I'm getting bored of RPGs. Once you learn the tactics, they get old fast. The stories can be compelling, but after a while, it often feels like they would make better movies than games. Rogue-likes can be more interesting in terms of depth of gameplay, but the turn-based aspect leaves a lot to be desired in terms of excitement and the single player aspect leaves a lot to be desired in terms of variable play styles.

So, I was thinking about what kind of game I would most love to play. It should be a dungeon crawler, with randomly generated dungeons, including traps and monsters. There should be very flexible character customization, so that unusual character concepts could be experimented with... e.g. a mage wearing full plate mail or an archer who uses magic to keep enemies at bay. There should be no grinding... preferably there wouldn't even be experience levels, so success or failure would be based on good tactics rather than how much time players spend beefing up their characters. It should be a real-time game with realistic physics, preferably with at least the option of playing from a first-person viewpoint. There should be meaningful interaction with the environment, e.g. using a rope to climb up to a balcony or piling furniture to barricade a door. And, of course, there should be the option of playing either solo or in cooperative groups, with scaling difficulties to keep the game challenging but fair regardless of party size.

I know of many games that offer some of these features, but I don't know of any that offer all of them. So, I have two questions:

1. Do you know of a game like this?

2. How much fun do you think a game like this would be?

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.

i have yet to hear of a game like this...sounds interesting though

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No grinding?
So what, you just start off with end game stats and equipment (since there's no actual "beefing up" phase) ?
That sounds even more boring than grinding itself ._.

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Everyday I'm tumblin'

...the closest I an think of would be the Elder Scrolls series. You're very specific, so that blocks a lot of options. The interactivity with the environment is a huge problem, since most game engines don't support that level of total freedom.

But there are many good games with randomized dungeons and flexible character customization, though they tend to be rouge-likes. I've recently been having a lot of fun playing Elona, but it doesn't qualify for many of the things you want.

Closest thing I can think of is Oblivion.
Still lacking some of your requests though.

Become a vigilante, that meets all your your criteria.

Quote from Scyfon

No grinding?
So what, you just start off with end game stats and equipment (since there's no actual "beefing up" phase) ?

Regarding stats, ideally they would either be selected as part of your character build (similar to Guild Wars or many D&D-based games), derived solely from your equipment (e.g. The Legend of Zelda), or set at flat values (as per most action games). Any of these approaches is fine with me as long as the values aren't based on how much time a player has spent playing the game. With traditional MMORPGs (or even many CRPGs), if a character is under-levelled, they often don't have a chance, and if they're over-levelled, there's no challenge. MMORPGs incur further problems when friends have different-levelled characters. So, I think it's more fun to not have any levels, and have success or failure determined by player skill and ingenuity.

Regarding equipment, I think it's essential that players be able to choose some starting equipment, and it would be a big plus if more equipment could be found inside dungeons. However, I would prefer if equipment found in dungeons not carry over to subsequent games... in other words, I think it would be best for players to start each game with fresh characters.

In any case, I want something where I can come up with an idea for a character, or a party, and have a fun and unique dungeon romp either by myself or with friends... not a game where I dedicate my life to gradually beefing up a single character.

Quote from QuasarX

Quote from Scyfon

No grinding?
So what, you just start off with end game stats and equipment (since there's no actual "beefing up" phase) ?

Regarding stats, ideally they would either be selected as part of your character build (similar to Guild Wars or many D&D-based games), derived solely from your equipment (e.g. The Legend of Zelda), or set at flat values (as per most action games). Any of these approaches is fine with me as long as the values aren't based on how much time a player has spent playing the game. With traditional MMORPGs (or even many CRPGs), if a character is under-levelled, they often don't have a chance, and if they're over-levelled, there's no challenge. MMORPGs incur further problems when friends have different-levelled characters. So, I think it's more fun to not have any levels, and have success or failure determined by player skill and ingenuity.

Regarding equipment, I think it's essential that players be able to choose some starting equipment, and it would be a big plus if more equipment could be found inside dungeons. However, I would prefer if equipment found in dungeons not carry over to subsequent games... in other words, I think it would be best for players to start each game with fresh characters.

In any case, I want something where I can come up with an idea for a character, or a party, and have a fun and unique dungeon romp either by myself or with friends... not a game where I dedicate my life to gradually beefing up a single character.

Its simple.
LIVE ACTION ROLE-PLAY DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
It meets all your requirements.
Problem solved.

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Everyday I'm tumblin'

Regarding the interactive environments, I agree that it's a rare feature, and we may never live to see a game that offers total freedom in that regard. Perhaps the best example of this in a dungeon crawl that I know of is Vindictus, but it's a bit lacking in terms of character customization.

The Elder Scrolls games have great character customization, I agree. I've only played Morrowind in that series, and found it to amount to a lot of this:

1. Save
2. See if my character is skilled enough to handle the challenge I'm trying to complete
3. If not, go do something else for a while a try again later after leveling up

So, I got bored with it pretty quickly. Is Oblivion better about that?

just wait on Skyrim. And check out Kingdoms of Amalur - its not out yet but has a class system (in fact, its a no class system) that can produce a hero not unlike what you described

Quote from QuasarX

The Elder Scrolls games have great character customization, I agree. I've only played Morrowind in that series, and found it to amount to a lot of this:

1. Save
2. See if my character is skilled enough to handle the challenge I'm trying to complete
3. If not, go do something else for a while a try again later after leveling up

So, I got bored with it pretty quickly. Is Oblivion better about that?

Well, in oblivion, enemies are leveled so you're supposed to have a consistent challenge regardless of your level. Much the same leveling system as morrowind, but leveling up is completely optional, if you don't sleep you can finish the game at level one if you so wished.

The more random and creative and customizable, the harder it is to code and balance. Though I'm assuming you don't care for PvP, so it's not as much of an issue. I'm not sure how many hours you'd get out of a game like that, though... which is probably why there hasn't been one like it.

"People don't change, they just give in."Kubera is the best.同人音楽 (doujin music)