And now choose your path, my friend!
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 2:55 am
Hopefully the title caught your attention.
Now, this proposal might be somewhat controversial. However, all the numbers below are just examples and not necessarily true (even if this ever was implemented).
Okay: the issues:
-The present inability to truly specialize your character.
-The lack of any benefit for a character/player in choosing just one field of focus instead of doing everything (and maybe even excelling in everything).
I do not like this. I would like to see a system in the game which doesn’t restrict the “illa-freedom” which is really important for some people, but at the same time would reward people who wish to focus on one field in particular (instead of penalizing them as presently in certain cases). The present situation, as we all know, is such that a “Craftsman” and a “Warrior” are on the same line regarding the development and level of their fighting and crafting skill throughout their game-lives if their initial stats are the same, and if they players invest equal amounts of time in developing both character’s fighting and crafting skills. They can cross over as much as they want without any restraints, meaning that in the end as both have maxed both skillsets, we have a craftsman who can smith excellent silversteels and wrestle down demon skeletons, and a warrior who can smith excellent silversteels and wrestle down demon skeletons. For all intents and purposes, the two characters are alike (though, they 'may' be played differently).
This is of course good for both players and characters, the players have more things to do with their characters, and the characters pwn. There is also an additional benefit to this: Should the character die for any reason, there is a chance that the “secondary skillset” will be the one which is lowered, preserving the “main skills” (i.e., the warrior dies and his smithing skill is lowered, a shitty thing at level 100, but this still leaves his “main skills” untouched).
A warrior focusing ‘only’ on fighting-skills has no benefit. If he dies, his “main skills” are lowered for sure, thus making him directly worse at what he is supposed to be good at. This means that in the case of death, both the multi-doers have a direct advantage over this character. Furthermore, no amount of roleplay will save the “dedicated warrior” in the hands of a powergaming jack of all trades if the former has suboptimal stats (which not everyone maxes out at the best possible way, nor this should be expected from them!), even if the skills are comparable.
So, what I am suggesting is this:
“The Path” – System
There are initially three, later four paths.
These paths are Crafting (Excluding primary sector = Gathering professions), Fighting and Magic (& as the dust settles down with the new system and more features are implemented, Druidism). Each character can choose one (1) path which he or she will focus on. The decision is not final, however the cost of changing will be considerable. You can only revert from one path to the other, and cannot become pathless again after you choose one.
These paths, and the effects of the choice, will cover ALL skills of the specialization choice AS WELL as the other skill groups. The effects of specialization would be as follows:
Your skillgroup of choice:
- All skills +20 levels immediately up to the level of 90. This means that at level 50, your skills will be increased to level 70. At level 85, your skills will be increased to 90. This, because it would be unfair to give a benefit at the later levels when the gain is truly enormous (the 90 and above). Thus, the best situation is to choose your path when you ‘really’ know what you’re doing instead of when you are already a champion.
- The skillcap for all the skills of the skillgroup is increased to 120 instead of 100. This will allow the dedicated fighter to beat a craftsman of the comparable stats and PG-investment, because his maximum skill exceeds that of the craftsman.
The skillgroups you didn’t choose! (both (all three ))
- -20 to ALL other skills, except language ones. Permanent skillcap of 80, except language ones.* If possible, the skilling for those skills you didn’t have yet will begin at level 20 instead of level 1, when it comes to experience requirements.
- Thus, you can still be good, but the dedicated craftsmen or warriors will beat you in skill and quality. (*If possible, it is also harder to gain skill due to the theoretical higher starting point).
- Gathering skills are excluded from the deduction, as it is in the advantage of even dedicated craftsmen that there is a supply of raw materials.
Some notes:
- There should be a minimum skill-level before one can choose a focus. 30-50 for one non-language skill, in order to prevent the noobs from making choices they will regret later (or at least diminish the chances of that happening )
- I tried to consider all parties here: Those who suck at skilling their characters will appreciate the +20 bonus to their skills of choice, and those who are like matt will appreciate the increased skillcap which allows them to reach even higher. Everyone wins.
Note, that the dedication is completely voluntary. However, the intention is to give those characters which do choose a focus an advantage in their respective focus-field on those who choose another field or wimp out (i.e. choose nothing). This will lead directly into them being better, and I assume that some who have gotten used to being extremely good at everything cringe, but I’m not sure if this is the group we should cater to. Roleplaying should be supported, and thus the adoption of a dedicated role for a character is optimal development. Furthermore, it offers everyone something.
I somehow feel that this kind of system would be realizable with the current know-how and technical resources, but I would like to hear what the community thinks about the idea?
