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"An RPG is for life, not just for christmas..."

Why are RPGs so good?

Unable to explain in one word or one sentence alone, this takes some heavy thinking. Many areas attribute to a successful and well selling RPG game. Areas such as the plot that would need to captivate the game player. Or the characters, their attitudes; their visual perception; their actions towards their friend and enemies; their special attacks and how they develop. How about the minigames? All RPGs, to be successful, need to have some sort of fun, weird and wacky detour, just to satisfy everyone’s taste. Even better when the gameplay requires you to go through these ordeals in order to either complete a section or to acquire the best item of equipment. Talking about equipment, what the characters equip usually define what type of special attacks or attributes that that characters onto which they are equipped have. There are weird and wacky weapons that could do all sorts of things, and look completely different to the normal attitude of the game. Then there are bad guys. Either serious or very weird, these guys can really hurt what the main character can call his backside if the main character has not been properly raised. Bad guys can come in all sorts of shapes and forms, from the reptilian kind, to the inhuman or the alienated. They usually have some sort of death attack as well, and unless the parry isn’t highly protected, a number of hours of hard work could go down the pothole. But the only way to kill a bad guy, boss or final boss, in an RPG, would be through a battle system. By the battle system and certain elements found within it is how I classify an RPG compared to an adventure game. Not many people know, or can distinguish, between a ‘turn’ and a ‘time’ based battle system in RPGs. However, there are RPGs that are exceptions because of their use of statistics. No RPG would be complete without sound - whether they be long midi style background tunes or shot blips to signify certain sections, and any RPG requires them. Some RPGs even create short little ditties that everyone remembers. With the new wave on consoles appearing practically every 5/6 years, eventually speech by the characters should become the norm. Even though nowadays, in FMV, we often hear speech. FMV is such a vital element of RPGs that it really is pretty stupid not to include it for RPGs from now and onwards. Whether it be the preliminary story explanation or frequently throughout the game, FMV has to be somewhere. Yet with all RPGs there has to be bad points. The main ones I find sometimes the frequency of savepoints; how unexciting the game can get once everything has been completed when all the main weapons have been acquired and also the inability to backtrack if the characters are underdeveloped for the boss ahead.

Primarily, I wish to start with my generally accepted definition of what I call an RPG and what I call an adventure game. It generally comes down to the battle system. Games such as the Final Fantasy series on the Playstation are great examples or RPGs - apart from creating a new niche on which all RPGs are trying to achieve from the date of FF7s release - they use a time-based battle system. Each character from within the party has either a speed statistic or an agility statistic on which when moves can be performed is set. In a time-based battle system, it is possible for one character of enemy to get in two separate attacks before another enemy/character. Now I must stress that there are two sub-divisions for time-based battle systems - ones like FF that do not take distance into account and ones like Grandia(PSX) and Grandia 2(DC) that do take movement into account. The idea behind this is that it also takes time for your character to move to hit the enemy, and the further away the two are, the more time it takes to run to the enemy, then hit it. The other system is the turn-based system. Games that use this include Wild Arms(PSX), Breath of Fire 3(PSX), Skies of Arcadia(DC & GC) and Pokémon(GB, GBA, N64). This is where each of the characters and each of the enemies chooses an attack, and depending on how fast each of them are, the fastest usually goes first, then through to the slowest. Notice I have included statistics - statistics make an RPG an RPG, for sure. Main statistics that are included generally all RPGs are changeable character names; an attack power; a defensive power; a luck statistic; a speed/agility statistic; a HP(life force) statistic and some type of special move/magic point statistic. This leads me onto the exceptions to the turn/time based battle system RPG rule because of their use of statistics. Phantasy Star Online(DC), Phantasy Star Online ver.2(DC & GC), Diablo(PC) and Diablo 2(PC) are all examples of this exception rule. Even though there is no visibly set battle system in operation - in fact whenever in sections with enemies, the battle system is already operational, just not turn-based or time-based - their use of statistics introduces that RPG feel. This is basically what I consider to be an RPG. Adventure games are different, however. I must highlight, although this does not concur to everyone’s opinion, that games such as Alundra(PSX), Alundra 2(PSX) and Zelda(Various) I consider to be adventure games, because of their use of the heart system. Before you think that I hate these games, I must say that they do hold anticipation when I play them. The Zelda games on practically all platforms are excellently scripted and are well catered for, and they invigorate my mind to play and continue with the story. I just don’t classify them as RPGs in same way as the Final Fantasy Series, or on Nintendo format (just for you, Dringo), Paper Mario. Mind you, people classify games such as the Resident Evil Series(PSX, PSX2, GC) and the Tomb Raider Series(PSX, PSX2(?)) in the adventure category as well, but I don’t like those adventure games as much as Zelda.

