As some of you might know, after almost 10 years of working on Ori, we're currently working on an ARPG at Moon Studios and I wanted to do my usual thread where I ask everyone what they expect from a game in the genre we're working on. I did a similar thing back then when we just started working on Ori and the Will of the Wisps and I definitely took the feedback / input to heart, so I hope it's okay for me to just openly inquire on Era. Doing this just helps me get a sense for what people are into these days and to check if my ideas align with what people want.
The game we're working on is something I wanted game developers to make since 1998... Back then, Diablo 1 and Ultima Online just came out and my mind went nuts on what RPGs could become 'in a few years'. The idea of adventuring together with other players in meaningful ways was so enticing, but I think the industry took a very different turn from where my mind was going back then. Especially once MMORPGs took over, everything became a theme park ride where thousands of players were all doing the same thing and in a game where everyone is special, no one really is. With thousands of players on a server all fulfilling the same quests and doing the same content, no one could really stand out, nobody could affect the world in meaningful ways. Safe to say, MMORPGs were not really fulfilling the fantasy I had in my head.
So let's look at the ARPG subgenre. I hope this doesn't come off as me being too cocky, but I haven't seen a ton of innovation here over the past 20 years. Diablo 2 is honestly still the genre-king to me and while Diablo 3 was improved upon since launch, I always felt that the Diablo 3 core was something Blizzard just couldn't really change too much after they shipped. I hope the Blizzard fans won't rip me apart for saying this, but Diablo 3 feels like an arcade game to me. The RPG elements took a backseat and the fantasy just never clicked for me (It's still a fantastic game, mind you, just not what I had in mind after Diabo 2!).
I always feel like most other devs that try to make ARPGs are sticking way too close to the formula Blizzard laid out with Diablo. Torchlight, PoE, Grim Dawn, etc., they're all very obviously inspired by Diablo, to the point where I don't think it'd be offensive to put them under the 'Diablo Clones' banner, but I do think the genre could go much, much deeper than what Diablo has offered thus far. Analogy: After Doom came out back in 93, we saw a bunch of 'Doom Clones' - but then Half-Life showed what else could be done within the 'First Person Shooter' genre and things suddenly became much more interesting. Most devs that make ARPGs today don't even consider what games like the Souls-series, Monster Hunter or Breath of the Wild have brought to the table and you really have to wonder why that's the case.
So, with all that said, that's kind of where my head is. Now, I'd love to know what you folks are thinking. Let's just imagine for a second that you could dream up an Online Multiplayer RPG and you could do whatever the hell you wanted, even to the point where you could completely redefine the genre:
What would be the 5 big focus points you'd love to see a developer tackle?
Would story be important to you? What would you like to see in terms of combat? How important is the Diablo'ish Endgame to you? How about Level Design, is procedural generation vital in these kinda games to you? What do you expect in terms of loot from an ARPG? What keeps you playing these games for years on end? Are there things from games like Souls, Monster Hunter or Breath of the Wild you'd love to see within this genre? Just think of anything that might pop into your head - If you're playing todays RPGs, are there things that bother you that you'd love to tell a developer about? Do any games have any systems that you're absolutely in love with that you'd like to tell me about?
Would definitely appreciate any input you guys and gals might have! Feel free to go wild, I'm all ears here :)
The game we're working on is something I wanted game developers to make since 1998... Back then, Diablo 1 and Ultima Online just came out and my mind went nuts on what RPGs could become 'in a few years'. The idea of adventuring together with other players in meaningful ways was so enticing, but I think the industry took a very different turn from where my mind was going back then. Especially once MMORPGs took over, everything became a theme park ride where thousands of players were all doing the same thing and in a game where everyone is special, no one really is. With thousands of players on a server all fulfilling the same quests and doing the same content, no one could really stand out, nobody could affect the world in meaningful ways. Safe to say, MMORPGs were not really fulfilling the fantasy I had in my head.
So let's look at the ARPG subgenre. I hope this doesn't come off as me being too cocky, but I haven't seen a ton of innovation here over the past 20 years. Diablo 2 is honestly still the genre-king to me and while Diablo 3 was improved upon since launch, I always felt that the Diablo 3 core was something Blizzard just couldn't really change too much after they shipped. I hope the Blizzard fans won't rip me apart for saying this, but Diablo 3 feels like an arcade game to me. The RPG elements took a backseat and the fantasy just never clicked for me (It's still a fantastic game, mind you, just not what I had in mind after Diabo 2!).
I always feel like most other devs that try to make ARPGs are sticking way too close to the formula Blizzard laid out with Diablo. Torchlight, PoE, Grim Dawn, etc., they're all very obviously inspired by Diablo, to the point where I don't think it'd be offensive to put them under the 'Diablo Clones' banner, but I do think the genre could go much, much deeper than what Diablo has offered thus far. Analogy: After Doom came out back in 93, we saw a bunch of 'Doom Clones' - but then Half-Life showed what else could be done within the 'First Person Shooter' genre and things suddenly became much more interesting. Most devs that make ARPGs today don't even consider what games like the Souls-series, Monster Hunter or Breath of the Wild have brought to the table and you really have to wonder why that's the case.
So, with all that said, that's kind of where my head is. Now, I'd love to know what you folks are thinking. Let's just imagine for a second that you could dream up an Online Multiplayer RPG and you could do whatever the hell you wanted, even to the point where you could completely redefine the genre:
What would be the 5 big focus points you'd love to see a developer tackle?
Would story be important to you? What would you like to see in terms of combat? How important is the Diablo'ish Endgame to you? How about Level Design, is procedural generation vital in these kinda games to you? What do you expect in terms of loot from an ARPG? What keeps you playing these games for years on end? Are there things from games like Souls, Monster Hunter or Breath of the Wild you'd love to see within this genre? Just think of anything that might pop into your head - If you're playing todays RPGs, are there things that bother you that you'd love to tell a developer about? Do any games have any systems that you're absolutely in love with that you'd like to tell me about?
Would definitely appreciate any input you guys and gals might have! Feel free to go wild, I'm all ears here :)