The RPS Advent Calendar 2024, December 22nd
48 minutes ago
I'm playing Betrayal in Antara and loving it. It's wonderful how a lack of expectations and choice makes a game enjoyable. This is a continuous statement though ‘RPGs need less choice;’ I can’t get others to agree with it.
Betrayal in Antara is a very basic RPG as it was made back in 1997. I have no idea how it manages to fill my 22’ widescreen monitor, but it does so with only vertical bars on the side. The graphics are crude, the fighting is very basic, and discussions involve you clicking on a topic and sitting back while the three PCs discuss something with an NPC.
The PC’s are all pregenerated: William of Escobar, third son of the noble house Escobar, who’s a warrior, Aren, son of an innkeeper who learns he can use magic, and Kaelyn, the girl who’s a ranger. Their history and looks are totally out of your control. And that’s fine. In fact, that’s great.
I’d say ‘more RPGs should do this’ but there’s a slight problem with this. If RPGs used pre-generated characters then 98% of RPGs would be about straight, white dudes. As-is, Betrayal in Antara has two white dudes who fit nicely in the plot, and a white gal who decided to join them permanently for no particular reason. However, given that Willian and Kaelyn constantly bicker, I assume they’ll fall in love with one another.
Perhaps it’s because I grew up reading books instead of playing games or watching TV, but without a pregenerated PC, I always find the NPCs more interesting than the PC. They have personality, while the PC is this boring glob that I’m expected to project a personality onto. This works fine for some people, but for the majority I don’t think this is the case. If people wanted to play a character who was simply an empty receptacle they could move around, they’d pick up a FPS, and even shooters are moving around from that model.
I’m not entirely serious when I say that RPGs need less choices. What I mean is that the increased choices in RPGs are all about things I don’t care about. Sure, oblivion style facial sliders mean we have a ton of choice when it comes to the character’s face, but does that choice matter? The majority of time, I can’t even see my character’s face, and people in the game world fail to acknowledge that I look just like Angelina Jolie or, and this is far more like, that my face is bizarrely distorted because no matter how hard I try, my create custom face skill is remains at 0.
Mass Effect is almost a parody of weapon and armor selection in RPGs. Five hundred different versions of the exact same thing. I would prefer a game where there is the basic arms and armor, perhaps three upgrades, and a few, unique items that are better than usual. Increased in damage, accuracy, speed or protection would be through increasing character skill.
We have World of Warcraft and Diablo type RPGs where, a character is purely about your class, stats, and gear, and where the main activity is killing stuff for XP. I would love an RPG that is the exact opposite: a predefined character with built in history and desires, little inventory, no attributes, no XP, and very little combat.
Oh, how I miss you Quest for Glory. It’s so sad to have fallen in love with a game design that is completely out of fashion.
Betrayal in Antara is a very basic RPG as it was made back in 1997. I have no idea how it manages to fill my 22’ widescreen monitor, but it does so with only vertical bars on the side. The graphics are crude, the fighting is very basic, and discussions involve you clicking on a topic and sitting back while the three PCs discuss something with an NPC.
The PC’s are all pregenerated: William of Escobar, third son of the noble house Escobar, who’s a warrior, Aren, son of an innkeeper who learns he can use magic, and Kaelyn, the girl who’s a ranger. Their history and looks are totally out of your control. And that’s fine. In fact, that’s great.
I’d say ‘more RPGs should do this’ but there’s a slight problem with this. If RPGs used pre-generated characters then 98% of RPGs would be about straight, white dudes. As-is, Betrayal in Antara has two white dudes who fit nicely in the plot, and a white gal who decided to join them permanently for no particular reason. However, given that Willian and Kaelyn constantly bicker, I assume they’ll fall in love with one another.
Perhaps it’s because I grew up reading books instead of playing games or watching TV, but without a pregenerated PC, I always find the NPCs more interesting than the PC. They have personality, while the PC is this boring glob that I’m expected to project a personality onto. This works fine for some people, but for the majority I don’t think this is the case. If people wanted to play a character who was simply an empty receptacle they could move around, they’d pick up a FPS, and even shooters are moving around from that model.
