My dream RPG
Roleplaying games are something I think about a lot, and a question I have been pondering recently is: what set of parameters would result in an RPG that is the closest to my idea of the "perfect" RPG? By parameters I mean vague descriptions of game systems, mechanics and overall game direction. I do not intend to write a detailed game design document here and now, but rather define a mindset that might lead to one. I also don't mean to come up with something super unique or grandiose, and I in fact think that there are already several games that are close to being to my dream RPG.
1. Storytelling, dialogue, worldbuilding and atmosphere
What makes games, games, is that they are interactive. The game should leverage that by making heavy use of environmental storytelling. There should be very few cutscenes and small amounts of high-quality, impactful dialogue told by complete, unique characters. Etching a key part of the story into a wall in an optional dungeon in an ancient language that can only be translated with an optional book is better than a character standing next to the entrance waiting to dump exposition on the player (or worse, tell a quirky, milennial one-liner). Carefully placed books, notes, objects and creatures in certain locations should hint at what might've happened at those locations. Item descriptions should concisely describe events or characters pertaining to those items. If the player has to figure things out, pay attention, explore the environment and obtain loot, the player will feel rewarded and trusted, as well as motivated to keep playing, re-play the game or even explore and discuss the story further outside of the game.
As far as player agency goes with regards to story, a combinatorial explosion where the player can affect every little thing invariably leads to unrealistic, unsatisfactory scenarios, ludo-narrative dissonance and low-quality story. On the other hand, not being able to influence the events goes against the spirit of an RPG. I am partial to a system where the player doesn't influence much throughout the game, but is able to select some endings based on some things they did or did not complete.
2. Exploration and world design
Interconnected, non-linear, open-level design, please. The player has a clear objective and some reasonable boundaries, but is nevertheless given a high degree of freedom on how to approach that objective based on their playstyle. The player can also decide whether to rush through the level or fully explore it and be appropriately rewarded for it. This style of design should be rich in optional areas, secret areas, alternative routes, locked doors, traps, and carefully placed enemies and loot that serve as hints on where to go. Some groups of levels should be order-agnostic. This provides the player with high amounts of agency, but not so high that they are distracted and overwhelmed by unrelated, low-quality content, as is the case with fully open worlds. There should not be an in-game map, the world should be learnable by heart, and the game should facilitate that learning by creating backtracking sequences that make sense and don't feel like a waste of time. To facilitate that, the game should reward exploration with shortcuts, and should not allow fast travel until most of the map has been explored. Furthermore, the player should be intrinsically motivated to explorate. While loot can serve as a guide, and a cherry on top of the cake for finding a secret area, the player should be primarily rewarded through a beautiful view or learning something new about the story.
The atmosphere of the world is also tremendously important. The artstyle needs to be cohesive and compliment the story and gameplay. Music should be used sparsely and match the emotion of the area or state the player is in. Care should be put into the sound design and the player should be able to use sound meaningfully.
Quests should not be present in the game. To be clear, characters should send you to do meaningful things for them and offer a reward, but there should not be exclamation marks above their head or instructions in a quest log. Dilligent players that learn information by interacting with the world should be rewarded.
3. Difficulty, combat, progression
I enjoy tactical combat as much as the next guy and I think there is, and should be, a market for tactical RPGs, but strictly in the context of "my dream RPG", I have to go for action combat. I believe action combat rewards skilled players and immerses players in ways that tactical combat just can't, and since modern hardware is well capable of action combat, I think those capabilities should be utilized.
To that end, combat should not feel clunky or sticky. The game should react to the player's input immediately (aside from mechanics like stamina or stagger) and the controls should not be confusing or counterintuitive. Hitboxes should be placed and sized carefully so that the player never feels betrayed. Ambushing or overwhelming the player might be okay depending on the specifics, but the game must ultimately make the player feel like they are fighting on fair grounds. The game should feel difficult, but never rigged. The difficulty level of the game should be tuned such that players will feel accomplished after a combat encounter. The difficulty level should only be adjustable through diegetic means, like some clever strategies being overpowered. That way, the player still at least feels rewarded for finding them. A successful dodge or parry should not result in health loss, and all attacks should be dodgeable or parryable, such that the game can be beaten unharmed and at any level of progression by extremely skilled players. The world must not scale to the player level. The game should punish players for dying, but should avoid masochistic tendencies and artifically wasting time.
As for the specifics of the combat and movement, the player should be given a simple set of moves from which complex sequences can emerge. Walk, run, attack, special attack, jump, dodge, parry, use equipment. Attacking after running, dodging, jumping, or parrying may do something special. Attacking multiple times in a row with some set amounts of delays may result in a combo. If the enemies are difficult enough to force the player to learn the moveset and utilize it to it's full potential, the players will create the flashy and smooth moments themselves, and they will feel infinitely more rewarded for their skill than systems where complex, flashy abilities are hidden locked behind level-ups and subsequently available in combat automagically at the press of a single button. Spells don't need to exist in the game as an extra system. Spellcasting staves, books or talismans that can be equipped as weapons and conform to the aforementioned moveset rules are sufficient. Similarly, parkour sequences/level traversal should not be automagical. The player should learn how to make good use of their jump button.
Under this system, simple, archetypal builds like fighter, rogue or wizard should not really even exist. Building a character in this game should revolve around creating a unique experience and approach that can't be easily boxed into a DND class. To facilitate that, the progression system should be high consequence and impossible to boil down to mathematics. Regardless of whether the progression is presented through skill trees, charms, weapons, gear, something else, or any combination of these, they should always change something fundamental about the player's approach to combat. "Your quick attack cleaves" rather than "+10% to critical hit chance". In general, most of the progression should push the player sideways rather than forward, unlocking optional or alternative gameplay. The player should rely on skill and the playstyle and moveset they chose to beat more difficult enemies.
Crafting should exist but should be sparse and meaningfully integrated into the progression system. Defeating powerful bosses to obtain rare crafting materials to craft a cloak that unlocks an alternate dodge move while wearing it is good. Sitting at a campfire to craft 50 healing soups is bad.
The game shouldn't have companions. Computer controlled allies suck.