The Video Game Revue

Notes on RPG Design

I used to consider console RPGs my favourite genre of video game, and in many respects I still do. But RPGs have changed a lot since the days of Lunar and Lufia, and I've constantly struggled over the last five years or longer to maintain an interest in them. The exact reasons for this have often been difficult to explain, but there are some cases in which I can put a finger more-or-less on some of the problems that keeps me from fully enjoying the latest console RPGs.

Tedious Gameplay

One of the most potent kill-joys of the RPG genre is when the gameplay falls flat. Generally speaking, there are two types of gameplay that an RPG should focus on: exploration and combat. RPGs can often live without one of these elements, but at least one of them has to be done right in order for the game to be any fun.

There are lots of different ways to do RPG gameplay mechanics; in fact, a large draw of the genre is that it is so varied. That having been said, some elements of exploration and combat are fairly universal. The goal of the exploration element of an RPG is to make the user feel good about discovering and searching new areas. The goal of combat is to challenge the user's tactical decision making skills and add an element of strategy to the game.

For example, a simple RPG formula is to have a town and dungeons to explore. The town is where the player acquires supplies and upgrades, while the dungeons are where dangers are encountered and awards are earned. A typical challenge is to have consumable resource (MP, potions, etc.) that are used during combat, which occurs in the dungeon areas. The player's skill influences how quickly these resources are consumed, which in turn affects how far the player can proceed into the dungeon before getting into trouble. The player must also decide when to turn back to town in order to avoid getting killed and suffering whatever penalties are associated with that.

Even in this relatively simple game design, there are many ways to ruin the fun of the game:

- Broken Economy - The rewards from the dungeon are so great or so little that either there is no challenge in managing resources or the game becomes a tedious grind because progress is so slow.

- Boring Environments - The user is not motivated to explore new areas because there's seemingly nothing of interest in them.

- Slow Combat - Battle encounters unfold at such a slow pace that the user cannot remain in the mood to explore the dungeons.

- Over-Simple Combat - Battle encounters provide no real tactical challenge, so they feel like a waste of the player's time.

- Broken Learning Curve - The game introduces too much needless complexity too quickly, so that newcomers to the game are hard-pressed to make sense of it. Conversely, the game ramps up so slowly that the player loses patience while waiting for it to get interesting.

A lot of balance and design effort is required to make even a simple RPG formula work, so one can see how matters become much more complicated as the RPG genre strives to push the envelope for more sophisticated designs.

Over-Abundance of Story Sequences

In the 16-bit era, story sequences in video games tended to be so few and far between that players relished them. These days some games--particularly RPGs--have bounced back so far the other way that in the first hour of a game it's not unheard of for more than half of it to be taken up by story sequences, including pre-rendered movies, scripted scenes, and even cage-like areas where the player must trigger some event to proceed.

RPGs shine as a story-telling medium, and when they get it right I am enthralled with them. But some RPGs are so over-eager to cram story down my throat that they become a waste of my time. Story-sequences have long since ceased to be exciting by default (that is, impressive just by existing), and in order to be effective they should meet certain criteria:

- Consequential Developments - A good story sequence should advance the plot or develop character. A story sequence that spends several minutes showing the main character making small talk with a supporting character is going to bore me just as much in a video game as it would in a TV program.

- Good Dialog - A common turn-off for me, personally, is when I have to sit through a lot of dialog that makes one of the characters sound like a fifth grader (unless, of course, that character is supposed to sound like a fifth grader). In real life, people who articulate themselves poorly and/or have nothing interesting to say are boring. This is true of RPG characters as well.

- Short and Sweet - RPG story sequences sometimes drag on in a way that tests my attention span. Stop doing that.

Weak Morals

I once had a discussion with a non-gamer about the inherently violent nature of RPGs. It's true that a typical fantasy universe populated with monsters and the heroes that slay those monsters is violent. Given that, it's important for the characters in an RPG to have some moral fiber--something that offsets the psychopathic nature of venturing out into the wild in order to slay things.

Many RPGs tell a variation on the classic "coming of age" story of a young person who ventures out to find fame and fortune while growing and becoming stronger. There is nothing wrong with this, however it should be recognized that the motivation of seeking power for its own sake is more fitting of a villain than a hero. It seems that too many RPG protagonists are inclined to make statements like "I want to be the best!" or "I have to prove that I'm the strongest!" This works well for certain characters with some complexity to them (eg. Naruto), but for others it comes off as making them seem like a bratty sociopath.

Consider "The Lord of the Rings". That's a pretty kick-ass, epic story, wouldn't you say? Not one of the "good guys" in that story is interested in attaining power for its own sake or proving their strength by imposing their dominance on others. In fact, that is exactly the behavior of the villains in that story. The only thing that the heroes really want is attain happiness, which they are certainly willing to struggle for. This is a powerful theme that many classic RPGs follow, and one that many bad RPGs neglect.

It's easy to misunderstand the point of RPGs to the extent of thinking that they're essentially about ambition, but it deeply bothers me when the protagonist of an RPG doesn't seem to want anything more than to become more powerful. There are other ways in which the moral values of RPGs as a story-telling medium may falter, but I find that this one in particular is very common and doesn't seem to bother most RPG fans. I would hope for RPGs to carry exactly the opposite sort of message: that blind ambition tends not to end well, and that there are more important things in life than the pursuit of power.

Story-telling works best when it imparts valuable messages about the world. RPGs about simple-minded characters who are on a quest for personal glory and power for its own sake generally fail to accomplish this.

Failure to be Epic

During the 16-bit era, and particularly during the height of Squaresoft's classic SNES RPG trio of Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2), Final Fantasy III (FF VI), and Chrono Trigger, I remember Nintendo Power throwing the word "epic" around a lot. The Nintendo Power reviewers had a mind that the end goal of RPGs is to provide the player with an epic experience, and I wholeheartedly agreed with them. The high points of RPGs are when the sense of drama and adventure are overwhelming--those are the moments that players revere.

It seems silly to me, then, that many RPGs these days strive to be "hip," "edgy," or maybe even "emo" rather than "epic." The stereotype of what console RPGs represent has become seriously corrupted by the influence of spiky-haired kid protagonists with obvious insecurities. Is this seriously what players want?

The art direction of an RPG is crucial in making the game epic. This applies to the visuals, the musical score, the storytelling, and even to little touches like the user interface and sound effects. Being a big budget title helps a great deal, of course, but I find that even more modest RPGs benefit a lot from taking themselves seriously where it matters.

Some RPGs are made for kids, and I'm fine with that. Some RPGs are maybe even reacting against the stereotype of the typical "dark fantasy" universe that is so derivative of Tolkien's work. But lately I've sometimes felt like there aren't many developers still trying to create classic style RPGs, and that leaves me wanting. World of WarCraft is successful in large part because it puts its emphasis on being a simply epic experience. Other MMOs that put their focus on being hip or cool may appeal to younger audiences, but it's hard to take them seriously.

The simple idea behind "be epic" also ties all of my other points together. A tedious game system that keeps the pace of the game too slow or fails to provide enough challenge isn't epic. Dull environments or little content to explore isn't epic. Watered-down story sequences where little of consequence occurs aren't epic. Characters whose motivations are shallow or selfish aren't epic. A bag full of gimmicks designed to draw players in and leave them little of lasting value is not an epic game. RPGs are the game genre that's all about being epic, period.

posted by Parappa @ 1:30 PM