Your favorite feature in an rpg

[ironymaster]

Alright what is the one favorite feature that you like more then anything? I think for me, it would have to be the talk system in phantasy star iv, atleast you knew where you were going.

[Regulus Tera]

Gambit System. It could be improved (having all conditions from the get-go would be awesome), but as it is in FFXII it really puts into perspective just how pointless most of the battling in JRPGs is.

[DFM]

Character creation/customization, both aesthetically and mechanically.

[Fortune Zero]

Hard to chooooose. I definitely agree with DFM--character customization has pretty much become a staple of everything, to where games can barely get away with strict levelling designs anymore. It's like voice acting--it's not just a feature anymore, it's standard. You don't see alot of games where you learn X Ability at Y Level anymore, it just doesn't impress. Even Blue Dragon--a game meant to harken back to the days of ye olde RPGes--had some degree of customization.

I like it when your entire party gains experience from fights, even if they're not involved. Super Mario RPG was like that... can't remember what else. Call me lazy, but I hate feeling obligated to keep switching party members just to level up a bunch of guys I don't use--because I never know when I might be forced to use them. FFVIII had that--I didn't like using Selphie, but I had to keep her up to speed because sometimes I simply couldn't avoid her. It's not too bad unless they give me useless/too many party members, and then make me feel obligated to keep them all leveled up. Grinding is one thing, but grinding for like, eighteen characters when I only like four of them is the sucks. It's nice when the game is like "Okay, grinding for those four is grinding for everybody."

I liked being able to combine weapon/armor features in Parasite Eve, especially since it could lead to the inevitable endgame Oh God What's Wrong With Your Gun. And you could rename it, further enticing you to turn it into some sort of horrible, apocolypse-bringing firearm of legend. ONE SHOT. STUPID HIGH DAMAGE. AND IT FREEZES. AND IT POISONS. AND IT EXPLOOOODES?

I liked SaGa Frontier's combo system and think more games need to do it. Chrono Trigger's was pretty decent, but I like being able to string EVERY CHARACTER'S ATTACK into one stupid long crazy obliteration death dance that blows the screen up.

I liked alot of the things Persona 3 did, but the features were pretty Persona-exclusive.

I liked Triple Triad. Does that count as a feature?

[greed]

Big damn bestiaries like FF12. Something about them appeals to my mind, same reason I enjoy zoology and botany so much I think. Probably some obsessive compulsive need for compartmentalisation and classification but whatever.

Also good fluid turn based combat like in Shadow Hearts 2, FFX and the Nocturne and after SMT games; is my favourite RPG combat mechanic, I enjoy it more than real time, active time(like in FFs 6,7,8,9) and far more than clunky turn based mechanics like in Dragon Quest.

[Mannix]

The mobs auto-leveling with you in Oblivion.
hahaha ain't i a stinker?

[Jagos]

I kinda like the idea of beating on different body parts ala FallOut and Vagrant Story.
Just being able to cripple a person which allows you to survive that much better later in the fight.

[G.I.R.]

I'm going to second the character customizations. I really dislike an RPG where I change my character's armor or weapon to something new I picked up, but their appearance doesn't change in game? WTF? I know on older RPGs this was a lot harder, but nowadays? C'mon. It's not that hard.

And yes, I know sometimes they do it because they "prerecorded" the cut scenes and it always looks weird if your character goes from looking one way to looking another and then back again briefly. But that can be fixed!

[Ryong]

Originally Posted by G.I.R.

I'm going to second the character customizations. I really dislike an RPG where I change my character's armor or weapon to something new I picked up, but their appearance doesn't change in game? WTF? I know on older RPGs this was a lot harder, but nowadays? C'mon. It's not that hard.

And yes, I know sometimes they do it because they "prerecorded" the cut scenes and it always looks weird if your character goes from looking one way to looking another and then back again briefly. But that can be fixed!

Yeah. Seriously, FFX and FFXII at least showed the weapons and shields all the time. Legend of Legaia, from the goddamn PSX had every single piece of equipment besides accessories show up during battles so it can't be said that it occupies too much space because Legend of Legaia was a pretty big game for one PSX disc.

I honestly believe the reason that weapons in Star Ocean 3 don't change is because of the Laser Weapons. They're generic weapons that work for all characters. You try drawing a weapon that changes into a sword, a staff, two daggers, gauntlets, a cape with bangs, an axe and a gun. It'd look WEIRD.

[ironymaster]

I agree character customization was nice, I admit that I rely on it these days.