I’m developing an RPG because it’s probably my favorite genre. But while I was going through thinking about my game’s systems and rules I came to the question I didn’t know how to answer.
Why do you play RPGs? What keeps you trudging through encounter after encounter squishing slimes and clubbing goblins? What makes these games and stories worthwhile to you?
What do you want from the genre itself and what bit of info do you wish every RPG developer would realize that you feel they haven’t yet?
1) Intricate combat systems and progression with in game synergies to be discovered.
2) Non grindy progression. I don't want to farm areas to advance. Having progression grind to a halt due to some asymptotic progression isn't fun and makes your game bad. Keep the game short 3-4 hours of play.
3) Turn based. Unless you are the guys behind hades the action in your ARPG probably sucks.
4) Don't make me read dialog. I'm here to dungeon delve not read your shitty half assed lore.
5) No expansive open worlds. (if you do like pokemon or nes/snes zelda that's fine), but I don't want to wander in the wilderness or explore.
6) Preferably random level generation.
7) Put in a food clock to further prevent grinding.
8) Make loot unidentified on pick up with a chance to be cursed. Adding risk to equiping.
9) Add in potions and scrolls with a variety of helpful effects, but make them only identified on use.
10) Make the game exceedingly hard in the early game and build the game around replaying multiple times until you eventually can progress enough to beat the game.
11) Traps!
12) Permadeath and no option to turn it off.
13) Drop the quests. Quests suck.
14) Roguelike.
I have not. It looks cool! But I have to say, I really am partial to turn based and top down. The FPS / action is a hurdle for me. I've played some binding of Isaac and the first hades, but I really struggle getting into non turn based games like that. Though Hades was such a well crafted game I did enjoy it quite a bit. FTL was a nice mix of action. You could pause the game, set actions, and then un-pause to let it play out. I think if you were doing a party based RPG that can be a good mix. Where the characters play out on their own, but you can pause and set different actions. I think pillar's of eternity did that. (too much story in that game for me though)
What draws me in: a well-made world, lore, characters, writing
What pulls me out: grinding, back and forths, running around like a headless chicken trying to find where to go next to progress the story, and it turns out to be “Pick up the Slice of Ham from the Citchen Kabinet to give to the Tavern Keeper to trigger their PTSD and have them give you a quest after hours of exposition”
Either deep, tactical combat, or deep character build customization. They usually go hand in hand.
A good job/class system will usually draw me to an RPG, while linear character progression will drive me away from it.
I heavily lean towards T-RPG though. FF tactics, Original Sin, Fire Emblem, etc.
For a J-RPG to impress me these days, it kinda has to spice up the combat. I can't really deal with old-school FF turn by turn anymore, I feel like it hasn't aged well compared to tacticals.
But at the end of the day if enough love goes into a game, petty preferences don't exactly matter. Great games don't necessarily catter to what players already like, they make them like something they usually wouldn't, instead.
DQ8's combat has everything I dislike from J-RPGs, yet it's easily one of my favorites due to the sheer scope and immersion of the world. Radiant Historia has one of the worst combat systems I've ever seen and its story shoots it above almost everything else.
