20 replies to this topic

[cSand]

Not sure how much more to expand on that

[GroovYChickeN]

How about we start with a real and useful skill tree first?

[FupDup]

I'd rather do it on a per-role or per-mech basis than per-faction.

[Foxwalker]

All Skill trees should be more specific to each Mech. Why do you need Arm Reflex skill if you have no arm weapons for example.
Why do you need Pinpoint, when all convergence is already pinpoint?

Should every Mech get a Speed Tweak perk? (I know that would be unpopular). I agree with you. The current skill trees are mostly there to add to the grind and force you to buy additional Mechs in each class. The fact is, it feeds into their business model. New users will most likely decide to buy a Mech pack to hasten the process.

[Mystere]

Can we stop calling it a skill tree if it is Mech-oriented instead of pilot-oriented? It just does not make sense.

[Vapor NINE]

Every variant of a mech's chassis should have its own unique skill tree.

[TyphonCh]

Vapor NINE, on 20 November 2015 - 03:40 PM, said:

Every variant of a mech's chassis should have its own unique skill tree.

That won't happen. Way too many mechs
A more attainable approach would be a different skill tree for each weight class. That way lights won't get hit so hard by the nerfs to Speed Tweak like in the PTS, etc

[Bishop Steiner]

cSand, on 20 November 2015 - 02:59 PM, said:

Not sure how much more to expand on that

Don't know about skill trees....but wish XP was rewarded differently depending on faction. Like Clans should be all focused on the Solo Kill, and epeen awards, with limited role bonuses, whereas the IS, based on cooperative warfare, should have the more role oriented XP and CBill rewards.

But that's a different topic.

I do agree that there should be distinguishers...but I feel even within factions, different role mechs should have different skill trees. Ravens should have Info War speed boosts, which would not make sense on a Thunderbolt, for example. Spiders, instead of Speed Tweak, maybe should have Jump Jet Tweak, etc.

[Helsbane]

Role warfare could be implemented by developing a set of differentiated skill trees to define role, separeted by chassis. That way, if you wanted a brawler, you would open select options on your skill tree that improved performance in that respect. Oddly enough, I have the entire idea on a note pad in my work cooler, fully fleshed out with stats, etc...

I honestly can't wait for the Steam launch when new players start asking hard questions like "So exactly what does 'Pinpoint' do again?", only to find PGI has no answer aside from "We're working on it." or "Soon."

[cSand]

Helsbane, on 20 November 2015 - 03:55 PM, said:

Role warfare could be implemented by developing a set of differentiated skill trees to define role, separeted by chassis. That way, if you wanted a brawler, you would open select options on your skill tree that improved performance in that respect. Oddly enough, I have the entire idea on a note pad in my work cooler, fully fleshed out with stats, etc...

I honestly can't wait for the Steam launch when new players start asking hard questions like "So exactly what does 'Pinpoint' do again?", only to find PGI has no answer aside from "We're working on it." or "Soon."

I'm gonna go ahead an bet they will have that outta there before Steam launch. THey can literally replace it with a small buff to anything, so even a panicked last minute "OK uhhhhh, sh*t we got 10 minutes until Steam launch.... uhhh, go.... uhhh..... yea, +5% hill climb!" will do for now, until they get around to revamping the whole system

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

We should have actual skill trees instead of just a check list that we have to complete. Give us choices in efficiencies.

[InspectorG]

Prolly easier to use a generic tree with mutually exclusive choices where some of the most elite ones could be variant/role specific.

[Vellron2005]

I think that the skill tree should be focused on specific branches, in terms of weapon types, agility, speed and toughness, and you shouldn't be able to gain all the skills. (like in RPG games)

For instance, you would have to pick between the following branches:

1) Toughness (Skills that increase internal components, armor buffs, and essentially give you quirks based on that)

2) Agility (Skills that make your mech turn faster, accelerate/decelerate faster, increase twist ratio and such)

3) Weapons - subdivided into Lasers, PPC, Balistics, Gauss, SRM, and LRM categories. Would give you quirks for specific weapons.

