Post by raithwall on Sept 11, 2008 13:45:22 GMT -5
Hello I have decided to treat the grand list of RPG cliches as an interview and identify which ones apply to my game (both parts the story as a whole) and which ones do not. Here I will only be listing the ones that apply, but a lot is also said about the ones that don't
project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html
Also there is one that does apply, but I did not list because it gives away way way too much.
Total Score: 53 out of 192. Slightly over 25%.
1. Sleepyhead Rule
The teenaged male lead will begin the first day of the game by oversleeping, being woken up by his mother, and being reminded that he's slept in so late he missed meeting his girlfriend.
Sort of. It does begin by being awoke by his swordmaster whose more like a grandfather.
2. "No! My beloved peasant village!"
The hero's home town, city, slum, or planet will usually be annihilated in a spectacular fashion before the end of the game, and often before the end of the opening scene.
lol It was destroyed before he even woke up.
5. Logan's Run Rule
RPG characters are young. Very young. The average age seems to be 15.
No, although I do have one thats pretty young.
6. Single Parent Rule
The missing parent either vanished mysteriously and traumatically several years ago or is never referred to at all. Frequently the main character's surviving parent will also meet an awkward end just after the story begins, thus freeing him of inconvenient filial obligations.
His parents are found much later on, but there is someone who meets an end in the beginning.
9. The Compulsories
There's always a fire dungeon, an ice dungeon, a sewer maze, a misty forest, a derelict ghost ship, a mine, a glowing crystal maze, an ancient temple full of traps, a magic floating castle, and a technological dungeon.
Yes, because those are classic.
14. Garrett's Principle
Let's not mince words: you're a thief. You can walk into just about anybody's house like the door wasn't even locked. You just barge right in and start looking for stuff. Anything you can find that's not nailed down is yours to keep. You will often walk into perfect strangers' houses, lift their precious artifacts, and then chat with them like you were old neighbors as you head back out with their family heirlooms under your arm. Unfortunately, this never works in stores.
lol. Well there are very very few houses you can actually enter, most towns having only shops, but there are a few opportunities for stealing from plants and shelves.
15. Hey, I Know You!
You will accumulate at least three of these obligatory party members:
* The spunky princess who is rebelling against her royal parent and is in love with the hero.
* The demure, soft-spoken female mage and healing magic specialist who is not only in love with the hero, but is also the last survivor of an ancient race.
* The tough-as-nails female warrior who is not in love with the hero (note that this is the only female character in the game who is not in love with the hero and will therefore be indicated as such by having a spectacular scar, a missing eye, cyborg limbs or some other physical deformity -- see The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Rule.)
All rolled into one character
16. Hey, I Know You, Too!
You will also confront/be confronted by at least three of these obligatory antagonists:
I am proud to say NO. But I'll add my own obligatories: The Dwarf.
17. Hey, I Know You, Three!
Furthermore, expect to encounter most of the following obligatory non-player chararcters (NPCs):
* The townsperson or crewmember who wanders aimlessly in circles and never quite gets where he is going.
* The NPC who has a crush on another NPC and can't quite work up the nerve to tell him or her, so instead tells every other person who wanders by about it at great length.
Yeah, but you know what, I do that sometimes too.
19. "Silly Squall, bringing a sword to a gunfight..."
No matter what timeframe the game is set in -- past, present, or future -- the main hero and his antagonist will both use a sword for a weapon.
Yes the hero is your typical swordsmen with some customizability and at least two of his villians are also swordsmen. Once again, classic.
22. MacGyver Rule - you name it, you can kill with it.
I guess sound weapons, aka, enchanted guitars fall into this.
24. Capitalism Is A Harsh Mistress
27. Nostradamus Rule
All legends are 100% accurate. All rumors are entirely factual. All prophecies will come true, and not just someday but almost immediately.
Well most of them. I find that most legends do some shred of truth to them.
29. 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.
Durability would've been a nice feature, but its impossible to implement in RPGM2.
30. Selective Paralysis
Your characters must always keep both feet on the ground and will be unable to climb over low rock ledges, railings, chairs, cats, slightly differently-colored ground, or any other trivial objects which may happen to be in their way. Note that this condition will not prevent your characters from jumping from railroad car to railroad car later in the game.
Only the first part this time.
31. Bed Bed Bed
A good night's sleep will cure all wounds, diseases, and disabilities, up to and including death in battle.