I’m not entirely serious when I say that RPGs need less choices. What I mean is that the increased choices in RPGs are all about things I don’t care about. Sure, oblivion style facial sliders mean we have a ton of choice when it comes to the character’s face, but does that choice matter? The majority of time, I can’t even see my character’s face, and people in the game world fail to acknowledge that I look just like Angelina Jolie or, and this is far more like, that my face is bizarrely distorted because no matter how hard I try, my create custom face skill is remains at 0.
Mass Effect is almost a parody of weapon and armor selection in RPGs. Five hundred different versions of the exact same thing. I would prefer a game where there is the basic arms and armor, perhaps three upgrades, and a few, unique items that are better than usual. Increased in damage, accuracy, speed or protection would be through increasing character skill.
We have World of Warcraft and Diablo type RPGs where, a character is purely about your class, stats, and gear, and where the main activity is killing stuff for XP. I would love an RPG that is the exact opposite: a predefined character with built in history and desires, little inventory, no attributes, no XP, and very little combat.
Oh, how I miss you Quest for Glory. It’s so sad to have fallen in love with a game design that is completely out of fashion.
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I'm with you on this up until you say no XP. I hated Legend of Zelda because I never felt like my character improved, and while it was Link- he never spoke, and I never had any idea who he was (nor did I much care, stupid green hat). I am not into huge inventories of things; I liked it when everything you found was better then the last thing and not "I have 17 armors and 29 upgrades which to use?"
I do like creating my own character and it sucks when the game doesn't acknowledge what I know about him or her that it doesn't, that said the story is the most important thing. As much as I have loved the new Batman game, I know I won't play the challenge rooms, I don't enjoy beating people up unless I need to or get something out of it.
Have you seen that crazy RPG-ish/horror/mystery (is it Heavy Rain- I keep think Dark Water, you know, with the origami killer) It seems like it would fit your needs, story specific characters, but a variety of them, and a deep story line.
And it's only for the PS3. :(
You don't need XP to feel more powerful or to 'level up.' The majority of times XP is tied to a combat mechanic anyways, which is something I'd like less of.
Instead, you have various quests and sidequest, and when you finish a side-quest, it automatically improves some aspect of your character. The thing is that there's a specific number of side-quests that you can go on before the questline moves forward so you just can't do everything.
Or instead of automatically improving something, finishing a side-quest gives you a training point that you can use to learn new skills or improve old ones.
I don't want to get rid of the feeling of getting better.
"‘RPGs need less choice;’ I can’t get others to agree with it."
I'll agree with you. Maybe I'm not 'hardcore' enough but I do not understand the nearly religious obsession with generating your own backstory for a character. And hence with the idea that as little as possible should be pre-generated.
No matter how creative you are or how great your character is... he/she is still just a shapeless glob because that's how the game world reflects him/her. I always feel like my character doesn't fit in those games.
;D
Did you ever play Rule of Rose on the PS@ or are you a strictly PC person. It was a great horror sort of game, actually the creepiest I've ever played mostly because it is about the cruelty of children. Honestly, there were points I freaked out a bit. It wasn't super gory and combat wasn't a staple. It was exploration and story (and a dog). There were problems with it (amazingly long load times, repetitive quests), but if there is a PC version you should look it up.
Following that logic you should have fallen in love with the Witcher.
All that's really needed is a tight storyline/characters and an immersive world,or at the very least charm, to make a good RPG. The point is to feel a part of the world - not make superficial choices that amount to nothing.
On that note Baldur's Gate II/ToB has more or less one choice at the very end of the trilogy, but still stands head and shoulders above everything else becaus ethat one choice mattered .
Boo.
I'll be the one to disagree, I love to build characters and see how they fit into the game world/story, how they interact with the characters around them and grow, etc.
I also feel that games with a set prot and set dialogue, etc. are not RPGs, because I am not playing a role, the character/game plays itself, I just pick which sidequests I do in what order and whatnot? That's an adventure game to me. (Which I also enjoy, <3's Onimusha, the FFs, and Vagrant Story)