4) Info warfare (Skills that increase sensor range, how long it takes you to scan mechs, how quickly they loose lock on you and such)

5) Speed ( would increase speeds of mechs, projectile speeds, twist speed and such)

Any one mech could specialise in two of these branches, but no more..

THAT would be a proper SKILL tree..

Also, this would mean that two of the same mechs but owned by different players could have different quirks.. For instance, if I wanna play a Timberwolf LRM boat, and you play a Timberwolf Laserwomit.. I would get info skills and LRM skills, while you would take Laser Skills and Toughness skils... And we're both using the TBR-S for instance..

THAT would be variety, balance, and "Role" play..

[Darian DelFord]

Per Mech per Chassis

In that tree, give them things they need, in regards of general quirks. Then allow the Pilot to specify what quirks to give the mechs

Then if they wish to respec for one reason or another, charge an MC fee.

There ya go a money grab and the players get what they want.

[Mike McSullivan]

Vellron2005, on 23 November 2015 - 05:49 AM, said:

exactly like this.

an interesting step would be, that you have to make decisions. Like in typical MMOs. You want "toughness"? - take that branch. but that stops you from skilling "agility"-branch. Or at least prevents you from mastering the "agility"-side of the tree.
for example:
Toughness<>Agility
Firepower<>Info/Recon
Heatmanagement<>Range

[Almond Brown]

Vapor NINE, on 20 November 2015 - 03:40 PM, said:

Every variant of a mech's chassis should have its own unique skill tree.

Is that not what Quirks were/are attempting to do? Seems many folks, have many varied opinions, on what is a good skill/quirk set per unit.

[Almond Brown]

Mike McSullivan, on 23 November 2015 - 06:46 AM, said:

an interesting step would be, that you have to make decisions. Like in typical MMOs. You want "toughness"? - take that branch. but that stops you from skilling "agility"-branch. Or at least prevents you from mastering the "agility"-side of the tree.
for example:
Toughness<>Agility
Firepower<>Info/Recon
Heatmanagement<>Range

And no matter what PGI does in that regard, in < 7 days the spreadsheet warriors will have 6 Mechs, 3 I.S. and 3 Clan that are "THE BEST" and every other "skilled" set will be inferior. Same as it is now for those serious about Winning...

And what "buff" levels do we provide these Trees? 2% (ouch) or 15% (wow) and do we allow some to have better "buffs" in some Trees versus others? The Quirk system showed the flaws in any type of "buff" system that does not have equality across the board but "equality" is boring because everything becomes a 'generic" version of the other.

Unlike other MMO's MWO does not have very defined Combat roles like Brawler/Thief/Wizard/Cleric etc. Those MMO's that have started to allow "Brawling Wizard" mixes all end up the same. Generic mixes of "blah" that generally hurt the Team more than help in the long run.

P.S. Those "generic" mixes in other MMO's tend to stay versus the AI opponents as bring them into PvP play will have you quickly become an outcast . At least in MWO (for some at least) we can still call then "fun" builds and play them, despite their need to be carried.

Edited by Almond Brown, 23 November 2015 - 07:33 AM.

[Obadiah333]

Lets just call it the 'grind tree' until they fix it. 3 years, still nothing. Not one change. It is mind boggling.

[Coolant]

I agree with OP, the systems and weapons are different they should have different trees, although PGI is supposedly working 100% on CW3 so skill tree revamps should wait after that.

The entire skill tree system needs to be reworked and made similar to other MMOs. Let us pick where we want to specialize. Let us have unique bonuses from others because we choose a different skill path. Let there be a sniper skill path, and a brawler, and a missiler path, a scouting path etc.

Edited by Coolant, 23 November 2015 - 08:45 AM.

[Mike McSullivan]

Almond Brown, on 23 November 2015 - 07:28 AM, said:

And no matter what PGI does in that regard, in < 7 days the spreadsheet warriors will have 6 Mechs, 3 I.S. and 3 Clan that are "THE BEST" and every other "skilled" set will be inferior. Same as it is now for those serious about Winning...
...

sadly, you´re absolutely right
but...everything is better then the stuff we have now (with notfunction-skills etcpp)