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[Darkmere]

Sometimes this can get taken too far, though. Fallout: New Vegas, Cass is my favorite companion but I can't use her, because her quests involve anything from getting her incinerated, to crippling the primary stabilizing force in the region. It should be noted that her "vengeance" ending harms trade with the main faction she identifies with. If you convince her to take a diplomatic option... you end up contributing to violence in a slum that already has enough problems. None of the other companion quests cause this kind of a mess, it just seems arbitrary and heavy-handed.

Can't you just ignore her quest? And they might've given her a more influential quest as a nod to being the daughter of a FO2 character. Either way I welcome more meaningful companion quests. Although I can't remember the slum violence ending. I think I ended up handling it with sending evidence somewhere to harm the trading company. I don't recall that influencing anything in the slums.

Yeah you can take her and ignore the quest. I don't really like helping everyone else out but Cass, especially when it really is a slight that should be avenged in some way. If you turn in the evidence against Van Graff/Crimson Caravan it turns the Van Graff's hostile ("they know you turned them in"), so the next time you're in Freeside, their barker, the doorman, and everyone in the store starts shooting at you and everyone else can take a plasma bolt just for standing there. So it comes down to duping her into the Silver Rush to be ambush killed, killing McLafferty AND the Van Graffs, or killing the Van Graffs in self defense and crippling the Crimson Caravan (strong NCR supplier). I usually just leave her in the bar.

[UltraValican]

A RPG game without any choices would suck.

Welcome to the world of jRPGs. Press A to continue.

Tatics Ogre
Your argument is invalid.

[Virtz]

A RPG game without any choices would suck.

Welcome to the world of jRPGs. Press A to continue.

Tatics Ogre
Your argument is invalid.

I don't think that's an RPG so much as a strategy game, though.

[Leatra]

So? Doesn't most of them suck?

[a1s]

So? Don't most of them suck?

What? Strategy games or ogres?

[Leatra]

So? Don't most of them suck?

What? Strategy games or ogres?

jRPGs

[TheBronzePickle]

The Final Fantasy series is a bunch of jRPGs, yet are considered some of the best games of all time. (By some, anyway, and not necessarily all of them)

Gann's (my real life last name) Corollary to Sturgeon's Revelation: Just because something is in a particular category does not automatically put it in the 90%.

[a1s]

The Final Fantasy series is a bunch of jRPGs, yet are considered some of the best games of all time.

That stems from misunderstanding what a game is. Some of them work as decent movies (which is why western fans keep trying to make actual movies out of them, with intermittent success.) Nearly all of them will help you develop more patience. But they aren't games in the Meier sense. And don't get me wrong, I like to pick up a jRPG now and again, I just don't have any illusions that they might be games.

[Darvi]

Chrono Trigger?

[Virtz]

Chrono Trigger?

That's still pretty linear. Good game, but restrictive enough that it wouldn't cross my mind to replay it.

And I don't see how bringing up exceptions helps change how the average jRPG works.


Returning to player choices, one thing I've just remembered that's always infuriated me in certain games was not giving you a choice and having the character do something incredibly moronic. Like you could tell "this is going to result in shit" and yet were forced to watch your dumbass of a character do it (or worse yet, were given a "choice" menu with one option). All player character done fuck ups should be optional and done by choice of the player rather than forced as a crappy plot device.

[webadict]

Chrono Trigger?

That's still pretty linear. Good game, but restrictive enough that it wouldn't cross my mind to replay it.

And I don't see how bringing up exceptions helps change how the average jRPG works.


Returning to player choices, one thing I've just remembered that's always infuriated me in certain games was not giving you a choice and having the character do something incredibly moronic. Like you could tell "this is going to result in shit" and yet were forced to watch your dumbass of a character do it (or worse yet, were given a "choice" menu with one option). All player character done fuck ups should be optional and done by choice of the player rather than forced as a crappy plot device.

Well, to a genre savvy player, a LOT of actions can screw up things.

And to be fair, you are not your character, so he is prone to do things without your consent. Or with your consent with only one choice.

[Stworca]

I remember pondering about bad video games in the past.

The best way to begin, is to take a series : like Baldur's Gate : and release a sequel that is completely unrelated gender-wise. Baldur's Gate  : The Boat Racing Simulator.

The game has to have as many complex, unimportant attributes as possible. Because while everyone likes to have some variety in skills (Axe skill, Sword skill and so on) i doubt anyone would enjoy having a "Left hand fork usage" ranked from 1 to 100.
Also gear has to be overcly complicated. Everyone likes to have a choice between m4 and ak47, but what if we add 29 versions of the ak47?

Next we have injuries. Different hit zones are these days a requirement, but what if we went a step further? Who wouldn't want to play an fps with notifications like : "Fractured left index finger, penalty to fork skill"

Let's not forget bugs. Daggerfall and Gothic 3 were simply amazing in this department, and this kind of broken gamestate is what we want!

The graphics engine can not be optimized for any card currently avaliable, and should be recycled (or rather 100% ported) from one of the game prequels, preferably one released over a decade ago.

Lastly, there should be some complications involved with installing as well as uninstalling the game. I remember one of the old games partially formating your hard drive when you removed it.

As a cherry on top : adds, secuROMs, requirement to be connected to the internet, an intrusive, no-privacy EULA..

..and we may have a winner.

You may laugh, but it's only a matter of time before a game will have all of the above combined. My only hope is that i will be dead by then.

[GTM]

ITT:  blogger who writes for a medieval hack & slash game criticizes other writers for coming up with characters and plotlines that appeal to their respective target audiences.

[webadict]

ITT:  blogger who writes for a medieval hack & slash game criticizes other writers for coming up with characters and plotlines that appeal to their respective target audiences.

U mad?

They might appeal to you, but that does not make them original. Or appealing to others. Though, it doesn't matter if it doesn't appeal to me, then, since I'm not the target audience (which I guess makes only those that find the character or plot appealing the target audience, so... good job?)

Originality never got anybody anywhere, did it?

[a1s]

<snip>

Yes, thank you. That (kind of) was my problem too. It's far to easier to write a "how not to make a game" blog then a "how to make a good game" blog. Bonus points for pointing at a random game and going "This. This is how not to make a game." (He doesn't quite do that, but I can't shake the feeling that most posts are dedicated to a specific game or 2)