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The flaw i find with Class based games is....
End_of_a_era
Member Posts: 527
I pick a class then i think 30 levels later.... hmm this class is boring, so i pick another class and think the same. Eventually i get bored of starting over and over again so i quit the game lol. I find that many people think the same too, i guess some people can jus keep doing the same thing over and over again but i get bored tbh.
Theres a few ways round this:
1. Ditch class based systems
2. Makes classes more interesting, don't let them all be similar.Give them cool spells that will make the other classes want them for their look. Example: Druids in (WOW) get shapeshifts that make the class more interesting.
3. Give us a arena where we can test out all the classes upto say... mid level, so this way we wont get bored trying out all the classes. It's similar to Planetsides ones 
Comments
Or try a game like Tabula Rasa when it comes out - which has a class based system - but you specialise your class as you level up, and has a clone system so if you arent happy with your character at level 30 - you jump back to one of the class branch points where it saved a clone and pick another path.
So you never need to do the 1st 10 levels again.
The main problem is class stagnancy... you pick a class before you begin the game... and the rest the game you're stuck with the same grinding action.
Some games have a class change system... but that system is still built upon a preposition of a 'pick a class' system.
I think it would make much more sense to pick a 'race' instead of class before the game begins and choose an 'profession' within the game.
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Do I ever sleep?
Another advantage of guild wars is that you can pick two classes (primary and secondary) so there is more than enough variety to suit your needs
QFT
I think that GW had some genius in this regard, because even if it is class-based there is enough variety within, and you never feel pigeon holed (access to secondary class helps). There is always room for improvement (individual skill and teamwork), and once you choose how you want to play the class, you need to learn how to play it right. Some classes are more flexible than others though, and mesmers for example can basicly perform anything. That's what class implementation lacks, the ability to perform anything for any class (heal, damage, utility, control, buff, hex, et...) but with different means. If it was like that, players would feel much more freedom within a class.
I'd actually prefer to see SWG profession system in place, if i took WOW (love WOW's classes) and took that into SWG i think it would be great....
- 9 classes
- Mix and match clases with a SP limit
I think it would be cool because you can chaneg them whenever you want :P And say if you wanted bearform then you could get it but then you'd have to waste aload of SP in skills for that form, which would balance things out.
+1
Silkroad on-line is very much like this. Trouble is of course if want to develop a really uber spec you spend all the time SP farming. My friend and I played and figured out that we need 25,000 SP to develop a decent spec for a ice/blade character.
Psychoanalysis appears to show that pain plays no part in the formation of the purposive aspect of the instinct drives.
I think Ragnarok Online 2 really takes the generic class system to a whole new level. They have 3 races where all 3 have a different leveling system. One race has 5 classes; but you can switch between the classes and use skills you learned as another class in a restricted form. Like you can have plate armor wearing mages running around. One race has a materia like system where you train magic stones and can only have 2 stones active at a time. The last has no classes and dynamic skill tree. It still has leveling though and skill choices you make in the game are irreversable.
Still I would like to try a modern skill based system game. Something like how it was in Final Fantasy X.
I've also had the million or so alts with WoW like everyone else has. Its the same for CoX. I'd roll a class, and pick my primary and secondary skillsets and then get bored or see some cool power I didn't know about.
My favorite game and class system was SWG. Each player had 250 skill points and we could Max out 2 professions and also get a few skills in a third profession. The great part of this is that each player changed their skills a lot. I was a rifleman one day and a martial artist a week later. Then if I wanted to craft I could drop part of my combat skills and take up a crafting profession. It was great, truly innovative. The customization was extrodinary.
