Game A>mechanical outcomes are mostly affected by character statsGame B>mechanical outcomes are mostly affected by player inputsGame C>mechanical outcomes are mostly affected by character stats>the story is affected by the player choicesGame D>mechanical outcomes are mostly affected by player inputs>the story is affected by player choicesWhich of these is an RPG?
>>3557895I fail to see what the difference is between A and C and B and D.Either way, A/C are RPGs.
>>3557895RPGs should award bonuses for making choices that are logical to a character, like trails and skies of arcadia awarding bonuses for answering questions correctly or swordflight awarding bonuses for morally aligned actions
>>3557895None of the above(maybe B). RPGs are more than just stats and story. If that was the case then visual novels with skill checks for dialog would be an RPG. All of these are just too simplified to actually define an RPG.RPGs are more like>Stats determine how you play the character >player inputs determine how competently you use the character Story doesn't matter that much for classification(objectively speaking), because you can have RPGs with next time no story.An """"RPG""" in which predetermined stats determine automatically outcomes more than player input would barely be called a game let alone an RPG. It's a broad statement, I know; But more like a gradient. The less your input matters then the less it is a game and more a simulation. Also, just because you choose stats or build doesn't mean that it somehow removes player input. If anything it's the opposite. Good rpgs will force you to engage with the character building system and have it complement a robust combat system. It can have you make impactful decisions on how you progress throughout the game constantly(your input). But this also is a gradient and more importantly; Dev competence in the end determine how well all this is implemented and tied together. Yes because many games are poorly balanced or lacking consequential choices.
RPGs are games that I likeNot-an-RPG are games that I dislikeA game is an RPG if I like it, because I like RPGsA game is not an RPG if I dislike it, because I like RPGs, and were it an RPG, I would then like it>Q>E>D
>>3557895They can all be designed to be RPGs
Everything is determined by player input. Player picks the PC's attributes usually. The class. Everything.The problem arises when player's agility or reaction times or something similar supplement character attributes. Why the fuck would you need attributes when you can cheese around their existence? It's an action game then. Or a puzzle maybe.
Apparently, RPGs are the only genre of game where fans can’t even agree or define what the genre is
>>3557895A and C are both rpgs, assuming no other genre-defining mechanic is more dominant (auto racing, action/FPS, etc)>>3558725any game where overcoming a challenge (combat, using skills, persuasiveness, etc) is abstracted away from the player through visible, in-game stats and mechanics, and that these mechanics contribute to greater than 50% of the success rate as opposed to direct player input. and for clarity, the player choosing a story path isn't a "challenge" but is instead merely dictating the wanted direction of the game.
>>3557930>If that was the case then visual novels with skill checks for dialog would be an RPG. All of these are just too simplified to actually define an RPG.always remember, even if something fits in a particular genre bucket, it should still go in a different bucket if it fits in that other bucket better. a visual novel with a handful of skill checks isn't an rpg, because the visual novel presentation is still the dominant trait of the game.
>APure RPG. The player makes an input and sees how their character interacts with the world based on their stat spread versus the challenge they are up against.>BAn action game, character skill either doesn't matter or is sidelined for player skill for progress.>CA RPG with choose your own story aspects. The story has nothing to do with the character stat spread itself thus aren't roleplaying aspects of the game, but would still be considered a RPG due to most of the game outside of story branching sections adhering to the characters stats versus the challenge they're pitted against.>DJust an action game with branching paths or outcomes.
>>3558809Interestingly, the old VN True Love had a different RPG mechanic that OP forgot, namely:>The story is mostly affected by character stats
>>3558725thats because RPGs are only called RPGs because they originated from people making dnd clones on computers as soon as they were invented. for a ttrpg, you can roleplay in person, that's why its called that. for rpg video games, the majority of people don't really do this.>>3557895its best if definitions fully encompass what people expect from that definition, instead of working backwards and subtracting from it (i.e "its not an rpg because there's no player choice, its not an rpg because there's action-based skill").i think the closest all-encompassing """thing""" is player progression with level ups. the ability to get stronger in an impactful way compared to where you started. the problem is that this happens constantly in so many different video games than compared to the past.a problem is that a lot of this was definitely muddled during the 2000's, where the western market was extremely hostile towards traditional rpgs, so a lot of game developers had to cut those elements down tremendously in order to meet publisher demands. that's why you have games such as mass effect being considered rpgs even though the character progression is extremely limited and its moreso a clunky third person based shooter.also, i used to be in the camp of thinking that story choice = rpg, but that's really not true when you look at the history of the genre. its cool for rpgs to lean into that kind of stuff, but you can't treat it like a requirement without your definition being extremely misaligned with the way its used. and if you really want a game that's all about story choice, you should invest into visual novels.
>>3557895Neither.Rpg is when you grind to make the numbers go up.None of these matter.
>>3557895Trick question, none of these determine whether a game is an RPG
>>3558802>any game where overcoming a challenge (combat, using skills, persuasiveness, etc) is abstracted away from the player through visible, in-game stats and mechanicsI just learned yahtzee is an RPG
>>3560765I've actually played True Love, and yeah, that game is right on the border of genres. you could call it both an rpg and a VN, and both would be valid. it happens sometimes. That being said, pointing at the fringe cases is often disingenuous, and ignores the other 99% of the genre.
>>3565038Yeah I agree, I'd even call True Love a visual novel first and foremost since it comes from that tradition. It just also happens to rely heavily on RPG mechanics.
Player skill or stats determining outcomes doesn’t matter. That only determines if it’s an Arpg or an rpg. Both are rpgs. So every game type is an rpg potentially.
>>3558924thisCYOA elements doesn't make it a roleplaying game. Compare it to the original Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook series. The CYOA gamebooks weren't roleplaying games while the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks were, since they had RPG stats and RPG combat mechanics.
>>3558725people argue about roguelikes often enough, though it's really just traditional roguelike fans mad that their genre name was stolen from them
>>3557895Game A and Game C
