CGDC '97 Roundtable Report

Man, I love a religious war! The first session was pretty much a Diablo slag-fest, as I had predicted. There were basically 3 camps -- Ultima fans, Final Fantasy fans, and Diablo fans. A lot of time was spent debating the relative merits of each game (and those like them). The second session was marked by an intense debate over various methods for implementing RPGs on-line.

While many people feel Diablo is not a traditional RPG, they have a difficult time defending that position. All the trappings are there, but it just somehow doesn't seem right to them. Others point out that all CRPGs (including Diablo) are just hack 'n slash games, the same as Doom. Some are turn-based hack 'n slash, but are so all the same.

The debate over on-line RPG implementation centered on the fee model and on world mechanics. There are several theories being tested right now, but most people agreed that having real people play as many characters as possible was very important. Computer-controlled personalities just don't work as well.

One thing's for sure, there were a lot of people in the room who were very happy to hear that CRPGs are making a big come back -- thanks ever so much to Diablo, whether it's an RPG or not.