Hi, I am currently at university studying character animation, but for my final project of this year I plan to make an RPG!

I need to carry out some primary research and would be grateful if any of you nice people could answer some of my questions

What do you feel is the most important aspect of an RPG? e.g. the detail, the gameplay, the characters etc

What style of RPG do you prefer? e.g fantasy, sci-fi, action etc

Do you prefer a character that can be modified/upgraded or a character with the same abilities throughout the game?

Do prefer an RPG where you can go anywhere (e.g. Skyrim, Oblivion) or an RPG where there is a set path (e.g. Final Fantasy)?

What attracts you to certain RPG's?

What makes you want to play more of your selected RPG?

Do you prefer RPG's where places can be revisited or where the only way is forward?

Does having the story line change depending on your decisions appeal to you? Why?

What sort of characters do you feel work the best in an RPG?

Thank you so much in advance, any reply is very much appreciated.

Joevis

Joevis wrote:
What do you feel is the most important aspect of an RPG? e.g. the detail, the gameplay, the characters etc

The most important aspect of an RPG, in my opinion, is how well the game meets your realistic expectations.  If I perform an action, fully expecting a certain range of effects from that action, and something happens that shouldn't reasonably happen... that's bad.  Extreme example:  If I hand an NPC a live grenade with no pin and run away, and the NPC holds the grenade until it explodes, I expect them to be turned into some variety of chunky soup.

What style of RPG do you prefer? e.g fantasy, sci-fi, action etc

Anything that isn't modern day.

Do you prefer a character that can be modified/upgraded or a character with the same abilities throughout the game?

I enjoy character growth of some sort.  That's a very ambiguous way of putting it, on purpose.

Do prefer an RPG where you can go anywhere (e.g. Skyrim, Oblivion) or an RPG where there is a set path (e.g. Final Fantasy)?

Definitely a sandbox.  If I want to be railroaded through a story I'll read a book, or watch a movie.

What attracts you to certain RPG's?

Flexibility in character creation, without being overloaded with [URL=https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=UAt&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=ANima%20the%20RPG%20Character%20Sheet&psj=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2777l8308l0l8792l22l21l1l17l16l0l441l788l0.2.4-1l3l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=461&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=b90nT8K7O-Hi2QXk8pHaAg#um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=QrD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Anima+the+RPG+Character+Sheet&pbx=1&oq=Anima+the+RPG+Character+Sheet&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=26101l28353l0l29114l4l4l1l0l0l0l462l801l0.2.4-1l3l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=b72905a0423dc360&biw=1024&bih=461]Anima[/URL] level of detail.

What makes you want to play more of your selected RPG?

Game mechanics that don't destroy my character concept, and a good GM (or Story, if we are talking about a video game, which I am beginning to suspect) =)

Do you prefer RPG's where places can be revisited or where the only way is forward?

Revisiting is key.

Does having the story line change depending on your decisions appeal to you? Why?

Yes, it suggests that what I choose matters.  If it didn't matter, I'd be back to books and movies.

What sort of characters do you feel work the best in an RPG?

For a video game, a character that has depth, and can be related to, without being to sappy.  Also, a likeable character is important.  I stopped playing Assassin's Creed for a long time because the character was just too big of a jerk in the beginning.  I still can't be bothered to play God of War.

Thank you so much in advance, any reply is very much appreciated.

Joevis