Users Preference..

My game will be a huge fantasy rpg, i have some point to decide and i need your help.
In this topic i want understand what you prefer, i'll make a few question can you post your favourite answer?

Q1: How you prefere the behaviour (or temper) of the main charachter?

1) Arrogant and strong. (Lu Bu style (dynasty warrior) or Dante (Devil may cry))

2) Calm and unsure by hissel (Raven Metal Gear 2)

3) Ambitios, and extremly intelligent (Shima Yi (dynasty warrior))

4) Other (let me know what you prefer)


Q2: Eating it will be an option or a rule ( i mean do you prefer to eat when you want and not force to do it or more realistic eat 2 or 3 time per day..)


Q3: I thought to create a devastantig magic system ( a fireball can make a lot of damagae) but a mage can't use it every time..
Do you like it or you prefer an old system where a fireball can cause a few damage but you can use it multiple time?

Q4: Your charachter wiil grow old or not?

For the moment i don't have any other questions, but if i'll have any more i'll edit this post and write near "ADD"

Thanks guys i hope someone will answer.

Aza

Q1 let the player be who they are, nearest is probably 2

Q2 best left out all-together

Q3 multiple times is best, people need to rely on their abilities

Q4 Interesting question, probably people like to see themselves at a certain age so let them choose how old they are.

1. Either 2 or player decides
2. Eat for energy only, computer reminds player if character is hungry
3. Powerful but not useable often.
4. Don't care. Certainly wouldn't want a game-over because the character got too old... i.e:No time limits, they spoil games IMO.

1: 1 or 3
2: Eat whenever they are hungry.
3: I prefer when there are some spells each way.
4: No aging.

1. no behaviour
2. eat as an option to gain more energy
3. like in Gauntlet, magic as just another weapon, it's more fun
4. no growing old

Q1: Other; I prefer having different dialog options based on my character skills and stats like in fallout and other hardcore frps.
Q2: You can keep it optional
Q3: If you make something like you planned, mages would be really weak.
Q4: It would be interesting. Already done in Fable.

I always try to be an arrogant, short-tempered, retarded idiot in that kind of games, it equals most (short-term) fun ;)

I tend to be a "chaotic good" character in RPGs, meaning I prefer to walk alone, don't like the law but try to not hurt innocent people and help wherever I can. Most important for me are stealth, intelligence and the mastering of long distance weapons and swords. Oh, and I like to play female characters. ;-)

Q1: Let the player choose from a broader set of characteristics. But if these are the only choices, I'd go for 3) ambitious and intelligent.

Q2: If you add the need for food, then IMHO you also have to add the need for sleep, hygiene and going to the toilet. I think it should be in a good RPG.

Q3: If you play a magician, you must be able to become a really powerful one, otherwise it's no fun to be one. That means when you reach a certain level, you must be able to continuously throw very powerful fireballs; you know, Diablo style. It was fun to be a magician in Eschalon: Book I.

Q4: I guess that's only important if the story spreads over a bunch of years. Probably more important for the game is stuff they tried in Fallout, like losing an eye or another body part in combat, but still be able to go on and complete the game.

1) I would say my favorite game heros are 1.5, (ie, calm and confident)

2)Some of the Ultima games had eating and hunger as a vital part of the stats system and in U7 you could hunt deer etc. and fish for food (or buy it) which was kind of cool and different food had different value. I actually liked this, it added an extra reality to it. If you allowed your party to starve they became more useless and would eventually fall over. When going off on a large quest you had to supply your party properly.

3)i like the usual 'fire arrow/magic missile' for minor damage and exploding 'fireball' as more costly major damage.

As for age.. nah.... Although you could make the stats so that if the character is old they have less strength and is slower, but has more experience that boosts their combat abilities in other ways, like anticipation (dodge, disarm etc). But i think this would just be making it too complicated as you could allow for this anyway with the usual base stats.

Q1: Serious and confident.
Q2: Don't even add it in.
Q3: Is the game turn-based? if not just make it medium/low damage and like 4 second reactivation time (and all spells scalable as you get higher level).
Q4: neh.

Thanks for the answer i will think about it and i'll take a decision..

Aza

Q1: 3

Q2: no eating, just hack 'n slash or some minor adventuring. Some things should stay simple.. what else? Buying tetris brick on a virtual market in a tetris game prior to let them fall down? :P I actually think I don't much like Warcraft 3 because of all the added stuff. Warcraft 2 may be simpler, but it just hit the right spot in terms of balance and fun.

Q3: Should depend on the weapon. Just let the user choose bewteen fast/small or slow/lot. Or spread those weapons around in shops.

Q4: Point being? grow a pixel of a beard every minute you play? There could however be time skipped during cutscenes if the story dictates that.., much like what happens in Epic movies.

Q1: Let the player roll up his character a la D&D style.

Q2: Eating in an RPG is ANNOYING. Maybe have eating as an alternative to a health potion. But of course health regens a bit slower when you eat as opposed to the instantaneous effect of a health potion.

Q3: Say a wizard gets a flaming arrow spell at level 1. Just have the flaming arrow spell gain power as the wizard gains levels. At level 1 you get 1 flaming arrow. At level 2 you get 2 flaming arrows etc etc. A Fireball spell casted from a level 10 wizard would be WAY more potent than the same Fireball spell casted by a level 3 wizard.

Q4: No. Aging means the game ends with the character dying of old age. Let the player choose his characters age or something similar.

What everyone else said and this: never let "realism" get in the way of fun. I really enjoy RPG's, however I I get really tired of doing "filler" like eating all the time for health or drinking all of the time for mana etc ... Come up with original and interesting quests. A really good book every game designer should read is "The elements of Style" it is a book on the creative writing process and a lot of it translates quite well to game design. The basic thinking is when you are writing every word should earn it's place on the page and anything that doesn't advance the story you are telling is waste. The same applies to game design.

A good approach is to prototype your ideas until you land on something YOU think is a lot of fun. There is a good chance if you find it fun so will a lot of other people.

PS> I love big magic effects with lots of really neat particle/graphical effects. I found the lack of really cool magic effects in Oblivion a real disappointment.