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RPG Maker => General Discussion => Topic started by: Diokatsu on November 04, 2008, 09:11:45 pm

Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 04, 2008, 09:11:45 pm
In response to:

Quote from: Spoofus on November 04, 2008, 07:49:05 pm
lol wow got debateful eh  :haha:

but all in all Starrodkirby86 was pretty close to what i had in mind
Spoiler: ShowHide
QuoteI don't really want to make a debate into this, but the public's opinion can sometimes be used as a good idea. What I mean is that Spoofus may not really take this fully into account, as these are just suggestions. It's not like he just thought of this without reason to back it up. Possibly Spoofus was deadlocked and confused to what weapon his hero should wield and he just needs a little help from the community to get it all back up. Whatever it is, I do agree with your point that the author himself is the best source for decisions like this, but when the author simply can't decide or make one, then it wouldn't hurt to get help (Until the author gets dependent on it like drugs, then it'll be unhealthy).

There are no such things as bad questions. d(^_~)

?

Weapon choice really matters on the setting of the story and what preference the character likes himself. I see the Bo and Tonfa are pretty popular choices so far (The Boomerang as well). It doesn't matter what personality your character will have when it comes to their wielding weapon. And personality to weapons are just sick generalizations. D: Just choose what you like, do research for the weapons, get a good history going, and have fun with it. XD


and Diokatsu was really close too
Spoiler: ShowHide
[spoiler]
QuoteThe reason I say this a bad question, not asking for a debate either, is that none of us could possibly suggest anything that would be nearly as self-satisfying as picking one yourself. We no neither the whole story nor the nuance of each respective character and we will no neither unless we were to reside in Spoofus' own mind. The author might reach a point where he remains fixated on a certain point, such as weapon or clothing or mood, but in the end he himself will resolve it. i suggested what was traditional and considering Spoofus picked all those weapons himself he /should/ know of all the possiblities, within reason of course. There is, or should not be, no problem with the story and weapon type relationship as this would defeat the purpose of asking as I'll assume he went through the trouble of making a story, and the weapon was a matter of "cool" or "unique". If the matter is on the "coolness" of said weapon then disregard my statements as my point is moot, seeing as I assume that this is a matter of resolution. Upon being a matter of resolution, I argue that HE is the only one who is capable of creating a solid plot so long as he himself is the creator alone. This is due to the tone an author or creator feels towards their creation, this feeling will determine the outcome of the plot and story as a solid unit as a whole. You seemed to agree with me however, saying he should do his own research and get a good history going, which seemingly states that you would wish him to do this himself while using our votes as an elimination point.

and btw i dont think many people would like to reside in my mind (kinda messy :haha:)

but the main purpose of this topic is to which weapon people that are to be players as well, would like to see being used,
and yes i do know that one of the weapons on the list will be used for sure,but lets put it this way all those who vote are helping narrowing down the choices of weapons that are out there.
so please dont take this topic in the wrong way..but you all do have good points on this

oh and on a side note*
the theory that the typical lazy laid back people are sword weilders..is sort of a cliche from movies and anime i think..
im really just trying to stay clear of swords if i can one reason im not really a sword guy


Try some rather onorthodox weapons in that case. Try and be as uncliche as possible. The MOST uncliche are the fan and the tanto. They all have been used a lot but out of those four try and stick with those two if you want to be not as dry with your story.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 05, 2008, 07:22:45 pm
Going out of your way to be original is ridiculous, just use whatever the hell you want and put your own spin on it. Not to say you are, just browsing through some of the comments.

I'm all for polearms, they're fun and pointy.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 05, 2008, 09:53:57 pm
I'd disagree but I don't want to argue :V

I agree, in the case that the amount of work you put in doesn't really equal the satisfation you feel when you accomplish it. Doing whatever the hell you want and putting your own spin on it can cause someone to go out of their way to make it original, but I digress....What else do I do better?
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 06, 2008, 07:42:29 pm
I don't bite :P

Purposely going out of your way to make something original in terms of anything is really nothing but a hindrance. For example, writing around cliche's. Sometimes, the cliche' needs to be there, because that's where the story is naturally progressing. If I wanted to go out of my way to ensure complete originality, I'd have to change the natural flow of the story I've set up, completely ruining it. When I say do whatever the hell you want, I assume that what you want is a good game :P

