Development Cycle Archive

Well perhaps its just me, but i think to be able to mix professions is very important.
In my oppinion, dabbling should stay a good way to customize a charakter. You should even open new ways to mix professions, in order to create something more unique than just a masterx/y. Make the masters good(better, than they are now in most cases) but the player should also be able to combine some proffesions to create something special. This makes the skillsystem much more interestening. ->keep dabbling....if you manage to balance it right, then its not a problem.

Thunderheart, the main flaw in the current profession system is, just like you said, they should all be unique, fun and useful, but they aren't.

This is because of the way the professions are set up. There are, what, approximately 20 combat professions? 20 combat professions is great, but the problem is that they are all exactly the same. They all have the same goal: to do damage. That's not what it should be like. There should be damage-dealing combat professions, but then there should be professions focused on doing their own, non-damage combat moves.

Let's take an example from EverQuest. In the game, wizards/rogues are considered the damage dealers. However, enchanters/shaman are also professions that are essentially required if you want to win the fight, yet they do not do damage. They debuff/buff, have utility moves, special abilities to help others, things like that. There should be professions in the game that aren't as focused on damage, but instead are focused more on using the states (dizzy/blind/stun/etc., which should be revamped to have more importance and functionality) (Pistoleers, Fencers)so that the enemy has more trouble damaging the opponents, and it makes it easier to damage the enemy. There should be professions focused more on crowd-control, keeping people out of a fightand causing them to become disorganized and confused (Carbineers, Swordsman). There should be professions (Squad Leaders) that are focused more on real-time-strategy type of things; whether that be controlling armies of factional NPC's during faction fights and focused on doing the opposite of the crowd-controllers by keeping everyone organized and on target(they should have a Control Center in each faction base that a SQL can use to control NPC's like they would in an RTS, as well as call down ships to drop off more NPC's and get 3 ships per hour or something, things like that). And then, you still need your basic damage dealers (Rifleman, TKA's).

This allows for professions to be more unique, more useful and most importantly, more fun.

How do you think we should maintain the unique skillset flavor the game is built on?

okay, how come I cannot post here in this thread in color from a pre-written document? any advice on cut and paste?

I just was able to do it, how do you get a word document on here ?????

By the Way TH, thank you very much for answering my post about this before.

'What do you think the strengths of professions mix and match are?'
One of the Strengths of this game is in the ability to Mix and Match, to create a personal Image of a character and not let it get pigeon-holed into one Profession. There needs to be some benefit gained towards mixing and matching in any amount.

All boxes of a Profession (and ESPECIALLY the Master box) need to have something about it that would be desireable; and the most elite aspects, the ones that get nerf cries all the time should be moved to the Master boxes of each profession, not removed. This way, the people who are performing these moves would be deserving of what they are capable of doing with that much skill point investment.


'What do you think the weaknesses of professions mix and match are?'
I feel that one of the weaknesses of the professions in general is that their strengths are too easily abused since defence bonuses tend to be in one or two trees primarily. The Fencer Stances and Grips is a prime example of too much bonus for low skill point investment. If anything combat defence and state defence bonuses should be given a CH treatment and spread throughout the entire profession.

Another weakness that I am sure will be adressed is the inequity of Professions in general; making sure that all professions have a roughly equal mix of accuracy, speed, and defence would go a long way towards lowering the favoritism now seen of some classes over another.

'How do you think we should maintain the unique skillset flavor the game is built on?'
As I said above, spread the bonuses out and let them stack, but, let them cap at a set maximum across the board. dabblers would get some benefit, but not as much as a dedicated follower of a Profession. Also, each Profession needs to have less overlap in abilities within the Profession and with other Professions, Swordsman (and a several other Professions) have far too many redundant abilites to be worth mastering and all abilities need to be clearly defined as to its use. One last thing here, the Iconic ability of each class (Things like Health Hit for Fencer, Mind Shot for Rifleman for example) need to have the strongest version of that ability placed in the Master Box.