No not death, but yes all wounds and diseases. Sleep it off.
33. And Now You Die, Mr. Bond! (Beatrix Rule)
Fortunately for you, the previous rule also applies in reverse. Rather than kill you when they have you at their mercy, the villains will settle for merely blasting you down to 1 hit point and leaving you in a crumpled heap while they stroll off, laughing. (This is, of course, because they're already planning ahead how they'll manipulate you into doing their bidding later in the game -- see Way To Go, Serge.)
Yes, but the villians who spared you have good reason to and will later reveal these reasons to you. Call that the Golbez rule if you'd like.
40. Zelda's Axiom
Whenever somebody tells you about "the five ancient talismans" or "the nine legendary crystals" or whatever, you can be quite confident that Saving the World will require you to go out and find every last one of them.
Pretty Much.
42. Fodor's Guide Rule
In the course of your adventure you will visit one desert city, one port town, etc.
Pretty Much. Again Classic.
44. 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.
Yes, big time.
50. Short Attention Span Principle
All bookshelves contain exactly one book, which only has enough text on it to fill up half a page.
Your lucky I put it there at all lol
54. I Don't Like Gears Or Fighting
There are always giant robots. Always.
Sure. Robots are great.
55. Houdini's Postulate
Anyone, whether they are in the player's party or not, who is placed in any kind of prison, fortress, cell, or detention block will escape immediately.
NO, you get to rot in the cell for quite a bit. But technically yes in that we do forward this time so that you move on with the game almost immediately. You break out and have one heck of a time in doing so.
58. But They Don't Take American Express
Every merchant in the world -- even those living in far-off villages or hidden floating cities cut off from the outside world for centuries, even those who speak different languages or are of an entirely different species -- accepts the same currency.
Yeah. See Secret of Evermore for a game that defies this rule.
64. Ayn Rand's Revenge
Outside the major cities, there is no government whatsoever. Of course, perhaps that explains why it's so difficult and dangerous to get anywhere outside the major cities.
Um I guess so.
65. First Law of Travel
Anything can become a vehicle -- castles, cities, military academies, you name it -- so do not be alarmed when the stones of the ancient fortress you are visiting shake underfoot and the whole thing lifts off into the sky. As a corollary, anything is capable of flight if it would be cool, aeronautics or even basic physics be damned.
How bout a Coffin in the middle of a lava filled cave.
67. Third Law of Travel
The only way to travel by land between different areas of a continent will always be through a single narrow pass in a range of otherwise impenetrable mountains.
A few places, but generally no.
73. Last Law of Travel (Big Joe Rule)
you must endure great trials just to get from town to town
This happens exactly once. Well more if you count getting to the bad guys bases.
75. Law of Numbers
There will be several items or effects which depend on the numerical value of your hit points, level, etc., which makes no sense unless the characters can see all the numbers in their world and find it perfectly normal that a spell only works on a monster whose level is a multiple of 5.
No lv 5 doom, but yes I have used such variables but never as a known fact just because they give me the numbers I want.
76. Magical Inequality Theorem
In the course of your travels you may find useful-sounding spells such as Petrify, Silence, and Instant Death. However, you will end up never using these spells in combat because a) all ordinary enemies can be killed with a few normal attacks, making fancy attacks unneccessary, b) all bosses and other stronger-than-average monsters are immune to those effects so there's no point in using them for long fights where they'd actually come in handy, and c) the spells usually don't work anyway.
In the first one yes, but I did some bosses you can use them on. In the second game you always have a full party and start with 90% of your abilities so you will meet normal enemies that are a pain to deal with but weak to instant death spells and the such. Even in the first game there are some enemies that its just easier to use status against them. But as much as I hate to say the answer to this one is generally yes.
80. Friendly Fire Principle (or, Final Fantasy Tactics Rule)
Any attack that can target both allies and enemies will hit half of your allies and none of your enemies.
Its just because psychologically we only take notice of the bad times and ignore the good ones.
83. Dungeon Design 103 (or, Wallpaper Warning)
Your progress through a dungeon will be indicated by a sudden change in decor: different wall color, different torches on the wall, et cetera.
Sometimes, I guess.
