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kuwaizair
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 Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 7:03 pm Post subject: rpg cliches |
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I found this on a other forum....its semminlgy meaningless, but is true.
http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html
lets try to apply it to some of our favorites and or suikoden.
its...like a game ok?
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Inko
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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ahem... I noticed that Chrono Trigger was mentioned many times in this ... this would technically not be a cliché considering that it was the first game to introduce many of these principles...
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Nominal Rule
Any character who actually has a name is important in some way and must be sought out. However, if you are referred to as a part of a posessive noun ("Crono's Mom") then you are superfluous. |
Are you going to make up a name for every character in the game...
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Luddite Rule (or, George Lucas Rule)
Speaking of which, technology is inherently evil and is the exclusive province of the Bad Guys. They're the ones with the robots, factories, cyberpunk megalopolises and floating battle stations, while the Good Guys live in small villages in peaceful harmony with nature. (Although somehow your guns and/or heavily armed airships are exempted from this.) |
Star ocean...
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| The townsperson or crewmember who wanders aimlessly in circles and never quite gets where he is going. |
Are you going to input destinations for all of them, are maybe you would rather just have an empty town...
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Indestructible Weapon Rule
No matter how many times you use that sword to strike armored targets or fire that gun on full auto mode it will never break, jam or need any form of maintenance unless it is critical to the story that the weapon breaks, jams or needs maintenance. |
Oh yes and let's just have every single in the detail of life inside the game such as "I have to use the bathroom", and "I need to clean my gun", do you know how boring that would be?
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1. Zap!
Most villains in RPGs possess some form of teleportation. They generally use it to materialize in front of the adventurers when they reach the Obligatory Legendary Relic Room and seize the goodies just before you can. The question "if the bad guy can teleport anywhere at any time, then why doesn't (s)he just zip in, grab the artifact, and leave before the adventurers have even finished the nerve-wracking puzzle on the third floor?" is never answered. |
What fun would that be for the player, you bought a game to have fun not to be bored.
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"What are we going to do tonight, Vinsfeld?"
The goal of every game (as revealed during the Fake Ending) is to Save the World from an evil figure who's trying to take it over or destroy it. There is no way to escape from this formidable task. No matter whether the protagonist's goal in life is to pay off a debt, to explore distant lands, or just to make time with that cute girl in the blue dress, it will be necessary for him to Save the World in order to accomplish it. Take heart, though -- once the world gets sorted out, everything else will fall into place almost immediately. |
Someone's got to do, you bought a game to have fun not to be bored.
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George W. Bush Geography Simplification Initiative
Every country in the world will have exactly one town in it, except for the country you start out in, which will have three |
Suikoden is not like this...
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1. Not Invented Here
Trade of technology will not exist. One place in the world will have all the techno-gadgets while all the others will be harvesting dirt. |
Look at are own world, when the Europeans came over to America what do you think the Native Americans where doing?
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1. Planet of the Apes Rule
All cities and countries have ancestors that were wiped out by their technological advances. |
Technology is a very destructive thing it could blow up the earth...
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The Ultimate Rule
Anything called "Ultima (whatever)" or "Ultimate (whatever)" isn't. There's always at least one thing somewhere in the world which is even more. |
The Ultimate weapon truly was the ultimate weapon in FF7.
I could do more but I really don't feel like it... |
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Horned Loa
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I actually found this site VERY amusing kuwaizair. Thank you for the link. Thing is though that many in the past have tried to categories plots. It turns out that by some it is possible to categories each story in existence in to one of 28 (me thinks this is the right number) plots. I read that book a long time ago but its very interesting. I'll look for the title again and post it back up, but with that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if just about everything can be called cliché. |
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Synchysi
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 4:09 am Post subject: |
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Don't take it so seriously; obviously not all of those are going to apply to every game. I thought this was pretty funny the first time I read it. I could pretty much name a game where at least one of those cliches is present, which made it even more amusing.
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Horned Loa
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| Actualy its very easy to name two or more for a single cliche which is what makes it even more amusing. I don't think its meant to be taken seriously neither. |
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Decado
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:07 am Post subject: |
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Thats excellent! And the best thing is it is so true! Do you think RPG game writers have some sort of bible/handbook which is full of conventions which must be met in order for it to be classed as a true RPG?
