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Your dream RPG

DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
Ok, here is the deal. You are the lead developer, well, at least manager (for instance, I me personally can't program, at all, so I think it would be a stretch to call myself a developer) with a multi-million dollar backing and absolutely free hands. The only rule is that it must be a RPG.

Here is my tl:dr; a "camera behind the back" action RPG with slowmo, that switches to top down when you issue orders, and first person when you aim a ranged weapon.

For longer version, mix the following ingredients;

Pillars of eternity

Steal: Importance of distance, position of NPC, skill system uses per day etc. PoE is so streamlined it is ridicolous. Definitely have the best combat system of any RPG to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnioEln1ars

Steal: For tactical gameplay, Myth 2 rules supreme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=624ZQoc5ppY&list=PLBiA98i89bbW_bqO22KI-oubxQsqbjRjo&index=5

Steal: Watch 6:29. The importance of outwitting your opponent. Button mashing simply just wont work in this game, you will get your ass handed to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPqjS6Cn3uA

Steal: The platformning only, obviously. Button mashing DOES work in this game, so I want to be clear about that I am uninterested in the combat system of this game. I dunno why oh why they dumbed down the combat system from probably the most advanced fencing in any game, in the very least of that era, to no brain button mashing, but they did. Now, I don't want all chars to be able to monkey about like the prince, just those with high dex and many points in acrobatics skill or whatever.

Grim Dawn / Champions of Norrath:

Steal: Both these games have incredibly responsive controls. I want that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-titSCAoxc&t=95s

Red Steel 2 is such a great game. It is criminally underappreciated. Yes, I mean that literally. If I was dictator of the world, I would put people in prison for badmouthing this game.
Steal: Everything!!! Unfortunately, button mashing DOES work, once you aquire a special blocking move. You can keep repeating it indefinitely, and you will block everything followed by a riposte. I am 100% convinced that spamming that move is an exploit and not intended to be part of the game, so I pretend it is not possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhGZTlHsK-0

Steal: The wall attachment feature (cover system). Also seen in games like Gears of War. I think at least - I have never actually played that game, just seen footage.

Secret of Mana:

Steal: Jump in, jump out system. Games like Baldurs Gate are actually HORRIBLE online, because one person is so clearly the leader, therefore, everyone else gets bored out of their skulls in between fights. Games like Diablo works for online play... by sacrificing storytelling and plot submerge all together. So, I propose jump in jump out combat. One person plays the game - others are allowed to jump in jump out when they feel (and, of course, if they are invited), taking control of one of the companions. This way, you can take the best of two worlds. Yes, you can eat the cake and keep it. Lovely!

Mortal kombat / DAO:

Steal: Finishing moves. Being able to execute opponents (at least bosses / minibosses) in style just adds a certain, well, touch to the game.

Many games: Slowmo systems

I want 3 skills.

1) A "reflex" skill, where time slows down if you pass a "reflex" roll, and you are given blue arrows indicating which buttons you must press, and if you do in time, you dodge the attack. Bonus to the skill if you have a shield.

2) A "leadership" skill. You see, you cannot have direct control of your team mates, they have their own mind and GOOD AI, but you can bark out orders to them, that they will hopefully follow. If you are not engaged in a melee fight, you can press a button, and time will come to a complete halt for a couple of seconds (the more leadership and intelligence you have, the more seconds you get) and during this time, you get a top down view, like Myth II or PoE, and you can give orders. When time resumes, you will start barking out the orders, and your companions, depending on their loyalty, your charisma, how dangerous task you give them, how scared they are, etc, will attempt to perform the orders you give, rather than doing what their AI suggested. Once you have issued orders, the leadership skill enters cooldown for some time, before you can use it again.

3) An "execute" skill - when an opponent is dazed, fumbles, badly injured and similar, time will slow down, and you can clickety click in a key combination for a finishing move. Which you then perform, if you clickety clicked it in time.

Sigma;

A game with "behind the back" view (like Prince of Persia 3D), which, when you aim carefully with a ranged weapon, switches to first person view, like Red Steel 2, and, when you issue orders, switches to a top down view, like Myth II. Ranged combat is like Gun, Red Dead Revolver and Red Steel 2, while melee combat is like prince of persia 3D. There is a cover system, you can attach to any wall. The biggest and baddest ranged weapon out there will be crossbows, wands and muskets. Extremely high firepower with high rate of fire of course discourages melee, so that is out.
Skills make you more likely to succeed with, well, whatever you are attempting, but you still need to control your characters every move like in Red Steel 2, Champions of Norrath and Prince of Persia. Melee combat VERY MUCH depends on outwitting your opponent, just like fencing in Prince of Persia (3D).
Squad tactics, that is, position of your characters, height advantage, cover, traps etc etc etc matters.