Of course, I'm not saying don't take it seriously, however not doing something because someone else did it first is just silly and eliminates pretty much all your storytelling options. I dont tend to give my main characters normal swords. Not because they're so commonly used, but because they're just boring. I will give a character a sword though, if it's built on a fun concept (Ivy from SC has a bitchin' ass awesome sword in that respect, etc.,) or if it has a really nice design. Fact is, people tend to think in pre-established flows, going out of your way to avoid something you'd otherwise do is just breaking the flow your mind has set up for the story, and probably wont come out right (unless you really know what you're doing).

Putting your own spin on something, however, does not mean going out and looking for something to tack onto an idea, it means taking an idea and giving your interperetation of it. If you have to think hard about it, then really you probably don't have much to add and it's better to just leave the idea as is, as you would seem to like it.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 07, 2008, 11:22:49 pm
Quote from: Reygekan on November 06, 2008, 07:42:29 pm
Purposely going out of your way to make something original in terms of anything is really nothing but a hindrance. For example, writing around cliche's. Sometimes, the cliche' needs to be there, because that's where the story is naturally progressing. If I wanted to go out of my way to ensure complete originality, I'd have to change the natural flow of the story I've set up, completely ruining it. When I say do whatever the hell you want, I assume that what you want is a good game :P


This is entirely dependant on what the story is about. Cliche appears most often in those that have cliche overall plots, E.G. Save the world...Find an interesting plot, or a unique one and you avoid cliches. If you run into cliches, rewrite. Writing IS rewriting and if you bend the plot to avoid cliches, yes, it will be quite a disaster. On the other hand, I would say everytime you hit a cliche, rewrite the story so you avoid it. Just my opinion, which takes work. And who wants to work hard...

Not to say that a good game can't be cliche, just I, as in me, myself and I, would rather throw myself into a pit of bull corpses than hit too many cliche elements.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Spoofus on November 08, 2008, 12:14:02 am
bull corpses...sounds fun hehehe

but from what i can tell is that you all keep going back to storyline cliche stuff...i mean dont get me wrong it is interesting to say the least lol...
but this topic has helped clear something weapon wise that I couldnt make my mind up over
and your all's discussions helped clear some things id never would of realize
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 08, 2008, 02:42:23 am
QuoteThis is entirely dependant on what the story is about. Cliche appears most often in those that have cliche overall plots, E.G. Save the world...Find an interesting plot, or a unique one and you avoid cliches.

I dare you to try to write a story and not find a cliche' in it. Almost anything is considered cliche' nowadays.

QuoteIf you run into cliches, rewrite. Writing IS rewriting and if you bend the plot to avoid cliches, yes, it will be quite a disaster. On the other hand, I would say everytime you hit a cliche, rewrite the story so you avoid it. Just my opinion, which takes work. And who wants to work hard...

But then you're going against the natural flow, you'd have to alter entire characters or events- and then you're just ruining what you're trying to get across. It'd be better to just work with the cliche to start!
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 08, 2008, 06:16:55 am
Also, people want stuff they have seen already, they are familiar with. They don't want completely original things. They scare them. They make them feel stupid. Clichés are good if you keep them to a minimum and make them work for you instead of against you. i.e. When you play an RPG and it's not about saving the world, it's rather boring. i.e. Pokemon's plot was always meh for me. Things like "I have to become the best.", "I have to catch them all." are not as interesting as "OMG, THAT GUY JUST WASTED THE ENTIRE CITY! WE HAVE TO STOP THAT LUNATIC! HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" Let's face it, saving the world and fighting against some incredibly powerful insane asshole beats most of plots. Imagine an RPG where your goal is to marry somebody. It would be boring as hell, at least for me. I would go away as soon as I heard that plot summary. In my own game I try to avoid that cliché by hiding the evil guys until 50% of the game and hiding his plans until around 70%-75% of the game. And even then it's not about destroying the universe or taking it over. His plans are different. It's a nice change from the usual plot, but still interesting enough since you have to stop an insane bastard who wants to do something incredibly bad.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 08, 2008, 11:30:10 am
Quote
I dare you to try to write a story and not find a cliche' in it. Almost anything is considered cliche' nowadays.

