On Character Development In RPGs

Thanks to IGN RPGVault for their continuing series quizzing videogame creators about single-player RPG character development. Respondents include Chris Avellone of Black Isle/Obsidian, who rants on CRPG spell conventions: "Almost every spell system I have encountered in an RPG has done wonders for sucking all the mystery and enjoyment out of magic", and Star Wars:KOTOR producer Mike Gallo, who suggests: "I think that somewhere, at some time, a type of stat-less main player character development will make it into an RPG."

Comments

Re:Don't blame us!

[Lord_Dweomer]

" Blame yourself. Such spells have been in OD&D/AD&D/3E for over 20 years. It's your, and other game developers, fault that you do not program your games with a wider range of spells."

Lets see you try to IMPLEMENT those other spells. Its been so far impossible without a live DM who makes the actual decisions. The reason why is that the outcomes of those spells rely on story telling. And to be truly dynamic in their usage, you would need someone live....as opposed to a scripted event.

For example, Baldurs Gate. The Limited Wish spell. I drooled when I saw that included......and then when I got and cast it, I got a small selection of choices to choose from for the effects.......not quite the wish I wanted.

I believe something like this could work perhaps in NWN, with a very complex toolkit for the DM to produce effects on the spot.

So very subjective...

[Thedalek]

This is completely a Type-A vs. Type-B personality issue. Think about it: Type-A's (obsessive-compulsive types, prone to checking their watches multiple times a minute) want to know where they stand in quantifiable terms: You have 115332 experience points, 2142 until the next level, etc.

Type-B's (the type which ordinarily doesn't wear a watch, and rarely has occasion to need the time in specific terms) want to know where they stand in general, relative terms: You have just gained an ability! Blue Archer has gained a level!