IGN on the State of the CRPG

Via the ffwd linklog, IGN has a feature up discussing the current state of the CRPG. From the article: "Most people tend to associate RPGs with sword-swinging maidens in chainmail bikinis and doddering old white-bearded mages in robes spattered with owl poop. While the high fantasy setting is certainly the stock background for most RPGs, an RPG is defined not by its content but by its manner of presentation. To be a true RPG, a game must contain three elements. First, it should offer up an interactive story in which the player takes a vital part. Second, RPGs must allow for character growth that's driven by a player's choices or actions. Finally, RPGs must be built upon a system of rules and statistics that are used to resolve the events that take place in the world."

Comments

Re:Poor Final Fantasy...

[MBraynard]

That is a poorly conceived idea. The reason being that computers that run the game rely on numbers, and while you may try to 'hide' the numbers, people will still derive them - either logically or through hacking.

I really disliked the few MMORPGs that tried to hide the stuff from me. It makes decisions more difficult and gives huge incentives to the people who have the time to play for a really long time and have protected information - much more so than in a typical non-hidden game where they already have a large dominance.