Describe your dream RPG

[Metalhead33]

Nuff said. Not sure if I'm putting the thread in the right section, but yeah.
Unleash your inner ideas guy, and describe what would your dream RPG would be like, if you were in charge of its development, in regards to mechanics, the basic premise, etc.

Or just pick whichever RPG you like the best, and nitpick whichever flaws you found within it. Also works.

[Element]

Arcanum 2

[Oyster Sauce]

Skyrim-like game set in Eora

[Metalhead33]

The first thing that comes to my mind is "a medieval life simulator, like The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, but more modern".

Otherwise, for me, it would be the lovechild of The Elder Scrolls and more oldschool-style CRPGs (Arcanum, Baldur's Gate 2-3, Dragon Age, etc.), in the sense that it would be a first-person action-RPG, but with a much greater emphasis on companions and interactions with companions (including companion banter, companion approval ratings, romance, etc.), with (sources of) hostile encounters being deliberately structured in a way that makes going solo highly discouraged, if not downright suicidal, especially at lower levels. Of course, with the game being from a first-person perspective (switchable between third-person, like in TES), it would mean the AI-controlled companions would need a really robust AI. Main protagonist would be fully customizeable. Also, maybe survival (hunger & thirst) mechanics too?

Oh shit, I'm basically describing Mount & Blade with a plot, am I not?

TL;DR: Skyrim meets Baldur's Gate 2-3, or Skyrim meets Dragon Age:Origins.

[TKVNC]

Some terrible goyslop like Starfield - but with absolutely all of the content made by AI.

Preferrably made for console, then ported over to PC with little to no regard to good keybinding (or even a way to edit it). I think it would be good to have mouse-acceleration too, just for the extra bonus.

But in reality, something like M&B Warband, with Crafting and Building akin to Kenshi, and a better 'quest' system that's more in line with Morrowind.

[Humbaba]

Wrathfinder but with even more conservative ideology.




-Humbaba

[ArcaneLurker]

One the one hand I'd like to see a primarily first person RPG with Mordhau-inspired combat, plus magic, with a clever yet impactful system to it. The extra tricky part would be the NPC AI. The combat gameplay in Mordhau is also fine tuned for man vs man, not for man vs beast or monster, so it would be interesting to see how it could translate into a singleplayer RPG like TES. Having to alter your tactics, like Witchers are supposed to do-- being forced to use buffs, poisons, magic or traps to defeat fantastical enemies, is a more intriguing idea than being able to paddle everything equally. The focus would be on the visceral gameplay challenge, exploration, and story-- and the story would provide insight into controversial viewpoints, rather than being too safe. Ideally it would have visuals/ animations on par with BG3 or Dragons Dogma 2.

On the other hand I'd like to see a 3rd person CORPG, a proper successor to Guild Wars, that focuses on tactical gameplay, interactions with environment, dense lists of varied classes & skills, customisation through combination. I was wondering if an ATB system like FF7R could be improved on and utilized in this instance. Meaning you still have the active attacking, dodging & defending, but have a great selection to choose from in customisation. Although there'll be a limit on what can be comfortably displayed on the popup menu or used in shortcuts, it's not as limited as GW2 players are. I generally prefer the CORPG mechanics of having hubs where you make a party with others, and then venture out into a private instance of the world with them, rather than the noisy chaos of a theme park mmo.
The combat of FF7R is focused on the abilities in the menu, but instead of a cooldown, there's an ATB bar, and your active involvement increases the speed of your next 'turn.' I played it with difficulty mods to decrease the amount of damage you do with normal attacking, and increase the stagger bar of normal enemies, this gave the gameplay more definitive 'character' in it's difficulty. Rather than "ATB Bar" it could be called "Initiative," and players that focus on speed could have more "Initiative Points." Of course this is very different to Guild Wars, but stamina/ adrenaline could be thrown into the mix alongside mana, as resources for skills to utilise, and grow with progress-- stamina would be the amount you can dodge (or even attack consecutively & hold block to a lesser degree), and adrenaline would be a resource similar to mana, but for physical skills.

[gerey]

A Dark Heresy cRPG that really leans into the religious aspect of the Imperium and lets me roleplay a fanatical zealot, preferably with the option to engage in theological arguments with other zealots that can and do spiral into planetary civil wars.

Alternatively - I'd like a cRPG that draws inspiration from late 70s, early 80s sci-fi (think Alien/Aliens, Blade Runner, Predator, Terminator, Robocop etc.) in the same way Fallout did with 1950s sci-fi for aesthetics and themes, but also from imsims in terms of simulationism and freedom to tackle objectives any way you see fit. Combat would be akin to Jagged Alliance 2 or Silent Storm, while power armor would feature mechsim-esque customization, where you can pick the type or armor, powerplant, sensors etc., with different types of power armor suited for different tasks.

[Nooneatall]

Final fantasy tactics but with less janky classes and hd 2d. Also that part where it takes 50 years to print out "little money" would be fixed.
Final fantasy tactics but it's a crpg with waifu parts.
Final fantasy crpg with its basic combat and mixing and matching classes at will, but with less weird anime stuff and it's written by an American from the 1800s.