Now, this proposal might be somewhat controversial. However, all the numbers below are just examples and not necessarily true (even if this ever was implemented).
Okay: the issues:
-The present inability to truly specialize your character.
-The lack of any benefit for a character/player in choosing just one field of focus instead of doing everything (and maybe even excelling in everything).
I do not like this. I would like to see a system in the game which doesn’t restrict the “illa-freedom” which is really important for some people, but at the same time would reward people who wish to focus on one field in particular (instead of penalizing them as presently in certain cases). The present situation, as we all know, is such that a “Craftsman” and a “Warrior” are on the same line regarding the development and level of their fighting and crafting skill throughout their game-lives if their initial stats are the same, and if they players invest equal amounts of time in developing both character’s fighting and crafting skills. They can cross over as much as they want without any restraints, meaning that in the end as both have maxed both skillsets, we have a craftsman who can smith excellent silversteels and wrestle down demon skeletons, and a warrior who can smith excellent silversteels and wrestle down demon skeletons. For all intents and purposes, the two characters are alike (though, they 'may' be played differently).
This is of course good for both players and characters, the players have more things to do with their characters, and the characters pwn. There is also an additional benefit to this: Should the character die for any reason, there is a chance that the “secondary skillset” will be the one which is lowered, preserving the “main skills” (i.e., the warrior dies and his smithing skill is lowered, a shitty thing at level 100, but this still leaves his “main skills” untouched).
A warrior focusing ‘only’ on fighting-skills has no benefit. If he dies, his “main skills” are lowered for sure, thus making him directly worse at what he is supposed to be good at. This means that in the case of death, both the multi-doers have a direct advantage over this character. Furthermore, no amount of roleplay will save the “dedicated warrior” in the hands of a powergaming jack of all trades if the former has suboptimal stats (which not everyone maxes out at the best possible way, nor this should be expected from them!), even if the skills are comparable.
So, what I am suggesting is this:
“The Path” – System
There are initially three, later four paths.
These paths are Crafting (Excluding primary sector = Gathering professions), Fighting and Magic (& as the dust settles down with the new system and more features are implemented, Druidism). Each character can choose one (1) path which he or she will focus on. The decision is not final, however the cost of changing will be considerable. You can only revert from one path to the other, and cannot become pathless again after you choose one.
These paths, and the effects of the choice, will cover ALL skills of the specialization choice AS WELL as the other skill groups. The effects of specialization would be as follows:
Your skillgroup of choice:
- All skills +20 levels immediately up to the level of 90. This means that at level 50, your skills will be increased to level 70. At level 85, your skills will be increased to 90. This, because it would be unfair to give a benefit at the later levels when the gain is truly enormous (the 90 and above). Thus, the best situation is to choose your path when you ‘really’ know what you’re doing instead of when you are already a champion.
- The skillcap for all the skills of the skillgroup is increased to 120 instead of 100. This will allow the dedicated fighter to beat a craftsman of the comparable stats and PG-investment, because his maximum skill exceeds that of the craftsman.
The skillgroups you didn’t choose! (both (all three ))
- -20 to ALL other skills, except language ones. Permanent skillcap of 80, except language ones.* If possible, the skilling for those skills you didn’t have yet will begin at level 20 instead of level 1, when it comes to experience requirements.
- Thus, you can still be good, but the dedicated craftsmen or warriors will beat you in skill and quality. (*If possible, it is also harder to gain skill due to the theoretical higher starting point).
- Gathering skills are excluded from the deduction, as it is in the advantage of even dedicated craftsmen that there is a supply of raw materials.
Some notes:
- There should be a minimum skill-level before one can choose a focus. 30-50 for one non-language skill, in order to prevent the noobs from making choices they will regret later (or at least diminish the chances of that happening )
- I tried to consider all parties here: Those who suck at skilling their characters will appreciate the +20 bonus to their skills of choice, and those who are like matt will appreciate the increased skillcap which allows them to reach even higher. Everyone wins.
Note, that the dedication is completely voluntary. However, the intention is to give those characters which do choose a focus an advantage in their respective focus-field on those who choose another field or wimp out (i.e. choose nothing). This will lead directly into them being better, and I assume that some who have gotten used to being extremely good at everything cringe, but I’m not sure if this is the group we should cater to. Roleplaying should be supported, and thus the adoption of a dedicated role for a character is optimal development. Furthermore, it offers everyone something.
I somehow feel that this kind of system would be realizable with the current know-how and technical resources, but I would like to hear what the community thinks about the idea?