14 DAY TRIAL // The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim might just be the biggest role playing game launched of 2012 and at least one leading develop linked to the genre believes that this type of game can dominate the future of video games as long as writers and developers take care to create complex, believable worlds.
Speaking at the GDC China event Brian Fargo, who has worked on such titles like Baldur's Gate, Bard's Tale and Descent, has said that, “Character identification and creation, that's certainly a hallmark of an RPG.”
This creates a problem for those who make the game because they need to take into account the freedom of the character when writing the dialog and creating the game world.
He also believes that enemies who match the level of the player are not a good idea, adding, “I think the idea of your characters getting stronger, and things that were a problem before no longer being a problem gives you a sense of feeling good.”
Creating big worlds, like that seen in Skyrim, also helps players feel like they are accomplishing something important.
Developers need to be capable of adding at least one unique feature to their game and that they can deliver on the hype that they build up before release date.
In the last few years some of the mechanics of the role playing system have migrated to other titles and a number of first person shooter and action games now have character progression systems and loot mechanics that are close to those seen in games like Baldur's Gate or the firs titles in the Fallout series.
Fargo also addressed the problem of difficulty and death in gaming, saying that role playing games need to be carefully balanced in order to make sure that the player is having fun and commented that a number of Facebook games lack tension because there's no possibility to die and fail.