Chambers wrote:
> Darren New wrote:
>> I never realized before that when people talk about an "RPG" game, 
>> they mean one involving "leveling up". I always thought it had 
>> something to do with, I dunno, role playing or something. :-)
> 
> Most video game players, when speaking of RPGs, are really speaking of 
> CRPGs.  Historically, computers have lacked the ability to allow 
> adequate RP, and instead focused on the systems used for running the 
> games (the numbers).
> 
> As a result, most people think of RPGs as being characterized by such 
> systems.
> 
> Rather sad, really.  There was a real RPG a few years ago, an indie one 
> where you're sitting in a room with a married couple.  You talk to them 
> by typing sentences in, using natural language, and they also responded 
> naturally.  Since there was no apparent system (everything under the 
> hood was hidden; the only feedback you got was what the couple said), 
> along with no end-state (no way to win or lose), many people said it 
> didn't even qualify as a game.  Yet, working through this couple's 
> problems with them was supposed to be quite engaging.
> 
> (NB: I never actually got around to playing it, unfortunately, but I 
> read a few good articles on it!)
> 
> Yet games like WOW, which nothing *but* grinding through the system, 
> sell like Mary Jane hot-cakes bundled with free condoms :(
> 

CoLA - City of Lost Angels, in Second Life, not to mention New Delphi, 
Crossroads, Bloodrayne, and a mess of non-English ones, all in SL, are 
fair examples of RP (was 135 such sims, in... probably close to 15+ 
chains, or worlds if you will, each with anything from 1-20 sims). There 
are probably far more now, but the page that showed all of them was 
removed a while back from the website for it. Story line is 100% user 
fed, within the parameters of the back stories. It "does" have levels 
and stats, and the like, but its only for combat (at the moment), not 
for anything else. A redesign is in the works that will integrate the 
function of the system into the client used to log in, and go with a 
system where you assign points to traits, to get specialization in 
different "skills", rather than just getting levels, and becoming move 
powerful as a result. There is no "grind", since there isn't anything to 
kill, other than other RPers, and that won't gain you XP (only being in 
the sims, with the meter on, actively involved, will get you that).

But, it has flaws, not the least being that it depends on SL to work, 
and.. their sim system can be unstable as all hell some days, not to 
mention lagging and other problems. :p

But, yeah. Most people think RP, and they think WoW, or EQ2, or 
something like that.

-- 
void main () {
   If Schrödingers_cat is alive or version > 98 {
     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

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