Well, I can get you the base values for CoD if you'd like, health and endurance. They are there, you know. Quick google and..100. Hardcore, 30. Old School, no regeneration, Health 200. There you go, base stats.
Not even gonna argue with that, since there's an easier thing I can critisize about CoD. Stats only apply to MP. MP lacks a story pushing the player, i.e. PvP alone is not enough. Another thing - the game lacks loot or Inventory.
It's +2% either way. It's what it is compared to that matters the most. WoW, the MMO I play occasionally, has been forced to implement stat squish because they kept adding to the numbers but trying to keep the challenge ratio the same. So +2% to damage is still +2% to damage..even if you now do 30k damage and the enemy has 400k. Good example of how stats are also highly misleading.
But +2% means what it means - 1 part in 50. Of whatever. Context is the important part, not the initial stat value.
+2% to your skill that you've specced in is different than +2% to your dump stat, so I disagree. The initial stat value is extremely important. Furthermore, you were initially trying to fit the game in the Stat + upgrade + etc. system. You admit that it lacks clearly defined base stats, so it doesn't fit.
I've provided my answer, for myself, again and again and it's pretty clear. You have to be pretending to be someone else and have opportunities, clear, plentiful and as part of the game design, to do so. If not, it's not role-playing. And I've used lots of examples. Vampre Bloodlines, Fallout, Witcher.
If you are saying what you consider an RPG, great! If you're saying what everyone else considers an RPG, that seems inherently flawed and prey to lots of assumptions.
I think the general idea of what an RPG is is there for a reason and I respect it. Personally, I cannot change it, so I must acknowledge it. Genres are there to introduce some order. When you play a game, you can ignore the story, you can skip the cutscenes, press Space to auto pick a choice in dialogue. But you can never skip the gameplay. So it's the gameplay that determines those genres, not role-playing or C&C. So, ultimately, I have to agree with the general opinion of what an RPG is.
I do think it's significant that we agree Witcher 1 and 2 are great RPGs but many, (most? Uh oh now I'm doing it), of us don't really care about Geralt's statistics. Or in the case of statistics that, you know, describe him from a start point relative to Strength or Charisma, have any idea at all what they are.
How important then are these stats and upgrades?
To me personally, the stats and upgrades are unimportant. They do not add to my enjoyment of the game. They don't take away from it either. I am not picky in terms of what genre of game I play (I like playing MP shooters as much as I enjoy playing a strategy game or a turn-based RPG). But they are important to many (most?) others, since all computer RPGs feature them, but only a few have dialogue trees or a worthwhile story.
P.S. Doing some work, so distracted and it's forced me to stay awake for more than 24 hours now, so please excuse any incoherent thoughts I might express.
