Where Did You Think CRPG's Would Be a Decade Ago?

[Chippy]

This is one of those threads where I will come across as a self entitled gamer with no concept of how games are made, enclosed in a self absorbed sphere of my own influence and pining for the old days of "hardcore games".

Well I don't care - so say what you like.

I remember when the IE games were over with and NWN first fired up on my PC. That was when I thought technology (in 3D) was moving into an era where it would start to do all the things an engine like IE couldn't.

I actually thought that by now (don't laugh at the absurdity or my ignorance) that I would be playing a thief class in a 3D game with all the features of an Assassins Creed game, and a D&D ruleset.

Yet here I am playing the 'chewing gum for the brain' Skyrim, and it seems that all of its many niggling faults are starting to weigh down on what should just be a casual RPG-lite experience.

I won't list all of it's faults/problems, but the summary of it all is that I seem to be micro-managing the fun stuff it doles out. And when I can't be bothered, I get the ridiculous situations like "Oh my - there are 2 giants charing at me - I'll just hop up on this 2 foot high rock here where they can't get me".

So (with all the self entitlement this question is laced with) has the last ten years really been progress when we use leading triple A games such as Skyrim and ME as examples?.

[Myrr Disparo]

So (with all the self entitlement this question is laced with) has the last ten years really been progress when we use leading triple A games such as Skyrim and ME as examples?.

Nope. It has not. Compare the storytelling in Planescape: Torment with that in Dragon Age or, if you're up for embarrassment, Mass Effect. Now remind yourself which studio has the reputation of having the best writing talent in the business.
Now think about Fallout 2 and Fallout 3. Now think about which game is vastly more popular and has sold more units. At this point, you may cry a little bit, it's okay.
Compare the fresh setting of Arcanum with the tons of high/low fantasy we have now. Not even the Witcher manages to offset this somehow. Disappointing, given the exceptionally original setting Sapkowski crafted. Weep a little for the loss of creativity.
But fear not! This is progress! Act fast! Push a button! Watch the awesome happen! Embark on epic voyages! And forget that nagging feeling that you've seen this last year already. It's not like this is Madden. Or is it?

[Chippy]

That is so depressingly true, and having just read the article on Gamebanshee's front page about Diablo 3 (Rock Paper Shotgun) being a hollow game, I can't help but wonder if anyone with more than 5 years gaming experience is actually supposed to factor into the equation.

What I mean is - I've accepted that I'm only going to get an 'old school RPG' from Kickstarter funded developers. But the actualy technology (and features it should enable) does not seem to be advancing with everyting else. Take the above article as an example:

How Diablo III’s Solo Experience Reveals A Hollow Game | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

"The only novel enemy attacks I’ve noticed are the waspy dragonfly things, who just fly away from you, meaning if you’re not playing a ranged character they’re just tedious to fight".

It's been 12 years since Diablo 2 - where are the AI improvements in SP RPG games? Is it done on purpose to make it more accessible?, not to break a winning formula, or because smart AI is too resource demanding?.

The only sense I can make of it all is that the pretty graphics of (e.g) Skyrim fool people into believing that anything that looks that realistic, must have made as much as an advancement in the game features offered...