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Washac

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 2, 2006
2,511
128
OK, I have delved and dabbled and played RPGs for a while but what I have found is that as time has gone by they have become more and more reliant on understanding the game mechanics for me to really get anywhere in them.

To be honest I just want to dive in and enjoy the game without having to understand or learn game mechanics and get bogged down in it all, and get bored and stop playing.

So because of this I find myself playing RPGs for a very short while then I just drop them and no longer want to play. Developers seem to have gone down the road of pandering to the real obsessive RPG players who want all this game mechanic stuff.

So if anybody can recommend some RPGs (Old and New) that really are NOT reliant on learning game mechanics it would be appreciated.

They can be open world or crawlers I really do not mind.
 
Last edited:

xSinghx

Suspended
Oct 2, 2012
308
87
You should probably list what games you've played as examples that have turned you off. Almost every game that comes out now-a-days has rpg like elements so it can be a bit tricky suggesting rpgs. Is Bioshock or Borderlands2 an RPG or an FPS? Same with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Batman: Arkham City has character progression/levels and an open world.

I would recommend them all if you haven't picked them up by now.

I'm also not sure I understand what you mean with developers favoring obsessive game mechanics. An example would be helpful.

The problem I think most games suffer from (not just rpgs but rpgs are sometimes especially guilty) is bad tutorial design. The first Witcher game or something like Two Worlds 2 puts you on such a tight leash at the beginning of the game it feels like work rather than anything resembling fun or escape.

Often times the beginning of an RPG feels like someone dumping a stack of encyclopedias on top of your head, exposition, backstory, cinematic, movement tutorial, battle tutorial, inventory tutorial etc - causing one want to shake a fist and ask, "can I just play the god-damn game?"

Bethesda games like Fallout3 and Skyrim are somewhat guilty of this but at least they clock in at less than hour for their beginnings before turning you loose to explore the open world. Given how many mods are available for Skyrim - including one that gives you random starts throughout the world I would jump on that bandwagon if you haven't already.

Another suggestion and kind of a left field suggestion at that is Risen (http://www.gog.com/game/risen). Aside from the choppy animations and subpar combat (and lets face it Skyrim isn't much better in this category) I was surprisingly pleased with the open world, story, visuals and just about everything else the game had to offer.
 

Washac

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 2, 2006
2,511
128
You should probably list what games you've played as examples that have turned you off. Almost every game that comes out now-a-days has rpg like elements so it can be a bit tricky suggesting rpgs. Is Bioshock or Borderlands2 an RPG or an FPS? Same with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Batman: Arkham City has character progression/levels and an open world.

I would recommend them all if you haven't picked them up by now.

I'm also not sure I understand what you mean with developers favoring obsessive game mechanics. An example would be helpful.

The problem I think most games suffer from (not just rpgs but rpgs are sometimes especially guilty) is bad tutorial design. The first Witcher game or something like Two Worlds 2 puts you on such a tight leash at the beginning of the game it feels like work rather than anything resembling fun or escape.

Often times the beginning of an RPG feels like someone dumping a stack of encyclopedias on top of your head, exposition, backstory, cinematic, movement tutorial, battle tutorial, inventory tutorial etc - causing one want to shake a fist and ask, "can I just play the god-damn game?"

Bethesda games like Fallout3 and Skyrim are somewhat guilty of this but at least they clock in at less than hour for their beginnings before turning you loose to explore the open world. Given how many mods are available for Skyrim - including one that gives you random starts throughout the world I would jump on that bandwagon if you haven't already.

Another suggestion and kind of a left field suggestion at that is Risen (http://www.gog.com/game/risen). Aside from the choppy animations and subpar combat (and lets face it Skyrim isn't much better in this category) I was surprisingly pleased with the open world, story, visuals and just about everything else the game had to offer.

After some some sleep and some thought on my OP, I think one of my main problems is watching to many in depth character creation set up videos. I must admit they sometimes make me feel inadequate (Never been good at that) which then puts me off the game somewhat because I then feel I am not set up right for the game and I will be useless during the game. I Think I should just set up my characters how I think they should be set up and then dive in and enjoy the games.

Have to totaly agree with the highlighted part above, does tend to get to you sometimes, bring back the printed manual I say :), least that way you could dive in and take a quick look to see what you needed to do or was doing wrong.

Thanks for the reply, all noted.
 

T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,311
7,152
Denmark
I think Diablo 3 should suit you. The mechanics are very easy to grasp, as long as you don't go for the 'perfect' build (And in that case, it is as easy as looking it up with a quick Google search).

But really, RPGs are all about customization and details, so maybe you just shouldn't go for them.. I wouldn't call Diablo and RPG either for instance.
 

Washac

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 2, 2006
2,511
128
I think Diablo 3 should suit you. The mechanics are very easy to grasp, as long as you don't go for the 'perfect' build (And in that case, it is as easy as looking it up with a quick Google search).

But really, RPGs are all about customization and details, so maybe you just shouldn't go for them.. I wouldn't call Diablo and RPG either for instance.

Thanks.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
It was not all that long ago that I finally got around to and played though Baldur's Gate, the first one. That took a good amount of setup and learning but I was so looking forward to the game that I guess I didn't mind it too much where I was excited about it.

Still, I had to learn about tutu, install both BG and BG2, then install tutu, the fixpack, widescreen mod, mod to make UI look like BG1 when tutu has been installed (I liked and wanted that) and the NPC banter mod. With all that done I then set about reading up on D&D rules which I knew nothing about at the time. Once I'd done that I knew enough to be dangerous and how to create my character.

