Improving the Game:Removing socket color

When you think about
Quality,
Socket Number,
Number of Links
on an item everyone of them contributes to items somehow.

But if you look at
Socket Color
it is pretty much just another layer of annoyance which contributes nothing.

This also creates another mediocre currency: Chromatic Orbs.


So why keep a literally useless mechanic which does nothing and limits build diversity?

Making all skills white color (and keeping the attribute point requirements for skills) will improve gameplay experience.

Also, it will cut the time looking for an odd combination like "RBGBRG" and
allow a lot more interesting build variety.

Current color mechanic blocks out tons of interesting builds.

Items and their sockets and gems in this game are aligned with colors.

This is because as a strength based character in general you don't want blue gems. You in general need red gems. Strength aligned characters have mainly red gems as quest rewards.

That is also why items sockets have colors, you don't want you strength bases items to roll with blue sockets all the time since you mainly use red gems.

Now removing socket colors also means removing gem colors. This would basically mean that gems are not aligned to characters anymore.

I leave it somewhere in between whether or not that is a good thing or not, although I have to say that the gems already have requirements (like blue gems require more INT etc.) so you could ask yourself: Does the color actually adds anything?

On the other hand: Removing those colors actually reduce the differences in classes. You could also say that the gem colors contribute to the distinctiveness of characters. (Base stats/Start location in passive tree/Skill set/Item set).

So I find this hard to answer but what I can tell you is that the impact would be huge, so don't expect anything!

"

Startkabels wrote:

Items and their sockets and gems in this game are aligned with colors.

This is because as a strength based character in general you don't want blue gems. You in general need red gems. Strength aligned characters have mainly red gems as quest rewards.

That is also why items sockets have colors, you don't want you strength bases items to roll with blue sockets all the time since you mainly use red gems.

Now removing socket colors also means removing gem colors. This would basically mean that gems are not aligned to characters anymore.

I leave it somewhere in between whether or not that is a good thing or not, although I have to say that the gems already have requirements (like blue gems require more INT etc.) so you could ask yourself: Does the color actually adds anything?

On the other hand: Removing those colors actually reduce the differences in classes. You could also say that the gem colors contribute to the distinctiveness of characters. (Base stats/Start location in passive tree/Skill set/Item set).

So I find this hard to answer but what I can tell you is that the impact would be huge, so don't expect anything!

Very good points.

After reading your post it seems to me that color system is pretty much like a closed box.
How so? Let me explain.

But before that, on the character/class difference and alignment: Most important thing with PoE classes is their starting point and as you said color alignment.

Now back to the closed color box.
The way passive tree build, skills and socket colors all of that is divided to a three color system.When you look at the passive tree all colors are interwoven and mixed.

So what happens when you want to introduce "a forth color" (example yellow) to the game? A complete set of yellow new skill gems and a new class who is aligned with yellow color is required. A full rework of the passive tree is a must, because the way passive tree is color coded and every attribute(color) is interwoven.

If you want to add another color after that you have to repeat the whole process. Again a complete overhaul of the four colored tree to make it five. So on and so on.

Yes it is good to have color alignments and it sets a nice theme for classes. But when you try to add a new element to that three color system things get too complicated because it is a closed system.

If GGG's intention is to stay with current three colors and never add a new class or color, then yes current system is sufficient enough.

But if they plan to add a new class or color in the future, net effect of the closed box is too great because you can not expand a closed box without breaking it every time.

I must agree I don't see a point in separating gems by Color.

Allow me to explain.

Alot of gems in the game have multiple Attribute requirements.

So a Blue gem may have int+str or int+dex.
Why is it blue, then?

So, I agree removing Socket colors would make sense. They add frustration, not gameplay.
On the other hand, removing Gem colors is arguably not necessary, as it helps easily identify them.
However, since there are players who are daltonic, a non-color-oriented distinguishing aspect for gems is necessary, and removes the need for color-code.

If anything, Skill and Support gems should have a difference in color (and tone, so that even a daltonic can distinguish it), and have non-colored-based distinction between Attribute types.

Well the original suggestion actually was to remove socket colors, not gem colors. There is a point in removing socket colors but removing gem colors is inherent.

Too radical.

However, making multi-requirement gems socketable in sockets of either color would be great. For example EK could go in either blue or green, and gems will also get a bit more distinguishable, like this:

"

raics wrote:

Too radical.

However, making multi-requirement gems socketable in sockets of either color would be great. For example EK could go in either blue or green, and gems will also get a bit more distinguishable, like this:

That is a good idea too.

But this gives gems with double attribute requirements a clear advantage over single attribute gems because it will double the available slots for hybrid gems.

"

raics wrote:

Too radical.

However, making multi-requirement gems socketable in sockets of either color would be great. For example EK could go in either blue or green, and gems will also get a bit more distinguishable, like this:

I like that idea.
There's one problem: It benefits builds that use multi-stat gems, as opposed to builds that use single stat gems.

I do believe Dexterity gems should be yellow, to make it more distinguishable.

"

lvamesdu wrote:

"

raics wrote:

Too radical.

However, making multi-requirement gems socketable in sockets of either color would be great. For example EK could go in either blue or green, and gems will also get a bit more distinguishable, like this:

That is a good idea too.

But this gives gems with double attribute requirements a clear advantage over single attribute gems because it will double the available slots for hybrid gems.

No matter, it's not like anyone even tries to balance gems by color, the important thing is not giving class, playstyle or specific builds an advantage, which it doesn't. Anyway, hybrid stuff is already at a disadvantage game-wide, it might as well get an advantage somewhere. And not that it would be a huge one, you'd only get some more leeway with sockets to save you some chromes and much headache. Really the best kind of improvement - a globally insignificant thing that makes your life a lot easier.