Moron Alert! CDProject redefines RPGs

There is a new Witcher <a href=http://www.firingsquad.com/games/the_witcher_interview_part_1/>interview</a> at <a href=http://www.firingsquad.com>Firing Squad</a>. Apparently, RPG genre isn't good enough as it is for the creative powerhouse known as CDProject so they decided to redefine the fuck out of it and influence the genre for generations to come.

<blockquote>We believe the time has come to really think about what an RPG game should look like. Which elements should it consist of, and which of them are most vital. Lately, the technical progress has exceeded all the borders, we’re able to create photorealistic graphics, but still, the attitude towards RPGs does not change. Most of developers tend to copy the clichés and fear the changes.

That is why, we decided to change the attitude. We sort of … ‘factorized’ the genre, put it into pieces. Next, we scrutinized and thought over all the aspects and tried to pick out the most important RPG features. Finally, it was our task to put them together the best way we could think of, using the latest development techniques and available technology. We’re quite aware that not all RPG fans will accept our redefinition, but that’s mostly because they’ve gotten used to clichés and certain mechanisms.

And here are the results of our considerations. The crucial elements of the game should be: the storyline, combat system, freedom and non-linearity, character equipping and development. At the same time, all the aforementioned issues should be most intuitive and easy-to-use for the gamers.
...
Next there’s combat. Here we’ve introduced a unique system based on medieval fencing arts and techniques enhanced by magic. It comprises a total of over 200 animations interweaving into fluent combat sequences. What is more, it is a real-time-based system allowing the player to use numerous upgrades and power-ups and customizing the combat manner to one’s likes and needs.
...
To put it all together, we believe that the time has come for the RPGs to achieve and gain new quality. We wish they would be more realistic, plot-oriented and visually mature… Open, to put it short, so as to bring loads of sheer joy. We wish for the RPGs to concentrate on intriguing storyline and to offer as much freedom in making decisions as possible. We wish for them to present us with non-linearity and real-life realism and to avoid the childishness and over-simplicity. We’ve had enough of ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ struggles, enough of over-polishing the rough realties.

Of course, the very term of RPG Redefined might sound fancy or even bold. As for now, however, we’re sure our game is and will be RPG Redefined. Will our ideas influence the genre… depends on many factors. Yet, we’re certain we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of directing the RPGs into an entirely new route… Even if by means of some our inventions only.

Some might ask, how will newbies, fledglings fulfill their promises? True… we might respond, but the freshness we represent allows us to look at the genre from an entirely unbiased perspective – and it helps, helps a lot. It’s like we’re completely new, so we don’t realize the impossibilities… and since we don’t, nothing is impossible ;-).</blockquote>
Wow!


Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPG Dot</A>

And here are the results of our considerations. The crucial elements of the game should be: the storyline, combat system, <I>freedom and non-linearity</I>, character equipping and development.

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Yep, morons for sure.

Hmm.. i actually can't see any "redifinition" here...
We gotta play the game to see it, i guess.
So far, he just presented the cliches that he was supposedly fighting against.
It's not bad, it's not good.
Just wait till release.

mEtaLL1x said:

Hmm.. i actually can't see any "redifinition" here...
We gotta play the game to see it, i guess.
So far, he just presented the cliches that he was supposedly fighting against.
It's not bad, it's not good.
Just wait till release.

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In a lot of ways I'd say it's back to basics, except of course for that freedom and non-linearity part. That sounds more like what you guys want CRPGs to be...

Well, the power ups part of combat made me cringe a bit. I had a flashback to Lionheart. Maybe the reason they're morons is because they aren't actually redefining it so much as using the standard definition?

Can't tell for sure yet.
Gotta see what the Witcher will be like.

Well, the power ups part of combat made me cringe a bit. I had a flashback to Lionheart. Maybe the reason they're morons is because they aren't actually redefining it so much as using the standard definition?

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Nah, I'd say it's just his inability to express his thoughts clearly enough...
Prolly he had something more complex in mind, but couldn't descirbe it ^_^

newbies have done better crpgs. old ones became nannies and make neverwinter

All of the hype without any substance sounds fantastic, actually, so I have no idea what VD is seeing here. Unfortunately, the only bit of actual substance in the clipped quote is what sounds like a very, very disheartening approach to combat.

The crucial elements of the game should be: the storyline, combat system, freedom and non-linearity, character equipping and development

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guess dialogue is not crucial.

It comprises a total of over 200 animations interweaving into fluent combat sequences

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but hey, we have ANIMASHUN !!!!!!!1

We wish for the RPGs to concentrate on intriguing storyline and to offer as much freedom in making decisions as possible. We wish for them to present us with non-linearity and real-life realism and to avoid the childishness and over-simplicity. We’ve had enough of ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ struggles, enough of over-polishing the rough realties.

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Cannot see any 'redefinition' - it's back to what RPGs should have ever been.
Dialogue... hmm, I guess it will be present anyway, since they mentioned storyline and non-linearity.
I hope I'm not being too hopeful
After all, they may have thought that dialogue is so obvous that does not even worth mentioning as a separate feature, and we are just too paranoid because of Bethesda, heh.

Doesn't seem too far off, with the exception of the "real-life realism" which is the usual bollocks.

Since tag rpg is given to many games whithout things they mention (freedom and non-linearity) they somehaw correct. Add not perfect english, and he propobly just mean that developres don't focus on things that are most important for a rpg.

The crucial elements of the game should be: the storyline, combat system, freedom and non-linearity, character equipping and development

guess dialogue is not crucial. Laughing

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When willing to go through a guarded gate, you may try lying, bribery… you may ask someone to distract the guards and try dozens of other ways.

