20th September 2004, 11:52 AM
Quote:Well there's "real time" and then there's actual real time with direct control. PC RPGs still have you telling the guy to attack and they attack on their own terms. What I heard is it's actually Zelda combat where it's full direct control. Is that right?
PC RPGs are a vast genre which includes just about every possible variation on these themes. On one end you've got turn-based RPGs that are almost tactical strategy games, like Fallout or Greyhawk: Temple of Elemental Evil's accurate depiction of D&D rules... a step from taht is pausable-realtime mouse control in Baldur's Gate. Then you've got console-style RPGs like Anachronox or Septerra Core, action-RPGs (which are themselves a vast genre -- the Ultima games may have simple combat but aren't simple games, while Diablo has simple combat but IS a simple game), etc, etc... and then there are some that use direct control. These are generally older, first-person RPGs -- the prototypical 'Dungeon Hack' style game. First person in a dungeon. While sometimes this is more complex -- like in Wizardry -- these games can also have very simple arcadish combat. See Stonekeep. :)
As for action-combat in a more open RPG setting, the closest I can think of is the Elder Scrolls series... simplistic combat like in those dungeon hacks, but tied to a massively complex world.