Medieval Fantasy has too much combat

[micrometers]

Now that computer RPG's like Warcraft or diablo are huge, it seems like people are focused more on character optimization rather than the "RP" aspects.

It's kinda funny since IMO the creators of dungeons and dragons, along with Tolkien, probably viewed "combat" as secondary. To them their fantasy stories were more about exploration and relics and artifacts.

So, how to envision fantasy without combat?

 

[randomrogue]

So, how to envision fantasy without combat?

Does not compute.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Now that computer RPG's like Warcraft or diablo are huge, it seems like people are focused more on character optimization rather than the "RP" aspects.

It's kinda funny since IMO the creators of dungeons and dragons, along with Tolkien, probably viewed "combat" as secondary. To them their fantasy stories were more about exploration and relics and artifacts.

So, how to envision fantasy without combat?

The new vampire MMO should fit the bill.

 

[kyrax12]

The new vampire MMO should fit the bill.

The world of darkness one?

I love the single player one though. Shitty combat but one of the best storyline/atmosphere I have ever played through.

Sad, they can't make a second game.

 

[Crono]

That's why they call it hack and slash.

I'm not a fan of MMORPGs, though. Little emphasis on original storytelling, games are boring once you start grinding to level, and all the fantasy MMORPGs draw from the LoTR or similar mythology for the characters, classes, and creatures.

A vampire MMO sounds interesting, though.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf_xGH0v93U&t=1m10s

here to skip to trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf_xGH0v93U&t=4m12s

actual content:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf_xGH0v93U&t=8m

 

[0roo0roo]

Now that computer RPG's like Warcraft or diablo are huge, it seems like people are focused more on character optimization rather than the "RP" aspects.

It's kinda funny since IMO the creators of dungeons and dragons, along with Tolkien, probably viewed "combat" as secondary. To them their fantasy stories were more about exploration and relics and artifacts.

So, how to envision fantasy without combat?

eh?

more like there isn't enough raping an pillaging if you want to go there...

 

[pontifex]

would be a pretty boring game without combat.

lets go milk the pegasus, then help the elf find his lost shoe, then help the dwarf sweep up his shop, maybe take a stroll though the fairy forest.

 

[Turbonium]

would be a pretty boring game without combat.

lets go milk the pegasus, then help the elf find his lost shoe, then help the dwarf sweep up his shop, maybe take a stroll though the fairy forest.

Pegasus is male, so I'm not sure what you mean there.

 

[pontifex]

Pegasus is male, so I'm not sure what you mean there.

um...it was a post making fun of medieval fantasy without combat.

But if you're really going to be anal about it:

yes, Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek myth, of which there is only 1 in existence.

we're talking about medieval fantasy, which usually features more than 1, so there obviously has to be more than 1 and more than just males.

 

[IronWing]

So, how to envision fantasy without combat?

More naked elves?

 

[ultimatebob]

would be a pretty boring game without combat.

lets go milk the pegasus, then help the elf find his lost shoe, then help the dwarf sweep up his shop, maybe take a stroll though the fairy forest.

I has thinking more along the lines of getting the king's daughter drunk and screwing around with her. Geez... Haven't you ever seen Game Of Thrones or Sparticus?

 

[brainhulk]

More naked elves?

i'll take alizee pls

 

[Turbonium]

um...it was a post making fun of medieval fantasy without combat.

But if you're really going to be anal about it:

yes, Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek myth, of which there is only 1 in existence.

we're talking about medieval fantasy, which usually features more than 1, so there obviously has to be more than 1 and more than just males.

If it's medieval, then why did you bring in Greek mythology?

You probably meant to milk a unicorn, which would make a great quest btw:

World of Lovecraft
Quest ("Got Milk?"):
Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen to be endowed with the glory of a satyr king. Male toons only.

