I see the division made in this as rather unnecessary.
Simply put, you can have a skill based system that utilizes a high degree of specialization and a role mechanic.
Meaning, you have the ultimate end concept of a character with the focus of a given role, but th approach to building them for that role is somewhat flexible.
Basically this means burying some of the core 'class' mechanics deep enough into a given skill that you have to specialize in order to obtain it.
If I'm to try clarifying and characterize it a different way, all skills would have obtainable 'tiers'. These tiers unlock new abilities, perks, etc associated with the given skill and playstyle associated with it. A player is free to specialize freely across all skills, obtaining the general abilities or focusing in for specialized abilities.
There are two main things you need to fulfill with such a concept though.
One - The basic tier has to be on close to equal terms with unlocking the end tiers.
Two - The tiers should contain 'milestones', meaning there are greater perks interspersed at several points within the tiers.
By doing this, you're pre-emptively trying to eliminate the issue of people picking only generalist or only focused builds. Skills have to force a situation of always costing the player a potentially valid choice in another specialization, meaning they are picking because that is the skill setup they want most, not simply because it is the most proficient.
The other thing is penalties.
People don't like penalties, but they are in a sense kinda mandatory if you wish to balance the game.
What this means for the skills is that they have polar elements. When you pick a skill and gain proficiency in it, they incur a penalty either to the opposing stats or skills on that character, forcing them to act in part to the exclusion of other abilities.
As the player progresses in combating lines, the penalties might actually get lifted or negated, but only if they focus more or less directly on those lines.
Like lets say healing makes your character physically meek when you initially spec into it. This at surface level would make trying to play a paladin type character kinda hard. However, if they are to progress both healing and their strength/defense skills, they hit a milestone that offers them some refunded value in having that combination, essentially a templated perk for using that duo, making the build a viable option.
In this manner you can preserve the concept of specialized roles and diverse play mechanics, but give the players the freedom of choice in how they obtain it.
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
Keep in mind, Class based systems don't always mean the classes will be unique. Sometimes a developer will take the easy way out, and just rename the abilities; thus making it merely a mirror class on a different faction.
I'm torn between what I would prefer. I tend to like skill bases systems more due to the inherent combinations you can come up with or being the one to come up with "The Build". Class systems do have their benefits. It is easier to balance.
Besides, in standard EQ fashion, we'll probably have another form of advancement outside of the typical level grind.
I used to hate this, and I still do.
Anything that becomes the flavor of the month until they nerf or do something else. Everybody picks the same thing, and we then have multiple copies running around.
This is why I prefer class systems, then you can tell us apart because we're different professions.
True enough, but any game with choices will always have "The Build", even in class base systems. Let's take for instance the game-that-shall-not-be-named and it's talent trees (pre-current crap expansion). You'd have certain talents that you MUST take, or otherwise be a horrible player in the eyes of certain players.
The same could be said for Everquest in general. While your base abilities are gained at certain levels, you're still funneled into a certain "build" once you start figuring in gear choices, AA choices, ect.
Raquelis in various games Played: Everything Playing: Nioh 2, Civ6 Wants: The World Anticipating:Everquest NextCrowfall, Pantheon, Elden Ring
This is difficult to say, I liked UO/SWG type systems, but my Necro in EQ1 was my favorite 'class' ever.
If this is going to be truly a lot of sandbox, then I think I would have to say for EQN, I would like to see a skill system put into place, kind of like old UO, but expanded.
If the sandbox is more limited, to where passive stat/skill combos are not as important, than I am good with classes.
Skill based system is just a little harder to deal with imo, they will have to make sure to have a good variety, so not everyone is playing a tank mage like in UO, when they were THE class.
I also hope to see AAs, but that is a different topic.
EQ was my first MMO and i still have great memories from the game (Hello all Rodcet Nife peoples) What i did like what that you could look at a class and know what they were, what there job was.
Now it seems that most games mash everything together and we can do it all, while i understand why they do it (we the players have complained about it) Doesnt mean i have to like it. I like defined roles.
