Larian Studios Forums General Chat RPG Chat Games to play after BD

well, good for you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> i was actually talking about monks being you the pc vs enemy mages. but hey, not to take away your achievement, as that is one of the hardest fights in the game. you should read about the problems mages have against monks in the bio forums. this is speaking from a pvp perspective. they were talking about how mages have all sorts of problems killing monks. lvl 40 monk vs lvl 40 mage. it's a one-sided affair. one poster even mentioned that he casted all kinds of spells in his arsenal on the monk, and he still got plastered.

hehe.

Okay. What are the elements of an RPG system?

let's see .... *scratches jaw*

well we may have to go back to the root of the word *geez i sound like an evangelist <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> *

Role-Playing Game

since it's roleplay, u playing the role of some kind(s) of character(s). so the word character implies personality, thoughts, preferences, etc. more of a profile of a person. so that has to be there, right?

now that u have a character & traits that go with it, what about its surroundings or game world? the world must exist & populated for this character to interact, hence develop. so what else?

now we stand on a forked road, each with distinct choices & consequences. so what must we do? where do we go? what is our purpose?

very much the essence of life is purpose. which RPG should have as well. a game without purpose or goal won't be compelling. that's how i see it.

in a nutshell, which it is as i'm simplifying it a bit too much (for fear of myself being overwhelmed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> ), what we need for RPG;

1. character (with traits, personality, psychological profile etc)
2. world or environment (populated, variation, interactive etc)
3. purpose (story-driven, or character stats-driven, or freedom of choice to develop etc)

i'm suer there are more, but i'm trying to get down to what makes RPG 'RPG' by breaking it all down to basic elements/components.

what's your view on this, HEF? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

i'll add to that jang, if you may:

(1) combat system
(2) skill system or character progression, whatever you may call it
(3) i'll add here sometime later on as i'm brain-dead from too much work as of the moment. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

crusader's list

(1) combat system
(2) skill system or character progression, whatever you may call it
(3) i'll add here sometime later on as i'm brain-dead from too much work as of the moment.

****

thanks for the feed, dude. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

i'd say for the first, it will only exist if there is purpose to it. meaning, if the game has combat as part of purpose & gameworld as well as character, it's definitely in. but what if u want to make an RPG of say, private investigator in futuristic time where all weapons are banned & all equipment, appliances etc are made with safety in mind (not sharp, child-safe etc), what can u say about weapons & violence? none!

as for second, it's a given as it is the fruit of character-world interaction. but it's not so necesarry as well, depending on execution of the game, & especially the purpose of the game or developer.

i can't comment on the third. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> just take a nice shower, eat something & hit the bed. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Cheers for your reply Crusader <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />
It ran the compatibilty test and chose chose 800x600 60hz and Best in the performance window.
My vid card is...3D prophet 9600SE 128DDR.
I have played a wide variety of 3D games with no problems until now.

The way I see it, the world should be permanent. Your decisions stick with you. People you interact with remain in your life. I hate "journey" RPGs where the only people you ever see again are the villians and a travelling merchant.

Now what can we base the system on? Do we just want combat, or do we want a more rich and varied world? We could evn make an entirely political RPG if we wanted. Once we have this, we can develop the component systems needed to interact with this world (classes, attributes, skills, equipment, ...). Also, is the system computerised or pen-and-paper? If it's pen-and-paper, we must consider that big numbers are intimidating and difficult to work with.

So looking at what makes an RPG:

1. Universe: What period and setting are we in? What is the world like? How much technology and magic exists and who controls it?
2. Character: What statistics determine them. What statistics differentiate them? How much of the character is multiple choice (classes, feats) and how much is variable (attributes, skills)?
3. Purpose: Do we need to provide the purpose? Will it be an open design system, like D&D, or will the purpose tie in with and determine the characters and Universe?
4. Combat System: How in depth is it? How important is it? What can be done within this Universe?
5. Skill System: How much weight should each skill be given? What skills are necessary for the Universe and the style? How much do skills tie into each other? How do they differ from each other? Can all skills be improved or are there binary skills (you have it or you don't)? What restricts someone from learning a skill? Are base attributes necessary? How much do they influence skills?
6. Equipment: How important is it? How hard is it to obtain? How is it different from other equipment? How much can you use?
   In D&D, every base weapon and armour has a purpose that isn't provided by any other. Certainly magical weapons are better, but most weapons of a similar size and difficulty are equal in strength, and at the same time distinctly different.

Now if we start at the top of the list, we can work our way though each category.