1. Your toon gets feelings of insecurity when female elf NPC refuses Interaction - Quest Activated.
2. Befriend a depressed, two-headed ogre with split-personality disorder who just broke up with his dryad girlfriend due to his psychiatric condition. Receive Unicorn Whistle, the ogre's reminder of his ex (it was a gift to him from her), as a reward.
3. Obtain Mithril Canteen from a certain goblin merchant for only 100 gold pieces, which will take you 20 weeks to farm by finding loose change strewn about pathways
   -or-
   put points into your Pickpocketing skill and farm it faster.
4. Go to Gnomish Trade School and put points into your Alchemy skill.
5. Use Alchemy skill to create Chloroform-soaked Rag with basic ingredients found throughout the kingdom.
6. Go to Petting Zoo and put points into your Milking Livestock skill.
7. Go to Forest of Frolicking and use Unicorn Whistle to play a male unicorn mating call, and attract a Female Unicorn.
8. Put Female Unicorn to sleep using Chloroform-soaked Rag.
9. Milk Female Unicorn using Milking Livestock skill, and store obtained Unicorn Milk in Mithril Canteen.
10. Obtain a Mushroom of Hallucination from Forest of Apathy & Illicit Substances.
11. Rescue a suicidal fairy from herself, convincing her she isn't really fat, using Mushroom of Hallucination, and have Mithril Canteen and its contents enchanted as a result, turning it into Enchanted Mithril Canteen.
12. Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen - Quest Completed, Experience++.
13. Interact with female elf NPC - she turns out to be lesbian after all.

See? It could work.

 

[Ricochet]

I didn't know my character lack milking unicorn skill until now.

 

[BladeVenom]

I has thinking more along the lines of getting the king's daughter drunk and screwing around with her. Geez... Haven't you ever seen Game Of Thrones or Sparticus?

Hardly anyone makes NC-17 games though, at least outside of Japan. And no big budget ones.

More games need a Castle Anthrax. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtcSYPjJbgg

 

[pontifex]

If it's medieval, then why did you bring in Greek mythology?

You probably meant to milk a unicorn, which would make a great quest btw:

World of Lovecraft
Quest ("Got Milk?"):
Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen to be endowed with the glory of a satyr king. Male toons only.

1. Your toon gets feelings of insecurity when female elf NPC refuses Interaction - Quest Activated.
2. Befriend a depressed, two-headed ogre with split-personality disorder who just broke up with his dryad girlfriend due to his psychiatric condition. Receive Unicorn Whistle, the ogre's reminder of his ex (it was a gift to him from her), as a reward.
3. Obtain Mithril Canteen from a certain goblin merchant for only 100 gold pieces, which will take you 20 weeks to farm by finding loose change strewn about pathways
   -or-
   put points into your Pickpocketing skill and farm it faster.
4. Go to Gnomish Trade School and put points into your Alchemy skill.
5. Use Alchemy skill to create Chloroform-soaked Rag with basic ingredients found throughout the kingdom.
6. Go to Petting Zoo and put points into your Milking Livestock skill.
7. Go to Forest of Frolicking and use Unicorn Whistle to play a male unicorn mating call, and attract a Female Unicorn.
8. Put Female Unicorn to sleep using Chloroform-soaked Rag.
9. Milk Female Unicorn using Milking Livestock skill, and store obtained Unicorn Milk in Mithril Canteen.
10. Obtain a Mushroom of Hallucination from Forest of Apathy & Illicit Substances.
11. Rescue a suicidal fairy from herself, convincing her she isn't really fat, using Mushroom of Hallucination, and have Mithril Canteen and its contents enchanted as a result, turning it into Enchanted Mithril Canteen.
12. Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen - Quest Completed, Experience++.
13. Interact with female elf NPC - she turns out to be lesbian after all.

See? It could work.

Tera has Pegasi...

 

[NikolaeVarius]

That's why they call it hack and slash.

I'm not a fan of MMORPGs, though. Little emphasis on original storytelling, games are boring once you start grinding to level, and all the fantasy MMORPGs draw from the LoTR or similar mythology for the characters, classes, and creatures.

