LogFAQs > #977632836

adjl posted...

Because losing creates desirable dramatic tension

At the cost of destroying the gameplay fantasy. What is the goal of rpg gameplay? It is to become powerful. If I succeed at that goal by performing the gameplay well, I should never feel disempowered. I should never be punished in a game unless I make a mistake.

Plenty of people don't care in RPGs because they simply don't care about the gameplay to begin with. It's just filler between story bits for them, but it's frustrating when the gameplay goals and the story goals conflict if you actually care about both.

adjl posted...

They could avoid it by just not having scripted losses

Which is what they should do in a game.

adjl posted...

That means players that have gone out of their way to push significantly past that power level are going to mess with it, but those players have already made a conscious decision to mess with the game's balance, and in doing so they've chosen to change the difficulty they experience so it doesn't line up with the narrative, so they can't really complain.

But what IS the intended power level? Is it not doing any side content? Avoiding all enemy encounters? The game in question here is very open ended and I simply engaged with all the systems and beat optional fights as they opened up. If they don't want me to become powerful by that point in the game, then don't let me.

I think too many rpg makers forget that they are making a game, not just telling a story.