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Whats some ways to make "Limited Skillbar" system fun for more people that arent into having a few s
MMOExposed
Member RarePosts: 7,387
Creslin321 made an interesting discussion on "Limited Skill Bar" systems, which can be read (here)
So I have a question of my own.
Whats some ways to make "Limited Skillbar" system fun for more people that arent into having a few skills?
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Comments
I want no skillbar
http://youtu.be/3T_RdUPNg6k
/Discuss
Switching skills that are available to players during battle.
You could do it by having player build up several pages of his skill bar. Then when combat starts, first game shows skill bar page 1 and allows only use of skills from that page, after first skill is used game switches to page 2 and allows only using skills from that page, after second skill is used game switches to page 3 and allows only using skills from that page. Etc.
That would allow players to have access to huge variety of skills during battle if they build their pages to have different skills, but during battle each choice of skills would be done out of very limited set on the current page.
If the game is slow enough (like turn based Wizard 101), it's also possible to build choosing skills to work like a card game where you build a deck of skills, and then draw random skill that you have to choose from as battle progresses.
Lets take Counter Strike and mix some MMO elements in to it.
Smite is pretty awesome (limited skill bar game) ,but it would be even more awesome with CS-like hitboxes (and extremely difficult to master,which is nice)
So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
**On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **
5 buttons....
Basic
1. jump (with double jump)
2. duck (crouch when hold)
3. sprint
4. Active evade
5. Weapon swap
------------------------------------ same 5 buttons combined with [Shift] (left bar)
1..4 are builders ... weapon based
5 is the finisher
((Think DCUo weapon with 4 instead of 2 builders)) You can set up your own combinations and attach skills to them..
------------------------------------- same 5 buttons combined with [ALT] (right bar)
1..4 clickable skills
5 interaction with the world // interactive combat button.... (changes buttons on left and right bar)
-------------------------------------------
1..5 Left : interaction with the world .... grab stuff... special attacks on the mob based on opportunities the mob gives
1..5 Right : interactive combat... reactionals based on the combat... stuff like skills that require special circumstances like crits, blocks dodges etc etc...
Basically you have 10 buttons...
you have direct accessible skills
you can build combos
you can switch weapons..
but most important ... you can interact with the gameworld during combat... stuff like grabbing a chair and hitting someone on the head comes to mind... its interactive, and will never feel the same
Would also work well with a controller... the 4 buttons with the R1 key would replace 1..5
And the L1 and L2 key would replace the Shift and Alt keys..
Leaving R2 for Menu choices...
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
A system that isn't designed around a keyboard or a mouse... voice activated! You're already yelling at the screen... lets tap into this unused potential. Volume is a new aspect of combat... the louder you yell, the harder you hit. One could even introduce a multilingual system for even more abilities... spanish for non-combat, english for... german for... the options would be endless.
While we're at it, why not also add nice keyboard shortcuts for those voice commands.
Then we could add optional bar that shows the status of all those skills and assigned shortcuts, so that players have all the information they want while playing the game.
I'd macro that shit in a heartbeat 8)
Skills that combine/synergize with each other so that you can create different effects through different interactions. I've gone through this scenario before, can't find my old post so it's something like this:
Fire Mage 5 skills (using an ability consumes the active buff/debuff)
1. Fireball - 10 damage to target, applies "Smolder" to target.
If you have "Blood of Magma" your fireball does +5 damage.
If your target is "Burning" your Fireball's damage is dealt over 3 seconds instead of instantly.
If you have "Cloak of Ash" your fireball does no damage but silences the target for 3 seconds.
2. Flame Wave - 2 damage to all targets in area, applies "Burning" to target.
If your targets have "Burning" they get another stack of "Burning" up to 5.
If you have "Blood of Magma" consume all stacks of "Burning" on your target causing each target 'explode' for 2 damage per stack.
If you have "Cloak of Ash" your targets are blinded for 2 seconds.
If your target has "Smolder" your next ability will generate 3 stacks of burning.
3. Heat Shield - Creates shield that absorbs 5 damage and deals 1 damage to attackers while shield holds, "Gives you the buff "Blood of Magma"
If you have "Cloak of Ash" your shield absorbs 10 damage.