Now that also causes problems because i do remember looking for a tank for HOURS, and yes i mean hours. But i quickly had a "friends list" Let me tell you outside of my guild (Outcast Adventurers - quick plug!!) i knew all of the decent tanks & DPS that were out there. I had ALOT of friend on that list, you also had another list. People NOT to play with. Your rep was a big deal. You wanted to be a A$$ hat, word got around fast.
Now as a cleric, once you started to get AA abilities, life really started to change. While i still plugged alot of my AA into healing, i did also put them in melee abilities. I can remember tanking Bastion of Thunder (while also healing myself) and my friend who was a Beast Lord (Nyterun) was slowing & DPSing. Alot of people told us we couldnt do it. Ahhhh the memories.... I guess the point for me was, we all had our roles. If you didnt do it, you didnt get a invite back. Learn what you need to do and do it, dont complain that you cant tank & do the most DPS in your group while being able to patch heal yourself.....
Overall I would prefer a class system with flexibility. You could have it where classes designate what skills you can possibly have access to, and then a player could choose which of those skills they want to master.
What I find happening in skill based systems is that only certain combinations become viable and you actually have less options than under a class system. Even in a system like ArcheAge, only a handful of their school combinations are viable.
Another issue under these skill systems is that they are much more difficult to balance since certain combinations could be extremely overpowered and in the attempt to balance them, they become much more generic. This becomes even more an issue when you add more skills later on. Which each new skill a developer adds, they need to see how it interacts with every single other skill in the game. The more you add, the more cumbersome it becomes.
A person asks why can't characters be all classes in more MMOs, similar to Final Fantasy 11, and Dave Georgeson (director of development on all EQ games) has an interesting response to it.
Dave should never play poker. Watching even how he reacted to questions and other devs answers gave away a lot of info. He just about fell apart when the talked about UGC. Im really interested to see what they are going to do with EQN with the class system and I cant wait to see how they will be doing UGC as well. I hope its as user friendly as Microsofts Spark.
A person asks why can't characters be all classes in more MMOs, similar to Final Fantasy 11, and Dave Georgeson (director of development on all EQ games) has an interesting response to it.
Dave should never play poker. Watching even how he reacted to questions and other devs answers gave away a lot of info. He just about fell apart when the talked about UGC. Im really interested to see what they are going to do with EQN with the class system and I cant wait to see how they will be doing UGC as well. I hope its as user friendly as Microsofts Spark.
I hope the only user generated content EQ Next has it crafting or designing things in the actual open world. This isn't going to be an instanced themepark like Neverwinter, and the player created instances in NWs Foundry will have no place in EQN IMO.
A person asks why can't characters be all classes in more MMOs, similar to Final Fantasy 11, and Dave Georgeson (director of development on all EQ games) has an interesting response to it.
Dave should never play poker. Watching even how he reacted to questions and other devs answers gave away a lot of info. He just about fell apart when the talked about UGC. Im really interested to see what they are going to do with EQN with the class system and I cant wait to see how they will be doing UGC as well. I hope its as user friendly as Microsofts Spark.
I hope the only user generated content EQ Next has it crafting or designing things in the actual open world. This isn't going to be an instanced themepark like Neverwinter, and the player created instances in NWs Foundry will have no place in EQN IMO.
Will be interesting to see how the plug in UGC into the persistent world. My guess is it will have to be instanced or every bit of Norrath will be taken over by players in time. Player designed gear is already in EQ2, not sure if its in EQ1 but I dont see them not porting that set of tools over.
Not to detract to much from the topic, but in a sandbox world, the possibilities for user generated content will be endless. I mean, they could give you tools to design everything from custom architecture, to custom armors and clothing.
Originally posted by Dullahan Not to detract to much from the topic, but in a sandbox world, the possibilities for user generated content will be endless. I mean, they could give you tools to design everything from custom architecture, to custom armors and clothing.
The hints of the tools being used to build this game are huge and really next gen. If they put them in the hands of the players to make UGC it will be mind blowing. Anything put in the game can be changed and blown up if you want it to be.
Originally posted by Dullahan Not to detract to much from the topic, but in a sandbox world, the possibilities for user generated content will be endless. I mean, they could give you tools to design everything from custom architecture, to custom armors and clothing.
