I've got a new post up at KillTenRats.com: In Defense of the Tankmage. Take a look if you're interested in game balance and the idea of classless systems.
Yeah, I don't think it's something that could be easily implemented now, from either a tech standpoint or a player rebellion standpoint. However, I think it would work well for CoH 2 or the Marvel MMO. As far as the "assigning a role" thing, that could be as easy as putting text at the beginning of the process that says, "If you want to be able to take tons of damage, make a defensive pool your primary. If you want to do tons of damage, make an offensive skill your primary." Alternately, let people pick from one of the 10 inherents during character creation, with explanations of what each does.
I missed out on some of the specifics due to lack of familiarity with the terminology, but I think I got the basic gist of the idea. :)
For me it comes down as much to an issue of atmosphere as it does game balance. I just don't like playing games where anybody can do anything, because in my experience that tends to turn what you hope will be a cool and immersive RPG into a "share your best recipe for a level 100 in 16 or fewer hours of play!" crapfest. Like buying those level maps for Pac-Man, back in the day -- if you treat the game like a math experiment, you're missing out on most of the fun.
I realize there are people out there (perhaps even a majority of gamers) who just don't like or "get" role-playing, and are perfectly happy with a game where they just do the equivalent of moving numbers around with cool sound effects and graphics. The idea that a paladin would choose to use a +4 dagger instead of a +9 sword because the former is Lawful Good and the latter is Neutral, even if it means taking an in-game penalty, is
( ... )
I think it's important to distinguish what's acceptable in MMOs, where gamist philosophy rules supreme, and tabletop, where narrativist does. Things that work well in tabletop games simply do not work well in large scale MMOs, to the point that I wish RPG had never been appended to the end of them. MMOs attract gameplayers, not roleplayers, for the most part, as evidenced by the number of fully populated RP servers versus the number of all other fully populated servers in WoW. Most folks aren't there for role-playing. I know I'm not. If I want to roleplay, it will be with a group of folks I actually, you know, want to spend time with every weekend or every other weekend
( ... )
Further, I'd disagree that progress "is (and should be!) impossible without teamwork and specialization." That way leads toward the raiding aspect of the games: 25 players standing around and hitting buttons at the exact right moment, playing monster Tetris. The least heroic stuff in most MMOs is precisely dues to overspecialization of roles. Beyond that, while I don't think all content in games should be soloable, I think perhaps 70-80% of it should easily be, with another 5-10% being soloable if you are a very skilled player with a strong spec. Otherwise, you end up with people waiting around for half an hour before a priest shows up that can run a dungeon with you. Again, that's not a problem in tabletop games; if no one wants to play the cleric, the DM can just run an NPC cleric, or alter the adventure to avoid need for one, or simply GM fiat things away. In MMOs, unless you play with a totally dependable group that runs together and never solos their characters, eventually someone's going to outlevel the group, or Bob won't
( ... )
Comments 4
(The comment has been removed)
And thanks. I appreciate that.
Reply
For me it comes down as much to an issue of atmosphere as it does game balance. I just don't like playing games where anybody can do anything, because in my experience that tends to turn what you hope will be a cool and immersive RPG into a "share your best recipe for a level 100 in 16 or fewer hours of play!" crapfest. Like buying those level maps for Pac-Man, back in the day -- if you treat the game like a math experiment, you're missing out on most of the fun.
I realize there are people out there (perhaps even a majority of gamers) who just don't like or "get" role-playing, and are perfectly happy with a game where they just do the equivalent of moving numbers around with cool sound effects and graphics. The idea that a paladin would choose to use a +4 dagger instead of a +9 sword because the former is Lawful Good and the latter is Neutral, even if it means taking an in-game penalty, is ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment