[General Discussion] An Ideal RPG?

*Turn based or real time battle systems

Turn based. I like to stop and analyze my options, and plan ahead. A tactical battle engine would be even better.

*Male or Female lead

Ideally, a choice would be nice, but it is hard to come up with two different storylines to cover both possiblities, so I guess whatever works given the storyline at hand.

*A single main character or party array

Definitely a party. It allows for character development for more characters, and better character interaction. It also creates more interesting battles.

*General Theme? (e.g. Futuristic or medievil)

Whichever is picked needs to work with the story. If it's medieval, it needs to strictly follow it. But both could be good. Futuristic/alternate universe allows for more creativity.

*Should there be transition between field screen to battle screen, or should battles take place on the field itself

If they take plave in a seperate battle screen, leave out the ten second intros before and after every battle that every game has now, they just detract from the game and make battles boring. In the field could work better, as it allows scenery to be strategically used in battles.

*Should it feature a world map, or should areas be interlinked/ linear

World map. Linear RPGs aren't very fun. With a sense of exploration, you an relate to the main character easier, because then it feels like you have more influence in their decisions.

*Should there be more focus in RPGs - in other words, intergrating more gameplay genres - such as sport, racing, etc. Okay you see this in mini games, but should there be a grander focus?

Hell no.

*Cut out the cliched elements such as 'romantic love stories' or 'save the world storyline?' or the 'annoyingly pathetic heroine who is always in distress' - How would you go about changing these cliches?

I wouldn't necessarily eliminate them, but the story can't solely depend on those cliches. They also can't be overdone, and constantly forced upon you. If the world, or a damsel needs to be saved, there should be some period of time to develop said character or world first, and make the player like the character, then endanger it, so the player feels a need to save it.

*Should it be more about gameplay than storyline?

I think gameplay is more important. I couldn't finish either Kingdom Hearts game because I found the gameplay so horrendous, despite enjoying all the Disney references. But, the story still needs to be decent, otherwise there is no incentive to do anything in the game, and it feels like most MMORPGs to me: pointless level grinding, which leads to more pointless level grinding.

*Weaponry - What would you have, what would you cut out...like the main character almost always has a sword, and the heroine is a weakling with a staff

The weapons would have to fit in with the time period above, whichever it may be. I like the idea of a character being best with a certain weapon, maybe getting bonuses with certain types, but being able to use any type of weapon if desired.

*What would be an ideal battle engine - combos, limit breaks, magic system stc - how would you like it

I would say no to combos. Limit breaks might work if they hold some rarity, but they can't be abused as in Final Fantasy 8. A magic system is good because it allows for moves that are potentially stronger at some cost.

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