Eliminate "Professions", let players set IP costs at char creation...

[_____________zendada]

Not a new suggestion I'm sure, and probably already considered by Funcom, but something to consider.

Do away with "Professions" entirely and give the players a base IP cost on all skills with an allotment they can use to lower costs of chosen skills to a certain limit. Stat IP costs would be determined by race and not changeable. Make all items' skill and QL dependant rather than profession dependant.

The profession then rests in the players hands and everyone has an equal chance to spend IP how they want.

So, for example, I start up char, lower my IP costs for ohe weapons and defense as low as they can, lower weaponsmith a little, then call myself a "Mercenary for the Clan." or "A Cut throat" etc etc...

Make any sense? Dunno, sounded neat.

zendada

[___________Akibiyori]

A meatgrinder..its takes whatever you shove into it and mushes it all up so that in the end...everything is exactly the same.

So lets see...we let everyone do whatever they want with their IP...they can become whatever they want and use whatever they want...

As if we dont have enough twinks as it is.

Do you want there to be no diversity in the game?

As it stands...soldiers cant heal (well they can..but its so pathetic..why even bother mentioning it?) so they like to have docs around....docs...arent big on damage out put...
(there are exceptions to every rule mind you)

There wouldnt be things like tanks, and healers, and nano techs...people with specific skills...everyone would be exactly the same...thats like if you ran around rubi'ka and everyone you saw had the exact same face and stature.

That would frankly be bloody boring.

you choose what you want to be, knowing it has advantages and disadvantages...thats the way life works.

[_____________zendada]

Ha ha, lets back up a few steps...

Maybe the example I gave wasn't clear. I didn't mean let everyone do what they want with whatever they want, although it sort of seems like this is the case already. ::coughtwinkcough::

In the scheme proposed players would be allowed to lower IP costs on only a few skills, say like you could make 2 green, and 4 light blue, all the rest would be max. You could have really cheap nano costs, and be great at it, but limited in all other things, for example. As it is now, everyone can spend IP on anything already, why not let the player decide what their character will have an aptitude for and on top of that let them decide on what they call themselves as far as professions go. This could provide guilds (note: another player driven aspect of the game) with more creativity in how they are structured.

Having items skill dependant, rather than profession dependant, with this idea, still means only people who have set IP costs low on the skills needed to use certain items will be the ones who do so.

Your concern about lack of diversity is understandable on the surface, but I think you aren't giving us as players enough credit. Just in that we are all different people who come to play is quite a bit of diversity in and of itself, and with the ability to set your costs and call yourself what you like as far as profession goes, to me, seems more likely to bring even more.

Anyway, I apologize if the clarity of this is lacking, its late and I am tired. If it isn't already apearant, I'm all for giving the end user more controll over content. We might be a ways off from building our own avatars from scratch, but it will happen eventually.

Told ya I was tired. I edited to add another thing. A system like this might stop the 'profession wars' and let the devs concentrate on skills across the board for everyone at the same time, not just here and there.

zendada

[Reducks]

Eh, it could be a good idea, but it's just not practical. It would be a HUGE gameplay change and would cause chaos on Rubi-Ka and also require changing many other things in-game.. It's just not worth the problems (and bugs) that it would bring.

This is just something that would have to have been implemented while the game was being made.

[________________Vazz]

No thanks. If I want that i'll just go play UO or AC again.
I like it the way it is now.

[Redhill]

The biggest problem here would be that raising BM and MM would let you use Doc heals and a healing pet, or MC and TS would let you root, nuke, summon and have the most powerfull pet. Where SMG would give you the wonderfull choice of using a mausser or using a mausser. (for example)

Unless they added dozens of new skills or added requirements (mech eng and TS and MC for engy pets, TS and MM/MC and psychology for roots) then everyone would be using nanos.

It just wouldnt work with the current equipment and nano crystal set, sadly.

[Talanie]

There is not a way to run doc or engineer nanos unless you are a doc/agent or an eng/agent. If I understand the orginial post correctly, you would still choose a profession, but be able to set your skill costs.

For example, you could choose to become a doc with very good assault rifle skills. However, you would be forced to skimp on your healing. Or you could just pick the original setup of skills and be good at healing.

Another example, you could make a trader who was good with 2hb, though you would be forced to increase the cost for any other of the "vital" skills for a trader.

I hope I understood the original post correctly, or this is all meaningless. Oh well

[Talanie]

And no, IMO, everybody would not be the same. People have preferences. I for one would hate to be an enf/ma (no offense to all them out there) because it would seem boring to me to just be able to whack the same monster till it's dead. Sure, you can become an enforcer with a nice rifle under this suggestion, but all your nanos are not "set up" for a ranged enforcer. This could still become a plausible setup because of an enforcer's hp/str/stam buffs.