It's easy to write a story that isn't cliche, but, as Blizz said, to make it an RPG is basically impossible. I was talking in general.

Quote
But then you're going against the natural flow, you'd have to alter entire characters or events- and then you're just ruining what you're trying to get across. It'd be better to just work with the cliche to start!

What you present is a one-sided view of how to go about stories. You seem to think that stories are only hurt from rewriting them. Sure, I won't suggest you go out of your way to keep the plot the same, but half the time your plot is going to be bad the first time around anyways. Rewrite it, from points that you might have invisioned a plot switch. I might even say that saving the world doesn't have to be the "plot". Blizz points out that he put his game in mystery, which really adds another whole elements. In that respect, a cliche is still there but prevent in an entirely different manner. From an RPG stand point a cliche might present itself as a natural thing, but to avoid those and put something original there is a much better way to go about things in my opinion. The natural flow isn't always the best option.
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: legacyblade on November 08, 2008, 01:57:34 pm
Quote from: Blizzard on November 08, 2008, 06:16:55 am
Imagine an RPG where your goal is to marry somebody. It would be boring as hell, at least for me. I would go away as soon as I heard that plot summary.



...sounds like Harvest Moon, particularly the GCN one, XD (true, there's farming, but still. XD)
Title: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 08, 2008, 05:16:29 pm
QuoteIt's easy to write a story that isn't cliche, but, as Blizz said, to make it an RPG is basically impossible. I was talking in general.

I said ANY cliche', have you seen the grandmaster lists that are out there? They include: Revenge, Greed, and Insanity as motivators for any bad guy, the first girl you meet falling in love with the hero, childhood couples, having a rich OR poor main character... the list is so long that you WILL run into at least ONE cliche' on some of these lists eventually, unless you purposely go out of your way to avoid them.

QuoteWhat you present is a one-sided view of how to go about stories. You seem to think that stories are only hurt from rewriting them. Sure, I won't suggest you go out of your way to keep the plot the same, but half the time your plot is going to be bad the first time around anyways. Rewrite it, from points that you might have invisioned a plot switch. I might even say that saving the world doesn't have to be the "plot". Blizz points out that he put his game in mystery, which really adds another whole elements. In that respect, a cliche is still there but prevent in an entirely different manner. From an RPG stand point a cliche might present itself as a natural thing, but to avoid those and put something original there is a much better way to go about things in my opinion. The natural flow isn't always the best option.

You have a valid point- some stories are improved from rewrites, actually, all stories are rewritten several times- however they are not rewritten AROUND a character, plot device, or event simply because there's a CLICHE' in it. What Blizz said about changing the cliche' however, is my point exactly. I'm not saying go out of your way to use them, but if they're there use them, and twist them if you can- which is exactly what he did. If you CAN replace a cliche' with something else, and it fits well, go for it. However the natural flow really IS the best thing because when you break it, the reader/viewer/player becomes thrown off, and that's bad in all respects. Changing my evil lunatic clown, which many players will connect to Kefka, into a maneating godhorse would simply be ridiculous. I'm not sure if there ARE any maneating godhorses, so I'm fairly sure my audience wouldn't either, but that doesn't make the change better- the cliche works, you have a motive- the enemy is an insane lunatic sociopath who really pisses you off. Fact of the matter is, the audience will be too stuck on the concept of a maneating godhorse to actually feel any real emotion towards it other than incredulousness.

Originality is good, however going out of your way to avoid cliche's isn't really, put a spin, make it original- a cliche' is only bad if you execute it like a cliche'. If you don't, and you shouldn't, you should have no problem giving your main character a sword, with ridiculous hair, and from a poor or middle class background. Final Fantasy did it. A LOT.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Starrodkirby86 on November 08, 2008, 07:47:24 pm
I definitely concur with Rey here. Avoiding your way from cliches can be a strategy taken only when the cliche route can be replaced and be better (Say, using a certain cliche to continue the story that isn't the most optimal choice and can be replaced with something innovative).