85. Dungeon Design 301
All "puzzles" in RPG dungeons can be sorted into one of the following types:
* pushing blocks (rocks, statues) onto switches;
I don't many puzzles and they are optional. I use the following rules: speed - to get it you must be very fast. Secret door, hidden hole you can't see, space that clicks when you walk over it indicating to do something, hidden in plain sight.
87. Supply and Demand Axiom
Killing a powerful enemy will usually yield an item or weapon that would've been extremely useful if you had gotten it before killing that enemy.
One of lifes little ironies.
93. Puddin' Tame Rule
The average passer-by will always say the same thing no matter how many times you talk to them, and they certainly won't clarify any of the vaguely worded warnings or cryptic half-sentences they threw at you the previous time.
I use text specific to each town, and random universal text. You can only talk to people twice, but when you talk to the next guy chances are he'll say the same thing.
97. Three Females Rule
There will always be either one or three female characters in the hero's party, no matter how many male characters there are.
This one is a bit unclear, but I'm going to say yes just to be safe. I actually have an equal amount of male and female characters, but I have introduced most of the female ones first.
103. Near-Death Epiphany (Fei Rule)
If the party is not dealing damage to a boss character, then there's a better-than-even chance that someone in the party will suddenly become enlightened and instantly acquire the offensive skill that can blow the creature away in a matter of seconds.
I think I may have done this a couple times.
104. Wutai Rule
Most RPGs, no matter what their mythology, include a land based on ancient Japan. Full of pagodas, shrines, shoguns, kitsune, and sushi, this completely anachronistic place is the source of the entire world's supply of ninja and samurai characters.
This isn't really fair because 90% of RPGs were made in Japan, but even so, let us pay homeage.
117. Talk Is Cheap Rule
Nothing is ever solved by diplomacy or politics in the world of RPGs. Any declarations of peace, summits and treaty negotiations are traps to fool the ever so gullible Good Guys into thinking the war is over, or to brainwash the remaining leaders of the world.
Yeah, probably.
122. Missing Master Hypothesis
Almost every strong physical fighter learned everything he/she knows from some old master or friend. Invariably, the master or friend has since turned evil, been killed, or disappeared without a trace.
I think I wind up doing all of these in one way or another.
126. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely (Althena Rule)
If a good guy is manipulated to the side of evil, they will suddenly find a new inner strength that will enable them to wipe out your whole party with a wave of their hand.
Kind of.
129. Second Law of Fashion
Any character's costume, no matter how skimpy, complicated, or simply outlandish, is always completely suitable to wear when climbing around in caves, hiking across the desert, and slogging through the sewers. It will continue to be completely suitable right afterwards when said character goes to meet the King.
Most characters have different model choices, but generally yes.
144. Materials Science 101
Gold, silver, and other precious metals make excellent weapons and armor even though in the real world they are too soft and heavy to use for that purpose. In fact, they work so well that nobody ever melts their solid gold suit of armor down into bullion, sells it, and retires to a tropical isle on the proceeds.
I guess Diamond Sword and Diamond Armor are a dead giveaway.
152. Stealing The Spotlight (Edea Rule)
The characters who join your party only briefly tend to be much cooler than your regular party members.
Except they don't really join your party, you just get to the control them. So yes.
158. Party Guidance Rule
Somewhere in the last third of the story, the hero will make a stupid decision and the rest of the party must remind him of all that they have learned from being with him in order to return the hero to normal.
I guess this kind of applies. I shouldn't say anymore.
159. Bad Is Good, Baby!
The heroes can always count on the support of good-hearted vampires, dragons, thieves, demons, and chainsaw murderers in their quest to save the world from evil. And on the other hand...
160. Good Is Bad, Baby!
Watch out for generous priests, loyal military officers, and basically anyone in a position of authority who agrees to help you out, especially if they save your life and prove their sincerity innumerable times -- they're usually plotting your demise in secret (at least when they can fit it into their busy schedule of betraying their country, sponsoring international terrorism, and stealing candy from small children) and will stab you in the back at the most inconvenient moment.
Hahaha delightfully at that.
168. Way To Go, Serge
It will eventually turn out that, for a minimum of the first sixty percent of the game, you were actually being manipulated by the forces of evil into doing their sinister bidding for them. In extreme cases this may go as high as 90%. The clear implication is that it would have been better to not get involved in the first place.
Its true that sometimes the villians know about your actions and plan accordingly. In my case Id say the percentage is more like 20%.
