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Decline And the Codex Bests RPGs 2022 Poll?????

Kruno

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Is already January 19 and no poll has been made for the best RPG in 2022.
What RPG
There is no consensus, and so I have to ask, where is the next iteration of the "What is an RPG?" thread?

Doom is technically an RPG given what some people's definition of what an RPG is.

Why is there a definition for what a roguelike is, but nothing for RPGs?

A roguelike is a sub genre of an RPG, so it makes sense to include the entire roguelike genre under the banner of what an RPG is, but how do we reconcile all the other games counting as RPGs into a cumulative definition?

Even if you divorce the definition of an RPG from the mediums they are played on, what would a major technological leap do for RPGs? Will the definition change again?

What about card collecting games? They have elements from other RPGs within them, are they now RPGs? What elements separates each CCG from each other and how much separation changes it from an RPG into a purely CCG genre?

There is no definition for an RPG, and any definition anyone has come up with is heavily flawed. I think there needs to be a board of directors in the world that is paid to come up with a global definition of what an RPG is.

RPGs came from war sims that naval recruits came up with, but would they be considered RPGs nowadays? They would be considered "sims" instead, at least on the Steam product pages.

Stories don't make an RPG either, as early games classified as RPGs had little to no story.

So a good start at defining an RPG would be to look at how the definition changes over time and according to medium.

What about mechanics of games classified ass RPGs? These days games have vastly simplified mechanics compared to the checks and rolls AD&D 2e had, but so have RPGs that came out early because they were limited to the hardware they ran on. There was a review of an ancient PC that had a transparent piece of plastic placed on the screen and games were played on that, so if an RPG designed to be played on an ancient PC like that were to come out on Steam would people agree that it is an RPG? You can't simply say the product you are releasing is an RPG just because you said so, this isn't a choose your own gender adventure!

The next question is, how much or how little complexity defines an RPG? If all you had was one number, say HP, on the screen and a linear progression, would that count as an RPG? It could have if it were released in 1972, but not if it were released today. Today it would be classed as an indie "action adventure" game.

So we have come to at least an idea of how we can start to classify as an RPG:
* Time it was released
* Genre it was released under at that time
* Hardware limitations
* Complexity of mechanics, such as progression systems

What is an RPG?
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/chat/message/1180258/view
An RPG or Role Playing Game is a choice simulator where chosen characters are simulated to choose
So Doom is an RPG? I can choose to enter a secret level, or spend time chasing secrets, which is useful on Nightmare difficulty.
 

puur prutswerk

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Codex USB, 2014
Is already January 19 and no poll has been made for the best RPG in 2022.
What RPG
There is no consensus, and so I have to ask, where is the next iteration of the "What is an RPG?" thread?

Doom is technically an RPG given what some people's definition of what an RPG is.

Why is there a definition for what a roguelike is, but nothing for RPGs?

A roguelike is a sub genre of an RPG, so it makes sense to include the entire roguelike genre under the banner of what an RPG is, but how do we reconcile all the other games counting as RPGs into a cumulative definition?

Even if you divorce the definition of an RPG from the mediums they are played on, what would a major technological leap do for RPGs? Will the definition change again?

What about card collecting games? They have elements from other RPGs within them, are they now RPGs? What elements separates each CCG from each other and how much separation changes it from an RPG into a purely CCG genre?

There is no definition for an RPG, and any definition anyone has come up with is heavily flawed. I think there needs to be a board of directors in the world that is paid to come up with a global definition of what an RPG is.

RPGs came from war sims that naval recruits came up with, but would they be considered RPGs nowadays? They would be considered "sims" instead, at least on the Steam product pages.

Stories don't make an RPG either, as early games classified as RPGs had little to no story.

So a good start at defining an RPG would be to look at how the definition changes over time and according to medium.

