Post by Llenyd on Dec 13, 2002 17:32:02 GMT -5
Lythas' talk of multi-classing reminded me of the system used in one of the MUDs I used to play. Although a bit more complex than most games, it remains my favorite scheme that I've seen implemented into a game.
Races and stats:
The game used the typical primary stats: str, sta, wis, int, dex, cha. All characters start with stats of 0 across the board, with improvements coming at character level ups. Those improvements were based upon your race:
Humans would get +2 to all stats
Yeti would get +4 str / +3 sta / +2 dex / +1 int, wis, cha
Grey Elves get +3 wis, int / +2 dex, cha / +1 str, sta
There were several other races receiving other combos adding up to +12 per lvl.
Hp is determined by str and sta. A yeti warrior with 50 str and 50 sta has the same hp as a faerie bard with 50 str and 50 sta. (Though the yeti warrior would get those stats at a considerably lower level)
Mana is determined by wis and int.
Classes:
All characters start as a generic newb class to get you acclimated to the game. They could then start choosing another class when they had reached level 5. There are three tiers of classes; the higher tier classes are upgrades of tier one classes. (i.e. graduate from a fighter to warrior to knight.) Classes have there own level structure apart from your character level. Classes are obtained by going to the class' guildmaster and completing his/her quest. To be eligible for the quest, you must meet certain stat and character lvl requirements, and also a class level requirement for the upgrades. There were 4 general types of classes: melee, caster, combo, and craftsman. The guilds for the higher-level classes were well hidden, and even finding them was difficult, let alone completing the quests they gave. There was no limit to the number of classes you could gain; anyone able to complete the quest can gain the class. There were no set race restrictions, however, while a Yeti makes a kick-ass warrior, he will never possess the int and wis required to be a Supreme Arch-sage. In fact humans are the only race capable of gaining the stats to become any class they choose (and a carefully played human was capable of becoming ALL classes). Class leveling was similar to character leveling: you gain class experience from the mobs you defeated. (Except for the craftsman classes which lvled from crafting items)
Once you have obtained a class, you can switch to it at any time. So, if you've earned your warrior class and you've earned your monk class, you can set warrior as your class. You now have access to warrior skills and equipment; any experience gained would be applied to your warrior level. In addition, being a warrior would give bonus stats to str on a character level up. If you wish to be a monk, deselect warrior and select monk. You now have access to monk skills and equipment with any experience going to your monk level and a character level up giving bonus stats to str and dex. You could switch between the two at any time. The only limitations being this: you had to be naked to switch classes. That would mean unequipping all of your warrior armor, placing it into your inventory, switching to monk, then equipping your monk items from your inventory (hotkeys are your friend). Obviously, you can only carry so much equipment, essentially limiting you to playing 2 or 3 classes (without having to run to the bank
) All in all, there was about 70 different classes to choose from.
Skills:
You gained skills when you reached a certain class level. Fighter gets kick at clvl 1, headbutt at clvl 5, tackle at clvl 10, etc. The strength of the skill depends on your class lvl and the appropriate stat. A level 10 kick is stronger than a level 1 kick; a lvl 10 kick with 50 str does more damage than a lvl 10 kick with 40 str. When you gain the next tier class, you retain all the skills from your previous class. A warrior keeps all the skills learned as a fighter, and attains new ones. This makes hybrid classes very powerful. In EQ, a paladin is a watered down warrior with watered down cleric spells. In this game, a paladin had the full capabilities of a warrior and a cleric plus his new pally skills. He could also equip all items for either class in addition to pally only items. It also gave high lvl players the chance to use different types of skills without constantly switching classes.
It may be convoluted, but this system allowed a great deal of flexibility in how you played your character. There was really no fear of making a mistake and screwing up your character (you didn’t even have to worry about assigning initial stats). It also provided a lot of replay value by allowing you to try a new class without starting a new char. Usually, the only reason people would start a new character would be to specialize an uber character. While I don’t expect WoW to implement anything close, I have found having a wide open system to be very enjoyable.