169. Gilligan's Prescription
Any character who has amnesia will be cured before the end of the game. They usually won't like what they find out about themselves, though.
Obviously.
174. Flow of Goods Rule
The quality of goods in the world is dependent upon the shop's distance from the final dungeon. It doesn't matter if the town you start in has a huge thriving economy and is the center of world trade, it will always have the game's worst equipment; and even if that village near the end is isolated and has only three people in it, it will have the game's best equipment.
Distance no, progression wise yes.
179. The Best-Laid Schemes
The final villain's grand scheme will have involved the deaths of thousands or even millions of innocent people, the clever manipulation of governments, armies, and entire populations, and will have taken anywhere from five to five thousand years to come to fruition. The hero will come up with a method of undoing this plan forever in less than five minutes.
There is some truth to this, but only in the grandiose scale that some plans operate.
183. Adam Smith's Revenge
By the end of the game you are renowned everywhere as the Legendary Heroes, every surviving government and authority figure has rallied behind you, the fate of the world is obviously hanging in the balance, and out of nowhere random passers-by give you a pat on the back and heartfelt good luck wishes. However, shopkeepers won't even give you a discount, much less free supplies for the final battle with evil.
Hahaha its so true.
187. "So, Andross, you reveal your true form!"
You will have to kill the evil villain at least twice at the end of the game. First the villain will look like a person or some creature and be rather easy to kill. Then he will grow to about 50 times the hero's size and be much harder to kill.
Its true that many villians are fought more then once, but I don't think I have ever made them grow. I have one where he dies, then you have his undead zombie form to fight, then his skeleton form to fight, and just when you thought it was over... his ghost form appears!
190. Weapon Rule
There's always a hidden creature who is much harder to defeat than even the ultimate bad guy's final, world-annihilating form. It's lucky for all concerned that this hidden creature prefers to stay hidden rather than trying to take over the world himself, because he'd probably win. As a corollary, whatever reward you get for killing the hidden creature is basically worthless because by the time you're powerful enough to defeat him, you don't need it any more.
Yes and No, and btw I hated this in FF7 and FF10. I have some optional bosses but they are in the middle of the game, if you wait till the end they aren't so hard, but you'll want to have their weapons as soon as you can get them. I do have one optional boss who is indeed the strongest but works with the bad guys, and you only have to fight if you want to see 4 of the 5 endings.
project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html
Also there is one that does apply, but I did not list because it gives away way way too much.
Total Score: 53 out of 192. Slightly over 25%.
1. Sleepyhead Rule
The teenaged male lead will begin the first day of the game by oversleeping, being woken up by his mother, and being reminded that he's slept in so late he missed meeting his girlfriend.
Sort of. It does begin by being awoke by his swordmaster whose more like a grandfather.
2. "No! My beloved peasant village!"
The hero's home town, city, slum, or planet will usually be annihilated in a spectacular fashion before the end of the game, and often before the end of the opening scene.
lol It was destroyed before he even woke up.
5. Logan's Run Rule
RPG characters are young. Very young. The average age seems to be 15.
No, although I do have one thats pretty young.
6. Single Parent Rule
The missing parent either vanished mysteriously and traumatically several years ago or is never referred to at all. Frequently the main character's surviving parent will also meet an awkward end just after the story begins, thus freeing him of inconvenient filial obligations.
His parents are found much later on, but there is someone who meets an end in the beginning.
9. The Compulsories
There's always a fire dungeon, an ice dungeon, a sewer maze, a misty forest, a derelict ghost ship, a mine, a glowing crystal maze, an ancient temple full of traps, a magic floating castle, and a technological dungeon.
Yes, because those are classic.
14. Garrett's Principle
Let's not mince words: you're a thief. You can walk into just about anybody's house like the door wasn't even locked. You just barge right in and start looking for stuff. Anything you can find that's not nailed down is yours to keep. You will often walk into perfect strangers' houses, lift their precious artifacts, and then chat with them like you were old neighbors as you head back out with their family heirlooms under your arm. Unfortunately, this never works in stores.
lol. Well there are very very few houses you can actually enter, most towns having only shops, but there are a few opportunities for stealing from plants and shelves.
15. Hey, I Know You!
You will accumulate at least three of these obligatory party members:
* The spunky princess who is rebelling against her royal parent and is in love with the hero.
* The demure, soft-spoken female mage and healing magic specialist who is not only in love with the hero, but is also the last survivor of an ancient race.