All of that alone makes a great game, even if the storytelling is on pair with Diablo.

But for good measure, I pour some solid storytelling on top, like the icing of the cake.


Your turn.
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Comments

  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    edited October 2017
    I've actually created the base for my own RPG ruleset, so my dream would ofc to be the creative director for a game based on that. It's very old school but with several twists that I've been inspired by other games, but combined in a way that appeals to me and that has not yet been done. At least no my knowledge.

    * My dream would be a camera very similar to DA: origins, but slightly more responsive. So a mix between over-the-shoulder action but with a mount&blade-esque map view for when traveling, but it should be possible to zoom in at any time.
    * I'd go with a semi-classic approach to races and classes etc, but using my own ruleset and lore.
    * Instead of going "open world roaming" as been done to death, I'd go "open world but it changes constantly based on yours and others actions", so something like a mix between the otherwise horrible LOTR SoM game and DA:O. This means quests will be tied to factions and houses etc and progress their standing, so that the world changes and empires rise and fall as you progress and choose sides. Tyranny but without the unavoidable ending of antagonizing everyone and with some Mount&Blade-esque factions with leaders, followers, family ties, hierarchies and alliances.
    * I'd use my own fatigue system for HP/mana etc. I'm not a huge fan of "You can use X skill Y times per day" since it breaks my immersion.
    * Balanced usage of coins.
    * A reasonable level of deteriorating on items, without going over the top though (*cough* fallout 3)
    * A lot of ships! I want a portion of the game to be revolving around trade, commerce, invasions and pirating etc. So Ships and naval combat should be part of it.
    * Let the game's power-levels revolve more around characters skills and less about powerful items.
    * ..

    I have a thousand more things but I won't bore you to death, hehe..

    Edit: Holy crap, I forgot the most important part, hah!

    * The protagonist is just another ordinary chum! You are not the celestial offspring between sweet baby jeebus and the Andromeda galaxy's demon avatar form. You are just an adventurer but your actions can still shape the outcome of the world. I have my story already in my head as well. Maybe one day I'll write a book, hah :D

    I wrote an intro once..
    The old man smiled when thinking about what he had in front of him, a full night's worth of tales and storytelling. He loved these nights, he lived for these nights. When he lost his sight many years ago and contemplated ending his life, the tribe's sage suddenly died and left an open spot for him to fill. Suddenly his life had meaning again, and he intended to stay alive for as long as possible. Acting as the tribe's sage gave him the role of story-teller, being responsible for keeping records of the tribe's actions alive until the next generation took over and another sage took his place. It also meant he, on nights like this, would be in centre of the tribe, enthralling the youth and elder alike with glorious tales of the past. He knew thousands of tales about the gods, the races and the kings of old but tonight he had something special in mind - he would tell the tale of the birth of the realm, the beginning of the world as we know it.
    He was almost as excited as the crowd outside his tent now, licking his lips after every sip from the mug of warm beverage. The heated mead gave him warmth in his belly and fervor in his heart. He needed it in order to tell the tale as it must be telled: with passion, geist and energy. His assistent put a warm robe over his shoulders and gently whispered:
    - It is time, my love.

    Benron thought for a second of his assistant, whom he had never had the pleasure of laying eyes on, thinking he would bed her savagely after the story-telling, as if he was twenty years younger. He never felt more alive than on nights like this, and this night was something extra. It was almost as if he could feel the presence of the gods, wathcing him, waiting for him to start talking. He had felt it before, once a year, always on this exact night and on this exact hour, and his predecessor had said the same.
    The old man turn to his servant, or at least towards where he could smell her presence and hear her silent breathing as she stood and waited for him to finish his preparations.
    - Indeed, it is time.

    It was the same conversation, the exact same few words and phrases every year. Even though Benron had memorized a thousand different tales down to the exact words of the original, he loved to recite these two simple phrases more than any of grand stories in his oral arsenal. It was indeed time, he thought to himself, it was almost as if he could feel the gods growing impatient with him. He grabbed the ends of the robe and wrapped it tighter around his fragile old body and started to walk towards the door, his servant's firm grip leading the way as always. He took a deep breath and stepped outside.