The hints of the tools being used to build this game are huge and really next gen. If they put them in the hands of the players to make UGC it will be mind blowing. Anything put in the game can be changed and blown up if you want it to be.
I do hope that there won't be too much user influence on physically shaping the land. Think it would detract a bit if there were just a massive amount of houses built everywhere and anywhere in the world, someone deciding to build a lake under Kelethin, build a mountain in front of city entrances. Give people power and someone is bound to abuse it.
I would love it though if a lot of these systems will go into crafting and professions. There are some crazy talented people at designing things from armor to quests and lore. Would really add quite a bit if people could come up with their own designs of armor, weapons and especially housing furnishings among things that I probably haven't even thought of yet.
Played: EQ1 (10 Years), Guild Wars, Rift, TERA Tried: EQ2, Vanguard, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Runes of Magic and countless others... Currently Playing: GW2
Originally posted by Dullahan Not to detract to much from the topic, but in a sandbox world, the possibilities for user generated content will be endless. I mean, they could give you tools to design everything from custom architecture, to custom armors and clothing.
The hints of the tools being used to build this game are huge and really next gen. If they put them in the hands of the players to make UGC it will be mind blowing. Anything put in the game can be changed and blown up if you want it to be.
I do hope that there won't be too much user influence on physically shaping the land. Think it would detract a bit if there were just a massive amount of houses built everywhere and anywhere in the world, someone deciding to build a lake under Kelethin, build a mountain in front of city entrances. Give people power and someone is bound to abuse it.
I would love it though if a lot of these systems will go into crafting and professions. There are some crazy talented people at designing things from armor to quests and lore. Would really add quite a bit if people could come up with their own designs of armor, weapons and especially housing furnishings among things that I probably haven't even thought of yet.
My guess is there will be plugs. Lands and areas that are much like NW where you can tie in your quests and story and when you have that quest by walking into an area or land it can load you to the UGC. Be that walking into a house or castle and maybe even a dungeon. Think how fun it would be to have control of EQ1 like that. You make a story/quest where the Trolls and Ogers and going to war to kill the King of Guk. You walk into the zone and you get the option to zone into the story or the persistent world.
Outside Guk is masses of Frogloc armies fighting Trolls ane Ogers. You join the fight and fight your way down to the King and kill him. On the way you trash all of Guk and add a killer story to that as well. Sure it does not fit into the persistent world story but that could be fun.
I would like to see an EQ game use the system the first Guild Wars had.
Here is an example.
Monk Class: Uses light armor, and has good energy regen. Primary Attribute: Divine Favor Secondary Attributes: Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers.
Warrior Class: Uses heavy armor, has poor energy regen, but has adrenaline build up. Primary Attribute: Strength Secondary Attributes: Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery, Tactics
So a person could play a Monk/Warrior and they would have... Light armor, good energy regen and access to Divine Favor, Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers, Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery and Tactcs skills.
Or a person could play a Warrior/Monk and they would have... Heavy armor, poor energy regen but access to adrenaline build up. And they would have access to Strength, Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers, Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery and Tactics skills.
They would play very differently even though they use a lot of the same skills. And you can switch secondary class, but cannot switch primary class. Just to keep options open, but still commit to something.
It gave the classes a lot of depth to explore, but kept the resources used from becoming overwhelming.
See this is an odd choice only because I've found I prefer games with set classes, but I like when they sometimes mix them up. For example. FFXI with it's choice of subjob combinations, thereby making strict classes less strict. I've just found I enjoy games where I know my class as opposed to ones where I'm guessing the whole way and hoping my combination fo skills is working. I know, it sounds odd, but I really enjoy when armor sets are made for specific classes and I really enjoyed how FFXI employed this aspect all on one character. Perhaps, that is the key. All on one character but you can pick and choose as you go which you like best.
I hope they come up with something semi original or an evolved version of what we've had.
EQ's skill system that required you to actually use a sword to get better at it was on the right track.
What I would like to get away from is the kill 50 mobs, gain a level, purchase/learn 5 new abilities, repeat until done.
Like EQ's skill system, apply this to everything, including spells and special attacks.
I dislike the system some games have where for example you can use only fire skills until max level, visit a merchant and learn every ice spell and switch your entire focus without any effort.
