Most missed feature in RPGs

Moriendor said:

That… and I would have loved to the see an expansion of the world simulation aspects of the first Gothic like the property/stealing features, running around with a drawn weapon, wildlife animals fighting each other and a multitude of other advanced AI stuff.
It is almost unbelievable that in spite of ever growing computing power, we have seen zero progress in this area or actually quite the opposite of progress since even PB have continually dumbed down their own games in that regard, calling advanced AI "nice to have" but not a selling point.
I find that truly sad. I mean Gothic is a 2001 game FFS. Just imagine the possibilities of 2011 if someone would actually explore them.

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I agree with this completely.

I was telling a friend yesterday about Ultima 7, and how I really missed that in Ultima, all the NPCs had 'lives'. They'd wake up about 6-7am, they'd go to work, they'd finish about 5-6pm and go to the pub for their dinner, and if they were religious they'd go to church, and then they'd go home and to go bed. They all had friendships/relationships/feuds and things to talk about, they had extra-marital affairs, or went off to do secret things that they didn't want others to know about. The weather would change, at night-time it would actually BE dark. And I used to go around talking to NPCs at night because sometimes I'd struggle to find them, so I knew if I went around at 3am and woke them up, I'd find them. Of course, this also meant that I also accidentally found out which NPCs will sleep with the Avatar if you turn up late at night xD

It was all 'useless', essentially, most of it didn't affect the actual game. It just made it really immersive, and made it all feel real for me. I have never forgotten Ultima 7 (parts 1 and 2) mostly for that reason. Games these days just don't bother with all that - Dragon Age Origins is the closest I've come to that in a modern RPG.

Now that's one of the many points why I'm so much against action-RPGs.

Blizzard took years to balance the fighting - and zero to socialization.

Character creation.
More and more AAA RPGs are pretty much removing character creation, opting instead for the "You're in this world but you know nothing". I like creating a character, with stats, skills, spells, maybe starting equipment. It makes me feel like my character(s) wasn't just dropped from an alien mothership.
In party based games like Wizardry, I spent the first hour or two just thinking what party composition with what skills/spells to start with.

- Complexity

In general, I mean.

- Agree with Drithius 100 % about the need for more creatively designed dungeons in true pen and paper style. The cookie cutter Elder Scrolls dungeon design can be tiresome.
- More overall world interactivity and player driven incentives to experiment in gameplay (Underworlds, Arx..etc)
- Tactical, turn based combat.
- I'd love to see a return of markable/editable maps and better, more organised journal construction. This could potentially help solve the quest compass/marker issues and make the player more obliged to explore open environments.
- I quite enjoy the odd riddle too.

HiddenX said:

I'm missing Wizardry / Might & Magic - style games most:

party management
turn based challenging combat
complex character building
difficult dungeons

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As usual, I agree with HiddenX.

All these aspects revolve around gameplay, all else is incidental.