That's right. Instead you still have skills like "Intimidate", "Lie", and "Chatting Up". You have friends in high places. You have people trying to kill you in ingenious ways that don't involve guns. It's certainly doable.

Combat is necessary if you want combat in the system. If you want a system based around combat, then it needs to take a very high priority in it. If combat is a small part of the system, then keep it simple and quick.

Any further thoughts on this?

Crusader: I haven't tried PVP yet but I concur what you've said from the bioware forums.

The exalted sorc build has been said to take down monkeys though. Timestop, mords, mords, timstop, finger or wail or greater ruin+maxed IGMS would be how I would approach it. The dragon diciple seems to be tougher to a spellcaster as far as I can tell.

I would change some feats too I guess. Concentrating on the most spell penetration and necromantic focus. LVL 40 monks have about 60 SR right? Depends upon gear I guess...

My 2 cents. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

handefood

which is why games like deus ex works right. unfortunately when they fine-honed the sequel to make the combat simplistic as the game's not primarily combat-oriented, trigger-finger gamers complained. the gamers have missed the purpose of the game.

but that is another story. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

i agree with u, HEF. if the game's not primarily combat-oriented, then combat, if any, should be kept simple & quick. much like commandos. one doesn't need many ways to knife or gun down enemies, one just have to do it & more importantly where, when & should it be done?

frankly i'm kind of tired of combat-based RPGs, can there be anything else other than that? what more to say medevial ones.

to ease PC gaming, i'd say make the system computerised & not P&P. unless your motive is to port one of the P&P board games to PC. let the computer do the math & leave the enjoyment to the gamers.

well i can't think of more, HEF. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> so i'll pass the mike to u. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

Simple combat: Modified attack roll vs. Modified defense roll. If it succedes, apply damage. Spells modify one of these categories. Do not bother with saving throws against spell x or ability y. Combat can be made creative with creative weapons (ie. scenery and traps).

So we want a Universe that isn't medieval? How about: Wild West, Modern, Futuristic, Space-faring, Animal, Post-Apocalyptic, Cyber Punk, Horror, Private Investigation/Film Noir, Superhero, your favourite tv/comic/book series, Alternate Earth...

Also, what will be available in this Universe? Technology, Magic, Law, Disease, Money, Aliens/Races, ...

One idea I can think of for a less violent setting would be Cyber Punk. There's more espionage and hacking involved. The available classes (if any) wouldn't give rise to a particually combat effective individual. Sure they could use a gun, but it's more for protection and intimidation than assault.

What other settings are people interested in?

One more idea: Cops.

Non-lethal methods are prefered and you're likely to be booted for inappropriate use of force. Unless you talk your way out of it... There's also several departments to work for, corruption, promotions (levels), budget restrictions per mission, ...

donut-eating contests,
and don't forget those wild parties,
where they smoke everyone's dope that they confiscated! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

"The Commissioner's coming! Quick, hide it! Hide it!"
"You boys behaving yourself?"
<chorus> "Yes, Commissioner Derrington..."

is this a good game??... does anyone know??...... Savage from Digital Jesters <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Looks pretty cool.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

Good link Jurak old bud!

Edit: I didn't realise it was already out! Maybe I'll look for it this weekend. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Hey Womble, for me you said everything, NeverWinter Nights to me is the best one, and don't has nothing wrong with it, i can't see any problems, and the best thing is the epic characters even most at the 2nd expansion pack and even most with the 1st and 2nd expansion packs. i didn't liked much only of the 1st pack history(right?) - but all the rest is good a lot.


Isn't rpg, but i like much of this one: "Call of Duty", nice a lot.
The one what disliked a lot is: FarCry, to me this game is "podrão(bad 100 times).

Have you seen it?? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Evil Genius has a DeMo out!

Check here...... EvilGenius Demo

Hey Shyon. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" /> Guess we have a bit in common with regards to games. I'm playing through all 3 campaigns again with one character. (I know SoU is for 1st level chars but.... meh) The original NWN campaign (OC) seems more interesting 2nd time round. Maybe this time I won't screw up the trial so badly. I think with all of the modules available to download there will be lots to keep me interested in this game. (until KotOR 2 comes out at least. NWN 2 has been slated for 2006 but I'll believe that when I see it)
Anyway, of the official campaigns I would rate HotU the best, followed by the OC and then SoU.

Jurak: Might give that demo a try! What is it anyway? RPG?

My definition of RPG... Chance to live through the eyes of someone else.

And why most RPGs are medieval/fantasy is because that is where all the action is and where most people would like to experience without the plagues and chance of being killed or soemthing.

Looks like real time strategy based on the FAQ.