This makes the advancement system way too small and leaves little once everyone races to the top.
If someone wants to spend the time learning every ability available to their "class", good for them. Why should they be forced down a narrow skill set? Why does a warrior have to pick offense or defense? If you want to be both, go for it, but it should take twice as long and be twice as rewarding.
If a cleric wants to be the best healer ever but never fight, let them focus all their energy on healing abilities on warrior friends. Why must they also learn, purchase, quest for fighting skills they probably won't use the majority of the time?
Obviously those that have more time to spend will have an advantage, but this seems fair and more realistic and allows players with less time to focus on fewer options, but they can still excel at those instead of being poor in several that they don't like or need.
There shouldn't be a finish line and I think this is what kills a lot of enjoyment for many players. Those that reach the finish quickly are stuck with the same options forever unless they respec and lose what they worked for or start from scratch with another type of class. While others aren't ever able to get the cool abilities because they take a long time to progress and are stuck with abilities they don't want but the devs thought everyone should have.
There could be a another system in place to reward PVP, Raiding, Crafting, etc that gives abilities for those areas. Killing dragons, makes you a better dragon killer for example.
I liked WoW's talents, DAOCs skill/RA abilities, and EQs AA systems and I hope something like that is in place but less restrictive as well.
I always thought it would be funny for people that get steamrolled in PVP to earn defense abilities for dying a lot. They get a skill that gives them a burst of energy to flee or extra armor to try and escape with the reasoning that if you can't fight you should learn to run. If they decide to start fighting back, they would lose the abilities and earn more offensive ones instead.
Overall I hope we are given options and freedom, but with it, some sense of structure and purpose for our characters.
Id rather we not all run around levitating while invisible, wearing platemail, shooting magic fire arrows, with an army of pets, self rezing.
While I'm against levels themselves, there has to be someway to have a "Ding" going off, if it was applied to skills, I could have it even more often!
Comments
I see the division made in this as rather unnecessary.
Simply put, you can have a skill based system that utilizes a high degree of specialization and a role mechanic.
Meaning, you have the ultimate end concept of a character with the focus of a given role, but th approach to building them for that role is somewhat flexible.
Basically this means burying some of the core 'class' mechanics deep enough into a given skill that you have to specialize in order to obtain it.
If I'm to try clarifying and characterize it a different way, all skills would have obtainable 'tiers'. These tiers unlock new abilities, perks, etc associated with the given skill and playstyle associated with it. A player is free to specialize freely across all skills, obtaining the general abilities or focusing in for specialized abilities.
There are two main things you need to fulfill with such a concept though.
One - The basic tier has to be on close to equal terms with unlocking the end tiers.
Two - The tiers should contain 'milestones', meaning there are greater perks interspersed at several points within the tiers.
By doing this, you're pre-emptively trying to eliminate the issue of people picking only generalist or only focused builds. Skills have to force a situation of always costing the player a potentially valid choice in another specialization, meaning they are picking because that is the skill setup they want most, not simply because it is the most proficient.
The other thing is penalties.
People don't like penalties, but they are in a sense kinda mandatory if you wish to balance the game.
What this means for the skills is that they have polar elements. When you pick a skill and gain proficiency in it, they incur a penalty either to the opposing stats or skills on that character, forcing them to act in part to the exclusion of other abilities.
As the player progresses in combating lines, the penalties might actually get lifted or negated, but only if they focus more or less directly on those lines.
Like lets say healing makes your character physically meek when you initially spec into it. This at surface level would make trying to play a paladin type character kinda hard. However, if they are to progress both healing and their strength/defense skills, they hit a milestone that offers them some refunded value in having that combination, essentially a templated perk for using that duo, making the build a viable option.
In this manner you can preserve the concept of specialized roles and diverse play mechanics, but give the players the freedom of choice in how they obtain it.
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
True enough, but any game with choices will always have "The Build", even in class base systems. Let's take for instance the game-that-shall-not-be-named and it's talent trees (pre-current crap expansion). You'd have certain talents that you MUST take, or otherwise be a horrible player in the eyes of certain players.
The same could be said for Everquest in general. While your base abilities are gained at certain levels, you're still funneled into a certain "build" once you start figuring in gear choices, AA choices, ect.
