The RPG Sanctum #1: The State of the Genre

[Rosestorm]

The RPG Sanctum #1: The State of the Genre
Notes: The first episode of The RPG Sanctum will focus on the current state of the RPG genre as a whole. Our panelists will muse about where they think the genre sits and where they think it's going.
Sub Topics: JRPGs, WRPGs, and Indie RPGs
Guests: Michael Cunningham (Macstorm), Phillip Willis (JCServant), Emanuel Merino (Risingsuntzu), David McBurney (fbm), and Special Guest Robert Boyd from Zeboyd Games
Date: Thursday January 20, 2011 9pm US Eastern Time

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The next show's topic will be what makes an RPG, please leave all of your feedback for this show here, and if you have comments for the next show's topic leave them here.
Here is the next show's info,
The RPG Sanctum #2: What Makes an RPG
Notes: Do you know what of JRPG, WRPG, SRPG, TRPG, ARPG, CRPG, or the now infamous expression "game with RPG elements" truly means. In a debate that will bring out your inner fanboy(or girl), our panelists will duke it out in a no holds bar turn based cage match too bring you the answer.
Guests: Scott Wachter (Fowl Sorcerous), Nathan Schlothan (TwinBahamut), Andrew Long (Castomel)
Date: Tuesday February 1, 2011 9pm US Eastern Time

Notes: During the editing for this episode something happened that caused the interlude music to play twice, this is my first time editing so please be gentle with the criticism.

[Cavalier]

Haven't listened yet as it's still downloading. You probably need to do something about the quality as the file size is a bit extreme. 320kbps is too high for a podcast (unless you're all singing, really well)

[Nyx]

First off, great first episode!

Just a couple of nitpicks though.

You may want to edit out the bits where Manny dropped the call. No one wants to hear that bit truthfully. It has nothing to do with the show, it's probably worth cutting it out.

Also, holy huge file size, Batman! This thing is a monster. You may need to compress the file some more more to make it more manageable. Also, it might be a good idea to cut down on the music to about 30 seconds rather than a full 2 to 3 minutes. You don't really need that much time to make a quick transition.

But really, the rest was pretty great. It was a very good discussion. Very insightful.

[Rosestorm]

I will fix the file size when I get ready to upload it to itunes, in regards to the music length, I want to get all of your feedback as to whether or not I should go with shorter pieces or whether you guys like the longer ones.

[Nyx]

I will fix the file size when I get ready to upload it to itunes, in regards to the music length, I want to get all of your feedback as to whether or not I should go with shorter pieces or whether you guys like the longer ones.

I think smaller will help your compression. Also, Rose, sweetie muffins, you've got music queuing into Phil talking during the WRPG section. You may want to fix that since Phil becomes barely audio-able.

[Rosestorm]

Unfortunately, I deleted the original file from my computer before I caught that, and I can't fix it, on the plus side I figured out what caused it so I will be able to avoid that in the future. I don't have the source file anymore so I can't fix that, the file size I can still fix though.

[jason_150457]

Hey roy, great ep. Was a bit long though(not to mention that im typing this at 130am right after listening to the cast) I agree with the other posters about the parts that need cuts, but what was most disappointing for me was that while they guests' audio were very clear but I could barely hear you (if at all)

keep it up! by the way, i just checked ur bio( i'm turning 21 this year too!)

Ivan(disregard my nick if replying to any post of mine, it was a name i picked up bcos i thought it was cool.)

[Macstorm]

I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but shorter transitions are always a good idea.

[jcservant]

I think smaller will help your compression. Also, Rose, sweetie muffins, you've got music queuing into Phil talking during the WRPG section. You may want to fix that since Phil becomes barely audio-able.

What? Me??? Barely audion-able during one of my magnificent monologues? Blasphemy I say! Blasphemy!!

[Islandsnake]

I enjoyed the podcast, it was pretty interesting to hear some "OGs" talk RPGS. It did run very long, I almost feel like you coulda made a episode for each section of the podcast -- though I think thats a good thing, its always better to have too much than too little.


A few things I would try to improve/change in the future -
-- Voice levels seemed very all over the place the entire podcast, some of the people speaking had extremely high volume or voices -- while others I could barely hear...if possible try to get everyone on the same level or turn down the louder peoples volume and so on and so forth -- I haven't worked too to much with this kinda stuff but it should be possible to get it at least a bit more consistent.
-- If possible its good to have the guest have there mic on mute(if possible ofc) until the want to hop into the fray -- on more than one instance there was backround noise from people who weren't talking or at least it seemed so to me.
-- Great job picking the people to do this show, everyone had a different backround and view on the subjects, and while I wish there was a bit more conflicting views than there was-- there was plenty of counter points and dicussion that sprang from the topic - which made it enjoyable.