A vampire MMO sounds interesting, though.

Obviously you've never played FFXI.

The story in that game was amazing

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Obviously you've never played FFXI.

The story in that game was amazing

Yea... but XP penalties for death are a bullshit mechanic to string the game along.


Vampire is going to have perma-death, but only in limited situations (you violate the masquerade, proof is obtained by someone else, the prince decides to call a blood hunt, and then you fail to get away from the hunt.)

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Yea... but XP penalties for death are a bullshit mechanic to string the game along.


Vampire is going to have perma-death, but only in limited situations (you violate the masquerade, proof is obtained by someone else, the prince decides to call a blood hunt, and then you fail to get away from the hunt.)

Or it incentivizes staying alive.

Penalties for death is a good thing. Its the reason why FFXI is the only MMO aside from Eve Online that I enjoy. Very harsh penalties for sucking and dying.

 

[BudAshes]

That's why swg was great. The combat wasn't the best but the crafting and building was awesome. Although the story was non existent it didn't matter because you had the star wars universe back drop and could role play to your hearts content.

 

[shortylickens]

Medieval Reality had too much combat.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

That's why swg was great. The combat wasn't the best but the crafting and building was awesome. Although the story was non existent it didn't matter because you had the star wars universe back drop and could role play to your hearts content.

I was in beta for SWG and ran up the first master architect on my server (a wookiee on radiant). I enjoyed the RP element quite a bit. It has the promise of a sand-box game, but fell just shy.. then they tried to make it wow... they they tried to make it KoTOR...

Raph Koster let that game get screwed so hard that it wasn't funny.

I went back to check stuff out with a free-account six months before it closed, there were still 'insert_diolog_3_1' text-boxes coming out of c-unit droids... What a fuster cluck.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

If it's medieval, then why did you bring in Greek mythology?

You probably meant to milk a unicorn, which would make a great quest btw:

World of Lovecraft
Quest ("Got Milk?"):
Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen to be endowed with the glory of a satyr king. Male toons only.

1. Your toon gets feelings of insecurity when female elf NPC refuses Interaction - Quest Activated.
2. Befriend a depressed, two-headed ogre with split-personality disorder who just broke up with his dryad girlfriend due to his psychiatric condition. Receive Unicorn Whistle, the ogre's reminder of his ex (it was a gift to him from her), as a reward.
3. Obtain Mithril Canteen from a certain goblin merchant for only 100 gold pieces, which will take you 20 weeks to farm by finding loose change strewn about pathways
   -or-
   put points into your Pickpocketing skill and farm it faster.
4. Go to Gnomish Trade School and put points into your Alchemy skill.
5. Use Alchemy skill to create Chloroform-soaked Rag with basic ingredients found throughout the kingdom.
6. Go to Petting Zoo and put points into your Milking Livestock skill.
7. Go to Forest of Frolicking and use Unicorn Whistle to play a male unicorn mating call, and attract a Female Unicorn.
8. Put Female Unicorn to sleep using Chloroform-soaked Rag.
9. Milk Female Unicorn using Milking Livestock skill, and store obtained Unicorn Milk in Mithril Canteen.
10. Obtain a Mushroom of Hallucination from Forest of Apathy & Illicit Substances.
11. Rescue a suicidal fairy from herself, convincing her she isn't really fat, using Mushroom of Hallucination, and have Mithril Canteen and its contents enchanted as a result, turning it into Enchanted Mithril Canteen.
12. Drink Unicorn Milk from Enchanted Mithril Canteen - Quest Completed, Experience++.
13. Interact with female elf NPC - she turns out to be lesbian after all.

See? It could work.

We'd all play that in a heartbeat. Why, oh why, aren't you creating games for us? :biggrin:

 

[SirStev0]

One of the developers of Dragon Age 2 and the Mass Effect games mentioned this sentiment as her own personal feelings about RPG video games and it was a huge fucking blow out for her.
Like death threats and shit. Don't expect companies to change any time soon after that.