Some of the most cliched stories ever have excellent plots and are very loved, most notably the Tales of Series. They've been known to contain cliches, especially Symphonia and Abyss. But how did they do so well!? D: Oh wait, let me remember. Ah yes, there are so many likable characters in the game and it has something that all stories should have: A developing character (i.e. Luke fon Fabre).

I honestly don't know what point I'm leading with this, probably a second opinion or something, but meh, that's all right.




Unrelated Information: The recent posts in Spoofus's weapons thread kind of went off-trail. It went from selecting what weapon the main character for Spoofus's game having to the legitimacy of cliches. So that's why this came up. :P I'm sure this won't turn heated, but I'm keeping eyes on this. XD
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 08, 2008, 08:20:12 pm
I will not be talking in this topic xD

I think avoiding cliches is among the most important story idea you can work on. I'm not going to restate those points. It's clear that myself and Rey both have a different approach and that's fine. I acknowledge that avoiding cliches can ruin the flow of a story for those who don't know how. I hope you acknowledge that the amount of cliches should be a limited number.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: scoace13 on November 08, 2008, 11:07:27 pm
personaly in my opionion  origanalyit is king...because there no excitement no feeling of somthing new...just like when you get a game after you beat it most people are done with it they nolonger want to play because they've seen it or for examples who watches the same movie form begining to end more than once in a few weeks theres just nothing good about repeating somthing unless by repeating it you can make it diffrent. because the more diffrent your game is the more people are going to pickit up and say"hmmmm this is diffrnt it's not like everything else" and they will try it, and thats where good game development comes in.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Mightylink on November 09, 2008, 03:46:26 am
I must admit I've fallen victim to this as well, I am going to try and come up with new things before I get into major making of my game, right now I'm still working on the scripts and events.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 09, 2008, 09:19:44 am
New things are good, but not too much. i.e. that concept of the maneating godhorse (LOL) could work out. The best way in my opinion would rather be a well-thought combination. Put some things together for the plot, don't execute them as clichés, add some new and original stuff, add some more original concepts and add a few somewhat-typical-but-not-really characters and you're on a good way. You can also make games original by gameplay. i.e. UF in my game is a pretty original idea. I haven't seen a "Party Overdrive System" yet. And even if somebody had that idea before me, it's still a rare thing and can be considered somewhat original. It's not so much about originality but about how sick people are of seeing some stuff over and over. i.e. It's hard to get tired of a character with a sword, ridiculious hair and a cocky humor or some really badass character. xD We RPG games simply love characters like that, it's hard to get tired of them.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Fantasist on November 09, 2008, 11:22:24 am
Well, supposedely non-cliched RPGs are experiments. You may succeed or fail. Some typical characteristics of RPGs are what make them RPGs. The way I see it, any RPG which doesn't look like it was made only to be made, is worth checking out. After that come personal preferences. The same cliched stuff can be presented in an original manner, not like something made up.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 09, 2008, 01:01:49 pm
I do agree you shouldn't have too many cliche's in your story, simply because that if you do than chances are the entire story is becoming cliche and then you must have a problem with the basic structure of the story- it might be TOO familiar. However, some familiarilty is okay, if anything cliche makes the reader/viewer/player more comfortable in their current setting, so we have to remember that when writing. Some games have become very succesful with a buttload of cliche- as previously stated, the Tales of series are a great example.

I would like to say that I don't necessarily like very cliche'd characters or cliche overlying plots, and just cliche elements in a character or a plot, and hopefully something you've at least changed up a bit so thath it feels familiar AND new to the viewer/reader/player.

I'm done now, I've made my point... by that I mean I've repeated the same point ten times and pretended it was an argument. Whatever, bite me.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 09, 2008, 01:20:11 pm
Instead of posting a part of it, then another part, etc. :P
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Fallen Angel X on November 09, 2008, 11:59:47 pm
Well, I agree that cliches shouldn't always be worked around. And I'm pretty sure a discussion like this happened quite awhile back. And if I recall I was on the side saying cliches are okay. But anyways I'm straying away from the main point ._. Let's face it. If everyone was original and never used an idea someone else created, there'd be so many original ideas that it would be near impossible not to copy someone. Originality is all good but it's getting harder to become original these days. I mean.. back at some point having the protagonist's hometown being burned down was original and brilliant. Who's to say that maneating horsegods won't become cliche? It's not necessarily bad to have a cliche. And like I said waay back before, a cliche is fine as long as you twist it around well enough.

