Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Announcements about major changes in Haven & Hearth.

Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Lothaudus » Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:25 am

loftar wrote:Individual actions will probably also be endowed with per-action quality, that are determined when learning the actions. It may be possible to increase the quality of actions somehow, probably through other curiosities and limited by some character stat(s). In particular, since it should be harder to learn individual actions, it should be possible for characters to teach actions to other players, which will transfer them with lower quality.

I'd love to see some sort of training system in place for the basic skills, in terms of learning how to do stuff. At the moment you just hit the clay for a few hours until you learn everything before focussing on upping skill points. It'd be nice to start off and spend an hour with another player in-game as they show you the ropes. Someone who's gone through the process of playing with the clay for fifteen minutes and finally learned what to do with it can simply "Show someone else this skill" and have them pick it up in a minute or two. Be a nice introduction to new players in that finding someone to teach them would be a benefit, thus providing a more community feel (ignoring the obvious case where existing players could just setup an alt with the skills and train that way).

I've had more fun in the game when there've been others online and we've been doing even mundane shit like helping each other build a wall or whatever than simply playing alone (though alone is also fun at times, like getting out and exploring).

In terms of getting better at things, I love the FEP system. Having to make and eat different types of foods to up stats is a really great idea. It makes it require some thought in terms of getting the resources together to make what you need and then making it, rather than simply increasing a few numbers after grinding clay for 12 hours (as with the current LP system).

I'm intruiged by the "fun" idea but worried it'll just end up like Hunger. Annoying. If you're planning on plowing a field, you simply get into the rhythm of plow, drink, eat; plow, drink, eat. Now it'll be plow, drink, eat, play with toy; plow, drink, eat, play with toy. Given how often we eat at the moment, I'm worried it'll interrupt the work-flow too much and we'll end up having to play with something every five minutes and never get any damn work done. :P Especially if I'm plowing and then have my character decide that I need to go hunt bears or some shit, thus distracting me from what I intended on achieving (particularly if I'm not in the position to hunt bears or whatever at the time due to my location or available tools).

I can see work weariness detracting from specialisation too (obviously depending on how it's implemented). If I like cooking (or need to cook) and so do that a lot but my character decides that it's worn him out and he wants to do something else, I'll be grabbing an alt and continuing to cook. At the end of the day, *I* want to play the game and achieve "my" goals, not my character.

Winterbrass wrote:Farm a lot? Your farming skill will improve. Smith? Smithing will improve.

On a basic level I like this idea. It means grinding clay simply makes you better at... grinding clay. So you have to mix it up a bit if you actually want to get better at something. You can't just progress from grinding clay for a few days to hunting bears and then invest all the points into smithing and become an awesome smith. You'd actually have to spend a fair bit of time smithing. Makes it grindy but means you'd be grinding something that "makes sense". And getting better at something by doing it is a fairly simple concept.

It also allows for items like "Training Dummies" that you could practice on to increase combat skills or fighting people in an arena for fame and fortune. I don't think it's what the devs want though, in terms of a system. Though maybe if it was coupled with the training system, it could work better.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Rhiannon » Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:45 am

Humm, well not to be too bah humbug, however, I saw nothing fun listed in the future dev as written here. Work weariness sounds horrible in theory, "go have fun by killing people" is just sick not to mention the idea of madatory quests = same haand holding nanny grind as every other cookie cutter mmo which anyone can play anytime. Much of what I read seems to turn this game away from the unique sandbox that has (to your claimed surprise) kept many people here long after your expected "few days". The idea that "grind" must always be something horrible has nothing to do with the "grind" but the "Work vs reward" that causes tediousness. Grinding is no problem to most gamers, hardcore or casual) as long as the reward/advancement justifies the work in a fair way.

Not to offend anyone in particular, but as with any game, vocal dissention from a few bored long term players does NOT always mean that is the mindset of the whole, as in most games, the main body of players go unknown and unnoticed, especially in a sandbox (but you would notice the donations from those invisible players...lol). And more than a few games have shot themselves in the head by capitulating to a few bored vocalists while chasing off their main body of players and then they say "oops well we thought this is what everyone wanted". Not, is was only what a few bored specialized vocal players wanted. I've spent over 1000$ on Atlantica , was ready and began playing 5 minutes after server 1 opened. PLayed it like a fanatic for a year until they made it so tedious and nerfed that I went looking for what I always wanted...and I found H&H. Despte the money, the awesome graphics, all my item mall goodies (mounts, costumes, ect) I barely log in once every week and half now (and then only to check my character) since I began playing H&H months ago.

I have no problem with the LP system, I do think hunger is whacked, the new "animals run too fast to catch" is an epic fail. I also agree that those who enjoy pvp and fighting with each other could use a new combat system (as well for decent hunting gameplay). But overall, I and every single person I know ( i know about 8 people who play regularly now that I've dragged into the game) are actually ok with the basic premise and basic mechanics of the game. All are hardcore daily gamers who think the uniqueness of THIS game is more fun than all the cookie cutter high end graphics games out there now. I would also try to remember, that as of now, there is no decent sandbox game on the market that even touches the primise and gameplay of H&H. I would just be careful about tampering too much with that uniqueness in an effort to "do whatever" because much of things listed in this particular installment post seems way too close to attempts to drag this game in line with the cookie cutter junkyard that litters the mmo world right now. Overcomplication always = death for something that is suppose to be "Fun". SO yeah, there's some things you could tweak and add and revamp while keeping the basics in play.