All RPG games need a plot. Plots need to captivate and energise the game player to continue playing to find out the result if it isn’t painfully obvious. Good plots include cliff-hangers, A hero/heroine and their band of associated partners, some sort of very unmethodical twist and a really bad bad-guy or group of bad guys that is hell-bent on doing some sort of nasty manifestation of which you and your band of merry men have to stop. Good plots involve separation of the main characters by some unknown force or to somehow help each other, some sort of romance lines (like Squall and Rinoa in FF9 or Vyse and Aika/Fina in Skies of Arcadia) and some sort of back-stabbing/reverse roles (Seifer in FF8). Also, a great number of social areas like towns and cities helps, (like Court Seim in Wild Arms, Toad Town in Paper Mario) so the characters can interact with NPCs (Non-Player Characters) and buy/sell items and equipment. Basically, an RPG is a book that uses a variety of stylistic techniques to make the plot more exciting rather that reading a book. That relayed the question, would ‘Harry Potter’ become an RPG with magic spells and FMV clips from the film?

But if Harry Potter did become a character in an RPG, what would he be like? Within an RPG, a character, especially the main character, needs to seem to have a mind with constant thoughts in line with his/her personality - i.e. their attitude. Relationships between characters need to be structured, and their attitudes need to be maintained. A completely random sounding and acting character could be the death of an RPG. The characters would need to look suitable for their surroundings and their natural demeanour(i.e. Squall in FF8 dresses seriously when in his own clothes and his uniform as he takes life seriously through his own views) and sound natural towards emotions such as anger, love and laughter. Emotions such as love or hatred are usually directed at another character. Inter-reaction between characters and different character's perception of each other may seem complicated, but is actually quite simple. It entails one character's opinion of another and what they say towards them and what they think about them. Though the character's perception between friends and enemies hopefully, within an RPG, would be different, possibly in the extremes and which hopefully would modify throughout the story as the plot develops. The most important area of a character within an RPG would have to be their special attacks and how, by the developers and programmers, they are displayed. The most famous, in my opinion, special attack is probably Omnislash, the final special move from Cloud in Final Fantasy 7, which finishes with the first special move for Cloud, the Braver. However, those attacks are specific to Cloud. Within Final Fantasy 7, there are also special beings that can be summoned. The graphical detail, at the time when FF7 was released, that these summons entailed was graphically superb for the PSX, whose speed (so I’ve heard) can max. out at 33Mhz. On the Nintendo, Mewtwo from Pokémon has his powerful psychic attack and Mario in Paper Mario has special Star Spirit attacks.

Speaking again about FF7, you have to win the item to learn Omnislash by participating in the ‘Battle’ mini-game. Minigames in an RPG provided the humouristic element within any RPG. They usually involve accuracy, timing, achieving a score or another task with the utmost of classical humour added. How the mini-games form part of the RPG depends on the ideas of the developer and programmers. The minigames could whether be part of the game, necessary to complete in order to move on, partially like FF7 to get Omnislash, or just as an aside in order to stimulate humour, like fishing in Breath of Fire 3, where it is only required once throughout the whole entire game. Now with minigames, prizes for your achievements will usually be catered for. Some good - some not so good. Yet all of them somehow add to your characters' inventory, whether they be healing items or weapons and armor.

Now equipment can take many, many forms. I believe, with proper application, it is possible to complete an RPG with the original equipment provided unless a certain piece of equipment is needed during the game (but trying to complete Phantasy Star Online with just a saber would be blooming hard!). How the equipment is distributed is dependant on how the developers and programmers wish to enforce its potential. Equipment can be in the form of weapons, armor, items or certain specifics that each RPG has. Some of these, like the weapons and armor, can be equipped. With Phantasy Star Online, most of them require a certain statistic to be at a certain level. This way only the best armor can be equipped near the end of the game. In the Final Fantasy Series however, with the right cheats or walkthroughs, the best armor and weapons can be equipped right at the beginning of the game. Again it depends on the designers and programmers preference. Now weapons can take many forms, such as frying pans(Phantasy Star Online), mops(FF7) or puny cutlery knives(Breath of Fire 3). Armor usually comes in the form of leather, steel, and in some cases, a weird material called adamantite; with either chain mail or plate mail. Depending on the graphics of the RPG, the weapons and armor can look weird with wonderful shapes, or all the same but just will different names. In each individual RPG, this equipment would have different abilities and attributes. Some might randomly kill basic monsters in one hit, others could have the power of the thunder element added to them or could be used in a big combination attack. But then again, there could be bad effects that make you more prone to poison, or lower your HP automatically when you equip them. These help the bad guys to victory.

