| |
Site Navigation
Main
News
Forums
Games
Games Database
Top 100
Release List
Support Files
Features
Reviews
Previews
Interviews
Editorials
Diaries
Misc
Download
Gallery
Music
Screenshots
Videos
Miscellaneous
Staff Members
Privacy Statement
|
|
|
|
Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
| RPG Roundtable #1 Part 1 at RPGVault |
|
The topic of the first <a href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/426/426475p1.html" target="_blank">RPG round table</a> at RPGVault is: "In many gamers' minds - and perhaps in those of some developers and publishers as well - CRPGs are very closely tied to fantasy settings and themes. For this initial Roundtable, we decided to explore how our friends in the RPG development community regard this connection. To this end, we invited a number of them to comment on it, including but not limited to the benefits and drawbacks of this relationship, why gamers who say they want non-fantasy CRPGs continue to go out and buy fantasy ones, what other settings would interest them as developers and as players, and how ready the industry and the CRPG player audience are for other themes" - and several developers share their thoughts about it with us, like Raphael Colantanio from Arkane Studios (Arx Fatalis, Arx Fatalis 2):
<br><blockquote><em>The medieval fantasy setting is definitely linked to the word RPG - I would be tempted to add 'unfortunately'. I would say by definition, people immediately think of RPG when you say the words 'medieval fantasy' and vice versa.
<br>
<br>The main reason is probably a cultural legacy from the very first RPGs and CRPGs that were both inspired by Tolkien's books and their medieval fantasy setting - I'm thinking of Wizardry, Ultima, Bard's Tale... Since that time, very few have managed to break the rule; it seems that both customers and developers are very conservative about it. After all, medieval fantasy is a setting people feel confident with and can always relate to. Everybody knows that a goblin is a little arrogant coward that will try to fool you. Everybody knows that a dragon probably hides a nice treasure in his backroom, and everybody knows what a teleporter does. There's no need for explanations.
<br>
<br>Obviously, it would be interesting to define CRPG better. I bet we'd come up with one definition per gamer, and that could be a very interesting discussion. Personally, I'd say CRPGs are games that make me forget about myself and manage to drag me into a character's story, the key elements being immersion, freedom in the way I want to play, high level of interactivity, emotions and sense of vulnerability. Very few games manage to do that to me; for me, an RPG doesn't necessary have to feature the usual cliched tons of stats, billions of different weapons, infinite level of character customization and progression - all this in an endless med fantasy open world with thousands of sub-quests.</em></blockquote>Raf and the others had more to say, so head over and read the article. |
Tue Jul 01, 2003 5:26 pm |
|
|
crpgnut
Captain of the Guard
Joined: 22 May 2002
Posts: 197
Location: St. Louis |
Every time I read the phrase "people are getting tired of the medieval fantasy setting" I have to laugh. I'm not tired of it. I'll play games with
other backgrounds but I honestly prefer fantasy. Why? It's what I read!
I read Jordan, Eddings, Tolkien, Salvatore, and a host of others. I like
to escape to worlds where computers, cars, guns, etc. don't exist. Science
is reality, so I don't want that in my escapism. Magic is my primary reason
for playing any crpg. I want magical creatures, spells, and happenings. I want
stats that are humanly impossible. I want to be Hercules or Merlin, not Neo.
I'm not sure if stats back me up, but I wonder which fictional culture sells the highest volume of books: fantasy, sci-fi, westerns, or something else.
I'm sure romance outsells all of these, but computers don't have a high
enough level of AI to make a romance game possible. A sex game? Sure.
Romance and relationships are a different matter. Dialogue in such a game
would have to be extremely robust. I'd say high-level voice acting and tip
top graphics would also be mandatory. Interactive romance doesn't seem feasible. Magical worlds are the easiest to create. Immunity to fire? Why not?
It's a magical world. Strong enough to wear 300 pounds of armor and still run all day? Why not? It's easiest to suspend disbelief in a magical world.
IMNSHO-In my not so humble opinion 
_________________
'nut |
|
Tue Jul 01, 2003 5:44 pm |
|
|
Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
I totally agree.  Fantasy is the big seller for crpgs and it always will be. Personally, i cant stand science fiction crpgs unless they are done brilliantly like Deus Ex. The three crpg games that i bought which have sci-fi elements in them, i never even played beyond 6 hours because i just didnt enjoy the sci-fi setting. Fantasy all the way!  |
|
Tue Jul 01, 2003 8:24 pm |
|
|
Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
Clearly whether someone likes fantasy or sci-fi settings is a matter of personal taste which can't really be debated. I also agree that fantasy is probably more popular than sci-fi in some media (though not all), but most of the reasons crgpnut offered for liking fantasy are reasons why I like sci-fi settings.
I read masters like Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke or new authors like Peter F. Hamilton. It's easier to suspend disbelief in a fantasy world? Fair enough, but I don't have to suspend disbelief in a good SF world - if it's well-designed I'm more immersed because it could happen.
No doubt fantasy books sell well, but the sci-fi section isn't dead. In movies sci-fi definitely holds the upper hand with Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminators, Bladerunner, Minority Report, Gattaca et al vs two recent stars (LoTR and Harry Potter) and a bunch of B-grade stuff. In other game genres sci-fi is well represented: shooters, TB strategy, simulation, Japanese CRPG so I just don't buy that people are only "comfortable" with fantasy.
I found Jeff Vogel's comments particularly strange. Changing genres brings nothing? Isn't a different experience for the players worthwhile in it's own right? As for saying non-fantasy settings have been well-represented recently, his list is a bit weak. It has 2 games from the same series, a MMORPG and including the Sims is a bit of a stretch for me.
Yes, fantasy will always sell, but hopefully there's some room something different. I see complaints all the time about nothing being original these days; setting counts too!
End rant  . |
|
Wed Jul 02, 2003 10:57 am |
|
|
crpgnut
Captain of the Guard
Joined: 22 May 2002
Posts: 197
Location: St. Louis |
You and I disagree Dhruin, but that's okay. I prefer pure fiction to science fiction for my escapism. I don't want to play in a world where many of the
elements exist in reality. In reality guns, lasers, etc exist, so I don't want those elements in my alternate reality. I think there are a lot of players
like myself. Asimov and Heinlein bore me to death, so it isn't just in games
that sci-fi doesn't thrill me. I do love the Star Trek and Star Wars movies.
Star wars in science fantasy though.
_________________
'nut |
|
Wed Jul 02, 2003 10:10 pm |
|
|
|
All times are GMT. The time now is Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:51 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