* The tough-as-nails female warrior who is not in love with the hero (note that this is the only female character in the game who is not in love with the hero and will therefore be indicated as such by having a spectacular scar, a missing eye, cyborg limbs or some other physical deformity -- see The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Rule.)
All rolled into one character
16. Hey, I Know You, Too!
You will also confront/be confronted by at least three of these obligatory antagonists:
I am proud to say NO. But I'll add my own obligatories: The Dwarf.
17. Hey, I Know You, Three!
Furthermore, expect to encounter most of the following obligatory non-player chararcters (NPCs):
* The townsperson or crewmember who wanders aimlessly in circles and never quite gets where he is going.
* The NPC who has a crush on another NPC and can't quite work up the nerve to tell him or her, so instead tells every other person who wanders by about it at great length.
Yeah, but you know what, I do that sometimes too.
19. "Silly Squall, bringing a sword to a gunfight..."
No matter what timeframe the game is set in -- past, present, or future -- the main hero and his antagonist will both use a sword for a weapon.
Yes the hero is your typical swordsmen with some customizability and at least two of his villians are also swordsmen. Once again, classic.
22. MacGyver Rule - you name it, you can kill with it.
I guess sound weapons, aka, enchanted guitars fall into this.
24. Capitalism Is A Harsh Mistress
27. Nostradamus Rule
All legends are 100% accurate. All rumors are entirely factual. All prophecies will come true, and not just someday but almost immediately.
Well most of them. I find that most legends do some shred of truth to them.
29. 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.
Durability would've been a nice feature, but its impossible to implement in RPGM2.
30. Selective Paralysis
Your characters must always keep both feet on the ground and will be unable to climb over low rock ledges, railings, chairs, cats, slightly differently-colored ground, or any other trivial objects which may happen to be in their way. Note that this condition will not prevent your characters from jumping from railroad car to railroad car later in the game.
Only the first part this time.
31. Bed Bed Bed
A good night's sleep will cure all wounds, diseases, and disabilities, up to and including death in battle.
No not death, but yes all wounds and diseases. Sleep it off.
33. And Now You Die, Mr. Bond! (Beatrix Rule)
Fortunately for you, the previous rule also applies in reverse. Rather than kill you when they have you at their mercy, the villains will settle for merely blasting you down to 1 hit point and leaving you in a crumpled heap while they stroll off, laughing. (This is, of course, because they're already planning ahead how they'll manipulate you into doing their bidding later in the game -- see Way To Go, Serge.)
Yes, but the villians who spared you have good reason to and will later reveal these reasons to you. Call that the Golbez rule if you'd like.
40. Zelda's Axiom
Whenever somebody tells you about "the five ancient talismans" or "the nine legendary crystals" or whatever, you can be quite confident that Saving the World will require you to go out and find every last one of them.
Pretty Much.
42. Fodor's Guide Rule
In the course of your adventure you will visit one desert city, one port town, etc.
Pretty Much. Again Classic.
44. 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.
Yes, big time.
50. Short Attention Span Principle
All bookshelves contain exactly one book, which only has enough text on it to fill up half a page.
Your lucky I put it there at all lol
54. I Don't Like Gears Or Fighting
There are always giant robots. Always.
Sure. Robots are great.
55. Houdini's Postulate
Anyone, whether they are in the player's party or not, who is placed in any kind of prison, fortress, cell, or detention block will escape immediately.
NO, you get to rot in the cell for quite a bit. But technically yes in that we do forward this time so that you move on with the game almost immediately. You break out and have one heck of a time in doing so.
58. But They Don't Take American Express
Every merchant in the world -- even those living in far-off villages or hidden floating cities cut off from the outside world for centuries, even those who speak different languages or are of an entirely different species -- accepts the same currency.
Yeah. See Secret of Evermore for a game that defies this rule.
64. Ayn Rand's Revenge
Outside the major cities, there is no government whatsoever. Of course, perhaps that explains why it's so difficult and dangerous to get anywhere outside the major cities.
Um I guess so.
65. First Law of Travel
Anything can become a vehicle -- castles, cities, military academies, you name it -- so do not be alarmed when the stones of the ancient fortress you are visiting shake underfoot and the whole thing lifts off into the sky. As a corollary, anything is capable of flight if it would be cool, aeronautics or even basic physics be damned.
