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Introduction

This literature review covers the steps to be considered when making a Roll Playing Game (RPG). It uses both research as well as experience shared by developers. It's a look into patterns, AI and game design being narrowed down to aid new game developers.

Body

Richard Cobbett (2017) talks about the beginnings of Role Playing Games, such as the board game, Dungeons and Dragons(1974) and how the first RPG video games came to be, from the 70's up until modern day. Starting off as a board game to 2D PC games only being available in Universities to modern 3D behemoths such as Fallout, The Witcher, Elder Scrolls etc. Showcasing how the genre advanced both in mechanics, graphics and storytelling as the years went on.

Bryant Francis (2015) studied the work of veteran game designers and how they designed difficulty in games. Comparing the thinking of old versus new game designers and how when designing the difficulty for games, you should think about what the player can do rather what the game can do.

Mike Stout (2016) discusses a game developer's personal experience in designing levels for video games, divided into steps. Looking at the limitations, brainstorming the structure, using diagrams to lay out areas, rough maps and finishing the design are the key steps in creating a level. Of course once you start creating a level in an engine you're going to change certain aspects, but having a solid foundation makes the job much easier.

Petri Lankoski (2002) explains that when creating a character it's important to engage the player in a way that they experience the game as that character. Character interpretation requires character understanding. A well defined character needs a well defined goal. Balancing the power of the player and turning forces against each other, it is important that the player has something to do.

David Thue, Vadim Bulitko, Marcia Spetch, Eric Vasylishen, (2007) discuss how creating an interactive story can be based of user experience and user models. Using a system called "PaSSAGE", one can use a player model which makes decisions in an interactive story. Then the game is tested by users and date is collected.

Alexander Zook and Mark O'Riedl (2014) mention using a domain-independent system to create game mechanics.Combining mechanics using a constant solver and planner.That system can work in a variety of game mechanics focusing on the higher-level problems of designing mechanics rather than genre-specific concerns. Developing more sophisticated playability requirements. Autonomous mechanic generation (given designer initial inputs) holds promise for creating AI designers that generate games starting from mechanics.

Gillian Smith, Ryan Anderson, Brian Kopleck, Zach Lindblad, Lauren Scott, Adam Wardell, Jim Whitehead, Michael Mateas (2011) studied quest design by examining different role playing and quest based games. This allows us to look for patterns and create better quests. Learning how and where to fit in a quest in an open world to allow to player to explore and conquer as well as reward them.

Sebastien Labottin (2012) indicates that good combat system should be fun, clever and challenging. A player should be engaged and have many fighting options. Also make sure that when designing enemies they can match players abilities. Finally make the player feel clever about how they handled a situation in combat. You should always aim for that feeling.

Mike Stout Introduces how boss battles should feel and how they should be designed. Boss battles should feels rewarding, something achieved after a tough challenge. A boss should feel like a milestone, something to look forward too and then go further. A good boss battle should test the players skills and abilities learned throughout the game. Lastly, they should be satisfying. Difficult and tense boss battles need a satisfying ending, something to please the player.

Gustav Grund Pihlgren Martin Nilsson Mikael Larsson Oskar Olsson Tobias Foughman Victor Gustafsson (2016) show that when creating NPC's in a video game we have to take two things into consideration, the game world itself and the AI. The game world should always be developed first as it allows better planning and sets a theme and characteristics for the NPC's. The AI comes next but it's more tricky to develop good AI. Good NPC AI supports immersion. A nice and authentic world needs nice and authentic people so that the player can really immerse themselves into the experience.

Conclusion

The above articles showcase that RPG's can be studied and their design can be tested and they can be designed using patters, hover it also shows that people with game development experience have their own views on the development of the genre. Game development can be abstract and complicated and can't be done using the same methods continuously. It is only a series of hints to help guide one in developing a well designed and thought out RPG, mentioning the points to consider when designing a game.

Citation

1. Richard Cobbett (2017) Our comprehensive guide to PC RPGs spanning four decades - from Dungeon to The Witcher 3, The History of RPGs. PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/the-complete-history-of-rpgs/4/
2. Bryant Francis (2015) Designing difficulty in role-playing games, Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/256705/Designing_difficulty_in_roleplaying_games.php
3. Mike Stout (2016) A Beginner's Guide to Designing Video Game Levels. tutsplus.com https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/tutorials/a-beginners-guide-to-designing-video-game-levels--cms-25662
4. Petri Lankoski (2002) Character Design Fundamentals for Role-Playing Games, Södertörn University, researchgate.net. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Petri_Lankoski2/publication/200010276_Character_Design_Fundamentals_for_Role-Playing_Games/links/54eb0aa20cf27a6de115daae.pdf
5. David Thue, Vadim Bulitko, Marcia Spetch, Eric Vasylishen, (2007) Interactive Storytelling: A Player Modelling Approach, University of Alberta. http://www.aaai.org/Papers/AIIDE/2007/AIIDE07-008.pdf
6. Alexander Zook and Mark O'Riedl (2014), Automatic Game Design Via Mechanic Generation. School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing Georgia Institute of Technology. https://www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/AAAI/AAAI14/paper/viewFile/8152/8466
7. Gillian Smith, Ryan Anderson, Brian Kopleck, Zach Lindblad, Lauren Scott, Adam Wardell, Jim Whitehead, Michael Mateas (2011) Situating Quests: Design Patterns for Quest and Level Design in Role-Playing Games Center for Games and Playable Media, UC Santa Cruz. http://sokath.com/main/files/1/smith-icids11.pdf
8. Sebastien Labottin (2012) The Fundamental Pillars of a Combat System Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/175950/the_fundamental_pillars_of_a_.php
9. Mike Stout Boss Battle Design and Structure Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134503/boss_battle_design_and_structure.php?print=1
10. Gustav Grund Pihlgren Martin Nilsson Mikael Larsson Oskar Olsson Tobias Foughman Victor Gustafsson (2016) Realistic NPCs in Video Games Using Different AI Approaches Department of Computer Science and Engineering CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Göteborg, Sweden. http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/245348/245348.pdf.

Literature Review