In any RPG, usually monsters can be classified in three sections: Easy monsters, like the ones at the beginning of the game that are really easy to dispose of when you’re near the end of the epic journey; Late monsters, as in the ones found randomly right at the end of the game; Boss monsters, who have huge HP and usually get harder as the game progresses. The last section also includes the final boss, which in many RPGs usually takes more than one form. These monsters take all different shapes and forms - not only between different ones in different RPGs but also within the individual RPG itself. An example of this would again be in Phantasy Star Online: A Rag Rappy looks cute and cuddly, and are pretty easy to kill; whereas a Dimenian would probably lose a beauty contest to the Rag Rappy as they really look so *** damn ugly. Usually, different monsters have different characteristics. Certain ones, like a Malboro in the Final Fantasy Series, are resistant to poison or are weak against fire attacks. With the right combination of skills, these monsters can easily be felled. Yet when you only just kill a monster that seemed very hard before, the sense of relief that I receive is one of personal achievement. Usually, the main characteristic of bosses is that they are wholly resistant to death attacks of any sort. After having a flick through some of my walkthroughs, I have come to one conclusion about final bosses - there have and never will be a final boss who is ‘undead’, for one sole purpose - if you heal it, it takes damage. Ever noticed that?

Yet whenever you hit an enemy, usually a small sound is heard to say that you have either hit it, missed it, or done a critical hit. Now sound is all important to an RPG adventure - a change in the tone of music can set the mood for that portion of the adventure. Without anything to listen to in the background, an RPG would just play as it would sound - dull. Even with the best quality smooth graphics, an RPG without sound just doesn’t cut it. That, I think, is the biggest problem with football manager simulations - the music. Yet the types of music that you hear in RPGs usually fall into three categories, with some of the older RPGs not including the third one. Firstly, long music. This music is usually played in the background while playing and interacting with the people on screen. Or it can, as I have said before, set the mood. Secondly, short music. This usually comes in the form of short blips that indicate something, or are used to fade in and out of different types of looped long music. The common Final Fantasy tune, the one after a fight (any Final Fantasy fan will know what it is, and I can’t really display it here), would classify as short music as it is used to fade out the battle music and introduce the exp. gaining screen. Thirdly, and sometimes missed out on older RPGs due to limitations or something like that, speech. Many RPGs that involve stories (like Grandia) use speech. Some, like Grandia, use it infrequently for emphasis. Others, like Jade Cocoon (sorry, can’t think of a better example!), use speech all the time so you can feel the sense of interaction between the characters. Yet one problem I feel could be resolved is the opportunity to put in your own music CDs to play in the background, or to be able to customise the general background noise to something that the gamer likes. In my case, that would be Punk Rock/Techno in the form of Blink182 and the like. Yet this personal choice of music would have to be muted for the potentially death-defying section of what makes a good RPG a great RPG: FMV.

For those who do not know what FMV is, it stands for Full Motion Video. FMV is practically a video that doesn’t incorporate any interaction from the game player. Technology in the future should allow games to run in FMV style graphics. Some games do one of two things - either use FMV as the introduction and the end of the game and let the game player control all the in-game movement, such as Phantasy Star Online; the other is to use FMV to continue the plot or in areas where the controller cannot perform the necessary combination of moves to complete the section. Games like this would include the Final Fantasy Series, especially FF9. The only game made recently without FMV is probably Wild Arms(PSX), yet that lacked in the general graphic area throughout the whole game.

And this leads be onto the very, very short section on the bad points of SOME(and I really need to emphasise SOME) RPGs. First point is the number of save points in some RPGs. Whether it’s stylistic or not, some games have too few save points too infrequently. Or two really close together. Another point is the limited use of an RPG once all the areas have been unlocked and all the key items have been found. Phantasy Star Online counters this by the online feature and the ability to inter-react with other people. Lastly, I hate it when you’ve just saved, and can’t beat the boss ahead. And you can’t backtrack to gain experience so you can beat the boss. The only way to get past this would be to luckily kill the boss by strategy. Or start again, and prepare. But then the fun dissipates of new challenges up to that point.