How bout a Coffin in the middle of a lava filled cave.
67. Third Law of Travel
The only way to travel by land between different areas of a continent will always be through a single narrow pass in a range of otherwise impenetrable mountains.
A few places, but generally no.
73. Last Law of Travel (Big Joe Rule)
you must endure great trials just to get from town to town
This happens exactly once. Well more if you count getting to the bad guys bases.
75. Law of Numbers
There will be several items or effects which depend on the numerical value of your hit points, level, etc., which makes no sense unless the characters can see all the numbers in their world and find it perfectly normal that a spell only works on a monster whose level is a multiple of 5.
No lv 5 doom, but yes I have used such variables but never as a known fact just because they give me the numbers I want.
76. Magical Inequality Theorem
In the course of your travels you may find useful-sounding spells such as Petrify, Silence, and Instant Death. However, you will end up never using these spells in combat because a) all ordinary enemies can be killed with a few normal attacks, making fancy attacks unneccessary, b) all bosses and other stronger-than-average monsters are immune to those effects so there's no point in using them for long fights where they'd actually come in handy, and c) the spells usually don't work anyway.
In the first one yes, but I did some bosses you can use them on. In the second game you always have a full party and start with 90% of your abilities so you will meet normal enemies that are a pain to deal with but weak to instant death spells and the such. Even in the first game there are some enemies that its just easier to use status against them. But as much as I hate to say the answer to this one is generally yes.
80. Friendly Fire Principle (or, Final Fantasy Tactics Rule)
Any attack that can target both allies and enemies will hit half of your allies and none of your enemies.
Its just because psychologically we only take notice of the bad times and ignore the good ones.
83. Dungeon Design 103 (or, Wallpaper Warning)
Your progress through a dungeon will be indicated by a sudden change in decor: different wall color, different torches on the wall, et cetera.
Sometimes, I guess.
85. Dungeon Design 301
All "puzzles" in RPG dungeons can be sorted into one of the following types:
* pushing blocks (rocks, statues) onto switches;
I don't many puzzles and they are optional. I use the following rules: speed - to get it you must be very fast. Secret door, hidden hole you can't see, space that clicks when you walk over it indicating to do something, hidden in plain sight.
87. Supply and Demand Axiom
Killing a powerful enemy will usually yield an item or weapon that would've been extremely useful if you had gotten it before killing that enemy.
One of lifes little ironies.
93. Puddin' Tame Rule
The average passer-by will always say the same thing no matter how many times you talk to them, and they certainly won't clarify any of the vaguely worded warnings or cryptic half-sentences they threw at you the previous time.
I use text specific to each town, and random universal text. You can only talk to people twice, but when you talk to the next guy chances are he'll say the same thing.
97. Three Females Rule
There will always be either one or three female characters in the hero's party, no matter how many male characters there are.
This one is a bit unclear, but I'm going to say yes just to be safe. I actually have an equal amount of male and female characters, but I have introduced most of the female ones first.
103. Near-Death Epiphany (Fei Rule)
If the party is not dealing damage to a boss character, then there's a better-than-even chance that someone in the party will suddenly become enlightened and instantly acquire the offensive skill that can blow the creature away in a matter of seconds.
I think I may have done this a couple times.
104. Wutai Rule
Most RPGs, no matter what their mythology, include a land based on ancient Japan. Full of pagodas, shrines, shoguns, kitsune, and sushi, this completely anachronistic place is the source of the entire world's supply of ninja and samurai characters.
This isn't really fair because 90% of RPGs were made in Japan, but even so, let us pay homeage.
117. Talk Is Cheap Rule
Nothing is ever solved by diplomacy or politics in the world of RPGs. Any declarations of peace, summits and treaty negotiations are traps to fool the ever so gullible Good Guys into thinking the war is over, or to brainwash the remaining leaders of the world.
Yeah, probably.
122. Missing Master Hypothesis
Almost every strong physical fighter learned everything he/she knows from some old master or friend. Invariably, the master or friend has since turned evil, been killed, or disappeared without a trace.
I think I wind up doing all of these in one way or another.
126. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely (Althena Rule)
If a good guy is manipulated to the side of evil, they will suddenly find a new inner strength that will enable them to wipe out your whole party with a wave of their hand.
Kind of.
