Illarion.org

Suggestion: Variable Attributes and Skill Synergies

I made these suggestions a few times...these are the final version, after a looong thought

Variable Attributes

One thing which I never really liked about Illarion was that the Attributes were static. You could spend all your life mining, and never become stronger, and if you make a stupid mistake with your attributes... beh, you're stuck with it.

My suggestion is that attributes should be variable, and should increase with time.

How I see it working, is this:

You're mining, once your mining skill increases to 10% (and at every 10% or so [numbers are to be discussed later]), your strenght (since its the attribute you're using most), increases by 1 unit.

Basically, every time your skill in one field increases to X, the attribute tied to that skill increases by 1. Note that they are tied together, so if for example; you get killed and you lose some skill, and you fall under X again, you lose that +1 attribute.

Fighting skill should increase ALSO your constitution, making you more restistant to damage after having fought a lot.

This way, if for example; you mine or chop a lot of trees down, you'll find it easier to attack, since you're stronger.

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Skill Synergies

Basically, its allowing one skill to get a certain bonus depending on another skill.

Imagine you're a miner, and you've spent half your life whacking a pickaxe against rocks. One day, you're given a warhammer, and you go and fight. Basically its a similar action, so its no wonder that you can bash your enemy's head with quite a bit of accuracy, having been trained as a miner.

Example 2: You're a smith, and you've smithed many armor and many weapons; one day, you;re attacked by an opponent with armor X. Now you've crafted armor X, lots of times; so you know a bit about it, you know, for example; that its weak point is the fact that the wrist area is quite loose, so you already have an idea where you're goign to attack your enemy. Also, you can dodge the weapon he's using, because you know about its defects, and the way to use it.

These are examples of skill synergies.

How they'd work:

Total Skill = (Skill level) + (Attribute calculation thingy) + [(Skill levels of related skills)/5]

Their effect is quite small, but if you're a master smith, you'll get a lot of help for example.

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Yes, the idea is interesting indeed, but like Xalliar already said, it would support powergaming too much.

Daidalos wrote:Yes, the idea is interesting indeed, but like Xalliar already said, it would support powergaming too much.

I think it is a good idea. It is realistic. When you work, say, with lumber or other heavy materials for some odd years, you grow stronger.

On the PG'ing note, as long as there is a cap, it's fine.

For the attribute change after getting 10% skill and stuff like that, what about characters already having the skill? If they woulnt get anymore skill would they still get their attributes change? Overall its fine..but it might be a bit harsh because everyone will learn mining and such, and theses other skills might be needed to be a good fighter after a while.

I fear thinking like this will turn Illarion into a skill based game.(I know it is for SOME) This might be fine if another skill goes down. But you cannot have people runing around with 200 constitution and strength and inteligance ect.. Even if a limit was made this would still turn Illarion into a skill based game.

@ Arameh: They would still get it, i'm seeing like an IF function

IF mining skill >10 AND =<20 then +1
IF mining skill >20 AND =<30 then +2

Kind of thing....

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Perhaps it WOULD aid powergaming, I admit... but still, you ARE wastign your time AND your cap. It takes a lot to become a master something, and just for that minute bonus?

good idea, thaught about this myself, i think long as it takes a long time before you advance in such a skill then it is realistic. as for having people runnning around with 200 constitution gort, yeah you must either not be thinking, not actually reading any of the responces or are just being stupid on purpose. for the caps it should be the same cap as when you create your character. an elf can only get so strong same with a fairy. as for skill affecting others, it is simply the motion and you would learn little, however this wouldn't work because it is divided into slashing weapon ext. a war hammer would have diferent motion then a stave but they are in the same catigory. if this were to come into effect it would mean even more work to try to change a system we currently have. I would rather see more time spent on one that haven't come in yet like prest magic or bard magic.

Mining and using a warhammer in battle are completely different things

Yeah. but mining can make you stronger, you wont be better to use a hammer but you will hit stronger, logically.

Why the heck do i have a dwarf that can do everything really well?

Except magic.. ^^

I like the current attribute system, makes chars unique. Not everyone will end up being a super muscular miner and get everything.

I am almost posotive this will not be implimented.

I believe it was stated that attributes would always remain static.

Indeed it was Donal, and it's good that way.

The synergy thing sounds nice though.

I dislike both ideas.

suprisingly enough, people will become miners and smiths just for the bonus. and people would get extreme stats.

Salathe=uber uber pwnage, too.

Salathe owns anyways.

If we made it so he could not learn skills, had level 1 in every attribute, and could not wear armor he would still be able to kill everyone just for being Salathe.

I've said it before: dynamic attributes vrs static attributes is something you decide when you first set out to make a game. It's part of it's base concept from which everything else springs. Changing it now would be silly and a bit dangerous.

I don't think anything that forces attribute changes is good, but *shrug*

Both suggestions will not help the game, result in much, much work and change fundamental game principle.

-> Won't happen.