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A developer pitches their RPG to you, what do you want to hear about?

mondblut

Arcane
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
22,205
Location
Ingrija
Party size and the p&p ruleset and setting it is based upon :obviously:
 

mondblut

Arcane
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
22,205
Location
Ingrija
I want full control over class and talent selection.

You can have full control over 6 created characters (7 with unofficial patch). That's more than other non-pedo RPGs have been offering since 2001 (excluding Grimoire).
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,616
I want full control over class and talent selection.

You can have full control over 6 created characters (7 with unofficial patch). That's more than other non-pedo RPGs have been offering since 2001 (excluding Grimoire).
In TavernKing's fictional game? That's what this thread is about, sir.
 

V_K

Arcane
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
7,714
Location
at a Nowhere near you
- Non-combat gameplay systems: stealth, environmental interactions, puzzles etc. (no, dialog skillchecks don't count, they're not gameplay);
- Alternative solutions to quests and alternative paths through levels, preferably of the emergent non-scripted variety (no, CYOA sequences don't count);
- Non-linear goal-based narrative, ideally - very minimal in-game narrative supported by deep but concise lore and backstory (think Grimrock or Myst);
- Crafting and Tough Moral Choices (TM) - or more precisely, lack thereof.

rating_agenda.png
 

Farewell young Prince into the night

Guest
Will it have quest markers, and if so, will you include an option to turn them off WHILE still providing directional information from questholder NPCS where appropriate.
 

Silly Germans

Guest
Just tell them that they are pretty and smart. Saying that you care for their opinion was already a good start !
 

Gibson

Learned
Joined
Jun 23, 2019
Messages
325
Aka please help me write my pitch

I DON'T want to hear the words/phrases such as "rogue-[insert "like"/"light"/...]". "procedurally generated" is also as welcome as that relative that gets shitfaced at family gatherings - if he has to much booze he'll ruin the whole thing, but if he stays in his limits he's great fun.
 

Zanzoken

Arcane
Joined
Dec 16, 2014
Messages
3,558
I am assuming you are putting us in the role of publisher here, not just you pitching a game idea to your friends or whatever.

Publishers are chiefly interested in making money, so you need to always keep that in focus with your pitch. I am not saying you shouldn't articulate how your game will be fun and contribute to the RPG incline, but understand that a publisher doesn't really give a shit about these things and is really just trying to evaluate whether your game will make enough profit to be worth their time.

Idealistic, but probably ineffective pitch: "My game will feature isometric turn-based combat similar to 90s classics, plus a branching narrative, choices & consequences, it will be a shoe-in for RPG Codex GOTY, blah blah blah..."

Better, more realistic pitch: "We want to make an old-school game with turn-based combat and deep storytelling, which have made a big comeback over the last several years with successful titles like <insert popular game here>. Based on our market research we see titles like ours selling X copies, and as a small, highly experienced team we could bring it to life for a fraction of the potential gross."

The other key is the "team" part since the publisher is investing in you just as much as they are your project. You could have the greatest idea ever, but can you be trusted to deliver a quality product within an agreed-upon budget and timeline? If not, then your pitch is doa. So unless you have proven track record of delivering hits, then you need to think about how you will sell your own abilities as part of the package.
 

Tyranicon

A Memory of Eternity
Developer
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
5,861
Tell me about the Balance, baby!
:balance:

I'll take a shot:

There's probably only one viable class with one viable specialization and gear set because of some obscure glitch that the dev was too lazy to fix because they spent too much time building different ways to sex up the available companions.

This statement is probably 100% true and will come back to haunt me.
 

Divine Blessing

Scholar
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
107
Location
beyond
BACK TO FUTURE - any quality teasers prime criteria is innovation: the formula of originality: whats new, whats different and why is it better? systems, setting and tech, agency, emergence and responsitivity compose a games identity, aka gameplay - innovative gameplay is the surpreme directive.

or the game will simply be a nostalgic trip into an overconsumed past, aka a clone, and not an original. i dont need any more soulslikes, cuz i already played em all. i dont need another DOS2, Deus Ex and FallOut, cuz i already played em all. iam a performance athlete with a daily 7-11h schedule, dont waste my time, its exclusive to my GF.

be progressive or get off my screen.
 

Butter

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
7,523


tl;dw Focus on the shit that actually sells the game. I want to know what makes your game unique and worth my time. Telling me all about your 200+ spells and feats, or about the thousand-year backstory to your game's setting, doesn't really influence my purchase.

"Arcanum: High fantasy meets the Industrial Revolution." That's all I need to hear and I want to play it.
 

Butter

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
7,523
Here's a tip Lilura. The publishers don't give a shit how good the game is. Plenty of terrible games get publishers. They care about how marketable the game is.
 

luj1

You're all shills
Vatnik
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
12,870
Location
Eastern block
A developer pitches their RPG to you, what do you want to hear about?
Might be more pragmatic to take the inverse route, i.e. what you *don't* want to hear about:
  • romances
    decline.png
  • player housing
    decline.png
  • feature bloat
    decline.png
  • voice acting
    decline.png
  • cutscenes
    decline.png
  • eye-candy
    decline.png
  • character customization sliders
    decline.png

  • MMO-like features
    decline.png
Get these second-tier features out of the way and focus on the important stuff such as core systems, art direction, writing and then we can talk.
 

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