Are CPRGs REALLY the wave of the future?

[shadow]

The biggest talk among gamers nowadays is about Computer Role Playing Games being the wave of the future. As a fan of good ol' D&D and other pen and paper RPGs, I really question that assumption. For a long time, computer games really lagged behind traditional table top games because of poor graphics, cheezy sound effects, and complicated interfaces. Now with the release of Neverwinter Nights, the bar has been raised. Suddenly I've been hearing talk of CRPGs either succeeding traditional RPGs, or CRPGs being used as a tool to "recruit" fresh blood into the RPG hobby. In spite of CRPG success, I'm convinced that they are a entirely different beast.

I see CRPGs as falling into one of three categories.

1. The plot and story heavy games like Final Fantasy. These games have great stories that rival many movies (and certainly many a cliche adventure hook in traditional RPGs) However, since computers can't mimick a human dungeon master, the player is severely limited in terms of what path the characer can take. The result is a very linear story, that is very railroaded (something the DMG warns against in a D&D game).

2. The hack n' slash games. The prime example of these type of games is Diablo. Whereas Final Fantasy focuses primarily on plot, Diablo throws out all pretense of having a plot (Sure the instruction book gives some background in order to set the tone of the game, but does it really come into play during the game?) The result is gameplay that focuses on killing monsters and aquiring treasure. Although some people run D&D games that are primarily hack n' slash, most groups like to at least have some type of plot.

3. The MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online RPG) like EverCrack and Ultima Online. Although I'm not really familiar with these type of games, from what little I've seen of them, they are really different from traditional RPGs. First of all, there are no Dungeon Masters to provide a story, so players are much more free to do whatever they want, but there is less of a direction and a story. Also, you get a lot of people with stupid screen names, people who spend all their time in town begging for items, or those who prefer to PK others.

None of the aforementioned games really capture all the elements of the traditional RPGs. I'm not arguing that they can't be fun in their own right (I, myself, am a Final Fantasy fan.), but I can't possibly foresee CRPG as the successor of the pen and paper RPG. Moreover, there just is something about a group of friends getting together in the evening gathered over the dinner table with a pile of books, pizza, and soda that CRPGs can't emulate.

 

[Crothian]

The last CRPG I played was Dragon Slayer back in 92 I think. I have some friends who play them, but everyone I talk to perfers the table top game. The computer versions are more convient at times, but don't compare to the real thing.

 

[The Furious Puffin]

You metion Neverwinter nights, but have no real category for it to fit into

Neverwinter Nights is kinda intresting, as the heavy mutliplayer component allows it to move closer to the Table Top type of situation, but with the players in different areas.

In that way it might be equated to playing a game of D&D on something like mIRC.

The only downside I can really see with NWN is that it is "limited" by the game engine, for example, no fly spell exists for example, and it is somewhat harder for a DM to change things on the fly.

As CRPG interfaces become easier to use and more flexiable, they will replace mIRC games, and might even impinge on table top games, as they do alot of bookkeeping for you

 

[GreyOne]

Computer games, always, in the end, leave me unsatisfied.

RPGs rarely do.

Hail the imagination.

 

[Tyrion]

CRPGs are no substitute for the real thing, just as pen-and-paper doesn't replace CRPGs. There are some games that come close to the storyline/freedom/combat mix of pen-and-paper, however.

* Fallout 2: You can do a hell of a lot in this game. Plot and combat are both stellar as well.

* Planescape: Torment: Linear, but excellent gameplay and the best story of all time.

* Deus Ex: A very immersive RPG. Again, open-ended and well-plotted.

 

[Agamon]

CRPGs just aren't very fun. Not that I don't like computer games, I do. And of course I like RPGs, wouldn't be here if I didn't. They just don't combine very well.

I had high hopes for NWN. It fell pretty flat. Shoulda known from other games that playing with friends over the net isn't much fun.

 

[Blackthorne]

CRPGs are no threat to Pen&Paper as long as they suck as hard as NWN does.

Even if they are good (BG I+II), I´d prefer P&P anytime.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Neverwinter Nights was disappointment of the year, IMHO. (Some would say that Attack of the Clones deserves the award, but AotC actually exceeded my expectations- which were quite low after Episode I. I hope that NWN remains disappointment of the year- the only other big thing on the horizon being TTT )

You can't have a whole party of NPC's to join you, nor can you change the way your NPC's are equipped. Granted, NWN did a very good job of implementing the combat and skill system, and many of the spells- but it wasn't the experience I was looking for. And, until they get some major patches out, the game is WAY too buggy to run persistent worlds with. Every computer I've seen it on (including a very high end 2.6 Ghz Athalon machine with 640 MB of RAM and a 128 MB GeForce 4 video card) has had trouble with in-game bugs- it's obvious that the software needed more correction. I was a bit wary when it went through beta so quickly. And, unless strictly enforced, most big servers and persistent worlds will just end up looking like miniature versions of EverQuest or Battle.net. I'll skip it. This was NOT the game I was waiting for. Come to think of it, the game I'm waiting for is probably at least 25 years away- so I think it's time for me to hang up the computer gaming hobby for awhile. Between my writing, college classes, RPG's, working at the radio station, and meditation, I don't have time for them anyway.

For the immediate future, NWN is no threat to 3e/d20/whateveryawannacallit.

(On the other front, however, I took a look at the EverQuest d20 RPG last night. I was pleasantly suprised- after the worthless D&D adaptations of Diablo and Diablo II, EQ actually looks like a fantastic product. If I wasn't already busy with my new swashbuckling campaign, I'd consider picking it up.)

 

[Phowett]

Nothing can replace the infinite imagination of a human being.

I waited 2 years with high hopes for NWN, but it turned out so much less.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

You can't have a whole party of NPC's to join you, nor can you change the way your NPC's are equipped.

Just so you know, these two items appear to be fixed, by fans.

There's the multi-henchmen hakpack. Basically, your henchmen get henchmen.

Then there's the henchmen/battle AI hakpack. It lets you give your henchmen equipment (or rob your henchies of equipment ). It allows you to set up some battle plans. And so on.

There's a guy who's doing a hakpack that redoes the feat progression of the henchmen from the single-player--getting rid of some bad choices, and tossing in some better choices. Probably even does the ability bonus distribution, as well.

Then there's a camera angle hakpack, which lets you drop down to shoulder level, and follow your character around.

Then there's the hakpack that forces rules to more closely match d20 (making it much tougher). (I don't know what they tossed into this one.)

Then there's the hakpack that increases the strength of monsters, by upping their statistics.

There's hakpacks all over the place. Hopefully, they'll put them into an expansion (optional, of course, but so you don't have to install them all yourself).

Mind you, it's still hard to get into the game single-player. I've never got past the very beginning of Chapter 1.