Your dream RPG

[Droog White Smile]

What kind of gameplay your ideal RPG must feature? Also, what setting?

 

[Volourn]

My dream RPG is one I would make.

Dark Epic Fantasy (and when I say dark I mean DARK). Stats must determine characters' success, true C&C, single PC with the ability to recruit party members based on your charisma/leadership and motivations being important. Must have lots of stats/talent/skill chocies that can effect multiple thiungs.

In essence, my ideal RPG would like not be made since nobody would have the guts to put that kind of money into.

One example of a setting is one where dwarves and elves are the amin races and they are in constant war. Humans, halflings, and other mainstay 'demi humans' don't exist.

Another setting is a post apolycaptic dark fantasy world where monsters outnumber intelligent beings and there is no simple travel between towns common in most rpgs.

 

[roll-a-die]

IT would combine the freedom of exploration and mission/faction system of daggerfall with the crafting system of something like Wurm Online(e.g. cut down trees, split some into boards and others into posts, dig holes, plant posts into ground, layer boards on top of posts to make fence or mine ore out of ground, smelt ore into bars, buy or make ceramic mold of axe blade, melt bar of metal, pour into mold, sharpen cut down post into size of axe handle, mount axe blade onto axe handle, you have made axe.)

add in the randomness in world creation of a roguelike and the combat of an FPS and it would be perfect.

 

[.Sigurd]

REAL medieval RPG, not that fantasy crap.
Less focus on combat and a lot of focus on exploration and crafting, some nice and original plot like Morrowind and a good quest design like Fallout.
The mix of Runescape and Wurm Online sandbox + The Elder Scrolls freedom + realistic medieval setting.

 

[Xor]

Volourn, why do you even like bioware games? I get the feeling from reading your posts that you actually have pretty good tastes in RPGs, so why fanboy over a company that continues to move further away from the traditional cRPG model?

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

GURPS or The Riddle of Steel RPG. Like Fallout but with realism. Also, rape.

 

[Volourn]

"Volourn, why do you even like bioware games? I get the feeling from reading your posts that you actually have pretty good tastes in RPGs, so why fanboy over a company that continues to move further away from the traditional cRPG model?"

Because, I don't have my head so far up my ass thyat i expect every design decision made to be done the way I want?

I rate games based on how much fun they are. I don't expect my ideal RPG to EVER be made unless I make it. That's not arrogance, that's just truth. The fact that morons found on the interent who cry about every little thing that doesn't go their way are pathetic.

It's why I can diss ME2's 'dumbed down combat' and still enjoy the game including the combat with all its fault.

It's why i can enjoy BL despite its shitty combat.

It's why I can give kudos to TOEE depsite not ultimiately enjoying it.

BIO et al. don't make games for Volourn so i don't expect them to be my ideal. Duh.


P.S. I doubt you even know what a 'traditional' RPG is. HINT: It's NOT Fallout.

 

[Cassidy]

A game that would combine a turn-based tactical combat system with the same depth of XCOM and Jagged Alliance 2, balanced skills and stats inspired by GURPS and a well-developed setting, story and plot inspired by Cthulhu Mythos with multiple choices and consequences, several different ways for ITZ COMING or delaying ITZ and clever environmental exploitation and environment interactivity instead of purely brainless combat, where a combination of high INT and PER would allow for a character to be able to find clever ways to use winches, fire extinguishers, fragile ceilings on the verge of collapsing etc in the middle of battles, in a non-scripted manner.

 

[Barrow_Bug]

It's already been made: Oblivion.

 

[ElectricOtter]

TOEE and PS:T have babies in a post-apocalyptic fantasy.

 

[laclongquan]

It should have a few features:

1. Turnbased combat. RTwP is fine, but should have option to customize it (like allowing for stop at end of turn etc).

2. A large selection of characters: At least 5, if more. KotOR is atrocious.

3. A deep, detailed development of characters: background quest (optional), set of responses, disctinctive AI, etc.

4. A detailed world, full of lively NPCs. Not too many, mind, but not too few, either. An NPC could appear in at least two different quests, for example, so that (s)he became a little more memorable.

5. A system of quests that allow replayability. You choose this quest and it will block the way to other quests. you choose this quest and you shall not have enough time or resource to do other quest. That is a good way to ensure replaybility.

6. Allow customization, in form of making potions, or making weapons, or crafting whatever. It's one way of sinking money and creating artificial shortage of certain materials.