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It is a part of freedom, non-linearity and the story.

the whole things manages to hit some right notes, though what they have to say about combat is disheartening. But this just comes off as a very, VERY, pretentious and arrogant text.

The range of choices is entirely up to the player!

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They should edit that part out, unless they're referring to the infinite nature of "dozens" of practical choices.

What they wrote seems to be full-standard hype with added arrogance. No revolutionary ideas, but somehow they'll end up as redefining the genre. I think we should keep in mind that iirc totally nothing is known about the game's dialogue system, or if there even is anything like that. For what we know, it could be Sacred with better gfx and combat... which wouldn't be bad, but nowhere near "RPG redefined".
And iirc they copy the lame "you play teh graet hreo but you forgot everything and have to learn from scratch" idea. So revolutionary!

Heh, if you can't cope with something, just redefine the terms .

"Action" RPGs are simply a question of how fast can you hit a button.

The problem with RPGs is that with 3d come the idea it have to be real time, I fucking HATE these 14 years old dickheads that think they know about RPGs because they played Morrowind.

The basis of a RPG is and sould always be allow the player to play a role, any mechanics that leads away from the player to act as a character detracts from it being a RPG, action RPGs then to be simply more about player relfexes that player using the character skills.

Also I starting to get a little sick of people confusing adventure games with RPGs ...

Drakron said:

"Action" RPGs are simply a question of how fast can you hit a button.

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Well, iirc it won't be like that in The Witcher. It'll be all about timing your attacks and combining them into combos.

Drakron, relax, have a drink. You're too sick too often.

RPG does not have to have a purely-stat-based combat. It could be a hybrid, like in Gothic or Oblivion - your character must learn combat techniques, but the player too has to influence the battle process by executing spectacular combos and sly maneuvers.
What's so bad in it?
It doesn't interfere with roleplaying at all.

So it's all just a question of your prefernce towards a tactic-only combat. That's okay, but it doesn't mean that all half-action (not full action) RPGs are not RPGs at all.

Wasn't this in news?

Sarkile said:

Wasn't this in news?

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Move along, nothing to see here...

mEtaLL1x said:

Drakron, relax, have a drink.

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Agreed.

mEtaLL1x said:

It could be a hybrid, like in Gothic or Oblivion - your character must learn combat techniques, but the player too has to influence the battle process by executing spectacular combos and sly maneuvers.
What's so bad in it?
It doesn't interfere with roleplaying at all.

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Uh, well, yeah it does. Drakron is right about that part. If your character is supposed to be an amazing warrior, but in real life you're terrible at timing and coordinating your button-presses, it's entirely possible that your character will be a terrible warrior. Unless "terrible warrior" is the role you selected, the game is now hindering your ability to play the role.

(As an aside, it was rather fun to play a terrible warrior in Arcanum. I selected the character trait that gives you clumsiness, and as my character fought, he'd often drop his weapon, and sometimes scar himself. But that was on purpose -- I was trying to play that role, and the game enabled it.)

-Tony

"And here are the results of our considerations. The crucial elements of the game should be: the storyline, combat system, freedom and non-linearity, character equipping and development. At the same time, all the aforementioned issues should be most intuitive and easy-to-use for the gamers."

Hmmm, as many others have pointed out, all i see is a list of what makes great crpg.

The rest of it is the usual wank, but i dont see how its stupid, well, the shit about "Redefining" the genre is but come on, who's surprised, every one trys to make out that they are making the next big thing.

(As an aside, it was rather fun to play a terrible warrior in Arcanum. I selected the character trait that gives you clumsiness, and as my character fought, he'd often drop his weapon, and sometimes scar himself. But that was on purpose -- I was trying to play that role, and the game enabled it.)

Its funny that you mention arcanum, im just replaying it at the moment, its one of those rare games that shows a fantastic plot and non-linearity arent mutually exclusive, if what they said isnt just guff, and they actually release a game that doesnt sacrifice one for the other, well i dont see how that can be seen as a bad thing.

"Well, iirc it won't be like that in The Witcher. It'll be all about timing your attacks and combining them into combos."

Which makes it a game of player skill, rather than stat based, while i have no problem with that myself, i can understand where those that object to such things are coming from.

Uh, well, yeah it does. Drakron is right about that part. If your character is supposed to be an amazing warrior, but in real life you're terrible at timing and coordinating your button-presses, it's entirely possible that your character will be a terrible warrior. Unless "terrible warrior" is the role you selected, the game is now hindering your ability to play the role.

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But hey: if a player is bad in character development strategies, then his char will also be doomed to be a lame warrior, isn't that right?
It doesn't matter which way you approach.

But of course, someitmes i'd rather play full-stat-based and device strategis for my char development, try out different builds and stuff - this is great.
But sometimes there should diversity, a fresh change. That's what Gothic, for instance, offered me.

Do you people need to be explained everything?

Saran said:

Hmmm, as many others have pointed out, all i see is a list of what makes great crpg.

The rest of it is the usual wank, but i dont see how its stupid, well, the shit about "Redefining" the genre is but come on, who's surprised, every one trys to make out that they are making the next big thing.

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Everyone does, but this was way over the top. They went on for 5 paragraphs about how it's time to redefine RPGs, how it's time for RPG to change and get new qualities, even coined a term RPG Redefined, and then listed a few features that have been in business for a long time. WTF? Considering that it's the Witcher they were talking about, a game with timed attacks and combos, well, I'd be VERY surprised if the game doesn't suck, and the chances for it to become the next best thing (tm) are very small.

So, I filed that article under "bullshit and hype by pretentious fucks". See Daikatana for references

Sarkile said:

Wasn't this in news?

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Well, I posted that as news. If I have to guess, I was mean to people AGAIN! and that was WRONG!