Why we are all here.

[Valdred]

So let's discuss and share with each others our opinions of what makes a good rpg maker game. What is most important? and what things can ruin a game?
Gameplay vs. Story is an interesting question as well. Discuss.

[Sima Yi]

What I think is that an interesting story background will do the best.If your storyline is a mess and makes no logic or link to what you are trying to convey to the players,that would be horrible and will blast off your players.

The fun part is the battle system.A good and suitable battle system might pull your players to a higher level of interest,simply because its fun.The enemies also plays a part here too.If there is a huge gap between the actor's strength and the enemies' strength,players will face many difficulties,and thus they will quit playing.

What ruins a game,is as what I said,poor storyline and battle system and enemies.Poor usage of music may ruin a game too.You see,you can't possibly play a happy music when someone is dying,or vice versa.Also,lack of skill and ability might cause a game to be uninteresting.Players play to gain "power" and unlock skills.If skills are little,and the stats are low,this might affect your battle system.

Anyone agree?

[Lethal-Yarn]

I don't know, nonsensical premises have existed in the past and it could still be fun.  But for RPGs, I still at least would like a sensical story because a game with a great story but incredibly boring gameplay will just make me too bored to want to continue.  Especially games with forced grinding to get to the next point.

In my personal opinion, it should be balanced:
60% fun
40% story

Because if it isn't fun, the average gamer won't last long enough to finish your story.  I know a lot of people who gave up on great games just because the gameplay was either too tedious or too difficult.

Story even if not completely original needs to make *sense* at the very least and you need a goal in and direction.  Sometimes the most cliched RPG story (save the world!) can be quite fun if told in an interesting way and is fun to go through it.

Uniqueness is needed to set apart your game from all the other games.  For example as RPGs, Chrono Trigger and Earthbound are very unique and is set apart from all other RPGs just due to their premise.

One thing I find very important (sorta ties in with the story importance) is attachment to characters or liking them at the very least.  Ever played a game where the main character annoys you?  How much longer can you play a game like that, even with a decent story and gameplay.

In the end, probably the most important thing a RPG can have and where most fails is the fact... does it give you a reason to complete a game?  You need a combination of story, gameplay, character attachment to do so, or else your game will be dropped halfway - or worse, at the start.

There's more to say to this topic but I'll stop here for now

[winkio]

No matter what generalizations you make, there will always be exceptions.  There are many successful combinations of gameplay/story/everything else.  A game developer can make pretty much anything work, as long as they have the creativity and motivation.

[Valdred]

I guess I will have to put up my own opinion as well, and I agree pretty much with what you said. My point of view is that the storyline must be good to make the game good, but it won't be discovered without the gameplay. So kinda, gameplay can make a game decent without a good storyline while a good storyline can make a game great if the gameplay is good enough.

[Blizzard]

My opinion is that the story is the leading element, giving the game a purpose and the gameplay is the game's core, what the game actually is. The music adds to the gameplay and tunes it up while graphics are merely visual and only of secondary importance. Style is more important than graphics.

[Valdred]

Interesting, I have always thought of graphic as one of the most important parts. I do believe that you are right in this though.

[Blizzard]

I like graphics, but if I want to enjoy "pretty images", I go watch a movie.

[Diokatsu]

I like graphics, but if I want to enjoy "pretty images", I go watch a movie.

Truth. If you want a good story, then go read a book. If you want good music, there are plenty of artists who focus just on that.

In my opinion though, all of these must meet a certain level of quality, not be neglected and must all be cohesivbe with the rest of the game. All elements should combined nicely.

That being said, I think gameplay makes the most difference for me. I'll play a game as many times as necessary if I like how it plays and am motivated to play more. Why do you think games like Halo and CoD or Guitar Hero and Rock Band do so well? They have replay value as well as attractive and addictive gameplay for the average gamer. They might not be the best game, but they capture at least what it take to make people play. And while I'd rather be commended for making quality, it's safe to say Halo and Guitar Hero did have innovative and quality gameplay for their genres.

[Starrodkirby86]

Yeah. Exactly what Dio said...Since we're making games, clearly gameplay would have to be our main focus...Of course, we can't get it to fly if we don't have a great storyline...in fact, the way the story is executed also makes a difference. I can rewrite a bestselling novel into a game, but if I only religiously write it through Message Boxes and nothing else, then where's the fun in that? I guess Graphics and Music will help too, being that is makes sense, etc. I would think that Graphics are good to draw attention for people to see (If they haven't read the story, etc.). Why are advertisements so visually heavy anyway?~

Meh. My mind's on another tangent. :p

[Fallen Angel X]

Well, I agree with the previous but some games have focuses on specific aspects. Heavy Rain is mainly story oriented with quick time button commands as the only gameplay, basically. Some games focus simply on gameplay, like Mario Party. And goddamn, MGS4 is nicknamed Movie Gear Solid for a reason. Still a great game though ;D So what draws me in? I'd say it's the blend of all the components. Take El Fuerte's ending in SF4 for example. He mixed Borsch with chonko stew, two delicacies from two respectable fighters. End result was gutter trash. So, a game can have mediocre components and as long as it blends well enough together, I'm down for playing it. And in terms of games vs. movies, I find that there's a certain essence to games that make a story more alluring. I wouldn't have gotten Heavy Rain if it were a movie in all honesty. The interactivity kicked butt And graphics... MGS4 and FF13 are badass at that, as well as the CoD games.

[prioran]

My opinion is that the story is the leading element, giving the game a purpose and the gameplay is the game's core, what the game actually is. The music adds to the gameplay and tunes it up while graphics are merely visual and only of secondary importance. Style is more important than graphics.

I completely agree. I've found that it's much easier for me to "forgive" mediocre graphics if the storyline is engaging, whereas the opposite is nearly impossible: no matter how impressive the graphics may be, it's difficult to continue playing when the storyline is a disaster or when the dialogue makes me cringe.