Funcom: Unlearning skills

[Elbo]

Looked at anther game (won't mention..) but anyways see the following:

'Skills in the beginning are very cheap, only costing one credit. I noticed some of the higher level skills cost considerably more. You no longer have to fear, though, that you will make bad choices. All skills can be untrained and skill credits will be earned back after a time. After you train a skill, you can then raise your adeptness at a skill by applying experience points to it. It becomes increasingly more expensive to raise a skill the more experience points you put into it. This system is very effective, allowing players to learn about the different ways they can choose without being hurt with a bad character creation.'



I think a way of unlearning but not resetting skills but earning the points back over time would be very effective.

[Coldbird]

AO != SWG

There's a very good reason for the whole permanent skill choices thing. With what you're proposing, the whole flavor-of-the-week problem would go completely out of control. Every single ranged weapon class would be running around with a Manex, except for the couple profs who have self-only buffs or prof-restricted gear (like boosted hellspinner) and it would be EQ all over again; there would be no difference between individual prof members other than how good their loot is.

The occasional IPR is good because it gives a small buffer for mistakes, and allows players to get out of a choice when serious game changes are made (see: non-MAs IPRing out of MA skill when FFOK was made self-only), but letting people switch on a whim would negate much of the purpose behind AO's skill system.

[Naraya]

Originally posted by Coldbird
AO != SWG

Let's keep it that way

There's a very good reason for the whole permanent skill choices thing. With what you're proposing, the whole flavor-of-the-week problem would go completely out of control. Every single ranged weapon class would be running around with a Manex, except for the couple profs who have self-only buffs or prof-restricted gear (like boosted hellspinner) and it would be EQ all over again; there would be no difference between individual prof members other than how good their loot is.

And it isn't that way now? Every NT I know that uses a rifle uses an X-3 or Caterwaul. Every fixer I know of has a Manex lying around somewhere. Every soldier wants the hellspinner. The problem is not in the skill system, it is in the variety of decent weapons available....

The occasional IPR is good because it gives a small buffer for mistakes, and allows players to get out of a choice when serious game changes are made (see: non-MAs IPRing out of MA skill when FFOK was made self-only), but letting people switch on a whim would negate much of the purpose behind AO's skill system.

And how would it? The current system: XP translates into IP and IPR (when you reach new TL). Both of which affect your skill. The only way that this promotes uniqueness amongst the players is if FunCom keeps changing the weapons at least once a patch. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before the best setup is figured for each profession and that setup becomes the "standard". Making IPR acquirable in-game will not cause the "cookie-cutter" syndrome. It will serve to accelerate it though if implemented without doing serious work to the weapon database. But the problem remains and it should be clear that the problem does NOT center around IPR....

[______________Shatai]

I believe Elbo is actually talking about the skill system in AC2.

[Blackwing]

the underlying problem is that more then 80% of the weapon database is absolute junk that not even characters in their teenage levels equip.

having said that there is also the entropy effect of nerf and adjustments - every nerf that shakes the game dynamics has the potential to cost you 2-4 ipr points.

so aquiring new ones over time would be a healthy idea imo - coupled with a steady flux of new weapons it would actually encourage experiments.

[_____________Itcharo]

Personally I think it would be a good idea to give out free IPR points to professions being dramatically affected by a certain patch.

Like a few weeks ago, when BBI Faithfuls were changed from Melee Init to Range Init - every Adventurer should have gotten a free IPR in that patch.

Ok, so you will have Adventurers that never used BBIs or have never skilled Melee Init but a single free IPR doesn't hurt, does it?

[______________Yazule]

Originally posted by Itcharo
Personally I think it would be a good idea to give out free IPR points to professions being dramatically affected by a certain patch.

Like a few weeks ago, when BBI Faithfuls were changed from Melee Init to Range Init - every Adventurer should have gotten a free IPR in that patch.

Ok, so you will have Adventurers that never used BBIs or have never skilled Melee Init but a single free IPR doesn't hurt, does it?

IPR's given out like candy == bad == canceled account (at least one for sure)


not that some people would mind not seeing me around the boards hehe

There will come a time that IPR should be handed out, we are not even close to that time though.

Everyone out of IPR used them to twink/tweek out their toon instead of SAVING THEM FOR WHEN THEY ARE NERFED.

*shrug*