I don't see enough WRPGs here...

[Spaceman McConaughey]

Convince her to let you. Business has been rough, and I need the money.

If you can convince Dr. Phil to go along with it, i'll give you the $20

He'll contact you in the coming week.

[Blizzard]

I'm talkin' about these:

http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,3364.0.html
http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,37.0.html
http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,7763.0.html
http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,7674.0.html
http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,6219.0.html

And these were just random samplings!  5/5!!

they're like an epidemic

Yay, CP isn't among them. xD

I agree with Sub, Ryex (about liking both) and winkio.

Your classic JRPG is Final Fantasy while your classic WRPG is Diabolo. Both categories went 3D and now they are a bit harder to distinguish.

[GrieverSoft]

Okay, here is the ultimate difference, I think:

In a WRPG, you're actually playing a role as the PC.  In a JRPG, you're watching the cast save the world (after directing the ATB, CTB, whatever esoteric battle system).   A JRPG is like a novel with 'RPG elements,' while a WRPG is like a heavily railroaded stint of DandD.

[Subsonic_Noise]

Okay, here is the ultimate difference, I think:

In a WRPG, you're the main character.  In a JRPG, a Cloud clone is the main character.  There you go!

Because obviously Lloyd (Tales of Symphonia), Emil (ToS 2), Reid (ToE) Yuri (ToV), Seiken Densetsus main characters,  Kalas of Baten Kaitos, etc etc are all exactly like Cloud. Seriously, try talking about something you have a clue about.

[GrieverSoft]

You're right, we're not doing this...

Anyway, we all have our own personal opinion on JRPGs and WRPGS.  We'll leave it at that.

It's gotten out of hand.  Lock this please.

[Cid]

I don't think there's any need to lock the thread. It's an interesting point and I can definitely see where you're coming from, but your assessment of JRPGs has been a little harsh.

The game I'm making is influenced by both. You don't directly assume the role of the main character, but there is an element of free-roam, the story is relatively grounded and none of my characters or attack animations are massively over the top. Ultimately it will be seen as a JRPG, but there's some western heart in there.

Incidentally, I did toy with the idea of making a completely open RPG like Oblivion or Fallout, but the number of possible complications that could arise from not having absolutely everything nailed down beforehand led to a rethink. It also made it many times more difficult to implement a strong narrative, and the involvement of party members in the story would invariably suffer.

[Kagutsuchi]

If you are looking for a game with a sensible story, you came to the wrong place. Where do I get the resources I need to make a western rpg in rmxp? I dunno \_0.o_/