  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited October 2017
    I would want a science fiction RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate. In particular, focusing on the space opera subgenre fairly light hearted, no grimdark, but humour not too goofy. Inspirations: Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Lensmen, Guardians of the Galaxy.

    It would be top down/isometric, with a party size of 5. The graphics would be 3d like DoS2 rather than pre-drawn. Combat would be real time with pause. The ruleset would be close to D&D, with a choice of classes (soldier, rogue, scientist, engineer, psionisist, technomage, pseudojedi) and races (very important - I hated not having this in Mass Effect).

    The gear grind would be minimal, with standard gear readily available and not changing with level, and special gear only available through quests and exploration, never buyable is stores, no matter how many credits you accumulate. It was the gear grind that lead me to be massively disappointed in Starfinder - not everyone wants to be a mercenary. It's also a flaw in Mass Effect.

    As for plot - surprise me.
  • DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
    edited October 2017
    @Fardragon & @Buttercheese speaking of plot that involves, I am very fond of the black death. Well, uh, I mean, perhaps not the dying and suffering part, but more like the socioeconomic dynamics that occur before (widespread panic, xenophobia, draconian laws and brutal ruthlessness in enforcing them), during (non-infected versus infected, immunized survivors looting and partying, social upheaval as the structures keeping rich rich and poor poor collapse) and after (democratization process threatened by warlords and oligarchs, enlightenment process threatened by fundamentalists). Not to forget opportunistic, greedy neighbors, sending in their armies after the kingdom have been weakened. And also, opportunistic dark powers crawling out from their caves. I just love the idea of the Castlevania netflix intro occurring during the plaque (demon, assorted beasts and undead are immunish, I guess, to disease).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFo0cQ8hNs8

    Yes yes, I know that was the theme of Neverwinter Nights, but they did a TERRIBLE job of it.
  • tbone1tbone1 Member Posts: 1,985
    edited October 2017
    You know, for me, BG and BG2 come pretty darn close. It's epic in scope and feel, it uses old-school D&D rules so there's less of a learning curve for me, it runs on a Mac and iPad, the writing is great, the plots are great, there are unexpected plot twists, and the cutesy-poo factor is almost nil.
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    My dream RPG's world building does not have humans, elves, dwarves or other stock races in it. Instead, it would have playable non-humanoid races in all shapes and flavours.
    Is not related to Tolkien, D&D, Lovecraft, DSA, TES or any other already existing franchises. Seriously, I want to be blown away by something never seen before for a change!
    Has not yet another Good vs. Neutral vs. Evil main plot. I want something far more complex than that.
    Is not bound to a single fiction genre. Like interstellar travels where each world has its own take on physics and magic systems. Or a fully functioning and visitable multiverse. Something worth to explare in any case.
    Has A.I. controlled NPC's which are actually smart for a change. Completely independent for player inputs.

    And it of course should be immersive. With swimming, diving, climbing, riding, driving, flying, running, hand-walking and jumping. As well as having realistic temperature rules. Food and drinking rules. Crafting rules. And possessing an affinity system far more complex than "flatter until they're all lovely-dovely" kind of companion interaction. (I'm looking at you IE games!)


    Bonus points if it's controlled by thoughts and has an 32K resolution or something. :P
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    @DrakeICN I thought I said "no grimdark" :smiley:

    @Kamigoroshi One thing I would look for from my proposed space opera crpg would be all new races. No space elves and space dwarves. And no humans with knobs on their heads either. The playable races should be significantly different from humans cosmetically, culturally, and mechanically.
  • DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
    edited November 2017
    Fardragon said:

    @DrakeICN I thought I said "no grimdark" :smiley:

    Grim Dawn has a story?

    Edit: vvvv Have you guys checked out Ur Quan masters? Space opera with lots of non-humanoids (for instance talking mushrooms). And best of all, it is freeware!
    Post edited by DrakeICN on
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    Fardragon said:

    @DrakeICN I thought I said "no grimdark" :smiley:

    @Kamigoroshi One thing I would look for from my proposed space opera crpg would be all new races. No space elves and space dwarves. And no humans with knobs on their heads either. The playable races should be significantly different from humans cosmetically, culturally, and mechanically.

