fnordcircle
Liturgist
I'll admit it - I hate puzzles. I don't buy puzzle games and RPGs that do contain puzzles either go back to the game shop in short order or I just whiz through the puzzle parts using walkthroughs. Call it what you will, I just don't like them.
In life there are no puzzles. Either you have no freaking clue what to do (if you aren't familiar with the software and are breaking into a heavily-secured complex the answer in real life is that you are caught, not that you have to pound on the 5 consoles in right order.) or you know what is going on and can take care of it in straightahead fashion.
Take the cliched 'fueding family member/lovers' puzzle quest in almost every RPG.
NPC-1 and NPC-2 have had a long standing fued. NPC-1 wants something NPC-2 has. NPC-2 won't give it up unless given something in return by you the player or a third party or the player has to take up a quest. Normally the 'good' answer is you go on the quest or to happily part with this very expensive gem, ring, whatever in return for the experience points.
How often does that happen in life? You are walking down the street and meet some guy who has been mad at his brother for 20 years but shows no signs of tiring of it. You then agree to take care of it, go talk to his brother who agrees to return the item and make ammends if you give him your car. Happens every day, right?
Anyways, back to the point, take my wife and her mother. They get on each other every now and then. In order to help smooth the waters I don't generally have to go into the woods and kill 5 wolves. Generally it involves saying the right thing.
And that's what I think could be done with the cliched personal-relationship quest. Dialog choices. There should be more of them and they should not represent so black and white an approach. With some NPCs an analogy might work, others can be guilted into changing their minds. Or maybe they can be convinced that the ring or whatever is not worth their stupid brother's constant whining. I digress.
I'm getting off on a tangent here, but I guess what I'm trying to get across here is that I would prefer to see an RPG not rely on stupid puzzles. Am I alone?
In life there are no puzzles. Either you have no freaking clue what to do (if you aren't familiar with the software and are breaking into a heavily-secured complex the answer in real life is that you are caught, not that you have to pound on the 5 consoles in right order.) or you know what is going on and can take care of it in straightahead fashion.
Take the cliched 'fueding family member/lovers' puzzle quest in almost every RPG.
NPC-1 and NPC-2 have had a long standing fued. NPC-1 wants something NPC-2 has. NPC-2 won't give it up unless given something in return by you the player or a third party or the player has to take up a quest. Normally the 'good' answer is you go on the quest or to happily part with this very expensive gem, ring, whatever in return for the experience points.
How often does that happen in life? You are walking down the street and meet some guy who has been mad at his brother for 20 years but shows no signs of tiring of it. You then agree to take care of it, go talk to his brother who agrees to return the item and make ammends if you give him your car. Happens every day, right?
Anyways, back to the point, take my wife and her mother. They get on each other every now and then. In order to help smooth the waters I don't generally have to go into the woods and kill 5 wolves. Generally it involves saying the right thing.
And that's what I think could be done with the cliched personal-relationship quest. Dialog choices. There should be more of them and they should not represent so black and white an approach. With some NPCs an analogy might work, others can be guilted into changing their minds. Or maybe they can be convinced that the ring or whatever is not worth their stupid brother's constant whining. I digress.
I'm getting off on a tangent here, but I guess what I'm trying to get across here is that I would prefer to see an RPG not rely on stupid puzzles. Am I alone?