[Metalhead33]

But in reality, something like M&B Warband, with Crafting and Building akin to Kenshi, and a better 'quest' system that's more in line with Morrowind.

I wouldn't mind seeing a TES-like game where you can actually take advantage of the various titles bestowed upon you - e.g. if you are given some noble title, you should at least command a small gang of bodyguards, if not a smaller army, collecting taxes from your serfs and whatnot.

The closest equivalent I have seen so far was Baldur's Gate 3 with its "gather your allies" quest, where doing favours for various factions lets you borrow their armies (or at least get minor boosts from them) at the final battle.

[Vlajdimir Ermenović]

BG2 with no RTWP, less awful writing, and better execution in a number of small areas (e.g. less interruptions while going from place to place).

[TKVNC]

But in reality, something like M&B Warband, with Crafting and Building akin to Kenshi, and a better 'quest' system that's more in line with Morrowind.

I wouldn't mind seeing a TES-like game where you can actually take advantage of the various titles bestowed upon you - e.g. if you are given some noble title, you should at least command a small gang of bodyguards, if not a smaller army, collecting taxes from your serfs and whatnot.

The closest equivalent I have seen so far was Baldur's Gate 3 with its "gather your allies" quest, where doing favours for various factions lets you borrow their armies (or at least get minor boosts from them) at the final battle.

Dragon Age: Origins also sort of does this at the final battle. Though really, Legion of the Dead is the best faction, of course. But yes, generally speaking, the idea of retainers is a good one - this works relatively well in Viking Conquest, where you can gear up the 'Heroes', and then using the 'special formation' option, have them spawn immediately around you, preferrably in a Shield Wall at the start of combat.

[rusty_shackleford]

ultima 7 except good

[Metalhead33]

Viking Conquest

Tfw I suddenly realize that my ideal dream RPG is basically Mount & Blade: Viking Conquest, just with voice acting and magic (and less jank).

[TKVNC]

Viking Conquest

Tfw I suddenly realize that my ideal dream RPG is basically Mount & Blade: Viking Conquest, just with voice acting and magic (and less jank).

I feel you. Viking Conquest is perhaps (in my opinion) the best mod for Warband. The only negative is the Sieges are a very janky because of the RNG - to the point where it's just easier to starve people out with a legion of peasants.

That said, I wonder how magic might work in a M&B style combat system... Could be interesting - also for voices... AI, probably.

*Edit: typo

[rusty_shackleford]

I could never get into games like mountain blade or kenshi, I lose interest quick when you have no goal or direction

[TKVNC]

I could never get into games like mountain blade or kenshi, I lose interest quick when you have no goal or direction

If you're racist like me, your goal is to get rid of everyone that's not like you. That works pretty well, I find. For Viking Conquest, the -only- goal you need is to get rid of the Scottish.

[Metalhead33]

I feel you. Viking Conquest is perhaps (in my opinion) the best mod for Warband. The only negative is the Sieges are a very janky because of the RNG - to the point where it's just easier to starve people out with a legion of peasants.

That said, I wonder how magic might work in a M&B style combat system... Could be interesting - also for voices... AI, probably.

Yeah, I always hated how sieges worked.

As for magic.... destructive magic is literally the same as ranged weapons (just with mana instead of ammunition) - everything else is just healing spells, buffs, debuffs and monster summons, basically. A battlemage who can throw fireballs is basically just a walking cannon.... or trebuchet. You get the idea. An infantry unit that can act like artillery.

I could never get into games like mountain blade or kenshi, I lose interest quick when you have no goal or direction

M&B: Viking Conquest does have a main quest tho. It involves rescuing your mother from a viking raider, and also involves you getting exiled from Frisia.

As for Kenshi: never played it. Isn't it an MMORPG?

[TKVNC]

I feel you. Viking Conquest is perhaps (in my opinion) the best mod for Warband. The only negative is the Sieges are a very janky because of the RNG - to the point where it's just easier to starve people out with a legion of peasants.

That said, I wonder how magic might work in a M&B style combat system... Could be interesting - also for voices... AI, probably.

Yeah, I always hated how sieges worked.

As for magic.... destructive magic is literally the same as ranged weapons (just with mana instead of ammunition) - everything else is just healing spells, buffs, debuffs and monster summons, basically. A battlemage who can throw fireballs is basically just a walking cannon.... or trebuchet. You get the idea. An infantry unit that can act like artillery.

I could never get into games like mountain blade or kenshi, I lose interest quick when you have no goal or direction

M&B: Viking Conquest does have a main quest tho. It involves rescuing your mother from a viking raider, and also involves you getting exiled from Frisia.

As for Kenshi: never played it. Isn't it an MMORPG?

Yeah, Viking Conquest's story is actually pretty good, actually. I very much appreciated that they gave you different quests, depending on which faction you wanted (that being Anglo or Norse).

