Your Gaming Opinion Wanted

Hello there Off-topic forum dwellers, and thank you for your interest.

Now you're probably wondering(with an anxiousness about you I'm sure), where and what to put your opinion on. Well, I can tell you that it isn't an opinion on any game in existence. It's more or less an opinion on the idea or basis of a game. Confused yet? I sure am.


Anyways, this "idea" came to me while reviewing and comparing what I like from multiple games within the same genre. PoE, Diablo series, Torchlight series, as well as many other games. I asked myself what I wanted in an "ARPG" game and if it could even be feasibly implimented.

Reason: The reason I want to know your opinion is to see where my own "perfect" ideas stand in ARPG-ness compared to the vast majority of ARPGers.

So, more to the point of this thread, let me express my idea to you.

(This pertains only to the passive/active skill tree, so please try not to compare my idea to fluidity of graphic gameplay. I want to know why you think it could/couldn't work, and what you would do to fix the problems. If you simply like the way it is, just tell me that then.)


Skill Tree: I'll use a picture to help you visualize my version of a skill tree(I apologize for my crude diagram of the skill tree. I'm no professional.)

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/Avaedan/workinprogress.jpg


In the picture you have 4 branches going left and right from a central trunk. The central trunk is the main class (The class/character you chose to be at the start, in this diagram it would be "Swordsman" for the examples sake). You would start at the very bottom of the picture provided. Each segmented area has active skills in them, but I didn't include them in the picture. This is just an overview shot for simplicity's sake.

Swordsman Class Passive (You get these just for choosing a swordsman): 2 physical swings instead of the normal 1 per attack of other classes.
Use of bladed 2-handed and 1-handed weapons.
Use of Leather Armor.

each of the four segments of the central trunk (areas divided by white lines) signify 25 levels. So every 25 levels you can choose another branch to work off of. So you can stem out from the central trunk and further customize your class.

This is where the fun begins. The yellow gems at the top of the central trunk signify how many branches you can travel through. A total of 5, disappearing after each branch is chosen.
Since the central trunk is considered your starting class, it doesn't use a gem.

Now, the branches' classes (using the diagram):

0-25 levels you have Samurai (Bottom left blue), and Sentry (Bottom right green)

25-50 levels you have Thirster (Purple left branch), and Medicant Blade (Light Blue Right Branch)

50-75 levels you have Pain Seeker (Red Left Branch), and Shockwave ( Light Orange Right Branch)

75-100 Levels, you have Illusionary (Pink Left Branch), and Ascended (Silver Right Branch)

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Now, each branch is optional. You can simply be a pure swordsman if you wanted to and not waste gems on branching out. Each branch has additional benefits, however, and help diversify characters builds. (Ex: Samurai adds +1 extra attack, for 3 attacks(2 from being a swordsman) for every 1 swing once unlocked)

Each Branch can also unlock new armor types (Ex: Sentry gives the ability to use heavy armor and shields once unlocked)

Finally, each branch couples with 2 other main classes skill trees, so you can worm across into many different skill trees making a truly dynamic and interesting build. (Swordsman, Theif, and Soldier central trunks are all connected through the "sentry" branch.)

If you choose to travel into the Central Trunk of theif, it would still cost 1 yellow gem.

You could also choose multiple branches off of a single central trunk. (Ex: Swordsman + Thirster + Medicant + Samurai + Shockwave)


And as I said before, each branch/trunk has active skills in them. I just didn't include them for simplicity's sake.


Now...what do people think of this idea? Does it sound like it could work?

tl;dr

nah just kidding. Does it seem like it could work? Yes, and it's a cool idea...just a bit more complicated than your average levelling system.

"

Onionspam wrote:

tl;dr

nah just kidding. Does it seem like it could work? Yes, and it's a cool idea...just a bit more complicated than your average levelling system.

Hey, thanks for the feedback. Glad you have a sense of humor too. :P

It is complicated when talking about it as a theory. In a game it would be pretty quick to catch on I'd think.

Thanks for the input though. =)

would fit in really good in an RPG with really complicated mechanics like maybe something loosely based on D&D games of the past...seems like a really good way to handle multi-class leveling.

"

Onionspam wrote:

would fit in really good in an RPG with really complicated mechanics like maybe something loosely based on D&D games of the past...seems like a really good way to handle multi-class leveling.

Ironically I've never played any sort of D&D game before, boardgame or electronic. There's more to my skill tree than just passives, though. I could talk about active skills but I think it make become more engrossingly complex for most people to understand without some sort of diagram or formula.


Meh, I'll give it a shot.

Say you have a skill that is (In swordsman tree):

XYZ Slash

Damage: Physical/Bladed (Requires a bladed weapon to use)

An attack using bladed weapons to do [(Number of Dexterity points)*.10]+1 attacks
The attack(s) will do [(Number of Strength points)*.50]+25 damage

So, using the stats seperately but inclusive in the same skill, you get a dynamic result.

I can have a very fast attacking swordsman, who focuses less on damage for each attack, or I can have a swordsman that does solid and heavy damage with less attacks per skill usage.

Mana/resource would still be dictated by intelligence, but the skills mana requirement will be low due to where it is found (Swordsman Central Trunk).

In PoE, the skills require two stats to be a certain level to use it's next level up. In my skill set up, I can freely build armor/stat allocation how I want to and each skill will change accordingly.


This is one of the many ways I envision my "perfect" skill tree/passive tree.