Cliches and Conventions: Know Thy Enemy

by Andrew Bartkus

I need to start with an example of what I'm trying to explain. Let's look at fantasy settings in fiction. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy has inspired millions over decades with dreams of elves, dwarves, hobbits and the like.

Problem? He was so ground-breaking, that people were compelled to capitalize on his success. In fact, what was original in Tolkein's day has become cliche and conventional now.

The same goes for RPGs, in my opinion. While we've undoubtedly improved ever since the first Dragon Warrior, the progress hasn't been the same across the board. I've noticed a growing wave of concern and disgruntlement among gamers about conventions and gameplay elements in games, and I've long felt the need to point out what is wrong with RPGs today.

I think the number-one offender has to be Final Fantasy. Even though every game has different stories and slightly different gameplay, you can identify FF games by their conventions and what I would call "throw-backs". Of course, FF isn't alone; other games are at fault, like Earthbound and Zelda. This doesn't mean I don't like these games, but I am angry at the people who insist that they're "perfect".

I haven't had the extensive RPG background some people have (I haven't played Chrono Trigger or FF9, for example), so doubtlessly I'll have some people who don't agree, and I'll be downright wrong about some things. However, I believe that most of the things I say hold true.

So, let's look at the problem with today's RPGs:

1) The "interactive" element is lost

In my arguements and debates with other gamers, I've been told that RPGs are better than books or movies in that they provide "interactivity". Look at games like Final Fantasy; do you actually *enjoy* the battle system (I'll bash this more later)?! Furthermore, isn't that all you really do in the game? There's some side quests and mini-games, and small kudos for that, but really, FF seems to me to be a movie with battles.

If my only interaction with a game is poor, than you might as well remove the interactivity. After all, I bought a game, so I should be spending plenty of time *playing* the darn thing.

2) Turn-based battles lacking tactical depth

Back in the day, turn-based battles were the norm, because the systems couldn't handle the complex machinations of war in real-time. Today, that's no longer an excuse.

The prime feature of turn-based action is that the player has more time to think about his decisions. If you don't need to think about your actions, shouldn't the game run quicker, possibly in real-time?

More often than not in RPGs, you don't need intense forethought; simply choose your strongest attack, or heal when necessary. Of course, anything can be grossly oversimplified to that, but it's not a gross oversimplification in most RPGs. FF is a big culprit, thought the prospect of faster-moving battles in FF10 is praise-worthy.

Naturally, you don't have to turn everything into a Tactical RPG like Ogre Battle or FFT. Make things fast or make things deep, that's all I ask.

(On a side note, advance strategy is also good in RPGs. The Materia system of FF7 was pretty good, but far from perfect. There weren't enough drawbacks to using them, and it killed character individuality [ie, Tifa - breasts + materia = Barret]. It didn't make a difference in who you chose, save for Limit Breaks. You got to the end just as fast.)

3) Blabbermouths: Must I talk to everyone?

I remember the number-one tip in an ancient issue of Nintendo Power was "talk to everyone!" Honestly, aren't we past that point now? Now it seems like just another thing to eat up time; talking to *every* *single* *person* in a settlement is a ridiculous notion, yet it is often necessary or rewarded by game designers. Honestly, I think it's just to make games run longer.

I have to stand up Ogre Battle 64 on a pedestal here for a second; you get the pertinent information immediately and promptly. Cutscenes and interviews with towns are succinct; they get the job done with little spent on frivilous nonsense. Get rid of the chores and get back to the gameplay!

4) Random battles suck

What, every 5 steps I'm thrust into a fight?! To the death?! And I have to walk *how far*?!

I should have been able to circumvent the fight or avoid the enemy. I should be able to convince the enemy that I'm not worth fighting, maybe from my sheer strength, intimidation, persuasion, or plain bribery. If we fight, I don't expect my enemy to fight to the last; if 3 of my buddies were cut down, I'd run like hell! Especially if my foe were busting out crazy magics and such.

Random battles were another convention created by "weak" hardware. They've outstayed their welcome.

5) There's such a thing as being "too straight"

I'm talking linearity here. Maybe letting me decide how to start and how to finish is asking too much; besides, it can interfere with the game designer's "vision" in his plot, trying to convey some message to us.

But shouldn't I be able to choose how to get from point A to point B?

Now I have to single out the PC game Deus Ex. The game does a magnificent job of this. You can do things guns-blazing, kill quietly and thoroughly, disable-but-not-kill, or just circumvent your problems by hacking computers, picking locks, and deactivating power grids.

That sort of depth isn't necessary, though. FF10 once again looks promising based on it's ability-wheel system, where you can customize your characters so that they can excel in certain areas, instead of across-the-board improvements found in previous installments.

6) Weak character design

This afflicts lots of RPGs. Disturbed hero who suffers from past trauma, disturbed villain who suffers from past trauma, duty-bound soldier who's morals are compromised by the battlefield, normal person thrust into extraordinary circumstances, happy-go-lucky adventurer....

It's easy to cross the line that separates heroic archetype from heroic cliche. A little more effort and elbow grease could clear things up some.

Kudos to FF6 for providing interesting and original characters, back in the day. Square did such a great job making them all individual and unique, which was reflected in the gameplay with unique abilities. While FF9 harkened back to those ideas, it was criticized by some for having one-dimensional characters. I guess you can't please all the people all the time....

7) Leveling up

What, even without using my combat skill, my combat skill improves anyway?

While leveling up is OK and gets the job done, focusing on solving problems in a specific way should be rewarded in a like manner. After all, what do you think college is.

The great thing about Deus Ex (again) is that sometimes one option wasn't always the best or possible. This makes characters more interesting and useful in RPGs with multi-person parties. Not only do characters have sentimental value, you also won't want them to die for pragmatic reasons ("Oh no, they killed Pablo! Now I can't sneak into the base!")

8) Zombie enemies

I'm doing my best to kill enemies. Should they be doing the same?

A little more strategy and cooperation should be put into enemy AI. Outnumbered, outgunned? Run away and build a posse. Target a certain hero exclusively.

Naturally, if all the enemies concentrate on one of your allies, he/she is probably screwed. That's why things like cover, order, and protection exist; this was slightly included in FF's front and back ranks.

9) Aggrivating menus need to die

We live in a new millenium. Consoles can now render the added CG scenes from the old Star Wars movies in real-time. Why do I still have to go through so much crap to organize my equipment?

I haven't seen any perfect menus in all my years of gaming (although Ogre Battle 64 was pretty good). Earthbound's really sucked. Information should be immediately accesible in, with like information grouped in one area. Inventory management should be easy. Lots of buttons mean it should be easy to get things done quickly.

Naturally, I can't fault a game if everyone likes it for what it is or if it sells. I don't expect game publishers to do otherwise; they're businessmen first. However, I expect gamers to excercise their rights as consumers to demand better product. Gamers, however, must grow up and realize that a lot more than plot must go into an RPG to make it stand out as a game.