LogFAQs > #977673649

adjl posted...

And that investment in the gameplay always comes with the caveat that the story generally will not support you becoming as powerful as the game permits, a caveat which most people accept as an inevitability of a static story

Then why tell that story as a game in the first place? Why not use a medium that takes advantage of that by being able to control the pacing, like almost every other medium. Most jrpg plots should be anime/manga and not games. And just because most people accept that, it doesn't mean it isn't bad. Let's also not pretend jrpgs are rife with amazing stories to begin with. Most of them are b tier shonen garbage that probably wouldn't cut it as passive media recycling the exact same tropes and plots with a story that usually has a simple solution the characters ignore because the author couldn't think of a way to make the setting and story make sense.

Ultimately, the thing being talked about here is a game so the gameplay should come first. That makes a weak story somewhat excusable provided it doesn't hinder the gameplay. But you suggest the opposite should be the case, that the gameplay is just busywork so we can see a static story. Why do the work then? Why not just watch all the cutscenes on youtube?

adjl posted...

Fundamentally, you easily finishing a boss fight and the characters saying "that was hard" in a cutscene

That too is quite annoying. This doesn't even require overleveling. Often times the enemies that are supposed to be tough just aren't as tough as some other enemies that are supposed to be average. That should be avoided as much as possible. You need to think of the fact you are making a game, not just writing a book.

adjl posted...

Very few games let you beat, say, the ground, or a river, or a house.

If the ground or a river start kicking my ass, I'll complain too, especially if my character has tools to beat them like being able to fly/swim. Like imagine how annoying it'd be in a game if your character falls off a cliff and injures himself on the ground in a cutscene but your character can fly. And I'm clearly talking about in combat here. There is a difference. I've said over and over I don't mind them causing indirect problems to my character, so long as they don't lose at whatever the gameplay is in the story (generally combat, but it could always be something else, like cooking or crafting or something). That requires some modicum of writing skill though, to set up a scenario where the villain can cause problems in a way other than just brute forcing down your party.

adjl posted...

That's generally a pretty boring plot. Some guy rolls into town and says "I'm going to destroy the world in a week muahahaha" and then you go beat him up before the end of the week?

I was refuting your point but you can have him roll into town saying he will destroy your town and he's already destroyed the last 15 towns and you've been dealing with his lackey's and refugees from the previous towns if you want an example that can easily work and not be boring.

Or the lazy but classic he comes to town and destroys it while you are gone. You come back to burning rubble and dying loved ones and vow to either get revenge or stop him from doing this to anyone else.

adjl posted...

or be fighting desperately for their life in a battle they ultimately lose (if the devs want the player to experience the same despair as the characters).

It doesn't have to be easy. Even if you brutally struggle through, if you won, you expect to actually win. It's frustrating when that doesn't happen.

adjl posted...

which is very stereotypically shounen, but that's JRPGs for you

This is the level of writing we are trying to protect?