What about mechanics of games classified ass RPGs? These days games have vastly simplified mechanics compared to the checks and rolls AD&D 2e had, but so have RPGs that came out early because they were limited to the hardware they ran on. There was a review of an ancient PC that had a transparent piece of plastic placed on the screen and games were played on that, so if an RPG designed to be played on an ancient PC like that were to come out on Steam would people agree that it is an RPG? You can't simply say the product you are releasing is an RPG just because you said so, this isn't a choose your own gender adventure!

The next question is, how much or how little complexity defines an RPG? If all you had was one number, say HP, on the screen and a linear progression, would that count as an RPG? It could have if it were released in 1972, but not if it were released today. Today it would be classed as an indie "action adventure" game.

So we have come to at least an idea of how we can start to classify as an RPG:
* Time it was released
* Genre it was released under at that time
* Hardware limitations
* Complexity of mechanics, such as progression systems

What is an RPG?
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/chat/message/1180258/view
An RPG or Role Playing Game is a choice simulator where chosen characters are simulated to choose
So Doom is an RPG? I can choose to enter a secret level, or spend time chasing secrets, which is useful on Nightmare difficulty.
A bad one, it provides practically only cheese instead of choice.

Role Playing Games are a spectrum ok.
 

Kruno

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Role Playing Games are a spectrum ok.
what spectrum? ZX Spectrum?
Choice is a matter of human decision. A lot of JRPGs give you almost no choice but to follow a straight path until the end, so are they RPGs?
 

puur prutswerk

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Role Playing Games are a spectrum ok.
what spectrum? ZX Spectrum?
Choice is a matter of human decision. A lot of JRPGs give you almost no choice but to follow a straight path until the end, so are they RPGs?
If characters are simulated to choose then yes under this definition they are RPGs. Okay it's not a good definition, fuck you.
 

Kruno

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Okay it's not a good definition
Therein lies the issue. What is an RPG?

Let us take an existing definition: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27052/role-playing-game-rpg
What Does Role-Playing Game (RPG) Mean?

A role-playing game (RPG) is a genre of video game where the gamer controls a fictional character (or characters) that undertakes a quest in an imaginary world.

Defining RPGs is very challenging due to the range of hybrid genres that have RPG elements.

Traditional role-playing video games shared five basic elements:

1. The ability to improve your character over the course of the game by increasing his statistics or levels.

2. A menu-based combat system with several choices of skills, spells, and active powers as well as an active inventory system with wearable equipment such as armors and weapons.

3. A central quest that runs throughout the game as a storyline and additional (and usually optional) side quests.

4. The ability to interact with elements of the environment or storyline through additional abilities (e.g. lockpicking, disarming traps, communication skills, etc.)

5. The existence of certain character classes that define the characteristics, skills, abilities, and spells of a character (e.g. wizard, thief, warrior, etc.)

Modern and hybrid RPGs do not necessarily have all of these elements, but usually feature one or two in combination with elements from another genre.
This definition places Hexen: Beyond Heretic as an RPG, where it is never classified as an RPG. Borrowing one or two elements from this list doesn't make an RPG. Adventure games (Point and click) can tick off more points on this list, so is King's Quest an RPG?

This definition of RPG is shallow and encompasses almost every video game ever made.
 

felipepepe

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The game_year column specifies the instance of Codex GOTY which is being held, while game_category specifies the actual release year of that game. This allows for missed GOTY years to be voted on in a single poll.
This was done because that poll was created for the "Age of Incline" poll, when we voted on the best games from 2012-2016.

Anyway, I suggest we use similar rules to before, only accounts that are at least 1 month old can vote - so no 2023 accounts, just to make it easier. I'm not a fan of any filter on post count, since we have a lot of lurkers.