Just like what rey said, in any story you're bound to hit a cliche. Hell, I think having a male protagonist is considered a tad cliche ._. So what're you going to do? Have a living turd become the protagonist itself? No wait.. that's been done before I think :S

And I disagree with Rey on one thing though. Sometimes you're allowed to have lots of cliches in your story.. Take tales of symphonia(or was it some other tales of game?), it was cliche filled from what I hear but it was still good. And another situation is if it's a comedic rpg. But these are such obvious examples and I agree, too many cliches in a really serious game won't work out to well. But sometimes they're just unavoidable. However to completely avoid them for the sense of being original is stupid.

Also, Blizz is right. You gotta give people what they want but be careful not to give them the wrong cliches ._. Because to be honest.. some are just so overused people might not be able to take your game seriously.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 10, 2008, 08:43:30 am
But a female protagonist is also cliché. ._. And it's not like you have a big choice there: male of female. Of course, there still are the genderless and hemaphrodites, but they would STILL have traits of one of the genders. It's complicated with gender clichés. >.<
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 10, 2008, 10:15:33 am
O.o Gender clichés.....

You could always have an animal :V

I just want to point out that saying gender is an element to be considered cliché isn't really the big problem. If you make a unique character, regardless of whether it's male or female, it's not going to be considered cliché. It's more important to focus on the aspects you want in your character and then manifest them as the gender most, or least in some cases, associated with those characteristics.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Fallen Angel X on November 10, 2008, 08:57:22 pm
There's always the possibility of an alien that can asexually reproduce and has no gender ._.

And in terms of a character's trait, such as personality, you will definetly hit a cliche. Take for example a game where you'd have to save the world. Although the character's other personality traits may be original and most likely a tad eccentric, they will most likely have a trait of being determined or courageous.  Reasons why? If they weren't courageous, they wouldn't be there trying to save the world. Why would it be a problem? It's not.. but I would consider it a cliche due to it being used a lot. Does that mean you should omit it? Nope, you can always develop the character to go from coward to brave hero of light ._.

And yes, I'm picking at the cliches that are a lot more harder to avoid. But let's put a cliche in and I'd want to see how you'd write your way around it.

You have a main protagonist and possibly a crew of teammates, doesn't really matter. The main villain doesn't want to destroy the world but rather is a dictator over the protagonist's country. All in all, the dictator isn't completely evil, he does a pretty good job of running the country at the cost of the people's freedom. Now the protagonist is an idealist and he wants to be rid of the government. He stirs up the townspeople in his hometown and they decide to rebel via protest and no violent means. But now the dictator is fearing the protagonist's hometown and decides to burn it down as a symbol of his/her authority.(Which is the main cliche to work around) And then you'll have the rest of the story ._.

And btw, the main character isn't an uber who could just charge parliament and take over. He's just normal. It's harder to work around b/c the dictator can't just leave the town alone :S And other ways to get rid of the government are cliches themselves so... yeah :S

You don't have to do this, I just want to see how you would work around it so I get a better idea of what you mean. (I wrote this after watching V for Vendetta) xD
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Starrodkirby86 on November 10, 2008, 11:21:52 pm
You know, the more un-cliche items of a story are usually boring things, or something that is normal. In a story, we want something exciting to happen or something that is interesting. I'm sure having bacteria as your main character of the game is definitely original but it's going to be so boring, and no one is going to play a game about the human body. ( :V: )
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Reygekan on November 10, 2008, 11:38:34 pm
I know I said I'm done, but I just want to clear up something.

QuoteSome games have become very succesful with a buttload of cliche- as previously stated, the Tales of series are a great example.


So I do agree that having a lot of cliche' can still make a great game, I just don't approve of it.

Cliche's, Dio, do include things such as gender, and you've hit a rocksolid point- the small cliche' doesn't matter if the overall product is still great, which is pretty much the point we've been arguing the entire time. You cannot, completely avoid cliche'. Ever. Having gods is cliche', having farmers is cliche', have stable AND unstable economies, governments, life forms, and planets is cliche'. Some things are just more obvious than others. Writing a game about a dust particle that requires constant upkeep by mashing A button with nothing to compliment it but a purple background- no levelling, or other forms of interaction, would be extremely original. It'd just be boring.

