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RPG Programming:
Definitions
by
SeiferTim : 24 November 2004
So, what makes a Role Playing Game? This is one of the
most difficult genres of game to identify, since
sometimes the lines blur between what makes a RPG, as
opposed to an adventure game, or something else. I want
to try to make sure that you are actually making an RPG,
and not just thinking you are. So first - a bit of
history.
One of the first RPGs ever created, and in fact the
one that has been the inspiration for many RPGs would
have to be a simple pen & paper game called Dungeons
& Dragons. With the invention of this game, you
could get a group of friends together, and slaughter
monsters by the dozen, and rescue scantily clad
princesses - all in the comfort of your parent's
basement. And the best part - in case that wasn't enough
- instead of traditional games which - after reaching
the finish line - you just packed everything up until
next time, you could keep using your character, and they
would grow - learning new skills, and special abilities.
Over the years the genre has evolved a bit,
especially thanks to the introduction of video game
RPGs, but the features that make them RPGs have stayed
pretty much the same. Even D&D has changed over time,
but you can still go to a hobby shop, pick up a book,
and then spend countless Friday nights camped out in
someone's basement, with empty cans of Mountain Dew
littering the floor while hurtling fireballs at ogres.
But here I want to point out those important features of
an RPG, and discuss them a little bit. Now I know that
Marz started some tutorials, and one of them does cover
something similar to this, but I feel our opinions
differ enough for me to bring in my own list. I'm not
saying his is wrong, or anything, but for our purposes I
would like to outline those things that I focus on. So
here we go:
RPG Necessities:
- Character Advancement: This is
where you have a character which, throughout the
course of the game, becomes stronger, and usually
able to do more cool stuff.
- Underlying Mathematical Stat System:
I have not yet seen an RPG ever that does not have
some kind of stat system that works across the board
- Strength, Speed, Accuracy, or whatever are all
translated into variables which are used during
battles, and sometimes other events, using some
calculation to determine what happens when the
character does something. Sometimes this is little
more than how much damage is dealt in battle, but
often it can be much more in depth than that.
- Advanced Battle System: This
can be somewhat tied to above, but let me clarify:
to qualify as an "Advanced Battle System", this
means much more than simply HitTesting 2 objects,
and if they Hit one way, the player takes dies, and
another way the enemy dies - as is seen in many
platformers like Mario or Sonic. The only real
challenge is seeing if you can jump at the right
time to hit something. RPGs will almost always be a
lot more advanced, either using a turn-based, or
die-roll system, or - as in Zelda or Kingdom Hearts
- having frantic real-time battles where you have to
run, dodge, and use special tools or skills to take
out your opponents. Even the very first Zelda game
has a more advanced battle system then most any
platformer ever.
- Vast Environment: Every RPG
takes place in an environment that is easy to get
lost in. There are almost always townsfolk to talk
to, places to visit, and can oftentimes take a long
time to get from place to place on foot. Unlike
other game genres, where the environment is what
makes the game (ie: you jump over rocks, run up
mountains), the environment is much more like
real-life: It exists to give everything else a place
to be. You don't always need a whole world for an
RPG (example: Xenosaga), but more often than not,
there are lots of places to visit in an RPG, and you
are almost free to roam around.
- Deep Storyline: There may be a
few exceptions running around unchecked, but EVERY
RPG that I've ever even heard of has an immense
storyline, which usually sucks you into the game,
and ties everything together (and spans 3 - 4 movie
packed Discs :P ) If you're not a good story writer
-FIND ONE! Or read my other tutorial:
//www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/gamestory.htm
I don't know how to stress this enough: you must
have some kind of story at the very least, and a
decent one at that. No one will care about the rest
of this crap if your story is not much more mature
than the Teletubbies.
So there you have my list, next up we'll discuss the
different types of RPGs, and how to tell them apart.
There really aren't that many varieties, but you'll want
to know ahead of time which one you want to make, or
else you'll be in trouble. There are only three
different types that I can think of, Okay, so here we
go:
- The Classic / Turn-Based or Die-Roll
RPG: This is the original RPG type.
Basically, the game is broken into two parts:
Exploration, and Battle. For the most part, you
would walk around the map, which is usually in
top-down, or birds-eye view mode, until you
encounter an enemy (and usually without much more
warning than: "SWOOOOOOSH! [Insert Upbeat Battle
Music Here]") Almost every Final Fantasy game is of
this type. Some RPGs were nice enough to take out
random battles, so the battle wouldn't start unless
you touched a wandering monster on the screen. Mario
RPG, and Mystic Quest are like this.
- The Real Time or Smash and Run RPG:
This is more or less the type of RPG where
the battles occur in the same screen that you
explore, and usually with groups of wandering
monsters. Zelda, and Diablo are both good examples
of this type. These RPGs are more like an
Action/Adventure game, but can be some very fun
games.
- The Tactical Warfare RPG: This
type of RPG seems to be much more popular in Japan,
but essentially almost all the focus in the game is
on long, drawn-out and involved battles involving
large groups of people. The story, and environment,
while still in existence, takes a back seat, often
with little more than a rudimentary map, and a quick
dialog sequence between battles. The battles consist
of a large grid area, sometimes with various
heights, depths, and terrains, where you place your
army, and then take turns (almost like chess) to
move them around and fight. Anyone who's ever played
the old Battletech game should be somewhat familiar
with this concept.
Each type of RPG has its own Pros and Cons, but for
this tutorial, I would like to work with the Classic
RPG, for many reasons. After this tutorial, if you
really wanted to, I feel confident that you can make
your own RPGs of the other types, if you really wanted
to.
Onwards to the
next page!
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