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Axiose
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:10 am Post subject: |
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Calm down inko37, it's not serious. I thought it was funny as hell, actually I laughed out loud at some points - which is a little bad as I'm meant to be homer from work!
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Gender Equality, Part 1 (Feena Rule)
Your average female RPG character carries a variety of deadly weapons and can effortlessly hack or magic her way through armies of monsters, killer cyborgs, and mutated boss creatures without breaking a sweat. She may be an accomplished ninja, a superpowered secret agent, or the world's greatest adventurer. However, if one of the game's villains manages to sneak up and grab her by the Standard Female Character Grab Area (her upper arm) she will be rendered utterly helpless until rescued by the hero. |
That one especially I thought was funny!
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William
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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I've read this before, I really enjoyed it, because of how much it describes some of the 'supposed' classics, like of course Beyond the Beyond.The game is ultimate, don't try to deny it.
I love the gender equality one, it's so true...heh....
Thanks for the link.... |
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Glen Cott
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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5. Logan's Run Rule
RPG characters are young. Very young. The average age seems to be 15, unless the character is a decorated and battle-hardened soldier, in which case he might even be as old as 18. Such teenagers often have skills with multiple weapons and magic, years of experience, and never ever worry about their parents telling them to come home from adventuring before bedtime. By contrast, characters more than twenty-two years old will cheerfully refer to themselves as washed-up old fogies and be eager to make room for the younger generation. |
Definately Suikoden!
I also remember this one occuring a few time in Suikoden 1:
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84. Dungeon Design 201 (or, The Interior Decorators Anticipated Your Out-Of-Body Experience)
Most dungeons will include "hidden" passages which are nearly impossible to see from a bird's-eye view, yet would be blaringly obvious from the party's perspective. |
Anyway, great link kuwaizair! |
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El Diablo Negro
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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¿Quien Es Mas Macho? (Fargo Rule)
Every powerful character you attempt to seek aid from will first insist upon "testing your strength" in a battle to the death. |
This is the most common one in my eyes. |
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Stormbringer
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Black Fang wrote: |
| I actually found this site VERY amusing kuwaizair. Thank you for the link. Thing is though that many in the past have tried to categories plots. It turns out that by some it is possible to categories each story in existence in to one of 28 (me thinks this is the right number) plots. I read that book a long time ago but its very interesting. I'll look for the title again and post it back up, but with that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if just about everything can be called cliché. |
My friend read that book, I guess it helped her cause she's a writer, but I think there's only 25...I could be wrong though.
The site is amusing though...but people don't realize how hard it is to make 'new' or non-cliche things in games or stories, especially considering how many games there are out there.
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fuji
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link. Hilarious stuff. Some were really good... the ones that you realize just how silly they are. Not like the "Chrono's Mother" one which was practical... but things like how the hero will fight for anyone after 5 minutes from meeting them.... or every ally wanting to test your strength. Or the huge plot holes that are consistent among all RPGs.
Moody_Mage: yeah they have a bible. It's every successful game that came before it. Every RPG game has borrowed from their predessor. They see a successful game with mini-games, they put in mini-games.
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fuji
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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Black Fang: Yes, I've heard that as well. Just like there are only 5 types of jokes (I think that number is correct). Irony and satire are the only types I can remember though.
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Cyrano
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| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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well.. hahaha.... i never tought there was THAT much cliché... some of his are wrong. there one he says, the goal is to save the world but I saw some games where savingg the world IS NOT the main goal...
there also the rule of the sword... hell, suikoden 1 and 2's main caracter do not hava a sword... and i know many game like that..(well not too many but that's what make them out of these cliché...)
I just hope people won't judge game based on the cliché cause that would suck... so many thing got out on the market, it seems almost impossible to not have cliché
anyway, cliché do not bother me at all and I just pity those who don't like games because of THAT feature.
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Horned Loa
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| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Well many of those aren't really story clichés at all, like the same currency one. It isn't there because of the story but rather because of the ease of the game for the player. Still funny to read though. |
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