to physically reach and move a pawn that takes you out of the pawn’s role itself. Compared to a game of pen and paper, you are not required to look up tables or enter into long tedious discussions about how the rules should be interpreted. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games also don’t meet the requirements and I know some of you will be surprised, but when was the last time you played a computerized role-playing game and one of the other players had to leave because they had to go to work and they told you that it was a different time in their part of the world.
A computerized role-playing game is the only type of role-playing game where the character stays in the game, you don’t have to suddenly work if something is allowed by the rules and the user interface remains consistent so that immersion is most efficient.
In conclusion, the best role-playing games are home computer based that are standalone and don’t involve interactions with other people in the real world that would throw a wrench in a masterpiece of immersion. The storyline should be solid and delivered naturally, a conveyable assumption that your character already knows the fictional world, no instant love interest out of nowhere and the ability to develop your character in any direction seamlessly along with the plot paths that allow for this. development.
I just hope game companies pay attention to this and realize that they make role-playing games for role-players and if they’re not in the role-player market then they should call their games a different genre.