7. Allow ways to affect changes in each town: investing money for expanding business, enlarge town wall.. that sort of thing. It's making a dynamic world with the participation of player

8. Allow for harem option: you could have a 2+ NPCs of each gender with romance/flirting option if you so choose.

9. Allow for tomcat option: you could sow your oats in each and every town if you so choose. make for a few lively quests. Hilarious, even.

10. An underlying system of magic/science that could intrigue player: the system of five elements in Prince of Qin, for example. This should affect crafting option, to make it more complicated.

That's about the core of my dream RPG.

 

[MessiahMan]

I think my ideal RPG would be a police/investigation type one. Any theme would do...it could be cyberpunk, X-files-ish, oldschool 1940's detective. Combat would be minimal (but lethal as hell...think one, two shots to kill.) The skills would basically break down into four subsections. Science and investigation based skills, interrogation type skills, rogueish skills, and self-defense skills. The setup would be a point-buy thing, like Fallout, allowing for mixes. While an interrogation specialist could corner witnesses and suspects and grill them until they cracked, science type investigators would go to the crime scene, and get much more data about the goings-on, perhaps even using medical skills to perform autopsies.

Obviously the game would be rife with choices and dire consequences. It would be easy to put the wrong person behind bars, or kill an important eyewitness as they are fleeing the scene. The important thing would be that you wouldn't know how necessary they are until much later in the game, if at all. To maintain the fun factor, even if you borked something, it would still be possible to reach *a* conclusion, just not necessarily the right one.

 

[Shannow]

Simulationist heaven:
All sentient races are playable. They aren't balanced stat-wise. No "evil" races just differences of interest. Huge scarcely populated world with climate zones and weather that affect travelling speed and health depending on race and outdoorsman skill. Antique to medieval setting with low magic.
Equipment requires maintenance, can break, etc. The few magical items are unbreakable or have higher structural values but only slightly better stats otherwise.
Magic takes place in rituals, requires sacrifices, knowledge and aptitude and can go terribly wrong. No throwing fireballs in combat, but perhaps calling storms to damage harvests, etc.
Intricate reputation system that works on local, regional and global levels and depends on the player's charisma, conduct and the amount and the status of witnesses.
Player can join parties or make their own ones depending on charisma, experience and reputation. Can also try to usurp one they joined. Several factions, cities, guilds, noble houses, clans, mercenary groups, etc. Many, but not all, exclusive.
No levels. Learning by doing in a random chance way. The chances of increasing a skill increase with repetition and/or training with a teacher. Experience is a skill and increases like other skills randomly whenever you do, see or speak to something/someone. The more extraordinary, the higher the chance of gaining experience. The only skill that doesn't slow down the higher level you are. Experience can be used to buy traits or train with teachers.
Health, pain and stamina important for combat. Depending on race, stats (willpower and con) and traits/perks there'd be different pain thresholds. Slight injuries give an adrenalin kick, that makes you fight better. Larger injuries bring maluses (unless you have the berserker perk) or even outrigh incapacitate you. If you lose all stamina you fall unconscious. Stamina is sapped by every attack, parry or being hit even if it doesn't get through the armor. Disease, poison, magic and general health also affect stamina(regeneration). All health gone = you are dead.
Perma death with an expensive, very rare soulstone/clone cop out and legacy system in which the next character can get all banked items, estates and transferable titles, etc.
Various alternatives to combat (fleeing, bribing, charming, surrendering, threatening, etc.).

 

[Zeus]

single PC with the ability to recruit party members based on your charisma/leadership and motivations being important.

How many of you guys work for your boss because of his charisma, leadership and motivations? As opposed to, you know, his ability to sign a paycheck?

Cult leaders aside, it's really hard to amass a squad of random strangers to follow you for free. And yet it seems to be the norm in RPGs. That's one of the reason I like Mount & Blade. Charisma and Leadership skills are important, but without a healthy supply of food and a weekly paycheck, good luck getting anyone to die for you.

Edit: I just realized I'm crapping all over somebody's dream. Maybe I should start a new topic or something.

Sorry, man.

 

[Zero Credibility]

What kind of gameplay your ideal RPG must feature? Also, what setting?

Setting - sci fi (the harder the better - ideally something like Transhuman Space), post-apocalypse or modern. Modern horror is also good - another game in the old WoD would be great. But the game world would have to be huge. Lots of NPCs, quests, huge array of items. A great story with interesting NPCs, one PC with optional recruitable party members.

