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Just in time for X-Mas. My wish list to Santa for what I would like to see more of in CRPGs:

More interaction.
Some games like Arcanum did a good job with the choices you made for your character, be it focused on technology, magic, good or evil. Suddenly you couldn't go into certain shops, people might not join your quest. Characters would remember what you did or did not do for/to them. All of that is a great start, built upon the trend started in modern CRPGs like the Baldur's Gate series. But what I really want to see is causality and true ramifications for what you have done, not necessarily based on a value of how good, evil, magical or technological your character is.
The Wheel of Time d20 RPG touched on part of this equation and that is reputation, or how famous your character is. More importantly, why your character is treated a certain way (such as liked reviled, feared, etc.) Maybe this will lead to other plot lines or simply boons and banes along the way.
People to get over the fact that CRPGs are not RPGs.
It's an established fact, they are related and the gap is ever decreasing. Get over it.
More time to play CRPGs.
Lets face it, RPGs are tough with a career, marriage, family, etc. But of course, by sacrificing sleep, I can get all sorts of gaming under my belt-- I'm glad that I don't need to be truly awake until 10 or so...
A gritty, detailed and fun combat system.
I wish a CRPG would have a combat system that rivaled Rolemaster, Millennium’s End or Phoenix Command. Heck, with computers, it might make some of those options a lot more entertaining and practical. Hit points and maybe some penalties as still found in many games today are great. It would be nice to have a really advanced combat engine integrated in an RPG. Besides who didn't love rolling a 66 or 00 on a Rolemaster critical?
Neverwinter Nights by NEXT X-Mas would be swell.
Games that have so much potential...
...but are mired by bad product management, poor game design and bugs galore. Lets face it, Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Dranor could have been a good game rather than a forgivably mediocre one.
A massive multiplayer RPG that is really an RPG...
...and not a veiled excuse to kill things. Though Dark Age of Camelot by my research is a step in the right direction.
A Might and Magic game that is not a simulation of a FedEx business model.
A new CRPG that is based off of a pen and paper game that is not AD&D or D&D,
but better than earlier attempts like: Traveller, Twilight 2000, Buck Rogers, etc. Fallout was supposed to have been based off of GURPS until Steve Jackson got his panties in a wad about the games opening animation. Luckily it turned out to be one of the best CRPGs ever.
A CRPG based off of the marionette UK TV show from the sixties, The Thunderbirds.
Just kidding.

Topics	Author	Date	Latest Reply
Why NOT Thunderbirds? (4) new	JJ Mohareb	12-19-2001 08:32	12-20-2001 11:01 new
The game I miss (4) new	Kensan Oni	12-19-2001 01:37	12-20-2001 16:11 new
What's to get over? (6) new	Rob Knop	12-18-2001 19:34	12-20-2001 11:11 new
Let me guess... (8) new	Timothy	12-18-2001 15:30	12-20-2001 11:05 new
What about Wasteland (1) new	Oldschool	08-31-2001 09:34	08-31-2001 09:34 new
CRPG's need a new term (2) new	CRK	08-07-2001 19:59	12-20-2001 11:13 new
Relatively Inferior. (1) new	Rupert	07-31-2001 05:57	07-31-2001 05:57 new
Don't forget the holodeck! (5) new	Eric	07-25-2001 19:31	07-30-2001 09:09 new
What are you arguing for? (6) new	Matty	07-24-2001 16:22	07-25-2001 17:13 new
What is a role-playing game? (8) new	Karl Paananen	07-24-2001 16:10	01-26-2006 07:36 new
Granddaddy Rogue (4) new	J Arcane	05-18-2001 00:50	08-31-2001 09:53 new
'Role'-playing (3) new	Ryke	05-17-2001 13:51	04-01-2004 18:34 new
My Amiga (3) new	ceemar	05-17-2001 13:04	05-17-2001 15:06 new
Temple of Apeshit! (1) new	ceemar	05-17-2001 12:42	05-17-2001 12:42 new
The Point of Binary? (7) new	Christian Fortier	05-17-2001 11:02	10-20-2004 12:24 new
Ultima not for free. (6) new	Jan-Willem van den Broek	05-17-2001 08:44	12-19-2001 20:10 new
Ultima V and beyond (1) new	Wes Johnson	05-17-2001 08:37	05-17-2001 08:37 new
Revolutionary but... (4) new	Chris Camfield	05-17-2001 05:41	01-26-2006 07:37 new
I'd have said Moria, or EssexMUD (2) new	jo	05-17-2001 00:46	05-18-2001 06:34 new
Wumpus, Adventure, Wizardry, Ultima... (5) new	Gabriel	05-16-2001 23:36	09-04-2001 00:57 new
the first post (4) new	Teemu K. Lohenoja	05-16-2001 22:42	05-17-2001 04:07 new

Binary: Computer RPGs

All I want for Christmas

What do you think?

All Binary columns by Wes Johnson

Other columns at RPGnet


Binary: Computer RPGs All I want for Christmas by Wes Johnson December 18, 2001	Just in time for X-Mas. My wish list to Santa for what I would like to see more of in CRPGs: More interaction. Some games like Arcanum did a good job with the choices you made for your character, be it focused on technology, magic, good or evil. Suddenly you couldn't go into certain shops, people might not join your quest. Characters would remember what you did or did not do for/to them. All of that is a great start, built upon the trend started in modern CRPGs like the Baldur's Gate series. But what I really want to see is causality and true ramifications for what you have done, not necessarily based on a value of how good, evil, magical or technological your character is. The Wheel of Time d20 RPG touched on part of this equation and that is reputation, or how famous your character is. More importantly, why your character is treated a certain way (such as liked reviled, feared, etc.) Maybe this will lead to other plot lines or simply boons and banes along the way. People to get over the fact that CRPGs are not RPGs. It's an established fact, they are related and the gap is ever decreasing. Get over it. More time to play CRPGs. Lets face it, RPGs are tough with a career, marriage, family, etc. But of course, by sacrificing sleep, I can get all sorts of gaming under my belt-- I'm glad that I don't need to be truly awake until 10 or so... A gritty, detailed and fun combat system. I wish a CRPG would have a combat system that rivaled Rolemaster, Millennium’s End or Phoenix Command. Heck, with computers, it might make some of those options a lot more entertaining and practical. Hit points and maybe some penalties as still found in many games today are great. It would be nice to have a really advanced combat engine integrated in an RPG. Besides who didn't love rolling a 66 or 00 on a Rolemaster critical? Neverwinter Nights by NEXT X-Mas would be swell. Games that have so much potential... ...but are mired by bad product management, poor game design and bugs galore. Lets face it, Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Dranor could have been a good game rather than a forgivably mediocre one. A massive multiplayer RPG that is really an RPG... ...and not a veiled excuse to kill things. Though Dark Age of Camelot by my research is a step in the right direction. A Might and Magic game that is not a simulation of a FedEx business model. A new CRPG that is based off of a pen and paper game that is not AD&D or D&D, but better than earlier attempts like: Traveller, Twilight 2000, Buck Rogers, etc. Fallout was supposed to have been based off of GURPS until Steve Jackson got his panties in a wad about the games opening animation. Luckily it turned out to be one of the best CRPGs ever. A CRPG based off of the marionette UK TV show from the sixties, The Thunderbirds. Just kidding.