Make Your Own RPG!
The old adage says: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Grammar aside, it seems to be true in most aspects of life, including video games. Developers usually go for a formula that works quite well, and is proven to yield results. RPG games are no exception; they can be so big, that developers and designers go for a few main elements that are present across games, regardless of who and when they were made.
I would rather have it and not use it.
Would you rather have the option of easily tracking back to some area to pick up something you left or have that thing you missed affect your 100% game-completion, forcing you to play it all over again?
One good thing open-world games do is provide you with the ability to back-track and re-explore an area without the fear of missing an item. I recently found myself playing The Callisto Protocol, and having already missed a few bits of intel you need to pick up to complete an achievement or completing the game at 100%. Since this is a linear title, my only choice is to play the game again once I finish it.
Many open-world games provide you with the option of going back and picking up that bit of intel you missed, or that chest you did not open.
Oh, and another really important thing you should add: fast travel. Make it as convenient as possible. Open the map, select a waypoint, and fast-travel instantly.
Please avoid taking a train, and paying for the ticket if you want to visit a town nearby.
Side quest that really don’t provide anything relevant.
Open-world games might overuse side-quests to make the game feel vaster and fuller of things to do. The problem in this is the fact that sometimes this ‘mechanic’ sometimes only provides XP points and a little bit of lore to expand your world knowledge. Some games provide special loot like armors, crafting materials, and so on.
One developer that goes beyond this is Bioware. Game series like Mass Effect, and Dragon Age have side quests provided by the party characters that will affect the outcome of the endgame. It gives you the feeling of changing your fate if you decide to proceed with the quest.
Games like The Witcher: Wild Hunt have so many side quests, that it’s impossible to complete them in one playthrough. Also, completing some of these quests will render others useless.
Make sure to add to your recipe a ton of side quests that only add XP points and under-level loot. Add a semi-worthy quest here and there.
The infamous UbiSoft towers.
Games like Assassins’ Creed or FarCry have towers that help you remove the fog around the map so you can see the area better, and even know where important collectibles are. This mechanic is also present in games like the Horizon series by Guerilla Games, and made a little bit interesting by actually climbing a moving robot, rather than a stationary platform.
Towers are a mechanic that forces you to explore, and paired with an achievement trophy, will make you want to climb them all.
Scatter towers or landmarks across the world, please add some in hard-to-reach places. Also, make sure to add a few that require an unlockable item, like a grappling hook or something. It adds to the anticipation of exploring. God forbid some players explore all the towers before doing some actual quests.
A vague moral system.
Paragon or renegade, good karma or bad karma, call it what you want. Add a vague moral system that will tilt the balance towards either side based on what you say in dialogues, or what actions you take.
Not rescuing that kitten because you are busy saving the whole planet? Bad karma. Telling that annoying fan of yours to trot along because you have some urgent intergalactic matter to resolve? You are a renegade. Shooting that dodgy, manipulative leader of the settlement because he rubbed you the wrong way? Nobody liked that.
Make sure to add this kind of system to appeal to the player’s conscience and sense of duty. It really doesn’t matter where you are on the morality spectrum. The outcome of the game will more or less be the same. The main goal is non-negotiable really. Except if you want to add a couple of more endings that depend on your moral points and force players to play the game again.
Overbearing loot
Armor, weapons, rings, amulets, upgrades, crystals, runes, name them all; we all want to collect loot. We will go to that mountain to kill that dragon in order to get that piece of tooth or scale to give to the blacksmith so they can build an armor.
Perhaps an NPC, in a village up north has that rare rune and will exchange it for some chickens, so he gives you a letter to deliver to his aunt (who might have chickens); she needs wood because she is old and needs lumber for the winter, so you go on a guilt trip and help the poor old lady. Once you’re done, she thanks you by giving you eggs!
Once hatched, you painstakingly grow the chicks to full healthy chickens and finally give them to the NPC in exchange for the rune. Once you have the it, you run to the blacksmith so he can add it to your sword, only to find out that winter has been so cold that the fire won’t do. He asks you to search for coal, and he will gladly help you, for a price albeit.
You get the idea, these endless quests are a must in any RPG game, with good loot on the line.
It is important to have each one separated in levels or rarity. People love rare items. Make sure you add so much loot into your game, that it loses any meaning to collect them. Players will end up with the one that has the higher stats anyway.
Of grappling hooks and double jumps
Exploring is a quintessential part of RPG games. Going from town to town, meeting new people, unlocking new quests is all part of the journey. Sometimes these quests take us to the forest, a mountain or a cave. Perhaps we stumble upon a ledge that seems a bit too far. Maybe we spot a conveniently placed ring or artifact where a hook might come in handy.
Not so fast skipper, you quickly realize that you won’t be able to make that jump, or reach that ledge. You are in dire need of an item or an ability that needs unlocking.
Maybe you need to run a few errands or complete a few quests, even progress to a certain point in the main story to unlock a grappling hook, some device to help you climb, or a double jump ability that will help you reach those impossible places.
Once you master the newly acquired mechanics, it’s time to revisit those places that you were not able to reach. You certainly spotted a chest or an item but were forced to return empty handed because you required an upgrade. The anticipation was killing you, but now you can get that piece of armor or that elusive weapon. Well done explorer, keep filling that inventory.
Waifus or Husbandos
We all love it when RPGs have romantic interests. Adding characters with a quirky personality, with a good sense of humor, with a noble tile, or lots of money. It does not matter; we all subconsciously see in them qualities worthy of making them our significant others. We tend to idealize some of these characters, just like in real life!
It can start like any other romance. You causally approach that person, and slowly start to build a relationship. You might want to add a loyalty mission that will ensure their survival on that ‘end-of-the-world’ suicide mission.
Having this ingredient in the recipe will certainly boost your RPG sales. A waifu or husbando will definitely enrich the experience. Make sure to add many options. If you are feeling naughty, you can let the player romance as many options as possible, at the same time!
And finally, Add to one’s liking
Adding the main ingredients is crucial to guarantee a solid RPG cookie; however, you might want to sprinkle a personal thing or two of your own. Perhaps you fancy a parrying mechanic, or using both hand-wield, and range weapons. It does not matter, make it your own RPG by personalizing the experience and selling it as a unique feature.
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