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DarkBloodbane37 days ago(+2)

RPG is a complex game. It has multiple elements which could make it addicting.

The first and easiest one is numbers go up from levelling up. Defeating enemies yields XP which allows levelling up. With level up, player gets stronger and could defeat stronger enemies which yields more XP. Repeat the cycle.

The second one is story. More often than not, RPGs have story which starts simple but has many mysteries. As player progresses, mysteries unfold one by one. The reward from unfolding story is addictive or at least compels player to play longer. However, unfolding mysteries could also reveal more mysteries which extends the playing time.

The third one is skill and or spell unlock. As player gets higher level, more skills and or spells are unlocked compelling player to play longer to unlock more.

There could be more but those 3 are the ones I have in mind ATM.

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LalaLewds36 days ago

Leveling for sure! Being able to grow stronger, especially when it expands the world you can reach, makes me want to keep going. The beautiful cycle that always needs skills or something to keep me around. The numbers are nice, but getting a new ability at a certain level is something I always look forward to.

Agreed! Story with little pieces missing is the best kind. I get so bored just following the line. I'm very piece-of-candy, so I love when there's little mysteries to figure out, especially when they impact the ending, or even better, the current world as is. Though, it's easy to tell when a game's just giving you fetch quests to extend playtime. 

So unlocking skills/spells is always enjoyable, especially when it's linked to levels, BUT... What if you unlocked special hidden spells and skills by doing certain things? Like taming 1000 wolves unlocks a special spell to transform into a wolf or summon a greater version??

I'm interested in ANY more ideas you have! 

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DarkBloodbane36 days ago
What if you unlocked special hidden spells and skills by doing certain things? Like taming 1000 wolves unlocks a special spell to transform into a wolf or summon a greater version??

The former is usually done in metroidvanias specially by exploring to find hidden stuffs. Mostly upgrades but some metroidvanias and RPGs hide hidden spells and skills also.

Though taming 1000 wolves would tire players and lose the addiction.

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LalaLewds35 days ago

When I think of metroidvania, I think of side scrollers. This game is what I think is bird's eye? Zelda/Stardew/Harvest moon-like. 


That's true, 1000 wolves would be far too grindy in a process of taming a single wolf is a full task to complete. Though. Taming 1000 in a game where you can just do an AOE on 100+ at a time would ruin the joy of getting a tamed wolf, I think. Mm, must be a balance. Maybe each wolf takes a few minutes to successfully tame, so taming 10-30 gets a perk. Not too much time to get to, but also not something the average person is doing just for the hell of it. 

Like catching 100+ Pokemon to start seeing a shiny popup. 

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