What certain RPG's lack.

[zuhane1]

Hello everyone, while I may not be the professional-iest of professionals on RPG Maker, I can say honestly tell whether an RPG will have me hooked straight away, or be an instant reject. Certain games like "A Blurred Line" do not catch my attention due to the linearity of the game. Here are some pointers (in my opinion) to what a game should include. Feel free to add your own.

1. High tension, small drop, build up, tension. If you have ever read a Darren Shan book, you will realise why he is one of the most popular authors in Britain. He puts you straight in the action for a little taster, then the story mellows and builds up like normal.
For example, if you start a game where your character has to pick apples for people and visit the mayor and all that crap, people may think the whole game will be like that. If the game starts with a nightmare or the past or something... anything!.. then people will have something to hang onto while watching the storyline. Long story short, give them something tasty to catch their attention, then get on with it.

2. This is my little rant, but stop making people in your game called Victor who wear long trenchcoats, it has been done too much.

3. Don't let people get caught in a loop, such games as "Mystic Legends" (which I loved by the way) and "A Blurred Line" had you caught at one point where after you save, there is no healing place, no way to level up, no way to leave. Maybe these have been updated and removed, but last time I checked they were there. Final Fantasy 10 does a good job handling that, before a boss you have a save point, heal point, shop and a training area. Remember, if someone plays your RPG for hours and hours, then gets stuck in one area with no means of escape, that's a complete waste of effort!

4. I URGE you, do not make your beginning character have no special moves and fight alone. There is nothing more awful then tapping spacebar for a minute until you win. Add elemental weaknesses, spells, events, weird new ideas, and plenty of enemies and team-mates to make a great variation which makes you think every time.

5. Always check everything before release. Even the legendary NigSek contains a good deal of critical errors which completely flaw parts of the game. Remember, check, run through spelling, grammar, overlapping sentences that leave the box. Get your mates to check, send it to people.

6. Be original, this means:
a. Do not have a boring linear game with no special features.
b. Do not rip other people off.
Have some good ideas. The fun doesn't have to be in the battle, the world map could have obstacles you need to dodge, puzzles, riddles, al sorts. You could add all sorts of things to make battle more intense like a fury bar, human stats (hunger, cleanliness etc), temperature bar etc. Don't make a linear button-bashing-boring piece of crap, there's no point.

7. Please, don't slow down character movement to give the feeling of a longer game, it's a really cheap trick.

8. Seek advice, there's always room for improvement. LoZ: Twilight Princess got 97%... there's 3% more room for improvement there. Ask around!

That's all from me, now I'm ready to get slagged off by everyone. If you want, add more, add a 9., 10., 11. and more and I will add it to the initial post. Remember, make your games contain the key element... FUN!
                            -zuhane

[Dragonium]

The majority of this is just common sense, and your personal preference. Good work for the idea though, any tutorial helping people make their RPGs is a good thing. Kudos to you.

I'd like to also add:

9. Try to make your characters' appearances fit their personality. If he's a quiet, peaceful scholar, make him wear a robe or uniform, instead of full battle armour. If you want your heroine to appear serene and pure, don't make her wear as little as possible. First impressions mean a lot in games.

10. Remember: darkness and evil do not have to go together. This is a misconception that has come about through too many movies and bad games. Darkness is just another element, like fire or light. Evil is something completely different. The two don't have to go together - how about a villain who is aligned with fire or light, and has nothing to do with darkness?

By the way, I've never heard of Darren Shan.

[aboutasoandthis]

I dunno, a lot of what you wrote sounds like an opinion. I do agree with you one thing. Grammar should be rigorously checked before you release a game.

A Blurred Line was fantastic. Yes your scenario starts out as a guy going to work, but it's okay for this kind of game. If the creator had started a topic and made a synopsis of  how the hero's going to work leads to the real start of the game it shouldn't be a problem. You have to remember that the game was released years ago. The creator doesn't have the time to re-release the game on every single site with a new synopsis for each one.

I guess I'll add one.

11. A story should have a theme. I theme, when presented in a game, usually conveys an outlook on life and society. Having a theme in your storyline shows that your game has thought and focus. Many condemn the plot to Final Fantasy XII for it's unoriginal characters and stories, yet it is widely praised by professional publications because it has a theme. It focuses on the concept of "true freedom." Everything that happened in the game reinforced this theme, from the hero Vaan trying to escape an unexciting life in poverty to the empires trying to rid the world from the control of the gods. All stories, whether found in a book, a film, or even an acrylic painting should have an outlook on life with it.

[zuhane1]

Originally posted by Dragonium
The majority of this is just common sense, and your personal preference. Good work for the idea though, any tutorial helping people make their RPGs is a good thing. Kudos to you.

I'd like to also add:

9. Try to make your characters' appearances fit their personality. If he's a quiet, peaceful scholar, make him wear a robe or uniform, instead of full battle armour. If you want your heroine to appear serene and pure, don't make her wear as little as possible. First impressions mean a lot in games.

10. Remember: darkness and evil do not have to go together. This is a misconception that has come about through too many movies and bad games. Darkness is just another element, like fire or light. Evil is something completely different. The two don't have to go together - how about a villain who is aligned with fire or light, and has nothing to do with darkness?

By the way, I've never heard of Darren Shan.

Interesting take on them. My main characters are a dark knight and a clown with a scythe who have dark powers, very true. But my main character has a bit of a twist. He's coated in iron armour with big red eyes but he's really kind and sensitive.

And it may be common-sense, yes, but you would be surprised anyway on how many games still break these "rules".

[Phayre]

I disagree. Non-linear gameplay is good for some games. Other games just really need a main track you go along, with some optional stuff along the way. For example, just about every "J-RPG" is linear. And done well, they're still fun.

[Meiscool-2]

non linear game piss me off because they don't seem to have a point.

HAVE A POINT PLZ NON-LINEAR GAMES.

[Darkfox]

I pretty much agree. With using one's own ideas, there are many who rip off ideas from movies and games and claim them as their own. For me, I'm against tradition. If I was to make a game, it would be non-linear and a very non-standard and extensive cast of characters. There IS a point, but there are several villains other than the arch-nemesis and quite a few will not have a direct affiliation with him.

Your dark knight character sounds similar to my Dark Lord who is a benevolent ruler with more than fair laws and his kingdom is much like a sanctuary for the rejected. And there is a pirate captain named Blake T. Branxton and his crew of misfits. And an intelligent Gnoll named Alexander who's specialty is the axe.

Going against tradition and being non-linear is certainly fun and offers replay value. But there has to be a point, thus I take the time to make a point to each character and conflict. To make sense of things.

[Dragonium]

Originally posted by Meiscool
HAVE A POINT PLZ NON-LINEAR GAMES.

Okay.

[zuhane1]

Well I meant you could go off on a tangent and then go back to the storyline at any point. Pure free-roam games do suck, yes.