Comments on: Why is class changing taboo?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:24:43 +0000

Do you mean the Shadow Priest, or the Healodin?

At the end of the day, a healing-spec priest has much more in common with a healodin palidan than a shadow priest has in common with healing-spec priest. WoW is definitely one of those games where roles are more important and defining than classes.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:15:13 +0000

I so want that to happen. I wish them lots of luck and hope they don’t screw it up.

By: Endraal

Endraal — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:38:53 +0000

I really like the Global Agenda “one name for all my toons” setup.
Might be a tad tangential to where this discussion is atm, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that solution.

By: Green Armadillo

Green Armadillo — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:22:58 +0000

The other thing that has changed over time has been the diminished use of the leveling game to teach group mechanics. If you imagine that everyone with a level 20 character got there entirely by group content, allowing class switches would mean that there would suddenly be level 20′s with no idea how to play their new class. Ironically, nowadays everyone who doesn’t go out of their ways to look for groups arrives at the level cap lacking group experience, so allowing straight-up class swaps wouldn’t be as damaging.

That said, I took advantage of the EQ2 expansion beta to roll up some premades to audition potential alts, and I’d guesstimate that I sunk about an hour into each character just reading tooltips and setting up hotbars before I could even try to guess how to play them. Even solo play has a certain degree of level curve if you’re jumping in late enough in the game.

By: Brian 'Psychochild' Green

Brian 'Psychochild' Green — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:34:08 +0000

One reason why class change seems like a heresy might come from the past. In D&D, it was assumed that your level 1 character trained a long time in order to get to the point that you were even capable of being considered first level. Most “commoners” were level 0 and significantly weaker than you were. Training your level in 1st edition AD&D was supposed to take 1-4 weeks. Training in a profession was supposed to be a long and arduous task, so setting it aside lightly seems wrong. Not that this applies anymore, but I think that might be one reason some old-timers don’t like it.

Personally, I prefer skill-based systems. Lots of flexibility. Harder to balance, sure, but that’s what you get a good designer for.

By: Ferrel

Ferrel — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:33:42 +0000

Well how about that!

By: Kendricke

Kendricke — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:15:59 +0000

http://www.smithandtinker.com/news/smith-and-tinker-acquires-fasa-ips.php

By: Ferrel

Ferrel — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:14:53 +0000

I’m shocked that there isn’t a Mech Warrior MMO yet or at least something that basically steals it.
That said, I like your idea a lot. I believe Final Fantasy XIV will use a system like that correct? Your class barely means anything in comparison to the weapon you use?

Yes, Eve being so passive turned me off. It was better NOT to play than to play.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:03:27 +0000

I’ve always wanted someone to do a MechWarrior MMO that would end up being sort of like EVE in that your character learned skills that allowed them to pilot certain mechs and use certain armors and weapons and other devices, but what really matters is the build that they leave the garage with. You have the potential to be any “class”, to fill any role, but you have to plan ahead and leave the garage built out for how you want to play.

Except for it breaking with tradition, I don’t see any reason a fantasy MMO can’t be constructed in the same manner. Give players an underlying base of skills that allow them to equip gear, but the real game play elements (spells, attacks, defensive moves, etc) are an aspect of the gear not the character.

I’ve always referred to this style of design as “You are what you wear.”

And while I mentioned EVE before, I dislike EVE in that nothing I do in the game can increase my character’s skills. Only training time does that, and I find that infuriating. I can’t say, “I’m going to grind out X skill on Saturday.” Instead, I’m stuck with, “X skill will be finished in three weeks, I’ll be back then…”

By: Scopique

Scopique — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:48:55 +0000

We’re talking “class change” not “change class”. I think a lot of people have put a lot of time and effort into learning how to “play their class”, sometimes to the point where they play by rote rather then by making conscious decisions.

If class mechanics change, that’s back to square one for the SAME class that these people have put their time into “mastering”. All their “hard work” has been rendered useless, essentially. Some may even consider this a punishment for…some reason.