Either way I enjoyed it! and since there wasn't too many comments I thought id put my 2cents in

Keep it up, looking forward to episode 2!

[Azilis]

Also, Rose, sweetie muffins, you've got music queuing into Phil talking during the WRPG section. You may want to fix that since Phil becomes barely audio-able.

Phil was audible enough that I initially thought it was intentional . . . it added some dramatic tension to Phil's "history of the western RPG" monologue. Then Rosestorm started talking with his too quiet mic, and he was almost completely drowned out by the music. His mic has been far too quiet the times he's been on RPGcast too, so there's a consistent problem across separate podcasts.

Other than a few editing issues, pretty good initial episode so far (I listened to the first half of it today, and I'll get to the rest tomorrow). I'll be interested to see where this podcast goes with future episodes.

[AverageJoe]

Hey guys, loved the first episode of Sanctum. Very cool to have a podcast talking about the genre itself, and not just picking apart games (although that is always fun too). Personally I enjoyed this podcast bc I have also been having this kind of discussion with my brother for years now. What has happened to the good old days of gaming? Why do the games now just feel...different? (it could be that I am no longer twelve years old eating frozen pizza and playing final fantasy all night) but I also think it has to do with a shift in the gaming currents. Games make so much money now that they are developed around "what will sell to the largest audience" and not "how can we create a powerful art medium." My two cents. Keep up the good work!

[Nightfox]

Looking forward to the next one a lot. The overuse and misuse of the term "RPG" drives me insane these days, so I'm dying to hear how it gets broken down by you guys, regardless of any outcome It's like one of the main topics I always mull over when working on my own game, lol.

[silktail]

I want to get all of your feedback as to whether or not I should go with shorter pieces or whether you guys like the longer ones.

Longer ones would work if they are directly related to the subject being discussed. But otherwise you probably want to stick with a short bit of music.
(People can always pause it, if they wanted more of a break.)

[LokeSTL]

IMO, the problem with the JRPG genre is that it didn't follow a natural progression this gen. On one hand, I think this has much to do with the fact that Japan has moved to developing for handhelds and mobile platforms. While the DS and mobile platforms sell in other areas, the niche JRPG crowd is still primarily a group of console gamers. So excuses are made as to why JRPGs don't "sell well anymore". Assumptions like "tired combat systems" and "cliche stories" are made. It was even mentioned in the podcast that there are "currently an abundance of JRPGs", or something to that effect. That depends on your outlook.

Look for a moment at the fact that the majority of JRPGers were on the PS2 last gen. It is reasonable(and well known in my circles) that the bulk of these people either made the jump to the PS3 with expectations of the same treatment, or have held out to see what happens. Not only did VERY few traditional JRPGs ever end up there, but not many came to the other console formats either. Especially not to the PS3.

What we have is a group of developers who are developing for one set of formats(Japan/handheld), and another group of gamers who are still interested in the next gen of another set of formats(NA/EU/console). Can anyone name more than a few traditional JRPGs that have come to the PS3 in NA/EU? I bet not. Some of us have finally given in and bought a 360. And now what traditional turn-based menu driven JRPGs are coming to the 360 in the future? I can't think of one.

So what you have are people like me who love JRPGs, but don't like to play them on handhelds. People that constantly read and wait for some news on the next console JRPG that might be localized, and finding none. The closest thing would be the NISA fan service hybrids, the few "action-RPGs", and the bastardizations like FFXIII and Resonance of Fate. There is nothing wrong with those titles, they are just not what is wanted to fill the void. The closest thing that I've played this gen is Lost Odyssey. It's just too bad that much of the fanbase wasn't there to receive it. Not even me, I just got it December 2010.

Maybe it'll never be what it was, but the JRPG genre is still much loved. It's just too bad that the developers and us oversees fans can't see eye to eye on where they should end up. Get Sakaguchi to make a traditional PS3 JRPG, or SE to make a traditional console JRPG, and you'll see the genre rise again. Until then, we'll just bicker amongst each other about the nerdy little details of what makes a great JRPG and where the genre should go. Constantly and often. We don't have much else to do while we are waiting.

[Azilis]

I will fix the file size when I get ready to upload it to itunes, in regards to the music length, I want to get all of your feedback as to whether or not I should go with shorter pieces or whether you guys like the longer ones.