'What are some neat combinations that would be good for the game?'
Allow combinations or 'chains' of moves dependant on what combat Professions are learned, (like the player who takes Pistoleer and Teras Kasi discovers a 'new' ability gained such as a combination gutshot/kick for example, or a Weaponsmith/Marksman discovering that he gets specials with weapons he custom makes for himself. A Dancer?Swordsman could discover some very fluid new acrobatic moves??.)

'Anything else you want to say on this subject?'
Another possibility is creating 'Master Skill Point ' based Mini-Professions beyond the listed classes, they would be centered around one or more Mastered Professions (Or even a specific weapon within a Profession) and would allow a player to access a skill point set only available when Master is reached in a Profession. Add quests available to masters that would 'unlock' a trainer, allowing them to follow this new Profession. A method for the the earning of these 'Master Skill Points' would be that once you reach the Xp cap for that type of skill (Unarmed Xp for example) you would then start earning one Master Skill point per 100k of Xp past the cap (doubling the Xp requirement for each 5 points of Master Skill Points earned.)
I really feel the the games lateral advancement, though interesting at first, is leading to a lot of boredom now. There is no method for vertical advancement for characters, this I think is leading to a treadmill feeling in many ways.

Joraan Sett
corbantis

What do you think the strengths of professions mix and match are?

- In an ideal system, I would be able to combine different professions into one, not mearly switch-mode so to speak. For instance, and this was mention earlier I believe, if I mastered rifleman and pikeman, I should be able to utilize both professions skills and abilites at the same time.

What do you think the weaknesses of professions mix and match are?

- Currently, stacking skills is too effective. Stacking shouldn't happen, conversely, I don't forget my skills just because I changed weapons. I think a more generalize skill set should be used instead of the explicit version as it is now. maybe only partially, but if I'm a rifleman I should retain at least some of my skill when using a pistol even if I don't have points invested. It should be accuracy, not pistol accuracy or rifle accuracy. Also, some templates allow for stacking whereas other logical additives do not, i.e. I don't suddenly know dodge melee attacks better just because I equiped my rifle, even though I maybe a master swordsman.

How do you think we should maintain the unique skillset flavor the game is built on?

- I like the idea of mix and match, but each professions should given more defined abilites, and when combined with other professions it they should work together seamlessly. Not in modes, as I said above

What are some neat combinations that would be good for the game?

- The neatest thing I could think of is for your skillset to be aware of your other skills. This could make for some very interesting combinations. Continuing with my rifleman example (I'm a rifleman, who knew..?) If I master pikeman, maybe I could have unique specials that are given only when a person has that particular combination. For instance, although I still retain my rifleman specials and certs, and still have my pikeman specials and certs, I also gain new specials from the combination. Like a butt stroke special, or special new types of rifles that can be used as melee weapons also. that way you still have the modal aspect, but the new weapons and specials allow for a more individualize template than what is possible now. The way it is now, you are a pikeman or rifleman (or whatever), but it could be pikeman AND rifleman.

Anything else you want to say on this subject?

- Yeah, I can't say enough how cool these dynamic (elite-hybrid?) templates could be. Say, I'm a rifleman, and armorsmith, maybe I get a bonus to hit armored targets and perhaps extra experimentation on against pistol damage types during crafting (say, layers of such). If I was a doctor/pistoleer maybe I get a bonus, Maybe I get the ability to target bleeds on any stat pool and have buffs versus pistol damage types. You see what I mean, there's some really cool interation going on between the professions you choose.

I've been just rattling off the top of my head, so I hope this made sense, because I think this would be teh pwn!

I think there needs to be a revamp on the way specials are used. If you short ranged or Melee you can use specials while running or get enough distance on your target. They need to nerf specials while running. Im it frustrating to be eye shot spamed from 64 m away or master headshotted. They run and can do these moves and the chaser can never hit them. It is not a show of skill that you can pvp anyone without actually fighting them.

Also to counter defense stackers there should be a limit to haveing only two elite classes at any one time. That would fix them.