As for Kenshi, it's a Single Player Open World Sandbox RPGLite, I am a shill, I think it is very good, if not one of the better games ever made - but in truth, it's a good game where you can do more or less whatever you want. A bit weeby, but somehow not at the same time.

[Xenich]

I would say, core concept would be building a modular system that can handle traversal across multiple universes of PnP systems ultimately. Then, establishing what core interface for mechanics. I think Larians style system works quite well, but a more TES like system would be interesting too. (less janky and more attention spent in trying to tie in the rule sets to the interaction, slower paced, similar to a Deus Ex 1st game approach(modernized), also no 3rd person if this route was taken and extra attention spent to building around first person mechanics)

Then, start with a universe (AD&D 1st/2nd edition hybrid for instance) and flesh it out, releasing module sets building the realms and ultimately taking the same engine with a cross over adaption into other systems/universes. For instance, you could move from AD&D, to Warhammer, Call of Cthulhu, to Shadowrun or Cyberpunk, Vampire, Ghost, Space Frontiers, Traveler, etc...

These universes could be played individually, or allow for certain transfers into the new worlds (loaded like they were another zone area similar like an MMO would allow). Granted, attention would be needed to properly allow for this traversal with rule adaptions, etc... but it would be interesting.

Basically, a more complex and seamless approach, much like a Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures ability to add modules to a base engine.

This would be a single player game first, no wasting time to promote multiplayer mechanics.

Lastly, develop with the intent of focusing on the content after the engine is completed and then release worlds and modules, creating a massive collection of content. Nothing wrong with every so often improving and fleshing out more of the engine over time, but none of this "need a new engine, need a new flashy look, need NEW blah blah blah.

If your engine was solid, flexible, and appealing, you could develop for this for decades (occasionally improving the engine) and it would be without limits of setting and content.

[maidenhaver]

Arx Fatalis 2 with twice the Ron Fish composing, instead of whoever. Phantasy Star 5.

[rusty_shackleford]

I place heavy emphasis on being able to interact with the world using my character, and as simple as that sounds most RPGs are actually missing this and shifted heavily away from it in favor of CYOA-style garbage.
You've got later Ultimas(incl. Ultima Underworld), Arx Fatalis, and Fallout then nothing for a very long time then Larian games starting with Original Sin, which was heavily inspired by Ultima VII.

It's very much a lost strain of design philosophy.

---

I suspect I'd really like the QFG games but I've actually never played them. I consider CRPGs to be an evolution of the adventure game genre, but most of them no longer have adventure game elements.

[Xenich]

The thing I dislike the most is the designing game engines, then this "need" to build a new one rather than just focusing on lots of content release for it. I miss the days where you had expansions where adjustments were made to the engine, but over all it was just using the world editor to create a new campaign. By doing that, more attention can be put into the world designs and complexities instead of spending years on the next engine and having to rush it out because people are such graphics whores that they can't play a game that isn't the next "shiny".

Build games, not entertainment simulators.

[rusty_shackleford]

The thing I dislike the most is the designing game engines, then this "need" to build a new one rather than just focusing on lots of content release for it. I miss the days where you had expansions where adjustments were made to the engine, but over all it was just using the world editor to create a new campaign. By doing that, more attention can be put into the world designs and complexities instead of spending years on the next engine and having to rush it out because people are such graphics whores that they can't play a game that isn't the next "shiny".

Build games, not entertainment simulators.

Similarly,
For whatever reason, I assume there is some degree of major publishers pushing this as they benefit the most from it, gamers seem offended by the idea of reusing existing assets instead of making new assets. I'm entirely fine with a developer taking a game and reusing 90% of the assets to make more game. FNV was basically this for FO3 and it's a wildly popular game years after its release.

[Metalhead33]

BG2 with no RTWP, less awful writing, and better execution in a number of small areas (e.g. less interruptions while going from place to place).

What's RTWP?

[WhiteShark]

BG2 with no RTWP, less awful writing, and better execution in a number of small areas (e.g. less interruptions while going from place to place).

What's RTWP?

Real Time with Pause, the combat system used in games like BG2.

[Emphyrio]

BG2 with no RTWP, less awful writing, and better execution in a number of small areas (e.g. less interruptions while going from place to place).

What's RTWP?

rage towards white people

[Emphyrio]

Describe your dream RPG

A skyrimlike made by people more competent than bethesda.
Also it's a roguelike and you start over when you die (in a random location, and there's no cutscenes or long dialogs to wait through)

[rusty_shackleford]

BG2 with no RTWP, less awful writing, and better execution in a number of small areas (e.g. less interruptions while going from place to place).

What's RTWP?

Real Time with Pause, the combat system used in games like BG2.

Infinity Engine RTwP is akshually round-based combat with real time movement.
RTwP is Dragon Age Origins.

[WhiteShark]

Infinity Engine RTwP is akshually round-based combat with real time movement.
RTwP is Dragon Age Origins.

True, yes, but few people make that distinction. You can just read it as Round Time with Pause when someone uses it in reference to Infinity Engine games.