In an effort to improve my game, Aptos Adventures II, (since I'm making it for you guys) I'd like to get a general idea of what kinds of things you like to see in an RPG. You can vote for all of the options if you like. If you choose "other" please say what that is. thanks!
-Nick

Really, I like all of the options, if they're done well. Minigames I'm mildly on the fence about, but if they don't break the flow of the story, it's fine.

Tactical elements, like FFTactics, or Fire Emblem.

what kind of things i like in an rpg depend on how i feel. sometimes I just want to go all like actiony and play a game like Mass Effect, Secret of Mana, etc... but then others I'll be in the mood for Baldurs Gate or FF. Though, I have to say my favorite battle system of all time is probably the one in Heroes of Might and Magic 2.
a cool "element" I liked is having artifacts, which will boost up a given stat or whatever. though, my favorite part of HOMM2 is the way it handles leveling, you choose between 2 things each time you level up, whether it Necromancy Advanced(Ups the amount of skeletons a Necromancer makes after winning a battle) or estates basic(Ups the amount of gold you get per day.) idk it's just a realllly good game, and it's even more fun playing with friends. battles can be very challenging when you start a map, but it usually gets easier and then the computer wins because it cheats! it also makes you use a lot of strategy, as most battles can't be won just fighting blindly.

another cool thing is if your hero and his troops are really strong, it would say something like "The enemies are awed by the power of your forces, and scatter away. Do you wish to pursue them?(yes/no)". Or, sometimes they would offer to join your group if you diplomacy skills are high enough, but declining would result in them getting mad and attacking you.

it did so much, yet it was simple. plus the graphics are so damn charming and the music is catchy. so yeah basically everyone make games like this.


anyways, sidequests are great if they're actually important and feel like part of the story(Chrono Trigger for example!) and open/linear stories are both good, as long as the story is good.

Good/Evil systems are pretty bad really. I like the way Dragon Age did it. You can be a prick, but theres no YOU GAINED 3 EVIL POINTS or any bullshit.

- A linear storyline because if it was non-linear it would just feel like a grinde game

Do you actually know what non-linear means? It has like, no bearing on how much of a "grinde game" it is.

Hah, ironically "sidequests" has the most votes.

Anyway, I voted for;

Turn Based Combat
I like planning out my moves and taking my time overviewing the battle. Not like in Kingdom Hearts for example, where it's like no time to think, just move move move, dam forget on what shortcut I put my potions, dead.

Minigames
If they're done well. Some minigames I've played were really impossible to do. Things like that just enrage me to no end.

Lots of complex systems like materia in FF7
Not too complex, but I liked the idea of equipping magical abilities to characters.

Linear story (not open ended)
I like stories where it's always clear what the objective is, and what the main objective is of the game / journey.

Sidequests
These are a great way to flesh out individual characters and their stories. They're also a great way to ruin a game, by making them like "Kill five bears and get 20 claws off them and bring them back, and when you're done with that you can do it again except this time twice the amount".

Multiple Endings
Multiple endings. I like it if the ending changes depending on what you do in the story. However, these can also be used to display "What If" scenarios, like in Chrono Trigger.

Good/Evil rating affecting the outcome of the game
Not sure what you meant with this, but if it's something like in Fable, then yeah, that's pretty cool.

Puzzles and other Adventure game elements
Yep. Puzzles are always nice, when done well. Zelda is the champion in these.

BATTLE SYSTEM:
The only one I don't like are realtime battles (since I often put my games on hold for a few). My preference goes to Conditional Turn Based, à la Wild ARMs 4/5 or perhaps FFX is a better and more popular example.

MINIGAMES:
There is a delicate balance between "too much" and "too little". That said, I rather have too little minigames than too many minigames. Too few, you just finish and complain. Too much, I get put off and complain without finishing. I can only stand WHERE'S WALDO five times before it starts to become annoying.

COMPLEX SYSTEMS:
... Uh. Materia is... complex...? I'm of the mindset that any 'complex' system should be introduced slowly and steadily, but within a timeframe of one hour for RPGMaker games to get the hang completely of, or at least to such extent you know what's what. I'm fond of character customisation to a degree, but if you offer it, it best be real character customisation. None of this "you can twink for defense" followed by "AND FOR THIS PARTICULAR SEGMENT YOU MUST TWINK FOR DEFENSE".

STORY:
I prefer linear personally, with no more than three different endings if different endings must be possible. Corrolary: If it's more like, "Side with one group/person" where you base your ending off of personal ideas, then it is fine to use as many as is necessary.

SIDEQUESTS:
Like minigames, just don't oversaturate. Depending on the amount of SQs, adjust rewards accordingly. Lots of them? Try to include information on what you will probably win with it. A few of them? Make it good and a surprise. (Good equals 10 health potions if your game is in the first hour of gameplay/battle and potions can reasonably be expected to be used)

RATING AFFECTING GAME:
No thank you. I like playing my games without having to check OH CREP DEW EYE DOO EVUL OR GUD NAOW? to get optimal rewards/endings/branches/whatever. Usually, good/evil are really two extreme sides of the spectrum anyway, where a "Good" character is a dumb idiot with detached delusions about the state of the world and an "Evil" character is a homicidial maniac who enjoys running around like some clown trying to hide his bauble in a hole.

PUZZLES:
YES. Put puzzles in. One per dungeon. Maybe two. Hell, make a puzzle dungeon. Do it. DO ITTTTTT.

A job system?