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dayrinni · 10-16-2010, 11:43 AM

I've spent a few days working out the details on the class system and here is my first rough draft:

There will be no “strict” classes in the game. A player will create their own custom class by selecting a series of packages during character creation. There will be five main professions: Fighter, Rogue, Mage, Cleric and Citizen/Political (non-combat). Each profession will have 9 packages in them.

The packages are selected in a sequential format. In order to get to the 4th Mage Package, a player must selected the first 3. Players will be able to choose 9 packages. They will be able to combine them into any number of combinations. For example, a player could choose 5 Mage, 3 Fighter and 1 Cleric.

These packages will assign abilities to the player. Around 1-3 new abilities per package. Each character will have 18ish abilities to use. By making a lower amount of abilities, we can make more classes and the abilities more meaningful. The base package (Package 1) will contain several important abilities, so they will have more than the other packages. The level range that the packages add too vary, however generally there will be 1 ability on a lower level and the second ability will be at a higher level. Also, the different numerical packages will offer a general location. For example, the second package may assign an abilities in the level ranges of 4-7 and 33-36. The third package may assign an ability for levels 8-11 and 37-40. While the 9th package may only offer an ability at level 50. This should provide for a relatively even spread. During character creation, all of this information will be displayed to the character. They will be able to see their ability list during package selection and go through a final approval prompt.

Templates will be offered to the players during character creation. If a player simply wanted to be a Fighter, they can choose that and then get all 9 Fighter Packages.

Players will be able to decide to reselect their packages during regular game play. Maybe they made a mistake or simply want to play something different. We have to allow for these situations. However, they must be limited so the system is not abused. The following will be in place:
1.A large fee of in-game money will have to be spent in order to reselect the packages.
2.A reset can only be done after a certain amount of time, most likely once every 2 weeks.
3.There is an ability system that exists, and they have levels (more on this later) but all of their abilities will be reset to the starting level. This will make the player think on if it is really a good idea to switch.
4.For major code/design/game play changes, I will offer free resets. This will help protect the players against future changes.

Specialization System

This system is designed to offer extra growth for when players hit the maximum level.

There will be a Specialization System that will allow the player to select additional packages (3 additional ones) at maximum level (50). Upon reaching level 50, a player can select from a new set of packages. This will open up an additional 15 levels and the max level will become 65. At level 50, the player will have access to a base set of packages and new ones based upon the packages that the players currently has. Depending on what combination the player selected during character creation, different packages will be displayed at this point.

To demonstrate this, consider the following example: A player may have selected 6 Rogue, 2 Fighter, and 1 Mage. At level 50, they are now able to select from additional packages. The game will look at what was selected and display the proper packages to the player. Since the player has 6 Rogue and 2 Fighter, they may be able to take the Assassin 1 Package, which has a requirement of 5 Rogue and 2 Fighter. Or they can simply select additional Rogue, Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Citizen packages to further expand their character in the other areas.

Since there will only be 3 packages for Specializations (1-2 abilities in each package, 3-6 total abilities), it should be fairly easy to design and implement a fair amount of different packages without too much work. Again, since there are a lower number of abilities, they can be made more meaningful.

Overall, this system should allow for a very flexible and interesting class system. The players will be able to customize their characters accordingly to their wants and needs for a game.

10-16-2010, 11:43 AM	#5
dayrinni New Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 29	Re: MUD Development Journal I've spent a few days working out the details on the class system and here is my first rough draft: There will be no “strict” classes in the game. A player will create their own custom class by selecting a series of packages during character creation. There will be five main professions: Fighter, Rogue, Mage, Cleric and Citizen/Political (non-combat). Each profession will have 9 packages in them. The packages are selected in a sequential format. In order to get to the 4th Mage Package, a player must selected the first 3. Players will be able to choose 9 packages. They will be able to combine them into any number of combinations. For example, a player could choose 5 Mage, 3 Fighter and 1 Cleric. These packages will assign abilities to the player. Around 1-3 new abilities per package. Each character will have 18ish abilities to use. By making a lower amount of abilities, we can make more classes and the abilities more meaningful. The base package (Package 1) will contain several important abilities, so they will have more than the other packages. The level range that the packages add too vary, however generally there will be 1 ability on a lower level and the second ability will be at a higher level. Also, the different numerical packages will offer a general location. For example, the second package may assign an abilities in the level ranges of 4-7 and 33-36. The third package may assign an ability for levels 8-11 and 37-40. While the 9th package may only offer an ability at level 50. This should provide for a relatively even spread. During character creation, all of this information will be displayed to the character. They will be able to see their ability list during package selection and go through a final approval prompt. Templates will be offered to the players during character creation. If a player simply wanted to be a Fighter, they can choose that and then get all 9 Fighter Packages. Players will be able to decide to reselect their packages during regular game play. Maybe they made a mistake or simply want to play something different. We have to allow for these situations. However, they must be limited so the system is not abused. The following will be in place: 1.A large fee of in-game money will have to be spent in order to reselect the packages. 2.A reset can only be done after a certain amount of time, most likely once every 2 weeks. 3.There is an ability system that exists, and they have levels (more on this later) but all of their abilities will be reset to the starting level. This will make the player think on if it is really a good idea to switch. 4.For major code/design/game play changes, I will offer free resets. This will help protect the players against future changes. Specialization System This system is designed to offer extra growth for when players hit the maximum level. There will be a Specialization System that will allow the player to select additional packages (3 additional ones) at maximum level (50). Upon reaching level 50, a player can select from a new set of packages. This will open up an additional 15 levels and the max level will become 65. At level 50, the player will have access to a base set of packages and new ones based upon the packages that the players currently has. Depending on what combination the player selected during character creation, different packages will be displayed at this point. To demonstrate this, consider the following example: A player may have selected 6 Rogue, 2 Fighter, and 1 Mage. At level 50, they are now able to select from additional packages. The game will look at what was selected and display the proper packages to the player. Since the player has 6 Rogue and 2 Fighter, they may be able to take the Assassin 1 Package, which has a requirement of 5 Rogue and 2 Fighter. Or they can simply select additional Rogue, Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Citizen packages to further expand their character in the other areas. Since there will only be 3 packages for Specializations (1-2 abilities in each package, 3-6 total abilities), it should be fairly easy to design and implement a fair amount of different packages without too much work. Again, since there are a lower number of abilities, they can be made more meaningful. Overall, this system should allow for a very flexible and interesting class system. The players will be able to customize their characters accordingly to their wants and needs for a game.