The following is a list of things that RPG's typically do, giving a contrast of doing it well (Good Idea) versus doing it badly (Bad Idea). I will also give examples of games that apply the Good or Bad ideas. On with the list!
1. We've got 1 hour to show the player what the game is like!
Good Idea: Take 3 minutes to introduce the main character, give the player a tutorial that can either be skipped or is quick enough to be tolerable, send the player to the first dungeon, and cap it off with an easy boss fight. (Final Fantasy 5, Lufia 2)
Bad Idea: Force the player to sit through unskippable cutscenes and tutorials that literally take up more than an hour. (Kingdom Hearts 2)
2. Dialogue Options- A game gives you the freedom to choose different dialogues when in conversations with NPC's.
Good Idea: If dialogue options are few, make them MATTER. Each choice has consequences: affecting your Karmic Meter, changing plot lines, starting or avoiding fights, etc... (Final Fantasy 7, Star Wars The Old Republic)
Bad Idea: Each dialogue choice essentially just slightly alters what characters say; the story, the gameplay, everything else remains the same. (Fallout 4)
3. Damsel in Distress- There's a female character in the game. She got kidnapped, and now you need to save her.
Good Idea: Make the damsel a fully dimensional character, the kidnapper a villain who wants to kidnap the girl for more reasons than just because, and the hero want to rescue the girl for more reasons than just looking to score. The kidnap and rescue feel more like a natural, consistent plot. This may be a plot as old as time, but that's no reason not to put any effort into it! Also, there should at least be ONE woman involved in the rescue effort, as this trope is almost exclusively female. (Lunar Silver Star, Final Fantasy 7)
Bad Idea: Make the kidnapped character weak and useless without the hero; she (almost exclusively female, this archetype!) spends too much of her screen time BEGGING for help, or being unconscious. The kidnapping and rescue effort feel more like a side quest the player is forced to go through than a heroic tale. (Final Fantasy 4. Seriously Rosa, THREE TIMES did we need to rescue you! Also Legend of Dragoon)
4. Doomed Hometown- The hero's hometown has been destroyed by the main villain. This helps set the hero on his/her epic quest to avenge their hometown and save the world!
Good Idea: Make said destruction emotionally impactful. Don't just show me death and destruction, make me CARE about it! Show that hometown as it was BEFORE it got destroyed! Show me parents! Show the hero's family! Make me HATE the villain for destroying this little hamlet! (Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9, Dark Cloud)
Bad Idea: The destruction is shown on screen, but it's just a thing that happened. After it happens it barely gets a mention afterwards; it's entirely possible to forget it ever happened. (Legend of Dragoon, twice. Although the destruction of his original hometown fuels Dart's quest for three discs, it is promptly forgotten by Disc 4. The destruction of his second home propulses Dart's rescue of Shana, but it doesn't influence his quest any further)
5. The villain's plot.
Good Idea: The plot is internally consistent with how the world works, has a clear level of danger and urgency to it, and the villain is clearly both capable as well as willing to carry it out. (Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, Lunar Silver Star, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Bad Idea: The urgency is there, but the plot is inconsistent or nonsensical, IE, the player can spot some holes in the plan that make it harder to take seriously. Typically of the "destroy the world I live in just because." (Final Fantasy 7) BONUS: If you need to look up the villains plot on GameFAQS or something, YOU KNOW IT'S A BAD PLOT!
Worse Idea: The plan lacks any form of urgency, or worse, danger. The player isn't saying "this makes no sense," they're asking "wait, why is this bad again?" This is often caused by terrible writing, but it can also be the end result of terrible plotting. (Kingdom Hearts 2)
1. We've got 1 hour to show the player what the game is like!
Good Idea: Take 3 minutes to introduce the main character, give the player a tutorial that can either be skipped or is quick enough to be tolerable, send the player to the first dungeon, and cap it off with an easy boss fight. (Final Fantasy 5, Lufia 2)
Bad Idea: Force the player to sit through unskippable cutscenes and tutorials that literally take up more than an hour. (Kingdom Hearts 2)
2. Dialogue Options- A game gives you the freedom to choose different dialogues when in conversations with NPC's.
Good Idea: If dialogue options are few, make them MATTER. Each choice has consequences: affecting your Karmic Meter, changing plot lines, starting or avoiding fights, etc... (Final Fantasy 7, Star Wars The Old Republic)
Bad Idea: Each dialogue choice essentially just slightly alters what characters say; the story, the gameplay, everything else remains the same. (Fallout 4)
3. Damsel in Distress- There's a female character in the game. She got kidnapped, and now you need to save her.
Good Idea: Make the damsel a fully dimensional character, the kidnapper a villain who wants to kidnap the girl for more reasons than just because, and the hero want to rescue the girl for more reasons than just looking to score. The kidnap and rescue feel more like a natural, consistent plot. This may be a plot as old as time, but that's no reason not to put any effort into it! Also, there should at least be ONE woman involved in the rescue effort, as this trope is almost exclusively female. (Lunar Silver Star, Final Fantasy 7)
Bad Idea: Make the kidnapped character weak and useless without the hero; she (almost exclusively female, this archetype!) spends too much of her screen time BEGGING for help, or being unconscious. The kidnapping and rescue effort feel more like a side quest the player is forced to go through than a heroic tale. (Final Fantasy 4. Seriously Rosa, THREE TIMES did we need to rescue you! Also Legend of Dragoon)
4. Doomed Hometown- The hero's hometown has been destroyed by the main villain. This helps set the hero on his/her epic quest to avenge their hometown and save the world!
Good Idea: Make said destruction emotionally impactful. Don't just show me death and destruction, make me CARE about it! Show that hometown as it was BEFORE it got destroyed! Show me parents! Show the hero's family! Make me HATE the villain for destroying this little hamlet! (Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9, Dark Cloud)
Bad Idea: The destruction is shown on screen, but it's just a thing that happened. After it happens it barely gets a mention afterwards; it's entirely possible to forget it ever happened. (Legend of Dragoon, twice. Although the destruction of his original hometown fuels Dart's quest for three discs, it is promptly forgotten by Disc 4. The destruction of his second home propulses Dart's rescue of Shana, but it doesn't influence his quest any further)
5. The villain's plot.
Good Idea: The plot is internally consistent with how the world works, has a clear level of danger and urgency to it, and the villain is clearly both capable as well as willing to carry it out. (Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, Lunar Silver Star, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Bad Idea: The urgency is there, but the plot is inconsistent or nonsensical, IE, the player can spot some holes in the plan that make it harder to take seriously. Typically of the "destroy the world I live in just because." (Final Fantasy 7) BONUS: If you need to look up the villains plot on GameFAQS or something, YOU KNOW IT'S A BAD PLOT!
Worse Idea: The plan lacks any form of urgency, or worse, danger. The player isn't saying "this makes no sense," they're asking "wait, why is this bad again?" This is often caused by terrible writing, but it can also be the end result of terrible plotting. (Kingdom Hearts 2)
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