I'm done for real now <.<
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Fantasist on November 11, 2008, 12:02:08 am
QuoteI'm sure having bacteria as your main character of the game is definitely original but it's going to be so boring, and no one is going to play a game about the human body.

Interesting... very interesting...
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Starrodkirby86 on November 11, 2008, 12:05:49 am
Quote from: Fantasist on November 11, 2008, 12:02:08 am
QuoteI'm sure having bacteria as your main character of the game is definitely original but it's going to be so boring, and no one is going to play a game about the human body.

Interesting... very interesting...
Oh gosh, are you going to make a game about bacteria? :P

Maybe I stretched that statement a little. People won't be so excited playing a game about...oooh, the enzymes and activity of what's happening in your body!!! ...Compared to...Chaos-Project. :P I'm talking about the general audience, not people interested in medicine, human activities, or asexualism fetishes.

If you do make a bacteria game or something, I myself would play it. O.o Talk about hypocrisy. :V:
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 11, 2008, 08:27:15 am
How about a game with a really good plot of bacteria that evolved enough and want to take over the brain to control the body so they have a chance to gain control over the world? :V

We all agree that technically everything is cliché. Clichés are not bad, their wrong usage is bad.

How about a developing villain? This also adds another dimension of depth. First he wanted to take over a country, but then after failing he realizes what he did wrong and tries to take over another country with a better plan. And then after he realizes that he can take over the world. He could also got nuts during that time and after failing to take over the world, he decides to try to destroy it instead. Heroes are not the only part where you can add depth by development.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Fantasist on November 11, 2008, 09:42:44 am
QuoteOh gosh, are you going to make a game about bacteria?

Answer to that: Look at my avtar and decide for yourself! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! >8U

QuoteHeroes are not the only part where you can add depth by development.

I agree. In fact, I think more about the villans because I hate the concept of just being "evil". The villans need to have a good reason for their actions.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 11, 2008, 11:15:25 am
I think you guys miss the whole element of cliche and confuse it with something that is commonly used. I'd say that things that are the naturual course of events aren't cliche. Gods and such are just normal, seeing as we have gods in this world. If you want to consider those cliches then...You really don't leave anything to craft the story out of. I consider cliches supplements, often overused, that authors add to stories. I'm obviously the minority over here so I probably shouldn't have posted in an opinion thread in an RPG Maker forum XD
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 11, 2008, 01:49:23 pm
I got carried away with purpose to demonstrate exactly this. Clichés are considered overused concepts of which everybody is already sick of. If you wrap an overused concept into a good context, it's not a cliché. Clichés are not fixed things, they are something that you create yourself.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 11, 2008, 01:53:57 pm
Ultimately I think you're right. No matter what, someone has /used/ the idea beforehand. That doesn't make it cliche, it just makes it...well, and idea. cliche is overused AND everyone has seen before. It won't be cliche if you change it. The part that I mean is cliche is the execution. That's what I mean by rewriting. not that you avoid the idea, you make the idea better.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Blizzard on November 11, 2008, 02:05:58 pm
Yeah, something like that. You can easily take a cliché idea and make a great concept out of it.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: legacyblade on November 11, 2008, 05:31:35 pm
Ok, I need to speak my peace. There are elements used in stories, because they work. Or because their aren't alternatives. A male protagonist isn't cliche, it's just that a great deal of the world's fantasy writers are males who can't write a female veiwpoint. I didn't say all, but its difficult to write from the viewpoint of the opposite sex. Does this make a male protagonist cliche? No. Honestly, you have a total of four options: male, female, nuter, or asexual. However, we can't indentify much with an asexual non-human lifeform, so they're not good candidates for a story (maybe a movie, they would work). Just because ideas have been used before, or are used quite often doesn't make them cliche. We have a limited array of things to work with in a story, and EVERYTHING has been done before, but that doesn't make it cliche. However, there are things that have been done THE SAME WAY over and over and over, like a Hero's Journey in fantasy, and "I AM YOUR FATHER" revelation, the prophesied hero who is going to defeat the dark lord, ect. They were once really good an original ideas. And they were just done by combining ideas that were already out there. It's how we combine our ideas that make them unique. You can have a very original story that involves an "I AM YOUR FATHER" revelation, but you need a new twist on it, that makes it feel fresh and new. You can also have a good original hero's journey story, but you're going to have to change it up quite a bit, for it to feel new.