Character system - something that would allow me to define my character as much as possible: stats, advantages/perks, disadvantages/flaws, skills - something like GURPS would be nice. And no levels - give xp points that you can then spend to acquire/improve character traits. Also, xp should be given for completing objectives only (with bonus points for particularly good solutions or good roleplaying) - no xp for combat grinding alone.

What else? Oh yea, multiple ways to finish quests, nonlinear, your stats determine everything, JA2-like turnbased combat, strong c&c - the standard fare. Decent graphics would be nice, but thats just bonus. Great audio though - good music and professional voice acting (think Bloodlines here, but not all NPCs have to be voice acted).

 

[Pliskin]

Why do people always have to Second Life their RPGs? Crafting boors me to tears. But then, combat-heavy High Fantasy (D&D) boors me to tears.

Just give me something in a Modern or Future setting, with multiple ways to solve any quest --- preferably through non-violent means --- and I'm happy with it.

If somebody could take the better parts of Fallout 1 and VtM:B and stick them together, that would be just about perfect.

 

[denizsi]

crafting system of something like Wurm Online(e.g. cut down trees, split some into boards and others into posts, dig holes, plant posts into ground, layer boards on top of posts to make fence or mine ore out of ground, smelt ore into bars, buy or make ceramic mold of axe blade, melt bar of metal, pour into mold, sharpen cut down post into size of axe handle, mount axe blade onto axe handle, you have made axe.)

That works in an MMO for the drama value but for a SP RPG? Such a huge time sink for no value.

 

[Kaanyrvhok]

I have three of pretty much equal value

A PoR remake as an Action RPG
Combat that combines Shenmue, UFC, and Full Spectrum Warrior
Open World with a real ecology like a modded Oblivion
4 player Co-op


A Watership Down RPG
1st person no hud
80% C&C and dialog 20% fleeing and fighting
dialog that plays out like TB combat
Actual combat is a cross between a racing game, a rhythm game, and Gothic
simulation ai
classes based on the novels- runners, story teller, fighter, nobility, visionary, architect

A Pathfinder RPG
Based on my pnp mod
combat thats a cross of IWD 2 and JA
lots of banter with Katt Williams screaming "pimp down".

 

[Hoodoo]

Warhammer 40k setting where you play a trader caught up in a fight for a planet with Dues Ex / System shock type gameplay, with bits of space sim thrown in.

Grand Theft Auto type game set in Coruscant where you play as a rogue jedi after the order 666 or whatever

Turnbased-Combat Fallout mmo with little to no npcs and everyone fills in the spots (people can play as mayors of towns to parts of raider bands camped in the wasteland ambushing trader convoys) this could probably not happen becuase of the massive amount of griefing that would happen)) but it would be cool.

 

[Fritz Haber]

Shadowrun-RPG:

Mission mode in first-person view, with a tactical interface a la SWAT or OF (and pre-mission planning)

Story mode in third-person, campaign set in some of the more fleshed-out cities,
separable party a la JA2, ability to search for information about the next target or
your employer, equipment, upgrading your hideout.

Matrix runs separate from the actual mission in SP (in MP at the same time) with consequences revealed during the actual mission.

Option to play the entire team in MP.

edit
forgot zombies and torture feature

edit
and killable children and romance option

 

[Luzur]

Might and Magic 9 remade with better graphics/inventory doll/everything and bigger world and still continuing the M&M6-8 storyline.

Daggerfall 2.

totally reworked Ultima 9.

A Watership Down RPG
1st person no hud
80% C&C and dialog 20% fleeing and fighting
dialog that plays out like TB combat
Actual combat is a cross between a racing game, a rhythm game, and Gothic
simulation ai
classes based on the novels- runners, story teller, fighter, nobility, visionary, architect

a rabbit RPG?