    Would be so interresting to play something completely different, like a character without arms and legs who travels around in a hovering glass jar, using mind tricks and deathly stares from its 1000 eyes. Or maybe we don't have eyes and instead uses only sonar. And we have no jar. And no mindtricks. And no physical form at all.

    ..hmm. I need to think this through some more, methinks.
  • kanisathakanisatha Member Posts: 1,308
    Fardragon said:

    I would want a science fiction RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate.

    Interesting. A question for all you sci-fi cRPGers: does sci-fi automatically equal guns/lasers? This is why I have always avoided sci-fi RPGs, because I hate the gameplay mechanics of having to use guns of any kind. In fantasy RPGs, pretty much the only genre I play, I always very strongly favor close-in melee over ranged combat. But if you have guns/lasers, wouldn't combat always be ranged by definition?
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    I'd say it depends on the setting. Not having guns at all seems weird since if guns were never replaced by lasers, than why would you stop using guns and revert back to melee? Personally I think that lasers are often poorly implemented, with laser shots acting exactly like bullets, with an explosive impact and a sound from the shot. It's just guns really, guns with a flashy effect. Would be cool if someone theoritized on how lasers could be applied in combat based on how they actually act. No sound, steady stream of energy from barrel to target, no forceful impact and/or explosion, etc.. I guess if an evolved mind alowing mental attacks or like the voice-guns from Dune was created you could exclude guns as obsolete, but otherwise it wouldn't make any sense to remove them from the setting.

    Unless of course the setting was completely alien without anything human in it, then you could do whatever you wanted with it. To my knowledge this has never been done though, neither in films, books or games (but I might of course have missed something).
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited November 2017
    kanisatha said:

    Fardragon said:

    I would want a science fiction RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate.

    Interesting. A question for all you sci-fi cRPGers: does sci-fi automatically equal guns/lasers? This is why I have always avoided sci-fi RPGs, because I hate the gameplay mechanics of having to use guns of any kind. In fantasy RPGs, pretty much the only genre I play, I always very strongly favor close-in melee over ranged combat. But if you have guns/lasers, wouldn't combat always be ranged by definition?
    Certainly not, and that is why I specified the space opera sub-genre, which pays about as much regard to real world science as fantasy does. So, whilst I would have ray guns, they would not be any more effective than laser swords and mind blades. I would prefer to avoid real-world inspired firearms. Easily justified with personal forcefields and power armour that render bullets ineffective.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    Skatan said:


    Unless of course the setting was completely alien without anything human in it, then you could do whatever you wanted with it. To my knowledge this has never been done though, neither in films, books or games (but I might of course have missed something).

    Never say never.

    Games: Little Big Adventure

    Movies: Robots

    Live action TV: Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin (okay, on a technicality)

    Novels: I'm sure I've read several, but I can't think of a prime example at the moment. Try Ursula LeGuin.
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    Fardragon said:


    Never say never.

    Games: Little Big Adventure

    haha, I love that game, and even though the mainchar uses a bouncing ball to kill enemies, the enemies are weilding guns and are obviously "humanoidish" (at least to me). Oh man.. such a great game.

  • ArtonaArtona Member Posts: 1,077
    My dream RPG would be more focused on exploration than combat and take place in rather limited area, but responsive to players decisions and actions. Basically, DA2 done right.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    My dream RPG would have a styilized art style, something that doesn't try to look realistic and stands out, and probably hand drawn (Child of Light comes to mind). It would NOT be open world, but have plenty of self contained side areas (I'm thinking something in between BG1 and 2). The story itself would be more personal and focus on the characters and their interactions with the world and each other (ala DA2). Dozens of pure class, multiclass, and specialist kits available as well as a handful of races to choose from, with no race restrictions. Constant variables to dialog to reflect your chosen race/class/skills (like in PoE). Combat would be either real time with pause (BG series, PoE, etc) or a jrpg variation (Final Fantasy 7 or CHrono Trigger). I wouldn't be too picky on a setting as long as the tech level is around medeval or renassaince levels, with a clearly fantasy setting. Oh and Dinosaurs, they make everything better.
  • ifupaulineifupauline Member Posts: 405
    edited November 2017
    my dream rpg would be fallout 2, real Earth size scaled 24/7 open world with no predefined story, interactions with npc and quests would be generated real time using advanced "blade runner 2049 AI" :) any action remains permanent, no save, no delete, no reload, no respawn.
  • CvijetaCvijeta Member Posts: 417
    Rules:
    Options for camera switch including top down
    Fantasy
    Graphics nicely done
    Number of classes and races
    Subclasses and prestige classes - they are not the same
    Subraces with favored class, whether it be 3.5 D&d or 2ed d&d, kind of way
    No mana, I hate mana system
    No cooldowns
    Great story
    Female protagonist or at least option for sex. Romance included.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    my dream rpg would be fallout 2, real Earth size scaled 24/7 open world with no predefined story, interactions with npc and quests would be generated real time using advanced "blade runner 2049 AI" :) any action remains permanent, no save, no delete, no reload, no respawn.