If an enemy with "Smolder" takes damage from your shield they create a Wall of Fire where they're standing.
If an enemy with "Burning" attacks your shield, gain 30% movement speed.
4. Wall of Fire - Places a wall at the target area that burns enemies for 3 damage per second for 5 seconds, allies that stand in the wall gain "Cloak of Ash"
Enemies with "Burning" are immobilized while in the Wall.
Enemies with "Smolder" have their attack speed reduced by 50% for 5 seconds.
If you have "Blood of Magma" instead of placing a Wall in targeted area, you leave a trail of fire in your wake.
If you have "Cloak of Ash" ranged attacks have a 25% increased chance to miss against you while you are standing in the Wall.
5. Ignite - If you do not have any fire mage buffs active, double the damage of your next damaging spell.
If you have "Cloak of Ash" you become invisible for 5 seconds, casting a spell will reveal you.
If you have "Blood of Magma" channel an AoE dealing 10 damage per second to all nearby enemies.
If your target has "Smolder" they are stunned for 2 seconds, Ignite cannot be used again for 30 seconds.
If your target has "Burning" reduce their movement speed by 30%.
There, 5 skills, you get single target dps, aoe dps, mobility, cc and utility. Combine this with a mana pool and you'll have interesting decisions to make pretty much all the time. How much mana do I have, what do I need to cast right now and what will I be able to cast if I go through with this combo.
Examples:
Heat Shield > Fireball > Ignite (gives you shield, a 15 point fireball, into a stun)
Flame Wave > Ignite > Fireball > Ignite > Flame Wave > Wall of Fire > Heat Shield (small AoE followed by big 20 pt DoT on your target, into stun, into small aoe into immobilize on a wall and gives you a big damage shield)
Then you take into account that other classes are using their skills to and you have to react to what they're doing. It only gets more complex and interesting. It would be kind of like chess. You might have an opening memorized, but once it start you have to anticipate their moves and build set pieces as you go.
No cooldowns, different pages of skill sets you cant switch to on the fly with no cooldown, or just don't limit the skills and dumb down the game.
There really isn't a way to make limited skill bars as in depth as games with more than one.
Currently Playing: ESO and FFXIV
Have played: You name it
If you mention rose tinted glasses, you better be referring to Mitch Hedberg.
TCOS had it right IMO, way ahead of it's time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_tbUy1Z5lI
Exactly this. You need to develop a game to be fun, not ´let us find a way to make our game appear to be something it is not´. If you are making an ARPG or a MMO based on that playstyle, the combat needs to be fast, furious and repetitive. You need high mob density.
If you want to make a slow RPG that feels like you are making choices, then make it that way with a ton of situational skills. Make a high delta between playing tactically and button-mashing.
Decide how you want your game to play, and make it. Devs get into trouble when they make their game the way they want to, and then try to find ways to make it appear that it is another game. If mashing the 1 key is not a viable way to do combat in your slow RPG, then don´t try to make players think it is. If you are always going to use the same 3 buttons to kill a mob, then don´t try to trick players into thinking they have a huge amount of skills.
ARPGs and Classic RPGs are different types of games. Combat feels completely different. Is challenge presented by a single mob, or is the challenge present by always having 10 mobs in a group and 1000s of mobs to kill per hour?
Why bother? If they don't like it, they can play some other games without a limited skillbar. It is just a preference. It is just like there is no need to make Diablo 3 fun for people who want to play point-n-click adventures.
Well it's pretty important because it determines game sales. Ideally you want as many types of players as you can get to buy a game, otherwise it falls into a niche category and ends up as a f2p cash grab. I'm not talking about D3 of course, but other games out there have made this mistake more than once of catering to a specific type of player rather than trying to please multiple play styles.
This can go both ways though, too much pleasing and game loses it's identity completely. It's a fine line for developers and conversations like this give an insight into how a company can get the most out of their game while still retaining it's identity and a good enough profit margin without having to resort to cash shops that are generally reviled across most genres and players.
Currently Playing: ESO and FFXIV
Have played: You name it
If you mention rose tinted glasses, you better be referring to Mitch Hedberg.