RPG Mechanics That Always Suck

[Pretty Princess]

Having to follow build guides or be unable to complete the game?

Being unable to complete a game isn't the apocalypse level event people think it is. Sometimes it's fine to fail.

"But my money!"

Your money doesn't entitle you to see the ending of a game. If every game is a power fantasy, then nothing is.

[rusty_shackleford]

Using guides or asking how to play is the best way to ruin an RPG for yourself. Next closest is loading after anything but a game over(or similar failure state.)
Take the wyrdpill.

[Rand]

Styg obfuscating the game is the reason I did not make a Dogmeat mod.
It did not stop cheaters from creating cheat engine tables.

Cheer it on at your own peril.

Oh, a dog mod would have been cool.
What a loss.

[Rand]

Having to follow build guides or be unable to complete the game?

Being unable to complete a game isn't the apocalypse level event people think it is. Sometimes it's fine to fail.

"But my money!"

Your money doesn't entitle you to see the ending of a game. If every game is a power fantasy, then nothing is.

I don't consider an RPG that has a "fail to be able to complete the game" state because of your build, where you have no idea that this is even a possibility until you're ten to twenty hours in, without a character rebuild option, to be player or purchaser friendly or a good design.
And when a dev tries to tell me "You can't play my game that way!" by making no reasonable options, then goes out of his way to prevent me from playing it how I want using coding obfuscation to prevent modding... well I can't properly say how much I disapprove.

[Emphyrio]

building a game around 1 character, and a combat system around cooldown-based hard CC and crit alpha strikes turn 1 was a bad idea.

[rusty_shackleford]

ATOM >>>>>>>>>>> Underfail, and I refuse to apologize.

[junior]

what's the appeal of ATOM? Looks like some terrible wasteland 2/fallout mashup.

[Acrux]

You just answered your own question.

[rusty_shackleford]

what's the appeal of ATOM? Looks like some terrible wasteland 2/fallout mashup.

Proper evolution of Fallout that actually plays like Fallout rather than just taking a couple bits of it(e.g., AoD, underfail)

[H-H-Holmes]

Using guides or asking how to play is the best way to ruin an RPG for yourself. Next closest is loading after anything but a game over(or similar failure state.)
Take the wyrdpill.

Started using this approach in Bannerlord and I am enjoying it more since. The initial loss of progress is annoying but if you persevere and don't yield to the temptation to load, then the delayed success feels more satisfying and earned when you do achieve it. It also tends to make a game last longer so you get more out of it.

Regarding guides, I avoid them like the plague. Too much information about a game is toxic, especially if it includes exploits and/or cheats. While searching for something about the Bannerlord economy the other day, I stumbled on a reddit thread and the most upvoted post was from some know-it-all ****** proudly announcing that you can break the game with smithing and get fast infinite money. I quickly clicked off of the page but it was too late, the poison knowledge had already been absorbed into my brain. I really don't understand why it isn't just common courtesy to spoiler such information. I never intend to use this exploit but just being aware of it has reduced my enjoyment by some degree, because it trivialises the struggle for wealth - a core aspect of the game.

[Vergil]

I really hate games that come up with extremely contrived reasons as to why I must take a particularly annoying character into my party. KOTOR II always annoyed me that I couldn't just throw GOTO out the airlock immediately.

[Norfleet]

All that being said, I have nothing against them being implemented, with the caveat that the developer then needs to put systems and content in place to account for the PC failing the check.

And also that content has to be desirable or at least interesting to experience before the reload. And at least with deterministic setups, the player has some agency in determining which path he wishes to see in the game. Otherwise the entire playthrough just become a total waste of time.

[rusty_shackleford]

Gathering.

There is very, very rarely ever a good reason for the protagonist to be going around picking up flowers or mining ore. If you want it to be a part of the game, allow me to delegate companions or hire people to do it.

[Norfleet]

The cleansing of every single removable object is a way of marking your territory: You know you've been here when there's nothing left.

[rusty_shackleford]

rtwp when it's actually real time rather than some pseudo-realtime hack is fun
see: dragon age origins

@Kalarion you rated this disagree

[rusty_shackleford]

Still the best paperdoll and inventory (in b4 rusty says icons suck)

That's not icon-based, that's grid-based. Icon-based is where all items are represented as the same volume.

[jebacdrkac]

autosaves
Economy – I can't remember a game where I didn't eventually become the richest person in the universe. I bought so many scrolls in BG3 in preparation for the final fight that I ended up steamrolling it like it was a tutorial.

[Valter]

Gathering.

There is very, very rarely ever a good reason for the protagonist to be going around picking up flowers or mining ore. If you want it to be a part of the game, allow me to delegate companions or hire people to do it.

You can do that, it's called buying from the shop

[Vergil]

Gathering.

There is very, very rarely ever a good reason for the protagonist to be going around picking up flowers or mining ore. If you want it to be a part of the game, allow me to delegate companions or hire people to do it.

I love picking flowers in TES games and the noises for doing so tickle the wrinkles in my brain.

[asf]

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