Raquelis in various games
Played: Everything
Playing: Nioh 2, Civ6
Wants: The World
Anticipating: Everquest Next Crowfall, Pantheon, Elden Ring
This is difficult to say, I liked UO/SWG type systems, but my Necro in EQ1 was my favorite 'class' ever.
If this is going to be truly a lot of sandbox, then I think I would have to say for EQN, I would like to see a skill system put into place, kind of like old UO, but expanded.
If the sandbox is more limited, to where passive stat/skill combos are not as important, than I am good with classes.
Skill based system is just a little harder to deal with imo, they will have to make sure to have a good variety, so not everyone is playing a tank mage like in UO, when they were THE class.
I also hope to see AAs, but that is a different topic.
EQ was my first MMO and i still have great memories from the game (Hello all Rodcet Nife peoples) What i did like what that you could look at a class and know what they were, what there job was.
Now it seems that most games mash everything together and we can do it all, while i understand why they do it (we the players have complained about it) Doesnt mean i have to like it. I like defined roles.
Now that also causes problems because i do remember looking for a tank for HOURS, and yes i mean hours. But i quickly had a "friends list" Let me tell you outside of my guild (Outcast Adventurers - quick plug!!) i knew all of the decent tanks & DPS that were out there. I had ALOT of friend on that list, you also had another list. People NOT to play with. Your rep was a big deal. You wanted to be a A$$ hat, word got around fast.
Now as a cleric, once you started to get AA abilities, life really started to change. While i still plugged alot of my AA into healing, i did also put them in melee abilities. I can remember tanking Bastion of Thunder (while also healing myself) and my friend who was a Beast Lord (Nyterun) was slowing & DPSing. Alot of people told us we couldnt do it. Ahhhh the memories.... I guess the point for me was, we all had our roles. If you didnt do it, you didnt get a invite back. Learn what you need to do and do it, dont complain that you cant tank & do the most DPS in your group while being able to patch heal yourself.....
Sorry for rambling
Overall I would prefer a class system with flexibility. You could have it where classes designate what skills you can possibly have access to, and then a player could choose which of those skills they want to master.
What I find happening in skill based systems is that only certain combinations become viable and you actually have less options than under a class system. Even in a system like ArcheAge, only a handful of their school combinations are viable.
Another issue under these skill systems is that they are much more difficult to balance since certain combinations could be extremely overpowered and in the attempt to balance them, they become much more generic. This becomes even more an issue when you add more skills later on. Which each new skill a developer adds, they need to see how it interacts with every single other skill in the game. The more you add, the more cumbersome it becomes.
Dave should never play poker. Watching even how he reacted to questions and other devs answers gave away a lot of info. He just about fell apart when the talked about UGC. Im really interested to see what they are going to do with EQN with the class system and I cant wait to see how they will be doing UGC as well. I hope its as user friendly as Microsofts Spark.
I hope the only user generated content EQ Next has it crafting or designing things in the actual open world. This isn't going to be an instanced themepark like Neverwinter, and the player created instances in NWs Foundry will have no place in EQN IMO.
Will be interesting to see how the plug in UGC into the persistent world. My guess is it will have to be instanced or every bit of Norrath will be taken over by players in time. Player designed gear is already in EQ2, not sure if its in EQ1 but I dont see them not porting that set of tools over.
The hints of the tools being used to build this game are huge and really next gen. If they put them in the hands of the players to make UGC it will be mind blowing. Anything put in the game can be changed and blown up if you want it to be.
I do hope that there won't be too much user influence on physically shaping the land. Think it would detract a bit if there were just a massive amount of houses built everywhere and anywhere in the world, someone deciding to build a lake under Kelethin, build a mountain in front of city entrances. Give people power and someone is bound to abuse it.
I would love it though if a lot of these systems will go into crafting and professions. There are some crazy talented people at designing things from armor to quests and lore. Would really add quite a bit if people could come up with their own designs of armor, weapons and especially housing furnishings among things that I probably haven't even thought of yet.
Played: EQ1 (10 Years), Guild Wars, Rift, TERA
Tried: EQ2, Vanguard, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Runes of Magic and countless others...
