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A simple sensory overload - graphics, sound, and gameplay - can
take a game far. For non-RPGs, that trinity is the Holy Grail; do
those right and odds of high sales go up tenfold. Add in a
meaningful or popular subject and they'll be flying off store
shelves. But for the genre which proved there is more to gaming than
fast-twitch reflexes and mindless entertainment, there is one more
essential component: the story.
RPGs live and die by the story. If Final Fantasy or Earthbound
didn't have cohesive plot lines, there wouldn't be much to do,
unless you like 30 hours of nothing but random battles. For clarity,
I'm talking traditional, turn-based attack and heal battles. Players
don't have to have exceptional reflexes or dexterity to excel at
fighting a monster slime. Patience and planning, perhaps, but even
those are virtually given to you on a silver platter in most cases.
I honestly can't remember the last time I died in a boss battle, and
I'm almost ashamed to admit it.
So if the gameplay mechanics are monotonous, and graphics and
sound wear off after the first few minutes, what's left? Like
opening a good book, fancy adjectives and metaphors help things
along, but if the driving force behind them isn't strong, the words
fall flat, and readers close up shop. The story always comes first.
I play most RPGs to experience and interact with a well-developed
world of characters and the lives behind them. Sadly, stories and
interaction in modern RPGs simply haven't lived up to their
predecessors as of late.
It isn't the subject matter or the characters. Like a lot of
promising films or books, you could have an interesting premise and
superb actors, yet the sales simply aren't there. Why, why, why?
I'll tell you why. Flow. In gaming's case, it's keeping the
storyline tight, and minimizing distractions. There are far too many
distractions which detract from the storyline, making things too
time-consuming or plain boring.
Random battles are one such distraction. You walk along and
suddenly everything stops, and you're taken to a graphically bland
set with your characters and enemies. That's 3 minutes players are
forced to concentrate on beating the enemies because your stats
aren't high enough, and 3 minutes away from the ultimate purpose of
advancing the story. Chrono Trigger did this one right. Keep the
mechanics of random battles traditional, but keep everything on the
same screen. That way the extreme pauses are eliminated, and it's
less of a shock, keeping players more focused. And, leave the world
map for travel, not battle. CT made sailing from story development
to battle smooth and easy.
Writing is another problem. Why does most game writing feel like
a grade school student's paper? I know games have to attract a wide
audience, but it is possible to keep writing fresh and engaging
without a New Yorker level vocabulary. Harry Potter is one example.
Maybe it has to do with budget, and having the funds to hire a real
writer. But still, with all the freelance writers out there *ahem* I
don't buy that excuse. Switching the sentence structure up, and
giving NPCs more than one response is a great start. Putting that
little extra effort would increase a game's quality tremendously,
and make players actually want to explore every town and talk to
every resident.
Finally, and I know this will draw some ere, FMVs. Keep them
limited to the beginning and end, and maybe once in the middle. I'd
rather see in-game cinemas and be spared the graphical upgrade, than
have to get re-acquainted with the characters in mega-panelized
form. And, like I've been getting at, in-game cinemas reduce the
pauses in story dialogue and action. The same thing will be
accomplished, and just think, it'll mean longer beginning and ending
cinemas, making them that much more impressive and meaningful.
For the love of god developers and writers, just try minimize
gaps in the storyline. That's all I'm asking. One game with a
coherent, cohesive, flowing plot. And maybe some exotic characters
too. And a fun locale like Rio. And a go-go... aww, forget it. |
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