Are CRPGs really role-playing games?

[crazy_cat]

What makes a Role playing game a role playing game is the ability for a referee to reward or punish player actions and role play through subjective criteria outside the game mechanic. Basically, RPGs are RPGs because of Rule 0.

This is 100% impossible possible with today's the computer video game technology used in NWN which was releasd a few years ago - assuming you use the DM client to play a game with a live DM.

Fixed it for you.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Honestly, I am surprised that there have been so many "No" votes.

There are way too many "No"s, since "No" in this poll means that they refuse to even call a video game an RPG, even for convenience of communication (that option is given by "I use the term as a convenience, but no."). I have never seen this behavior anywhere, even on the World Wide Internets. When a poll tells you that 30% of participants refuse to use standard genre nomenclature to communicate, then you have serious issues in the responses.

 

[Xyxox]

Fixed it for you.

Your fix only altered the conditions of the original question. If you are playing with a GM (assuming the GM in the game in quesiton has the capability to step outside the algorithms contained within the software and reject the game mechanics in favor of a subjective ruling), you are no longer playing a video (i.e. computer) game. You are utilizing a computer to enhance your role playing game experience. Two different things entirely, and I'm all for enhancing my role playing game experience with the use of computers. I started doing this back in 1983 on a computer I put together out of spare parts in order to track characters, NPC's, Monsters, and my game world.

 

[Xyxox]

There are way too many "No"s, since "No" in this poll means that they refuse to even call a video game an RPG, even for convenience of communication (that option is given by "I use the term as a convenience, but no."). I have never seen this behavior anywhere, even on the World Wide Internets. When a poll tells you that 30% of participants refuse to use standard genre nomenclature to communicate, then you have serious issues in the responses.

I voted no because I reject the notion that video games are somehow role playing games, thus I never refer to them as such.

 

[JDJblatherings]

CRPGS are not RPGS becasue the choices are all made for you in advance you just have to discover the rewarding ones to do well. You only get to make the mistakes selected for you as well.


gimmie a CRPG where you can still play after deciding not to save the princess and just maybe it'll be a crpg. Let me join the BBEG instead of fighting against him...maybe then it will be a CRPG. Let me ask the bartender more then 4 questions, seriously...when was the last tiem yuo had a crpg where yuo could ask the barkeep "how much do you think the weaponsmith would charge me for a broad sword?" and got an answer?

 

[Raven Crowking]

There are way too many "No"s, since "No" in this poll means that they refuse to even call a video game an RPG, even for convenience of communication (that option is given by "I use the term as a convenience, but no."). I have never seen this behavior anywhere, even on the World Wide Internets. When a poll tells you that 30% of participants refuse to use standard genre nomenclature to communicate, then you have serious issues in the responses.

Actually, it means that there is still a significant group that uses the earlier definition exclusively, and rejects the efforts of the computer game industry to redefine the terminology by which games are identified. I just thought that the computer game industry had been far, far more successful at co-opting the term than it apparently has been.

IMHO, at least.

RC

 

[Xyxox]

Actually, it means that there is still a significant group that uses the earlier definition exclusively, and rejects the efforts of the computer game industry to redefine the terminology by which games are identified. I just thought that the computer game industry had been far, far more successful at co-opting the term than it apparently has been.

IMHO, at least.

RC

I'm willing to believe that there can, some day, be a Computer Role Playing Game. Having been a technologist for more than a quarter century, though, I can safely state that the technology for such does not, at this point exist. When the level of AI required for such a game exists, though, I feel there will be a broader range of concerns such that whether or not the game the technology is capable of running is, in fact, a Role Playing Game will be moot.

When the limitations of the game are only the limitations of the human participants' imagination, we will have reached that point, and tat level of AI produces some disturbing possibilities in so many other areas that I really don't want to go down that road.

That said, the RPG simulations are getting better all the time, though they do not appear anywhere near capable of being limited only by my imagination.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I'm willing to believe that there can, some day, be a Computer Role Playing Game.

Me, too.....but the AI required would be something of a different class than what now exists. Perhaps quantum computers will have more capacity toward AI, if we ever manage to produce the things.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Actually, it means that there is still a significant group that uses the earlier definition exclusively, and rejects the efforts of the computer game industry to redefine the terminology by which games are identified. I just thought that the computer game industry had been far, far more successful at co-opting the term than it apparently has been.

IMHO, at least.

Yes, but of course if you go to post this poll on a video gaming forum, you're going to get vastly different answers. And, if you post this question on a non-gaming forum (say a sports or art forum), you're going to get different answers again.

IMHO, of course!

 

[Raven Crowking]

Yes, but of course if you go to post this poll on a video gaming forum, you're going to get vastly different answers. And, if you post this question on a non-gaming forum (say a sports or art forum), you're going to get different answers again.

IMHO, of course!

Of course, what would be best would be to preselect a group to answer that plays both rpgs and computer games, and then allow only them to answer, but that isn't possible here. If you can think of a forum in which those criteria are more likely to be met, it would be interesting to see how folks in that forum respond. Link when you've set the poll up.

You were surprised here; you might be surprised there as well.

RC