 

[Hoodoo]

a rabbit RPG?

they got a boardgame of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunnies_%26_Burrows lol

 

[SuicideBunny]

my ideal rpg is a tactical cyberpunk x-com roguelike which also randomizes story and characters due to modular design of both, and is about cops fighting off the just starting zombie apocalypse, and ultimately failing.

it would start with some regular assignments (domestic abuse, crazy druggies, cyborg running amok, corporate espionage, gang wars, violent human rights riots and all that) that feature plenty of c&c, a stage that would set the basic attitudes of the other cops towards you, based on whom you decide to rat out for what, who dies because of your incompetence, and so on. then those assignments would become increasingly bizarre, violent, and gorey, all the while your unit would receive less and less funding, shittier equipment, and go down the drain.
that first phase of the game (tutorial essentially, but much extensive than one would normally be) would culminate in your unit being dissolved, and you deciding to go private/corporate, with a selection somewhat based on choices, contacts, and evidence you made and uncovered. the attitudes of other cops from your unit would determine who'd come with you, and your reputation how much other personnel you could snatch away, or maybe even "requisition" some equipment.

the proper gamephase would feature you on a x-com style map of the megacity with surrounding suburbs and industry areas that graphically reflects the level of contamination and possibly a representation of the swarm at later stages. missions would be assignments from clients/mr johnson with different side objective based on your chosen affiliation. corporates could want you to destroy evidence linking them to the outbreak, the military could want said evidence and data to get ahead of corps in their research, crazy eccentrics would want "live" zombies for sexgames...

as the contamination would progress, so would your mission focus and your mechanics of acquiring missions shift. eventually, you would start sending scouting parties to acquire intel on possible missions, rescue key personnel that might hold information on anything that would allow you to hold out longer (allowing various approaches to interrogation from asking nicely and letting them stay at your base to torture and throwing them off the roof), or just get information on enemies inside missions, which would make them partially static (say, you know there are so and so many zombies gathering in three groups in your target area, the location of those groups, the number of immediate reinforcements, and how big of a window you have before the bulk of the swarm arrives and eradicates your team).

eventually, you would notice small swarms forming on the strategic map, flowing around the place, clustering together.. slowly following your vehicles or making their way to mission areas. you'd also notice that traveling through the swarm costs your team an increased amount of resources at the very least, and possibly even the whole team, and that missions inside swarmed areas have an insane amount of zombies in them, that makes them nearly impossible to accomplish. at this point you would develop sonic repellents and baits to somewhat influence the swarm, allowing you to spend resources to clear a mission area before entering it, if it contains something you really really want, but the swarms would be less influenced with size, and eventually it would all culminate in one giant swarm anyway, which is when the endgame begins.

the swarm noticeably starts making its way towards your hq. slowly. you can still clear holes in it just long enough for mission vehicles to arrive and allow you to snatch some resources, but eventually it will reach your hq, at which point the siege begins.
when sieged, costs of travel through the swarm rise dramatically, pretty much wiping entire teams if they aren't incredibly overpowered and flooding everything in hot lead. you can still do missions, but they better be worth it, because every time you send a team, your hq's defense will be permanently lowered, and it triggers an indoor mission having to hunt and kill the stragglers who manage to make it in.
the swarm will lower your defense rating over time anyhow, and when it drops, several millions of zombies swarm your hq.
it's up to you whether to give up, fight them 'till your last breath, or whether you were enough of an ass to go for the city's nuclear plant, blowing everything and every one up, or try to breach the quarantine set up by corps and government (no, you won't be able to, but that swarm on your heels sure will).

the game wouldn't have a win scenario, but every game over would also feature slides that say something about events unfolding after your passing, the fates of other characters, and a score based on how long you lasted.

fun gameplay elements would include stories that wrap around in circles, like people you lost in missions making their comeback as zombies, or finding out the consequences of your action... maybe that cop you ratted on to the internal affairs actually was innocent, but loss of job and purpose made him into a crazed child-abusing freak, whose home you now have to raid for stuff..
maybe the rookie you had to leave behind because he didn't run fast enough actually managed to barricade himself in a room, and you later find his remains and his journal all over the walls, how he held out, hoping for a rescue because you said you'd come back for him, but never did.
morale would not work like a score, but more like hitboxes, and would be entirely invisible to the player.
everything would have durability and require valuable resources to repair.

i can't imagine anyone ever doing it, but at least the zrpg is coming pretty close to some of its concepts.

 

[.Sigurd]

Daggerfall 2.

 

[Elzair]

Honestly, my idea is extremely ambitious.

I remember once hearing that the goal of the developers of Rogue was creating a game that the developers themselves would enjoy playing. Since playing through static maps you created is a highly boring experience, a randomized game like Rogue means that even the developers themselves can be surprised by the game. The problem is that most of the rogue-likes are simple dungeon crawlers, and the ones that are not tend to have at most only a handful of randomly selected quests (a la Diablo). What I would like to see is a randomly-generated epic game. To keep it simple, it would probably have to be highly non-linear (a la Ultima).