129. Second Law of Fashion
Any character's costume, no matter how skimpy, complicated, or simply outlandish, is always completely suitable to wear when climbing around in caves, hiking across the desert, and slogging through the sewers. It will continue to be completely suitable right afterwards when said character goes to meet the King.
Most characters have different model choices, but generally yes.
144. Materials Science 101
Gold, silver, and other precious metals make excellent weapons and armor even though in the real world they are too soft and heavy to use for that purpose. In fact, they work so well that nobody ever melts their solid gold suit of armor down into bullion, sells it, and retires to a tropical isle on the proceeds.
I guess Diamond Sword and Diamond Armor are a dead giveaway.
152. Stealing The Spotlight (Edea Rule)
The characters who join your party only briefly tend to be much cooler than your regular party members.
Except they don't really join your party, you just get to the control them. So yes.
158. Party Guidance Rule
Somewhere in the last third of the story, the hero will make a stupid decision and the rest of the party must remind him of all that they have learned from being with him in order to return the hero to normal.
I guess this kind of applies. I shouldn't say anymore.
159. Bad Is Good, Baby!
The heroes can always count on the support of good-hearted vampires, dragons, thieves, demons, and chainsaw murderers in their quest to save the world from evil. And on the other hand...
160. Good Is Bad, Baby!
Watch out for generous priests, loyal military officers, and basically anyone in a position of authority who agrees to help you out, especially if they save your life and prove their sincerity innumerable times -- they're usually plotting your demise in secret (at least when they can fit it into their busy schedule of betraying their country, sponsoring international terrorism, and stealing candy from small children) and will stab you in the back at the most inconvenient moment.
Hahaha delightfully at that.
168. Way To Go, Serge
It will eventually turn out that, for a minimum of the first sixty percent of the game, you were actually being manipulated by the forces of evil into doing their sinister bidding for them. In extreme cases this may go as high as 90%. The clear implication is that it would have been better to not get involved in the first place.
Its true that sometimes the villians know about your actions and plan accordingly. In my case Id say the percentage is more like 20%.
169. Gilligan's Prescription
Any character who has amnesia will be cured before the end of the game. They usually won't like what they find out about themselves, though.
Obviously.
174. Flow of Goods Rule
The quality of goods in the world is dependent upon the shop's distance from the final dungeon. It doesn't matter if the town you start in has a huge thriving economy and is the center of world trade, it will always have the game's worst equipment; and even if that village near the end is isolated and has only three people in it, it will have the game's best equipment.
Distance no, progression wise yes.
179. The Best-Laid Schemes
The final villain's grand scheme will have involved the deaths of thousands or even millions of innocent people, the clever manipulation of governments, armies, and entire populations, and will have taken anywhere from five to five thousand years to come to fruition. The hero will come up with a method of undoing this plan forever in less than five minutes.
There is some truth to this, but only in the grandiose scale that some plans operate.
183. Adam Smith's Revenge
By the end of the game you are renowned everywhere as the Legendary Heroes, every surviving government and authority figure has rallied behind you, the fate of the world is obviously hanging in the balance, and out of nowhere random passers-by give you a pat on the back and heartfelt good luck wishes. However, shopkeepers won't even give you a discount, much less free supplies for the final battle with evil.
Hahaha its so true.
187. "So, Andross, you reveal your true form!"
You will have to kill the evil villain at least twice at the end of the game. First the villain will look like a person or some creature and be rather easy to kill. Then he will grow to about 50 times the hero's size and be much harder to kill.
Its true that many villians are fought more then once, but I don't think I have ever made them grow. I have one where he dies, then you have his undead zombie form to fight, then his skeleton form to fight, and just when you thought it was over... his ghost form appears!
190. Weapon Rule
There's always a hidden creature who is much harder to defeat than even the ultimate bad guy's final, world-annihilating form. It's lucky for all concerned that this hidden creature prefers to stay hidden rather than trying to take over the world himself, because he'd probably win. As a corollary, whatever reward you get for killing the hidden creature is basically worthless because by the time you're powerful enough to defeat him, you don't need it any more.
Yes and No, and btw I hated this in FF7 and FF10. I have some optional bosses but they are in the middle of the game, if you wait till the end they aren't so hard, but you'll want to have their weapons as soon as you can get them. I do have one optional boss who is indeed the strongest but works with the bad guys, and you only have to fight if you want to see 4 of the 5 endings.