16 replies to this topic

[Lefty Lucy]

Since it currently has zero effect.

[MustrumRidcully]

Probably immediately after the Command Console has a use and the PIP zoom module has been refunded.

[Khobai]

Hopefully PGI will revamp the entire skill system. Because its not really even a skill system in any traditional sense... Id like to see them focus on weapon balance, ui 2.0, community warfare, clans, and then a major revamp of the skills/modules system.

[Karl Streiger]

Khobai, on 19 August 2013 - 12:53 AM, said:

Hopefully PGI will revamp the entire skill system. Because its not really even a skill system in any traditional sense... Id like to see them focus on weapon balance, ui 2.0, community warfare, clans, and then a major revamp of the skills/modules system.

Exactly - a skill TREE should give the player a choice - do X better or does Y better - you choose eighter X or Y but you hardly be able to use both

[Khobai]

Id like to see a skill system like this:

Each time you master a mech you get a skill point (max of 30 skill points). You can then spend your skill points to unlock various skill trees like command, support, strike, assault, recon, pursuit, etc... each skill tree might have 20 points worth of skills or so. So at best you could unlock say one-and-a-half skill trees.

But each skill tree could not only give passive boosts but could also unlock equipment/modules that only players vested in that skill tree can use. And of course you could respec with MC or cbills.

[MustrumRidcully]

Karl Streiger, on 19 August 2013 - 12:55 AM, said:

Exactly - a skill TREE should give the player a choice - do X better or does Y better - you choose eighter X or Y but you hardly be able to use both

I think the reason we don't have a skill tree is that we only have one pilot per account. Other games have one account, multiple characters, this allows you to play a Mage specializing in fire magic in one character ,and a Rogue specializing in traps on another character, and a mage specializing in teleportating and summoning magic on yet another character.

But MW:O doesn't have this, so mutually exclusive choices can't be done easily. People don't generally want to run multiple accounts (especially if you consider that all the MC, XP and bought items and mechs stuff would be unavailable on another account).

But there would still be ways to achieve the same effect - if efficiencies where also modules (maybe a seperately siloed category), you could slot different "builds" in different mechs. This would add a layer of complexity that will be retained even if you maxed out everything on your character.

Edited by MustrumRidcully, 19 August 2013 - 01:10 AM.

[Khobai]

Quote

I think the reason we don't have a skill tree is that we only have one pilot per account. Other games have one account, multiple characters

Well thats why you allow respecing. Then you dont need more than one account. You just respec when you wanna try a different build.

The major advantage of having actual skill trees is it that adds way more versatility to the game. Instead of just having an Atlas which is boring. You would have Assault Atlases, Strike Atlases, Support Atlases, Command Atlases, etc... and they would all play slightly different in that their skill trees would give them access to different passive skill boosts/equipment/modules.

It would also help make certain roles like scouting, more legitimate, by giving them major boosts in the skill tree. Like imagine if only players specialized in the recon skill tree could use ECM, Null Signature System, Stealth Armor, etc... Additionally the recon tree could unlock different types of NARC ammo, improved versions of TAG, sensor probes, etc... basically make scouting a worthy role in the game.

Edited by Khobai, 19 August 2013 - 01:30 AM.

[Boyinleaves]

Also, respecs for skills could make a great XP sink for PGI (or MC/C-Bills, but they might as well do something for XP - other than GXP conversion, it's useless, and GXP use is finite too). Don't know why they don't take advantage of such a simple thing.

[Tombstoner]

The realities of building a game have basically crushed all the good intentions PGI started this project with....
The game suffers from a chronic identity crisis. Is it a FPS or a mech sim..... think about how much time was spent on letting you look around your cockpit and for what. Role warfare..... ECM+ tag... skill tree.... Modules. PGI is choking down a huge chunk of work and two people dont have the collective knowledge of the player base. The project changed over time and stuff was dropped, altered for easy implantation, fixed/broken.... now it's OMG we need to launch with what we got with no beta testing....not like they actually listen to our suggestions. cant think of one item they implemented.

as for a new pilot skill tree.. make it mech specific. items on that tree. +1% movment rate, speed, torso twist, heat cap, heat dissipation, ammo capacity, fire rate, damage resistance per skill point.... stuff just off the top of my head. 1-10 skill points - green pilot. 11-20 regular, 21-30 veteran, 31-40, hardened, 41-50 elite. right there 50 points, 1 per level with 8 categories to modify.... easy stuff unless you want something completely original, but as a free to play game you need it be accessible to the market and the market knows WOW and WOW ripped it off from diablo who riped it off from some earlier game.

