Why do Developers hate RPGs, even some former gods of the RPG Realm

[Failedlegend]

Yeah pretty much just the title it seems lately RPGs have either ceased to exist or their being remade as a different genre...here's a few i can think of the top of my head

Converts

KOTOR (RPG) ---> MMO

Neverwinter (RPG) ---> MMO

XCOM (SRPG) --> Shooter

Front Mission (SRPG) ----. Shooter

Dragon Quest (Rpg) ---> MMO (on the wii lol)

Final Fantasy (RPG/SRPG) ---> MMO or A Really long QTE


Dead

Breath of Fire
Chrono
Arc the Lad
Baldur's Gate
Level 5 Spiritual Series ( Dark Cloud 1/2, Rogue Galaxy,etc.)

[camels]

"It's all about the Benjamins baby"- Puff Daddy

[Ystradmynach]

also,

Ultima(rpg)->Ultima Online

[rest]

Man I love Dark Cloud 1 and 2!

[Paleus]

Mentioning X-Com grabbed my eye because that was a staple of my gaming, and I periodically return to it. So, its surprising to say the least that its being remade as a shooter. I had to look that up and found these slightly edited for structure quotes regarding the change,

When questioned as to why Xcom wasn't a strategy game 2K Games president Christoph Hartmann stated "strategy games are just not contemporary. We are trying to renew Xcom but in line with what this generation of gamers want. The team behind it is asking themselves every day: 'Is it true to the values of the franchise?' It's not a case of cashing in on the name. We just need to renew it because times are changing."

So that's I am officially an old curmudgeon. Time to sit back on rocker, load up a tobacco pipe and wi****lly begin every sentence with, "Back in my day we didnt have these things you young whippersnappers did...."

(ex: Why, first person shooters, I remember in my day you would see the bullets slowly coming across the screen to hit you and you would have to time jumping over them or your little blue guy would lose his life points.)

-edit, man am I old, I had no idea that being full of wist was a bad thing these days....You kids and your inappropriate acronyms taking away my words... Get off my lawn!

[Failedlegend]

So that's I am officially an old curmudgeon. Time to sit back on rocker, load up a tobacco pipe and wi****lly begin every sentence with, "Back in my day we didnt have these things you young whippersnappers did...."

Wow 24 and I'm already considered an old fogy by my favorite passtime...well better get meself a *****ing cane so i can shake it while telling kids to get off my lawn...after I get a lawn that is...at least one that isn't 10 stories down.

[somenewnoob]

Because most developers are former jocks who got picked on and beat up by the popular kids that played pnp RPGs in high school.

[Lithic]

I miss the old master of orion (1 and 2), master of magic, civilization (pre 5) type game.

[Urist]

I miss the old master of orion (1 and 2).

Careful. If the game company execs hear you say that, we'll get a "Master of Orion" FPS as well.

The whole thing with X-COM irritates me, too. It's not that it's going to be an FPS - there was a really promising X-COM FPS in development years ago (which they canned, and used the engine to release Enforcer instead). The problem with the new game is that the only thing they're using from any of the X-COM "IP" is the name.

[Kalari]

I loved Baldur's Gate

Sadly MMO's are the new route many are going because social games are the new way for people to interact with each other. There is money to be had to so they figure tap into that resource while the vein is still pumping.

[Koshy11]

The genre most accepted by the mass will be the most popular. There's little question to which it is that requires as little brain power to play.

Which is why it's widely accepted. You don't have to be a genius to have fun.

However, when someone starts making a fuss about having fun being the one and only thing they are capable of... that's the point where things get hairy because you'd wonder how it can survive in reality.

[Xionanx]

RPG's require a LOT of dialog and scripting and HOPEFULLY writers who are capable of stringing together a somewhat cohesive plot... which ulitmately no one pays any attention to anyway.

People WANT visceral combat and big choices, they dont want to talk to 50 random towns people about how their cat is doing and the price of grain. (that is unless you "into" the harvest moon series, then that info is somehow relevant..)

So yeah, what I'm looking for in an RPG now is pretty much what Bioware delivered with "Jade Empire". Just enough choices to give you multiple endings, enough dialogue to be interesting and maintain a plot, and enough combat to not become "routine".

They have since tried to recreate that formula, and while DA, DA2, MA, and MA2 are good games, they fail in that they feel a little too scripted and sometimes your choices dont feel like they mattered at all. Especially DA2, there were MULTIPLE times throughout that game that I wanted to just say "Why isn't there a kill them all option right now?" Especially if you were playing the BLATANTLY OBVIOUS mage who's running around the city casting spells willy nilly and NO ONE EVER SAYS ANYTHING.. They are all like "Yeah, we know your a mage, and were supposed to hunt you guys and all... but nah, your "OK" so we'll leave you alone..." POOR WRITING!!!