Honestly, I don't see the need for intermission music at all. I listen to these podcasts for the discussions, so a break for music (especially a lengthy piece of music) doesn't appeal to me at all. If I want a break, I'll hit the pause button. I didn't understand why Chris decided to start playing music during the middle of RPGcast episodes either, but a lot of people seemed to like it, so I'm probably in the minority here.

Regardless of whether or not you want to have music in the middle of the podcast, the intro music should definitely be short. The introductory segment of any podcast episode is pretty important to get to right away, so having a piece of music several minutes in length before the episode begins shouldn't even be considered. The way Chris uses his standard opening music for RPGcast is perfect IMO. He starts talking after 10 seconds of music, and the music gradually fades out as he continues the introduction. (The music is completely faded out after about a minute I think.)

[Macstorm]

We've talked about the music and Roy is planning to cut it down for the next episode, so no worries.

[Nightfox]

What we have is a group of developers who are developing for one set of formats(Japan/handheld), and another group of gamers who are still interested in the next gen of another set of formats(NA/EU/console). Can anyone name more than a few traditional JRPGs that have come to the PS3 in NA/EU? I bet not. Some of us have finally given in and bought a 360. And now what traditional turn-based menu driven JRPGs are coming to the 360 in the future? I can't think of one.

So what you have are people like me who love JRPGs, but don't like to play them on handhelds. People that constantly read and wait for some news on the next console JRPG that might be localized, and finding none. The closest thing would be the NISA fan service hybrids, the few "action-RPGs", and the bastardizations like FFXIII and Resonance of Fate. There is nothing wrong with those titles, they are just not what is wanted to fill the void. The closest thing that I've played this gen is Lost Odyssey. It's just too bad that much of the fanbase wasn't there to receive it. Not even me, I just got it December 2010.

Maybe it'll never be what it was, but the JRPG genre is still much loved. It's just too bad that the developers and us oversees fans can't see eye to eye on where they should end up. Get Sakaguchi to make a traditional PS3 JRPG, or SE to make a traditional console JRPG, and you'll see the genre rise again. Until then, we'll just bicker amongst each other about the nerdy little details of what makes a great JRPG and where the genre should go. Constantly and often. We don't have much else to do while we are waiting.

I'm holding out that Persona 5 remains turn-based and is on the PS3 or 360 (still awaiting word on platform!). I mean, even if it isn't Persona that does a turn-based console game first, it has to happen eventually. I've pretty much given up on Square-Enix delivering anything that keeps my interesting beyond the shinies these days (aside from Dragon Quest). If only Konami, Capcom, and Sony/Media.Vision would give us their respectively long overdue sequels to their turn-based games, that might solve the problem ;p

[LokeSTL]

I'm holding out that Persona 5 remains turn-based and is on the PS3 or 360 (still awaiting word on platform!). I mean, even if it isn't Persona that does a turn-based console game first, it has to happen eventually. I've pretty much given up on Square-Enix delivering anything that keeps my interesting beyond the shinies these days (aside from Dragon Quest). If only Konami, Capcom, and Sony/Media.Vision would give us their respectively long overdue sequels to their turn-based games, that might solve the problem ;p

I've all but given up on any turn-based JRPGs showing up on consoles myself. SE is just too large and arrogant. I believe that Sakaguchi still has one more game obligation to MS, but fear that he is going to move to a more action-based system like The Last Story. Here is to hoping that he makes a direct sequel or something in the realm of Lost Odyssey.

I do still enjoy DQ, but even that series seems to be ramping up to a change. The multiplayer, bubbly cartoon art, and funny hat focus is starting to throw me off. But as long as the combat stays traditional, I can turn my head at those things for the most part. Looking forward to VI, I've had it pre-ordered since Amazon listed it. It would be nice if SE would put a collection together for a console. As I said before, I'm not a big fan of handheld gaming.

I'd be glad to see a tradition JRPG show up on the HD consoles in any form. Whether it be a new I.P., a new addition to a classic series, or the HD remakes of classic JRPGs. Whether it's from SE, Konami, Capcom or Sony. Heck, I'd be greatful for a sequel to Enchanted Arms at this point. I just hope that those Japanese devs haven't completely forgotten about us, that's all.

[bluemanrule]

Many of the technical aspects of this pilot have already been addressed so I'll touch on content. I recommend associating time limits on certain topics. It will help keep the focus.

I agree that he psychographics of consumers is different from the days of old. Now we need shorter chapters and save anywhere structures that allow us to play a game as our schedule allows. Making a story-telling style conducive to this behavior would benefit the genre greatly. This could decrease the dominance of the portable condolences and become more accessible to all Gamers.