[MrZakalwe]

I'd really like the tree idea myself - one for each mech like we have now but choices to make (make it so you can never have all of it or even most of it).

Would also give you a reason to buy more of a chassis so you could have different xp specs.

This would help with role warfare too

[Khobai]

A skill tree for each mech will never happen. That is way too complicated lol.

[MrZakalwe]

Khobai, on 19 August 2013 - 03:55 AM, said:

A skill tree for each mech will never happen. That is way too complicated lol.

Actually less complicated than runes/masteries in League of Legends.

[3rdworld]

There are a ton of really cool, interesting ways to make mechs different or skills more interesting.

Then PGI happened.

Khobai, on 19 August 2013 - 03:55 AM, said:

A skill tree for each mech will never happen. That is way too complicated lol.

For each mech, probably not. But each class or 4-5 different trees based on the mechs role wouldn't be to hard.

Edited by 3rdworld, 19 August 2013 - 05:17 AM.

[Kazma]

UI 2.0 is always the answer

[MustrumRidcully]

Khobai, on 19 August 2013 - 03:55 AM, said:

A skill tree for each mech will never happen. That is way too complicated lol.

That train has probably already sailed.*

Though it wouldn't be impossible. Basically, it means that every mech is its own class. It would be possible to share certain efficiencies across mechs, others across weight classes, and others across chassis variants.

Ah, well, no need to dwell on that. Didn't happen, not likely to happen.

*) or was it that ship has already left the station?**
**) That boat has already alphaed ro shutdown?

[Deathlike]

In the current min/max system (not limited to a mechlab concept), it would probably be analyzed to death. This doesn't mean it would be a bad thing... but finding the "optimal" skill tree strategy will be found and if balanced correctly could display some variety.. but to this point I don't think PGI is clever enough to make this happen (at least this won't happen until after launch).

[Master Q]

It's a pity we don't have a fully fleshed-out heat scale, rather than this all-or-nothing deal.

It's a pity the "efficiencies" read like plug-and-play "your mech will not operate at full capacity until you grind in it" stuff.

It's a pity that advancement means getting ALL the modules.

In my ideal thought for "efficiencies" you could make 10 different categories rather than 8 for the various mechs. Sure, coolrun, twist-x, etc. are there.

Now: have the players pick 6-7 of the 10. You want coolrun, and twist-x, and tighter turning radius? Maybe you have to do without some of the others.

On the Elite tier, do weapon efficiencies. Autocannons, Lasers, PPCs, LRMs, SRMs, Gauss, MG's.... now pick at most, three. And have the efficiencies mean something different. Lasers? Maybe shorten duration. PPCs? Maybe increase range or shot speed. Gauss? Slightly faster reload time.

On the Master tier - have 4-5 options. Let players pick one or two, max. HERE is where things like 10% engine speed boost should go, or some even faster torso twisting, or other things left to the imagination.

Imagine a setup where one person's "Mastered" version of the Atlas-D-DC plays totally different from another's because they leveled it differently. Presto- DIVERSITY. Players picking and choosing for their playstyle.

Other things desperately needed in the game:

- Multiple types of armor and a better implementation for Ferro-Fibrous. Reflective, Reactive NEED to be part of this game.
- Ability to "overload" certain sections of the mech if you choose, by stripping other sections. Because let's face it, the Tabletop's "paper doll" mechanic doesn't work when some 'Mechs have a torso section a mile wide that you know has to have their weapon complement square inside.There's a reason almost nobody is playing the Hunchback any more, and it comes down to hitbox sizing and ease of field-stripping.

- Alternate ammo loadouts. Inferno SRMs, alternate Autocannon rounds. Make players wonder what the other side is packing.