Speaking of characters, I would not worry too much about that. I have never watched a video on character creation although I do read up on stats and what they impact before making choices. Based on that I feel my choices ought to be good enough and so far, so good. When I played Dungeons & Dragons Online I did use a cool utility app that allowed me to plug in skills and abilities to plan a characters build in advance. For that game it was good to have a long range plan but then it is a time consuming MMO and for DDO you sort of want to know where you are heading from the start. So a lot of initial investment in reading there before I could even understand character planning but again it was fun enough because I was in the mood for a game like that then.

Back to Baldur's Gate, I rolled a Fighter and off I went. Then I had to learn about how BG1 worked with the initial brief tutorial. After that it wasn't long before I was humbled by my initial encounters and again severely schooled by casters later still until I learned how to deal with them.

The thing I found though was that while the mods setup and basic controls learning was just a chore, learning the rules and diving in was very fun. What made it fun to me was the depth of it, that fact that it was complicated at first. Later on I didn't see it as being complicated at all really but like anything new that you learn it does seem that way initially. Later when you know what is going on and it comes naturally to you that very same complexity is what can make a game really engaging I think.

In any case, the fact that the game had some meat to it and that I needed to use my head to play is ultimately a good part of what made it so enjoyable to me. I think this is what I like about role playing games actually. Once you ascend the initial learning curve, it is that very quality about them, the complexity that makes them so fun.

So maybe you just need a break from RPGs and something simpler or even just very different fare for a bit. I know that I do sometimes as much as I love role playing games. Currently I'm enjoying Max Payne 2 which has next to no learning curve at all but great presentation, action, story, etc. Sometimes I really like mindless killing involving as few brain cells as possible. :D
 

Washac

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 2, 2006
2,511
128
@ Dirtyharry50

As I put before I think I just need to Create what I/ME feel is a reasonable party or central character of the type I feel like playing and get get stuck in instead of watching those really ultra involved people creating the ultimate character or team. As for reading through a rule set, sorry but I really do not think I can do that.

Thanks for your input.

Yea, some mindless violence FPS thing could be a brain relaxer :)
 

itsOver9000

macrumors 6502
Mar 29, 2013
374
329
B.F., KS
After some some sleep and some thought on my OP, I think one of my main problems is watching to many in depth character creation set up videos. I must admit they sometimes make me feel inadequate (Never been good at that) which then puts me off the game somewhat because I then feel I am not set up right for the game and I will be useless during the game.

I also think this is your main problem. I don't play too many RPGs but even on some games I've found I have relied too heavily on guides to get me through the game. I end up getting myself worried that I won't find all the collectibles, get the "best gear", or unlock the "best" ending, etc.

I think I came to that realization when I was playing through the first Metroid Prime a couple months back. I had read somewhere online that you should have 200+ missiles and all of the health upgrades before going after the final boss to even stand a chance. So I ended up pouring over collectible guides and maps trying to figure out where everything was.. and this was still within the first few hours of the game. I guess I was worried I wouldn't be "good enough" to beat the final boss. Eventually I realized I wasn't having much fun constantly flipping between pausing the game and looking up items in a guide or on a map. So I ditched the guides and just played the game and beat the it without much trouble. I think I ended up with 230 missiles, all the health and bomb upgrades anyway just by finding them on my own, and I had a ton of fun.

I guess I'm just saying to play the game and not stress about having a perfect character or a perfect play through. I really try to limit how much I look at guides anymore. I'll still take a quick look if I've been stuck in one area or on a puzzle for too long, or to get a general boss strategy if I've faced the boss more than a few times and haven't even come close to beating it.

I Think I should just set up my characters how I think they should be set up and then dive in and enjoy the games.

this. We play games primarily for fun so why bother getting stressed out over it?
 

Washac

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 2, 2006
2,511
128
this. We play games primarily for fun so why bother getting stressed out over it?

Exactly, no more character creation guides for me, now where did I put that rusty key for that chest in the crypt :)

I'm off to have fun........................
 

antonis

macrumors 68020
Jun 10, 2011
2,085
1,009
Don't let those building elitist/freaks get in to you :D

Almost all RPGs will forgive any imperfect build you feel more fun to play, and let you go through the game without real issues. And that is the unique true fun of the genre; the variations and customization options of your characters. Remove/oversimplify this and there's no rpg anymore.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
Some good, better advice than mine follows mine above. I got a little too wrapped up in talking about my own approach and should have mentioned that I don't even always do that myself. I did it for D&D because I wanted to know how it worked but having played the game now I realized I never really had to do all that. I could have pretty easily guessed that strength and constitution are good for a fighter, etc. and gotten down to it.

I also failed to mention that while I've read about stats before making choices, I made my own choices. I don't care about recommended builds, the build of the month club or whatever. I agree that this is largely elitist crap that has minimal impact on actual play.

So yeah, while I have and may yet again overdo it some with the homework before I start something new that certainly isn't required to dive into most games and have fun and I should have said so to begin with, particularly in response to this thread.

When I first played Morrowind, I did the reading before thing and then played. I never did do the main quest or the expansions content. So not too long ago I set it up to run in Wineskin and it seems fine in minimal initial testing. This time I am just diving in, having forgotten anything I knew back in 2002 I think it was when it released? I'll figure out stuff as I go.

Come to think of it, I may take the advice here myself when I get to some other stuff like Dragon Age and just dive in. I'm about a third of the way into the first Mass Effect and I never read anything about that. It was no problem either. I just picked up on stuff as I went although Mass Effect just isn't like an older D&D game anyway. Maybe not much of anything new really is except for something like Pillars of Eternity or Wasteland, etc.
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
have you played torchlight 2 ? you pretty much cant mess up a character. just pick whatever and play.
 
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