Also, we need a game list. Abu Antar does a great job of tracking them, here's his list with a few things he missed. To keep the number reasonable, I removed games with less than 50 reviews:

GAME OF THE YEAR
1428: Shadows over Silesia
ANNO: Mutationem
Arcanium: Rise of Akhan
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars
ASTLIBRA Revision
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream
Babylon's Fall
Batora: Lost Haven
Betrayal at Club Low
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness
BLACKTAIL
Bloody Spell
Brigandine The Legend of Runersia
Chained Echoes
Circus Electrique
Citizen Sleeper
Coromon
Crtrl Alt Ego
Crystal Project
Decision: Red Daze
Devil Spire
Digimon Survive
Digitizer
Dolmen
Dungeons of Edera
Dying Light 2
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Elden Ring
ELEX II
Empire of Ember
Expeditions: Rome
Fabled Lands
Fear & Hunger 2: Termina
Gedonia
Gordian Quest
Grim Quest - Old School RPG
Hard West 2
HARVESTELLA
Hellslave
Hero's Hour
Heroine Anthem Zero 2 : Scalescars Oath
Home Behind 2
Imprisoned Hyperion
Infernax
Jack Move
Jettatura
Keplerth
Knights of the Chalice 2: Augury of Chaos
Kynseed
Loot River
Lost Epic
Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness
Mary Skelter 2
METAL MAX Xeno Reborn
MONARK
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Nobody Saves the World
Obsidian Prince
Out There: Oceans of Time
Path Of Wuxia
Potato Flowers in Full Bloom
Potion Permit
Queen's Wish 2: The Tormentor
Realms of Magic
Rebellion: A Rogue Souls Like
Ringlorn Saga
Rise of the Third Power
Roadwarden
Rogue Legacy 2
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
Salt And Sacrifice
Samurai Bringer
Sea Horizon
Shadows Over Loathing
Sir Whoopass - Action RPG
Sonucido: The Mage - A Dungeon Crawler by Daniel da Silva
Soul Hackers 2
Soulash
Souldiers
Source of Madness
SpellMaster: The Saga
Star Ocean The Divine Force
Star Valor
Steelrising
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Sunday Gold
The Caligula Effect 2
The Last Oricru
The Sargosian Abyss
The Tarnishing of Juxtia
The Waylanders
There Is No Light
This Way Madness Lies
Thymesia
Tinyfolks
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy
Valkyrie Elysium
VARIOUS DAYLIFE
Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister
Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden
Warm Snow
Warsim: The Realm of Aslona
Watcher Chronicles
Weird West
Wigmund
XEL
Young Souls
Zorbus

TACTICAL RPGS

PORTS/REMAKES/REMASTERS
 
Last edited:

Abu Antar

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Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
^I would add Path of Wuxia, despite no official English translation.

You can safely remove Batora. It was terrible.

Do you want a list of games made by codexers?
 

felipepepe

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felipepepe
Games developed by codexer, and released in 2022. You'll be the judge if they are worthy to list or not. I don't know if I missed some.

Imprisoned Hyperion
Jettatura
Ringlorn Saga
The Sargosian Abyss
Sonucido: The Mage - A Dungeon Crawler by Daniel da Silva
Zorbus
Thanks! It's only a few, so I'll add all of them.

Updated the list and fixed the broken links. To all the people interested in this, please check the list and say if anything is missing, it won't be as simple as before to add missing games mid-poll.
 

DarkUnderlord

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The goty_votes table appears to exist (the script would fail otherwise), but I can't access it or even display its schema. No matter, it won't negatively affect the functioning of the poll.
What do you mean you can't access it? You should be able to see it in phpmyadmin.
 

Twiglard

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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
The goty_votes table appears to exist (the script would fail otherwise), but I can't access it or even display its schema. No matter, it won't negatively affect the functioning of the poll.
What do you mean you can't access it? You should be able to see it in phpmyadmin.
Thought so too. However:
Code:
MariaDB [rpgcodex_xf2]> use goty_votes
ERROR 1044 (42000): Access denied for user 'rpgcodex_admin'@'localhost' to database 'goty_votes'
 

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