Forced questing, making me play with toys or kill someone when i'd rather be harvesting my wheat or making linen (or whatver I want to do = sandbox), making things so overcomplicated that casual players need 3 notebooks full of notes and personal directions to keep track of what they are being forced to do to reach whatever, on and on.

I agree with another posted remark, these things, if implemented as you have them listed here, would kill this game (Or "Make it stink" as was noted). Please don't try to compete with, come inline with, or move towards the horrible rash of mmo cookie cutter trash that is out there now, they are all the same, most with the things you have listed in this thread. Keep H&H unique and the sandbox that those of us who have found it, stayed with it, for months now, love. I'd much rather we be "the only one of our kind" than to be "just another cookie in the jar". I could do most of the things you list here (mechanic wise) in Atlantica or any of the other clones if I wanted to, but they don't get my money or my time now...Instead H&H does...may want to keep that in mind. Something about H&H must be alright...You may want to be sure you know what those things are before you "fix" what isn't broke and throw monkey wrenches into what works..lol

So there's my cent and half.

ANd PS, remember, there's alot more people playing than the 10 vocalists who scream about being bored because they've killed everyone they can and made or stolen everything they could "want" in the game and so are now bored and "won't come back/play more until you remake the game"..lol Many of us are just fine and playing everynight and not "bored" at all.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby ZephNecro » Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:30 pm

The only idea that I'd agree with is a specialized skill tree.

I have no idea on what would make a good replacement for the lp system since it works ok for me.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Haba » Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:48 pm

Remove LP and remove skills. Make fighting and crafting totally based on player skill, stats and item quality (like steel making). Higher level crafts should require learning through experimentation, not through repeating the same task like a mindless automaton - even if some seem to find enjoyment in it.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby warrri » Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:53 pm

Haba wrote:Make crafting totally based on player skill .. (like steel making) ... not through repeating the same task like a mindless automaton

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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Ikarti » Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:25 pm

Get rid of hearth summons and murder alts
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby TheDrill » Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:42 pm

I agree that the system suggested by loftar is complete trash and that the current LP & skill tree systems have very strong points. Namely allowing a player to do whatever he feels he needs to do most either for himself or his village and still be rewarded for it in a way that he chooses. Specialization is the exact opposite of what you're trying to achieve in a sandbox game. What if a player created a farmer character and then decided that there just isn't enough boar meat in the village? What if a player got bored of fueling the furnaces every 15 minutes and wanted to take a break making q190 leather? If I was forced to be a full-time farmer I'd uninstall this game in about 30 seconds and forget about it completely. Being able to do all of the things this sandbox game offers is the bare minimum for being amused by the game. Being able to "grind" farming by murdering bears is a really big plus when you look at the grindy alternative.

warrri wrote:
Haba wrote:Make crafting totally based on player skill .. (like steel making) ... not through repeating the same task like a mindless automaton

You're not so clever, are you?

Ahahaha.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby burgingham » Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:47 pm

Oh boy.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Potjeh » Sun Jan 17, 2010 7:58 pm

I've just had an idea that may or may not be crap (didn't really think it true yet): replace LP with numen. Well, not just numen, but it's the heart of it.

Basically, to raise a skill you (and you only) need to craft an item who's quality exceeds your current skill and sacrifice the item to your ancestors. Then your skill is raised to the average of your current skill and the item's quality. It shouldn't be just any item, you should pray to your ancestors for inspiration, and they'd tell you what exact item you need to make. You can forfeit, of course, if it's something you can't make, but it costs you numen. Anyway, to make a successful sacrifice you would need to spend a number of numen points equal to the item's quality.

If the character development is too quick, you can add further softcaps like ancestors' attitude (depends on regularity and quality of sacrifices).

Anyway, there's obviously a lot of holes in this. Exploration skill doesn't really do any crafting, and I don't even know where to begin when it comes to combat skills. But it's just a rough sketch, and with some brainstorming could probably be turned into something functional. The only question is if it would be fun. IMHO, it's better than LP in that regard, but I'm not really sure if it's the funnest possible answer.
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Re: Dev Diary: Recap Episode #2 -- Skills, Arts and Characters

Postby Chakravanti » Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:55 pm

There are merits and flaws to this proposal. First of all, the tediousness tha Lothaudus points in

"the rhythm of plow, drink, eat; plow, drink, eat. Now it'll be plow, drink, eat, play with toy; plow, drink, eat, play with toy."

A 'realistic' psychology would reflect that a lot fo people in fact do enjoy working. What people do NOT enjoy is tedious and repetitive tasks (e.g. 'grind'). Perhaps work weariness might be alleviated by achieving diversity of tasks and one's 'margin of weariness' would be a PSY or some other factor of stats or colelctive stats.
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