Tag: bethesda

I’m getting fairly tired of defending Arcanum on various *cough, console lovers* message boards and against friends. Everybody seems to prefer Oblivion-style Roleplaying gameplay mechanics. Fine by me, but don’t try to piss RPG Codex members and me off by complaining about the bug fest in Troika’s games. During my more than 5 playthroughs (admittedly never got to the finish, fooling around with different characters is even funnier), I never encountered a single “bug“. Except the obvious not-so-finished questlines in later stages of the game. Point the finger to the publishers, not to Troika.

Because, in Arcanum, everybody reacts on everything in a unique way. No NPC interactions are scripted (as seen in the NPC Interaction tests)! This makes debugging a more than difficult task of course. Read the interview for details. Here’s the most important part, carefully preserved for future quotage:

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RPGs aren’t that rare anymore (good ones are), especially not on the console. Developers like to copy previous used techniques and concepts as it reduces the effort needed to finalize their own product, ànd this gives a familiar look which mostly means guaranteed sales. But are these mechanics good enough? Do they work? Are you roleplaying or watching a scripted scene full of soulless characters? Let’s have an in-depth look at nowadays Roleplaying Games with their biggest strengths and weaknesses.

There is so much to be seen and done in a typical RPG, it’s impossible to write a short article about. Instead, let’s review some of the basic and most used aspects of computer/console Roleplaying games. Below is a short breakdown of several concepts. They will get updated regulary, hopefully.

1. NPC interaction techniques | Watch NPC reaction videos! >>
2. Correct Item Placement
3. (Over)world systems and travelling
4. party building
5. member customization
6. battle sequences: random or not?
7. do’s and don’s of level grinding

I should warn you however, before you continue to read one of the article’s contents. Some negative criticism can be rather subjective. If you disagree and would like to enlighten us further, please do leave a comment as everything is of course open for discussion. Oh and there could be slight spoilers present without my direct knowledge. Sorry about that.

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