I was thinking...

[Logrin Parr]

Given that there isn't a suggestion board anymore and the VBU gets closer every day, there likely isn't a correct place to post this. So for the most part consider it an idle musing more than a suggestion.


It occurs to me, having played perhaps too much illarion in the past, that the subject of specific character roles vs. omniskilled ones has been raised time and time again. Even with the VBU fast approaching I have my doubts that there will be much of a change to the current status quo, some people will simply want to learn every skill available to their character, all the more power to them I say.

So instead I think to myself, is their a way to allow jacks-of-all-trades and the career soldier, smith or magician to co-exist? A way that will benefit those that choose to specialize without penalizing those that don't? Yes, I do believe there is.

Imagine if you will, that upon creating a character you were allowed to pick and choose certain skills that will never improve, never raise above 0% no matter how long they are practiced. And in doing so you could raise both the current skill level and skill cap of another skill, blunt weapons for example, by 10%. This would allow for two mechanically identical characters to differ beyond simple attribute related aptitudes, if one has chosen to focus their skills around particular goals.

Certain limitations would have to be in place of course, perhaps a skill can't be raised in such a way more than five times, but all in all I think it would add another dimension to how the game works. Picture if you will someone who has given up the ability to learn anything not directly related to combat, this in turn would come at the cost of relying on other players for food, clothing and all the other mundane tasks they can't complete themselves. Or a crafter, forsaking pursuits outside of his or her trade being able to make items beyond the current, highest quality modifier, if someone wanted a peerless sword they would then have little choice but to deal with such a smith.

Thoughts? Am I the only one that wonders about these sort of things from time to time?

[Hew Keenaxe]

Thoughts? Am I the only one that wonders about these sort of things from time to time?

I doubt you are.
Still, I am just happy to have the VBU as offered. They have worked hard and for a long time to bring it to us.
I am hoping this will be my christmas that i get it, I have been wishing for it for some years now.
Everday I look in the forums, just to see some bitching about what may come. Please let them give us something new before you start tearing it apart. I am sure they have our best interest in mind.

[pharse]

The learning algorithm was completely changed. We first have to see how this works out.

The idea that players can actively choose a specialization supported by the game mechanics looks nice to me at the first glance, however it should be reconsidered carefully after the VBU. If such a thing would come, then probably in a way such that you can specialize later in the game by paying a high prize e.g. as a sacrifice to the god of that respective skill.

Still, we first have to see how everything works out after the VBU. Keep this in mind though.

[Estralis Seborian]

While this seems to be a very valid and reasonable approach to encourage specialisation, I also agree with pharse: The skill system will change a lot, so we should take a look at all this in some months. The new skill system features some things that will encourage specialisation A LOT without creating a virtual class system:

• Your skill increase is directly proportional to the time you invest into actions, related to the skill. This is NOT the case currently, only the number of actions is evaluated
• Depending on your attributes, you will learn (up to) three times faster in skills that fit your main attributes. A nimble crafter will learn crafting much more fast than a strong warrior, who will learn fighting faster. Currently, ONLY intelligence influences your learning speed what resulted in the obscure tendency of people creating fighters with intelligence maxed...
• Your learning success is directly proportional to your general level of activity. If someone does few actions per time, the individual action will grant more skillgain. In the end, the active time, spent online, determines your overall skillgain. This means that if you do all kinds of actions in a mixture, you will learn less in a single skill as if you'd don't do a mixture and focus on one skill. In other words: A smith who spends an hour ingame, half an hour smithing and half an hour mining, will learn less in smithing than a smith who spends half an hour smithing and half an hour with negotiating about prices. In end the end, both have learned the same "amount" of skill but the first guy has "wasted" half of his skill gain on mining, not smithing, his main profession. Currently, the first guy would have the same skill gain in smithing like the second guy AND some skill gain in mining

I hope this information is helpful in this context.

[kitmubet]

While this seems to be a very valid and reasonable approach to encourage specialisation, I also agree with pharse: The skill system will change a lot, so we should take a look at all this in some months. The new skill system features some things that will encourage specialisation A LOT without creating a virtual class system:

• Your skill increase is directly proportional to the time you invest into actions, related to the skill. This is NOT the case currently, only the number of actions is evaluated
• Depending on your attributes, you will learn (up to) three times faster in skills that fit your main attributes. A nimble crafter will learn crafting much more fast than a strong warrior, who will learn fighting faster. Currently, ONLY intelligence influences your learning speed what resulted in the obscure tendency of people creating fighters with intelligence maxed...
• Your learning success is directly proportional to your general level of activity. If someone does few actions per time, the individual action will grant more skillgain. In the end, the active time, spent online, determines your overall skillgain. This means that if you do all kinds of actions in a mixture, you will learn less in a single skill as if you'd don't do a mixture and focus on one skill. In other words: A smith who spends an hour ingame, half an hour smithing and half an hour mining, will learn less in smithing than a smith who spends half an hour smithing and half an hour with negotiating about prices. In end the end, both have learned the same "amoung" of skill but the first guy has "wasted" half of his skill gain on mining, not smithing, his main profession. Currently, the first guy would have the same skill gain in smithing like the second guy AND some skill gain in mining

I hope this information is helpful in this context.

does the number of actions and dificulty of actions account for how fast he learns or the time is a factor let say maybe mining for double the time of the smithing but smithing items that are more harder or needed more skills to do

also how will it affect someone with warrior stats (high (str, con) average (agi, dex) low int) thats currently doing crafting more than fighting ( mining smithing lumberjacking etc) or will it be find out after VBU IG ??

[Estralis Seborian]

I have slight problems understanding the question(s).

The number of actions (itself) will have no influence on skillgain. Each action triggers a script that determines your learn success. This learn success depends on your current skill, the time for the action, your general level of activity and your attributes. The "difficulty" plays no role except that you don't learn anything from actions your mastered long ago (fighting against flies as high level fighter, crafting pins as high level crafter).

I hope this answers the questions(s).

[kitmubet]

thanks it did