To reiterate, just because an idea has been used before doesn't make it cliche. There are only so many ideas in the world, it's your spin on it that changes things. Using a cliche is a bad thing, in my opinion. If your story NEEDS the cliche, I say rework it. If you can't get around it, then put a new and original take on the cliche. There is a short podcast on this subject, which I think makes the point quite well, and it can be found HERE (http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/02/17/writing-excuses-episode-2-blending-the-familiar-and-the-original/) Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great games that have very cliched storylines. But what makes a game interesting to me is a new refreshing break from the classic RPG story.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Cid on November 21, 2008, 05:26:53 am
I try to avoid some of the more obvious clichés, but sometimes it's just not worth worrying about. How you handle each scenario is what's most important.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: omegapirate2000 on November 21, 2008, 01:04:13 pm
I'm putting as many cliches as possible in my game as possible, and more awesome for it.

Also, people need to play my demo and make sure that the sound works in it.

EDIT: On the matter of uncliche weapons, I was originally going to make one of my characters weapons be a belt buckle, to make fun of how ridiculous some weapons are solely because they want their character to use a "unique" weapon.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: scoace13 on November 21, 2008, 09:55:38 pm
actually a belt buckle would work especially if the char equipped with it was some kind of robot/cyborg...the buckle could be some kind of power booster/attack modual....so its not that stuipid ...besides cliche weapons really cant be avoided....it almost imposible unless you use somthing ridiculus like a belt buckle...bu trhen you have to build the char around them...which can lead to serious cliches....the kind the ruin a game and make it very predictable.........
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: winkio on November 23, 2008, 03:42:56 pm
In my opinion, a cliche is something that was once, usually recently (within the past century), original but now is overused.  One example of a cliche according to shis definition is an evil robot.

Now on the other hand, things that were never original or were original hundreds or even thousands of years ago are not cliche.  Examples include time-travel, fighting, saving the world, etc.

So what it comes down to for me is this:  a cliche is something popular that everybody knows that can be replaced by an original idea with the same meaning.  If you can't replace it with an original idea, to me at least, it's not cliche. 

examples: 
Game set in medieval era.  What can you directly replace the medieval era with?  Nothing.  it's not cliche.
Male protagonist.  What can you replace it with?  Nothing.  no cliche
A game where the hero's town is destroyed.  replacable?  Yes.  cliche.
Character sacrifices himself and saves others.  cliche?  Yes.

You see what I'm getting at?  Cliches are often specific sequences, and there is little variation in how to present the same cliche.  Other ideas, however, are not specific, and therefore can be presented in many different manners.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: omegapirate2000 on November 23, 2008, 07:48:20 pm
Quote from: scoace13 on November 21, 2008, 09:55:38 pm
actually a belt buckle would work especially if the char equipped with it was some kind of robot/cyborg...the buckle could be some kind of power booster/attack modual

No, he would just hit people with his belt buckle.
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: scoace13 on November 23, 2008, 07:53:36 pm
then yeah it stupid


@winko.......I see what your saying and now that you say that it brings up the question...what is to old to be cliche...or better still whats the youngest that a popular idea can be to not be cliche....?


hmmmmm i shall ponder this for a while
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: Diokatsu on November 23, 2008, 08:04:31 pm
Alright. This thread has become so recycled that all the things you guys are saying have been established in the preceding posts. since no one obviously has anything insightful to add, I'd like to ask for this thread to be closed, for the sake of maintaining some originality and insight in a compact manner. If you want to talk about Spoofus's weapons, go here (http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php?topic=2118.0).
Title: Re: Use of Clichés in RPGs
Post by: omegapirate2000 on November 23, 2008, 08:11:37 pm
Quote from: scoace13 on November 23, 2008, 07:53:36 pm
then yeah it stupid

More like its awesome.