I would put the user interface and combat/magic system as the two most important parts of a good rpg. An awesome rpg needs no plot at all. I think a lot of people play rpgs just to build up a charater and don't care at all about the plot. Online games like Everquest, UO, and even Diablo are like this. Some of the best ofline games like Fallout, Daggerfall, and all the rogue-likes are also. They all have a plot, but the plot is not what is going though the players mind as they see a cool looking sword fall out of the monster they just barly beat. All they want from the game is to be able to create a godlike charater then can kill everything it sees.
I like your picks on a theme and soundtrack. Kinda sounds like the ff series. Those games and others made by square had the best music ever put into a rpg.
RPGs, What do YOU expect from a great RPG?
Freedom and plot, depending on the game.
I like RPG's that let me wander a bit, choose my own path, etc. Krondor was like that; I was free to go pretty much wherever I wanted, even though the game was ushering me in a particular direction.
At the same time, if you have a plot, I want one that's interesting and non-trivial. Yet another "save the kingdom from the evil sorceror" plot and I'm going to hang myself. The plot needs to be engaging and at least somewhat complex, or I'll go back to reading a fantasy book. :-)
At least, that's my opinion, for what it's worth.
I think the plot IS important, it depends on the player. Multiple ways, endings can be nice too since it increases the replay value.
Combat should be well-thought too. If you're having randomattacks, don't let it happen too much. And I think ATB should be in it too (active time battle, or so I think).
Combat should be well-thought too. If you're having randomattacks, don't let it happen too much. And I think ATB should be in it too (active time battle, or so I think).
I've been wondering actually, would Square object if a person used their ATB thingie in a game? Actually, I haven't been wondering about that, but rather if the creator of Zelda(I can't remember his name right now for the life of me) would object if someone were to use that neat little Z-Targeting idea. That makes a 3rd person game so much more fun 
Jonathan
You cant patent or protect those kinds of abstract things, so yes, you could use any interface you like it other peoples games. What you cant use is the art of other people, or other copyrightable materials (chekc out the US Copyright Office and US PTO (www.uspto.gov).
-Geoff
I would consider myself a hardcore AD&D player.(Pretty much a power gamer most of the time)
I think you have 2 ways to go about on the rpg.
If its massive online type thing i dont think plot is that important.(the ppl will make there own plots)
If its a single player rpg though it had best have a fantasic plot/story,and freedom.
As far as combat goes i have to say ive grown out of number crunching all day.(I would like to say the first video game rpg i really played was phantasy star for the sega master system. I give that game the rating of the best rpg i have seen yet. Though ill tell you one thing it took alot longer than 60hours to beat. More like a month of 10hours a day.Largly dew to the need for exp and money)
Anyways like i said it depends on the game.
I dont really get off on making a god character in a single player rpg because all the challange is gone.Now multiplayer yes yes yes.
Did you ever play Daggerfall? (follow on to Arena-Elder Scrolls) This game, which was all in 3D (apart from monsters) had literally thousands of towns you could visit, hundreds of dungeons and an infinite number of missions. It was also free-form, so you could go anywhere at any time. You could follow the main plot, or ignore it completely.
The way it coped with having so many towns/dungeons was to generate them randomly and then store them so they would be the same when you came back. It was probably the most ambitious RPG ever. The world was about 50 times bigger than Everquest. If I was writing an RPG this is the sort of game I would try for.
Another idea is to implement a really good distance-abstraction system and have a really high view distance (or even infinite). No one has managed this yet. You generally can't see very far in games that have outdoor environments.
Also, have a look at Ultima Underworld (1&2) and System Shock (1&2) which are probably the four best 3D RPGs ever.
The way it coped with having so many towns/dungeons was to generate them randomly and then store them so they would be the same when you came back. It was probably the most ambitious RPG ever. The world was about 50 times bigger than Everquest. If I was writing an RPG this is the sort of game I would try for.
Another idea is to implement a really good distance-abstraction system and have a really high view distance (or even infinite). No one has managed this yet. You generally can't see very far in games that have outdoor environments.
Also, have a look at Ultima Underworld (1&2) and System Shock (1&2) which are probably the four best 3D RPGs ever.
The plot and story are very important. I find games that have you running around like that pointless with no overall 'objective' that I haven't taken the time to emerse myself in.
Look at the literary world and see how many books there are that can keep you reading for hours just to know what happens next - this is what you want to reproduce. You also need to use the players emotions to get them into it. Get them to know the characters history, what drives them to do what they are doing.
I understand that this is different for action games and the like, but come on - why waste 60+ hrs on an RPG?
Character developement and interaction is also very important. We're way past the days of one-liner NPC's, and want a more advanced AI in there. Character weak? Hire a bodyguard that knows how to fight and how to protect you, but doesn't just aimlessly follow you around or have to be told who to attack or whatever.
Take it easy on puzzles and combat. I mean how many times have you had to solve a sliding block puzzle or key finding game to open a door to somewhere in your life? Make them more sensable, and have them fit in there better.
Of course the world is a big place, and there's lots of bad people out there, but do you have to stop and kill one every ten feet?
And of course, combat leads to experience. Why does every single game have you pumping up into a massive godlike character? I don't care how many golbins you've stomped on - there's no way you can still take a direct blow from a sharp sword. Make damage more realistic.
For instance, increase dexterity - at least if your more experienced, you can block easier or get the heck out of the way, or have better armor to protect you, but don't make people human punching bags.
Whoa that's a lot Didn't mean to ramble on...
Jim
I'd say that there are 2 things you should look at:
Is the game offline/online? If it's online I'll just assume it's massive multiplayer.
Is the game offline/online? If it's online I'll just assume it's massive multiplayer.
Online massive multiplayer : Key to making it good is making character interaction the most important thing, and combat second to that. The only reason people play online RPGs is to interact with other characters that other people are playing online. Then, after they've done that, they want to impress those other people by being more powerful than them. Thus, the combat.
For offline RPGs:
Plot is the most important. If I start playing a game and the plot is "the world is about to end....luckily you, a young lad of no more than 15 years, happen to be the "chosen one" who it is foretold can save the world from the dark evil".
good god...please don't subject us players to so many cliches! I mean, the occasional cliche, if it's got an interesting twist, is just fine. Cliches have one great thing going for them : the players are familiar with them, thus when they see them you can expect a certain response. This can be great for predicting what a player is going to do in a certain situation.
However, too many cliches and your game becomes boring and worthless, because it's just like all the others out there.
And make sure your plot contains plenty of character growth. Having characters grow and change throughout the course of the game makes them seem more real, so the player's become more attached to them. I mean, if some no-name wizard dies I say "big deal", but if Jeffrey, my hero's best friend get's eaten by a dragon, I want to make that dragon wish he was never born. You can make me elicit a certain emotional response just by making the characters more real. This manipulating of the player is very important.
After plot, I'd say that the next most important thing is a tie between combat and interface.
If I have a really good plot going, but I can't navigate through it because of the clunky interface I'll probably give it up and go play D&D.
On the other hand, if I can navigate through the game fine but I meet so many random encounters that getting from one town to the next is an hour-long affair then that game will get relegated to the deep recesses of my hard drive, most likely never to be seen again.
The best RPGs I've ever played (on a computer of course, we all know D&D is the best RPG) are:
NetHack (http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/nethack/)
Final Fantasy 2
Final Fantasy 3
Fallout
Fallout 2 (except the out of character references nearly ruined the game)
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