After that really, really tiny section comes my conclusion to the beginning question: Why are RPGs so good? Reason: ability to inter-react with characters that can do wicked special moves that need to be earned in minigames with equipment that make sounds when you use them that kill big bad guys. Three things to finally finish off:

(i) RPG = good
(ii) get RPGs now, because of reason 1
(iii) What are your top 10 RPGs?

Mine are:

1) Final Fantasy 9
2) Phantasy Star Online (and ver.2 when I get it)
3) Grandia
4) Final Fantasy 7
5) Paper Mario
6) Skies of Arcadia
7) Breath of Fire 3
8) Final Fantasy 8
9) Diablo 1 & 2
10) Wild Arms

Jcsuperster: The Saviour of Souls

Goatboy wrote:
> First, young elf warrior, you must fetch me the saddle of pissthwapmong so that
> I may exchange it for the magical stones of Smeegrippernipple.

Then we must
> engage in lengthy and dull combat, turn by turn until I cast a "No longer a
> virgin" spell and we lost interest


May I ask,

1) why the stupid words. It sounds like you've never played through an RPG before, or you've been reading too much harry potter.

2) Dull combat. Looks like you ain't played around that much. And if you lose intrest that quickly, we, there is only one cure from that. Apaarently its £6 a tablet form pfizer.

OK. Now, how would you define how an RPG is good? It would have to have (what I said above).

come on people, the best RPG is PLANESCAPE TORMENT or BG2 or IWD: HOW


cheese.

First, young elf warrior, you must fetch me the saddle of pissthwapmong so that I may exchange it for the magical stones of Smeegrippernipple.

Then we must engage in lengthy and dull combat, turn by turn until I cast a "No longer a virgin" spell and we lost interest

I would like to shave that beard and grow my own in its place!

I would just like to repeat my original contribution to the RPG thread:

Beard.

JCSuperStar wrote:
Looks like
> either

You didn't read it all or
You didn't understand it.

Try reading it
> again


I dispute that claim.

In your first paragraph, you told us about bad guys, and the battle system used in RPG's, the difference between turn and time based combat, and that of sound and FMV is used in battle scenes.

In your second paragraph, you told us what the difference between an adventure game and an RPG is, and the use of statistics in battle.

In your third paragraph, you told use that RPG's need a plot, and you told us what a plot was, and what themes are commonly used.

You then went on to mention the main character, and how he needs a personality, and has to interact with people, and his made unique by his/her special attacks.

Then you babbled about how mini games affect your inventory, and add a refreshing break of humour.

Then a paragraph about equipment.

Then more about monsters.

Then more on sound and FMV (and you even told us what it was)

Then some bad points

Then a summary, where you mentioned why RPG's are good.


What you did for most of the post, was tell us what made the difference between a good RPG and a bad one was, but not actually why RPG's are good.

No mention of why people desire to be someone else, to escape from their own reality and explore a new one. No mention of the sense of achievement from building up your character. No mention of the sense of mental accompalishment from winning a tough battle, or the sense of power from taking on the world and winning.

Goatboy wrote:
> JCSuperStar wrote:
> Why are RPGs so good?
Unable to explain in one word
>

Yes you can.

BEARD

Said it before and I'll say it again:
Being
> Smeejpap the elven king of Bungmedal and having to trot about swapping the
> satchel of Bwangballs for the staff of Nipplorsmit from the Orc is
> dull.
Fighting in turn based combat?
Eh?
Building up your stats by defeating
> the dreaded Spider-Beast of Mingefwapmeedle is horrifically boring.

Just my
> opinion though.

Then please, leave as your opinion and try not to influence anyone else. Or MAD might occur.

JCSuperStar wrote:
> Why are RPGs so good?
Unable to explain in one word

Yes you can.

BEARD

Said it before and I'll say it again:
Being Smeejpap the elven king of Bungmedal and having to trot about swapping the satchel of Bwangballs for the staff of Nipplorsmit from the Orc is dull.
Fighting in turn based combat?
Eh?
Building up your stats by defeating the dreaded Spider-Beast of Mingefwapmeedle is horrifically boring.

Just my opinion though.

Dringo wrote:
> I was lucky enough to see a sneak preview of these STORMING post and it was
> excellent then and it is even better now, big it up JC.

yeah. even better.