    Live in Arizona?
  • tbone1tbone1 Member Posts: 1,985
    ThacoBell said:

    my dream rpg would be fallout 2, real Earth size scaled 24/7 open world with no predefined story, interactions with npc and quests would be generated real time using advanced "blade runner 2049 AI" :) any action remains permanent, no save, no delete, no reload, no respawn.

    Live in Arizona?
    But don’t go to the south side of Chicago until you are at least level 6.

  • Abby_ZeroAbby_Zero Member Posts: 68
    Maybe remakes of Pools of Radiance etc. but using Infinity Thingy.
  • SouthpawSouthpaw Member Posts: 2,026
    edited November 2017
    Like Skyrim, but in D&D universe and system. (Preferably Baldur's Gate re-written to pass as First-Person RPG with some crafting and smart AI party members, that you can give orders during a pause and/or have really smart AI that they would help and not hinder me)

    Or Isometric RPG with turn-based fights, open world, companions and Dragons. (Basically Divinity:Original Sin or Wasteland 2)
  • DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
    edited November 2017
    Abby_Zero said:

    Maybe remakes of Pools of Radiance etc. but using Infinity Thingy.

    If one were to acquire old licenses and move to new platforms, there is plenty of D&D to chose from (3:rd row for me);

    https://www.gog.com/games/role-playing?release=p2000&sort=popularity&page=1

    I guess that programming with fixed frameworks makes it easier, you know exactly the story and the world and all the monsters etc so thereby you also know exactly what the engine needs to look like before you even start programming. And once you have an engine up and running for any one of these games - at least if you were smart enough to hardcode very little and make excellent dev tools for your engine - you can start pushing out these games rapidly, as each of them probably need very little new code as compared to what you already done for the first one.

    Still, if I were to do something, even if limiting myself to the D&D world, I'd write my own story.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    In a hypothetical "design your dream RPG" thread I don't see any point in digging out old licences. The implication is that they could not possibly ever be improved upon.
  • DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
    Fardragon said:

    In a hypothetical "design your dream RPG" thread I don't see any point in digging out old licences. The implication is that they could not possibly ever be improved upon.

    Eh, the idea is that you have unlimited resources and is tasked with making a RPG. If your dream is rehashing old games... then why not? Like, if someone made this thread but instead about shoot em ups, I would LOVE to bring Guardian Legend (old NES game) to 2017 computing power.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Roughly in order of importance:

    Unique and complex spells like in BG2.

    Lovable characters like in Undertale and Okage.

    Creative world-building like in Morrowind.

    Memorable music like Undertale, Okage, and the Legend of Zelda.

    Beautiful scenery like in Oblivion, Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Icewind Dale, and Siege of Dragonspear.

    No inventory management except for cosmetic purposes.
  • themazingnessthemazingness Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 702
    DrakeICN said:

    Fardragon said:

    In a hypothetical "design your dream RPG" thread I don't see any point in digging out old licences. The implication is that they could not possibly ever be improved upon.

    Eh, the idea is that you have unlimited resources and is tasked with making a RPG. If your dream is rehashing old games... then why not? Like, if someone made this thread but instead about shoot em ups, I would LOVE to bring Guardian Legend (old NES game) to 2017 computing power.
    Speaking of Broderbund NES games, I'd love something like The Battle of Olympus in RPG form. I don't mean rehashing that game into an RPG. But I'd love Greek mythology done as a cRPG.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    @semiticgod Okage, was that the one with sentient evil shadow stuck to your character?
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @ThacoBell: Yep yep yep. I think it's supposed to be pronounced oh-kah-gay, but I always pronounced it oh-kojj, with a soft "j" sound like in "garage."

    Okage is a lot like Undertale, but with grinding and some filler. It's a well-written, funny, character-driven, self-aware RPG with memorable music.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    That game had charm oozing out of its pores.
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