Ideas around future multi-classing (a.k.a Multi-skilling)

AthelasAthelas Cape Town South Africa

I've not been in on any discussion regarding multi-class and it's implementation, but I did had a bit of a brain fart recently, and thought I could stink out the place with the idea.

Seriously though, why have multi-class at all? Why not simply make all skills available to all classes...

Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out.

First, you still have your base classes, i.e. Athelas is still a Druid, but seeing as he has reached a point where he has transed all skills he feels are relevant, he might want to seek out a Runewarden to learn some tricks of the trade. i.e. He fundamentally remains a Druid, with a learned skill from another class.

From a business perspective, I see the ability to learn a non-class skill, as something that would be "credit" driven. i.e. You want to be a Druid that has the ability to pickpocket... sure thing, go buy the skill-set.

The potential for character customization becomes incredible! Imagine a Druid with Occult skills that he/she doesn't want other Forestall characters to know about... it could happen!

Yes, basically what's being proposed here, is to move towards multi-skilling rather than multi-class.

From a coding perspective, I have no idea what IRE's code base looks like, but if it's anything like the OO C++ implementation I imagine it to be, this could be as simple as altering a static Skill set class, to a dynamic container of skills.

Comments

  • That would be a balancing nightmare. There's already such a drive to balance classes based on single skillsets, and still some OP stuff sneaks through. I'd hate to see how much stuff would get missed with that. If they even took the time to balance things like that, then I'm also pretty sure it'd delay the release date of multiclass by several months.


  • edited July 2014

    I don't think it is actually possible to balance it like this at all without making over 50% of the skillset unavailable, or other heavy drawbacks. On top of that, it would also partially eliminate a good amount of roleplaying for people. If you want something enchanted, you need a mage. If you wish something forged, milked, brewed, or runed, or if you only need a meatshield for bashing, there are plenty of people around who can do that. The fun starts at getting them to do what you want. Do them a favour and guilt them into it, just plainly pay them, bribe them, become powerful and boss them around to do it, trick them into doing it... the options are endless, and can spawn some pretty interesting roleplay down the line. Giving people the option to just buy forging, transmutation and other things not only takes away that, but a fair bit of class roleplay as well.

  • Lacertix said:

    I don't think it is actually possible to balance it like this at all without making over 50% of the skillset unavailable, or other heavy drawbacks. On top of that, it would also partially eliminate a good amount of roleplaying for people. If you want something enchanted, you need a mage. If you wish something forged, milked, brewed, or runed, or if you only need a meatshield for bashing, there are plenty of people around who can do that. The fun starts at getting them to do what you want. Do them a favour and guilt them into it, just plainly pay them, bribe them, become powerful and boss them around to do it, trick them into doing it... the options are endless, and can spawn some pretty interesting roleplay down the line. Giving people the option to just buy forging, transmutation and other things not only takes away that, but a fair bit of class roleplay as well.

    Not sure if you are aware of this, but tradeskills are going to be split off from classes. Enchantment, milking, forging, etc are going to become general skills and be replacing by new skillsets.


  • @Kazu Yes, I'm well aware of that, and as a pessimist, I fear the worst.

  • TraelorTraelor Columbia, SC
    If this were to happen, I would buy physiology and twoarts and kill everyone in 10 seconds.

    Traelor - Saving the day since 594

  • Lol, rites, harmonics, vibes, piety, homunculus, fullplate,l. Yes plz


  • edited July 2014
    Lacertix said:

    On top of that, it would also partially eliminate a good amount of roleplaying for people. If you want something enchanted, you need a mage. If you wish something forged, milked, brewed, or runed, or if you only need a meatshield for bashing, there are plenty of people around who can do that. The fun starts at getting them to do what you want. Do them a favour and guilt them into it, just plainly pay them, bribe them, become powerful and boss them around to do it, trick them into doing it... the options are endless, and can spawn some pretty interesting roleplay down the line. Giving people the option to just buy forging, transmutation and other things not only takes away that, but a fair bit of class roleplay as well.

    I am hoping it will mean we'll actually start paying our craftsmen.  I think splitting the crafts is a great move on admin's part, as there will be no longer be *any* incentive for credit whores like me to learn these skills, unless I'm the kind of guy who just really likes making stuff for people.  So hopefully, you won't be able to throw a rock in any direction and hit a player who just transed X because it provides at least some class benefit.

    I really hope that will cut down on people providing services in exchange for being considered an "all around good guy" (some people will still do it, of course, to be "super all around good guys".  I am of course talking about people who can and should be paying for services.  Instead of tapping your buddy who just transed whatever for his class, you'll have to pay someone who actually wants the business.  Ideally, it would give people who don't buy as many credits a way to actually make some kind of living with a craft.  It's even possible that things could shift too much in favour of service providers (although that would surprise me).  

    EDIT:  this does assume there are no combat perks whatsoever.  If there are, it will be terrible because all of the people like me will trans it just for that (which is the problem now).  Inkmilling is like that, but I've never harvested a single ink.  As long as it's not a service people can ask me to go do, it's probably okay to have a combat perk associated with the skill (to sell more credits, yay), but it would be terrible for a lot of other things.  

  • AthelasAthelas Cape Town South Africa

    :)

    There should be a badge for the number of Disagrees you can rack up in a single post!

  • Well, in fairness it was a fairly oblivious idea.  In no way would a game like this be even remotely balanced if everyone could learn every skill.  But I like the attitude!


  • AthelasAthelas Cape Town South Africa

    @Alaskar Few understand, that the only way one can ever be absolutely right, is when one admits to being wrong. :smiley:

  • AthelasAthelas Cape Town South Africa

    Seriously though! 10 Disagrees in less than 24 hours. Where's my badge?!?!

  • reflexed DSL

    reflex dsl then tarot aeon

    ooh yeaaa

    Replies the scorpion: "It's my nature..."
  • I think this thread can safely be closed.

This discussion has been closed.