Actually the Witcher 2 was nice if not for its ridiculous insistence that people ENJOY going back to town every 20 minutes to unload all the ******** that clutters up your inventory. Inventory management SHOULD NOT BE A GAME FEATURE. Yeah, its a bit off putting when you wonder where the **** solid snake keeps all those rocket launchers, hand guns, mines, etc... All while crawling stealthily through the shrubbery. But its fun to be able to dismiss reality and just accept a "Time compressed" viewpoint of inventory management. You KNOW your character is capable of renting storage space in town, you KNOW your character can go back and forth freely, so why are you making me actually DO IT? (BTW there is a HACk for Withcer 2 that makes all items have 0 weight, completely eliminating this BS feature, which I highly recommend, it makes an awesome RPG 10x better when you dont have to disrupt your "adventure" to go back to town and play inventory tetris)

My point being... there are still good RPG's out there, its just that developers are being tools. But thats nothing ner

[Corwinsky]

Can't remember the title but there was a game on Amiga in the late 80s where you had to type the actions you wanted to make. No easy selection through a list in a menu.

Some Robin Hood game where you start in a cell then escape to a forest.

Just getting out of that 1 cell took a friend and myself a week because the game was expecting only some very specific words all put together to do the sequence of actions needed to escape.
A nightmare specially when your 1st language is not English and the game is.

With today's technology in algorythms, computer power, software available (a whole DVD instead of a tiny disk) space such a game could be created that would be completely open in what the user could do.
That could open a lot of possibilities in a role playing game.

Unfortunately a lot easier and more profitable for developers to just have someone walk between corridors and shoot ugly things. (or hack if Diablo)

[Crazyfruit]

Money.

It costs a lot more produce all the content needed for a full length single player RPG than a sandbox or multiplayer map-based game with a short SP campaign.

Voice over costs for a full sized RPG are ridiculous.

RPG players are generally a small niche, when compared to the sales of other genres.

[Failedlegend]

Money.

It costs a lot more produce all the content needed for a full length single player RPG than a sandbox or multiplayer map-based game with a short SP campaign.

Voice over costs for a full sized RPG are ridiculous.

RPG players are generally a small niche, when compared to the sales of other genres.

So why bother using an RPG name all your going to do is...**** of the fans of the original series...half your target group is just going to assume its another sequel to that series and ignore the other half wont even know about it and name recognition will mean didly.

Gving you a net gan of ****ed off fans and a chunk of fans of the genre you've it to ignoring the game...oh yeah good business plan.

MMOFPS and MMORPGs are staples now because people want more replayability in the games they pick up, and these deliver that experience. It's why there will always be people punching eachother in the brawling pits, at the end of the day if you beat an RPG or any game like it, you walk away with just the experience of playing that game and wishing there was more of it so you didn't have to move on to something else. It's like asking why people get married, they want something comfortable and familiar with the promise of new experiences within that structure.

Ok ignoring the endlessness of MMOs and using xcom as an example.

Standard FPS = 8+ Hours

Standard RPG = 40+ Hours with some pushing 200+ Hours

In the case of MMOs basically all the updates to an MMO in theory be matched by a non-mmo getting a steady stream of DLC

[Crazyfruit]

So why bother using an RPG name all your going to do is...**** of the fans of the original series...half your target group is just going to assume its another sequel to that series and ignore the other half wont even know about it and name recognition will mean didly.

Gving you a net gan of ****ed off fans and a chunk of fans of the genre you've it to ignoring the game...oh yeah good business plan.

That's also money

It's far easier to market an established brand than start new IP - or at least the bizdev suits seem to think so. They don't care whether or not you even enjoy the game, just that you buy it. Totally an upper management problem, with non-gamer people who want guaranteed results for their investments or to not lose their companies if a new product flops.

[Gramh]

MMOFPS and MMORPGs are staples now because people want more replayability in the games they pick up, and these deliver that experience. It's why there will always be people punching eachother in the brawling pits, at the end of the day if you beat an RPG or any game like it, you walk away with just the experience of playing that game and wishing there was more of it so you didn't have to move on to something else. It's like asking why people get married, they want something comfortable and familiar with the promise of new experiences within that structure.

[Arnhelm]

Imo, it's because most if not all devs want PvP games, and don't have a clue about RP games without PvP.

I come back here to check the forums, but I'm not working at DDO any more. Working is not playing and not fun for me.

[Grenada]

You know how sorcerers love their dots?

marketers love their CoT games (Cash over Time).

[Zachski]

Honestly, I'd like an RPG with a chat room.

No multiplayer necessary, just sit back, play through an RPG, and occasionally pull up a chat box for everyone else playing that RPG and type something, ask for help, make a funny comment, help other people, etc.