Races and stats:
The game used the typical primary stats: str, sta, wis, int, dex, cha. All characters start with stats of 0 across the board, with improvements coming at character level ups. Those improvements were based upon your race:
Humans would get +2 to all stats
Yeti would get +4 str / +3 sta / +2 dex / +1 int, wis, cha
Grey Elves get +3 wis, int / +2 dex, cha / +1 str, sta
There were several other races receiving other combos adding up to +12 per lvl.
Hp is determined by str and sta. A yeti warrior with 50 str and 50 sta has the same hp as a faerie bard with 50 str and 50 sta. (Though the yeti warrior would get those stats at a considerably lower level)
Mana is determined by wis and int.
Classes:
All characters start as a generic newb class to get you acclimated to the game. They could then start choosing another class when they had reached level 5. There are three tiers of classes; the higher tier classes are upgrades of tier one classes. (i.e. graduate from a fighter to warrior to knight.) Classes have there own level structure apart from your character level. Classes are obtained by going to the class' guildmaster and completing his/her quest. To be eligible for the quest, you must meet certain stat and character lvl requirements, and also a class level requirement for the upgrades. There were 4 general types of classes: melee, caster, combo, and craftsman. The guilds for the higher-level classes were well hidden, and even finding them was difficult, let alone completing the quests they gave. There was no limit to the number of classes you could gain; anyone able to complete the quest can gain the class. There were no set race restrictions, however, while a Yeti makes a kick-ass warrior, he will never possess the int and wis required to be a Supreme Arch-sage. In fact humans are the only race capable of gaining the stats to become any class they choose (and a carefully played human was capable of becoming ALL classes). Class leveling was similar to character leveling: you gain class experience from the mobs you defeated. (Except for the craftsman classes which lvled from crafting items)
Once you have obtained a class, you can switch to it at any time. So, if you've earned your warrior class and you've earned your monk class, you can set warrior as your class. You now have access to warrior skills and equipment; any experience gained would be applied to your warrior level. In addition, being a warrior would give bonus stats to str on a character level up. If you wish to be a monk, deselect warrior and select monk. You now have access to monk skills and equipment with any experience going to your monk level and a character level up giving bonus stats to str and dex. You could switch between the two at any time. The only limitations being this: you had to be naked to switch classes. That would mean unequipping all of your warrior armor, placing it into your inventory, switching to monk, then equipping your monk items from your inventory (hotkeys are your friend). Obviously, you can only carry so much equipment, essentially limiting you to playing 2 or 3 classes (without having to run to the bank
) All in all, there was about 70 different classes to choose from.Skills:
You gained skills when you reached a certain class level. Fighter gets kick at clvl 1, headbutt at clvl 5, tackle at clvl 10, etc. The strength of the skill depends on your class lvl and the appropriate stat. A level 10 kick is stronger than a level 1 kick; a lvl 10 kick with 50 str does more damage than a lvl 10 kick with 40 str. When you gain the next tier class, you retain all the skills from your previous class. A warrior keeps all the skills learned as a fighter, and attains new ones. This makes hybrid classes very powerful. In EQ, a paladin is a watered down warrior with watered down cleric spells. In this game, a paladin had the full capabilities of a warrior and a cleric plus his new pally skills. He could also equip all items for either class in addition to pally only items. It also gave high lvl players the chance to use different types of skills without constantly switching classes.
It may be convoluted, but this system allowed a great deal of flexibility in how you played your character. There was really no fear of making a mistake and screwing up your character (you didn’t even have to worry about assigning initial stats). It also provided a lot of replay value by allowing you to try a new class without starting a new char. Usually, the only reason people would start a new character would be to specialize an uber character. While I don’t expect WoW to implement anything close, I have found having a wide open system to be very enjoyable.