Currently Playing: GW2
Nytlok Sylas
80 Sylvari Ranger
Class systems are only really acceptable if there is a way to heavily customize your class. EQ has been bad about that.
DAoC had one of the best class systems.
My guess is there will be plugs. Lands and areas that are much like NW where you can tie in your quests and story and when you have that quest by walking into an area or land it can load you to the UGC. Be that walking into a house or castle and maybe even a dungeon. Think how fun it would be to have control of EQ1 like that. You make a story/quest where the Trolls and Ogers and going to war to kill the King of Guk. You walk into the zone and you get the option to zone into the story or the persistent world.
Outside Guk is masses of Frogloc armies fighting Trolls ane Ogers. You join the fight and fight your way down to the King and kill him. On the way you trash all of Guk and add a killer story to that as well. Sure it does not fit into the persistent world story but that could be fun.
I would like to see an EQ game use the system the first Guild Wars had.
Here is an example.
Monk Class:
Uses light armor, and has good energy regen.
Primary Attribute: Divine Favor
Secondary Attributes: Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers.
Warrior Class:
Uses heavy armor, has poor energy regen, but has adrenaline build up.
Primary Attribute: Strength
Secondary Attributes: Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery, Tactics
So a person could play a Monk/Warrior and they would have...
Light armor, good energy regen and access to Divine Favor, Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers, Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery and Tactcs skills.
Or a person could play a Warrior/Monk and they would have...
Heavy armor, poor energy regen but access to adrenaline build up. And they would have access to Strength, Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers, Axe Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Sword Mastery and Tactics skills.
They would play very differently even though they use a lot of the same skills. And you can switch secondary class, but cannot switch primary class. Just to keep options open, but still commit to something.
It gave the classes a lot of depth to explore, but kept the resources used from becoming overwhelming.
I hope they come up with something semi original or an evolved version of what we've had.
EQ's skill system that required you to actually use a sword to get better at it was on the right track.
What I would like to get away from is the kill 50 mobs, gain a level, purchase/learn 5 new abilities, repeat until done.
Like EQ's skill system, apply this to everything, including spells and special attacks.
I dislike the system some games have where for example you can use only fire skills until max level, visit a merchant and learn every ice spell and switch your entire focus without any effort.
This makes the advancement system way too small and leaves little once everyone races to the top.
If someone wants to spend the time learning every ability available to their "class", good for them. Why should they be forced down a narrow skill set? Why does a warrior have to pick offense or defense? If you want to be both, go for it, but it should take twice as long and be twice as rewarding.
If a cleric wants to be the best healer ever but never fight, let them focus all their energy on healing abilities on warrior friends. Why must they also learn, purchase, quest for fighting skills they probably won't use the majority of the time?
Obviously those that have more time to spend will have an advantage, but this seems fair and more realistic and allows players with less time to focus on fewer options, but they can still excel at those instead of being poor in several that they don't like or need.
There shouldn't be a finish line and I think this is what kills a lot of enjoyment for many players. Those that reach the finish quickly are stuck with the same options forever unless they respec and lose what they worked for or start from scratch with another type of class. While others aren't ever able to get the cool abilities because they take a long time to progress and are stuck with abilities they don't want but the devs thought everyone should have.
There could be a another system in place to reward PVP, Raiding, Crafting, etc that gives abilities for those areas. Killing dragons, makes you a better dragon killer for example.
I liked WoW's talents, DAOCs skill/RA abilities, and EQs AA systems and I hope something like that is in place but less restrictive as well.
I always thought it would be funny for people that get steamrolled in PVP to earn defense abilities for dying a lot. They get a skill that gives them a burst of energy to flee or extra armor to try and escape with the reasoning that if you can't fight you should learn to run. If they decide to start fighting back, they would lose the abilities and earn more offensive ones instead.
Overall I hope we are given options and freedom, but with it, some sense of structure and purpose for our characters.
Id rather we not all run around levitating while invisible, wearing platemail, shooting magic fire arrows, with an army of pets, self rezing.
While I'm against levels themselves, there has to be someway to have a "Ding" going off, if it was applied to skills, I could have it even more often!