What (Matt) Would Like to See in an "Old School" CRPG

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Written by BuckGB on October 22nd, 2012

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Delayed gratification. "But I want it now!!!" Of course you do. And the more you want it, and the harder you have to work for it, the more you're going to ENJOY it when you get your grubby little hands on it. There's a tendency in newer RPGs to hit you with a new level or ability every five minutes. It's that ADHD-inspired crap that I *hate*. Don't give me five new abilities before I've had a chance to master the first one. It's a good feeling in a CRPG when you've finally gotten so good with your techniques that you're handily dispatching monsters that gave you hell before. Give us a chance to savor that before upping the ante again. I want to be in leather and rags killing rats and spiders with blunt objects for at least 12 hours before I've moved up to orcs. And for God's sake, if you have my level 1 heroes killing a dragon, I'm going to wipe my butt with your cloth map. Well, maybe my friend's cloth map.

I'm not an hyperactive brat who needs a juicebox and a kiss from mommy every fifteen seconds. "DING! You're level 4.2, congratulations!!!!" I'm a grown man who wants to hit a rat on the head with a dull, rusty axe for two weeks.

Answer me this: "Have you paced this game so that I have time to recharge between orgasms?'

Enough with the cloth maps. Been there, done that. It was cool back in the day because Lord British wowed us with something new and unexpected. Sorry, folks, you can't just copy him and expect to produce a similar effect. Instead of being lazy and copying British, think up something ON YOUR OWN to make me open that box and go "wow!" What would I rather have than a cloth map? How about something that actually relates to your game, like Infocom liked to do? Or, why not just make the box itself a collectible. It doesn't have to be a plastic helmet. Just look at Infocom's awesome Suspended box. Now that would look awesome on any shelf.

There are really only three things I'd like in a REAL collector's edition: Kick-ass box, well-produced and DETAILED manuals, and a little card that says "Thank you" signed by the team.

Answer me this: "How much thought have you put into the package and the pack-ins?"

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