Hopefully a future game will utilize something of that nature in the future.
an exact copy of WoW system
-levels in SWG 1-90 / WoW 1-70
-expertise/talents SWG starts at lvl 10 / WoW starts at lvl 10
-different trees in talents WoW / different trees inexpertise SWG
-you choose class in SWG you only have that class WoW you only have that class (yes you can change profession in SWG but at a very high cost)
-cost lots of credits to unlearnd expertise in SWG / cost lots of gold in WoW to unlearn talents
- cost of reset talents increases per time you unlearn WoW / cost to reset expertise increases for SWG
difference from WoW and SWG is that there is no GodMode class PVE (jedi)
WoW has some balances to it. and each class is unique to a certain level
SWG combat classes are preaty much the same excluding the expertise. they all have a slow down enemy /bonus dmg/ multytarget dmg etc....
now entertainers can actually fight... great....../ensarcasm
SWG is dead to me now... it lied one to many times... (oh yeah and i canceled my subscription and i still got billed (3rd month now) its almost fixed now... )
that system was one of the best ive seen in any MMO, even in present days
you could multyclass but not be a master at it, thus you only acted to a x% of its full capabilities, or you could concentrate on one thing and be uber at it.
like if i was a bounty hunter pistoleer i could do an insane amount of destruction with a pistol with BH pistol skills and the pistoleer skills
but if i chose bouty hunter/droidsmith, i would not be as good as the pistoleer/BH but i could produce my own droids at my own will... where as the pistoleer would have to spend credits to get the searchdroids.
the same goes for medic doctors or a Teraskasi doctor you have 30 professions where you could mix and match.
hell you could make the awfull profession that will never own of a dancer./ musician, but you will make good money for entertainment (with the battle fatigue THAT THEY HAD TO REMOVE!!!!! WHY!!!!!!! yes all systems have their flaws but that was one of the one that was working flawlessly.
The fundamental of a class is a specailization in what you want to do, granted some classs are a little to restrictive.
(everyone's gunna flame for this next part)
But if compared to IRL, they're alot more flexible than what really goes on.
Don't think its entirely possible to make a game that does away with "classes" completely since its in our nature to classify things.
I think what he is saying is the opposite(unless i read him completely wrong). He wants WoWs classes, however where you could freely mix and match thier skills. So you can have a warrior and mix in some of the Shaman skills. Or a Warlock with some Priest abilities.
personally I loved SWGs pre-nge class system ... I wish more games would use it. I would love to see a Fantasy/medieval game use thier mix and match system.
I think what he is saying is the opposite(unless i read him completely wrong). He wants WoWs classes, however where you could freely mix and match thier skills. So you can have a warrior and mix in some of the Shaman skills. Or a Warlock with some Priest abilities.
personally I loved SWGs pre-nge class system ... I wish more games would use it. I would love to see a Fantasy/medieval game use thier mix and match system.
Me too, infact id just want SWG pre cu bk lol.
The thing is that in most of the games with a strict class system the primary form of gameplay is character development. Developers then look for ways to keep people playing so they want to keep players subscribing. Continuously adding new content can stress development resources; an easier way is to steer players into repetition. Class systems, level caps, binding of items, and limiting respecs are all common ways that devs use to avoid adding alternative gameplay.
Don't like class systems? Ask for a game where the primary focus is not character development.
There main problem isn't class based systems as you described it. Say you had a class-free like AC where you choose the skills. It sounds as if you'd eventually get bored with that too, as you grind your way using the same skills you've picked over and over.
The strength of a class-based system is that you can balance classes and make them inter-dependant. Example: Tank, healer, ranged, etc. Also it allows those seeking members for their group to have a quick understanding of someone's strengths and weakness.
It seems the OPs complaint is being pidgeon-holed to one class for the duration of the grind. SWG Original handled this the best I thoguht. It didn't take a severe grind to max out and if you wanted to do something else you could turn in skill points and started to grind up another tree.
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Vanguard has some unique classes - for example the Blood Mage is a DPS/Healing class... the more damage they do, the more they are able to heal for.
In my opinion, the problem with deviating entirely from a class based system is that it allows players to create overpowered builds, or builds that can do everything. Let's say, for example, that a game has a point system, where players EXP to earn points and then can put those points into any catagory. A player with enough time could max out everything. And if there was a point cap, players would likely create their own classes - soloers would put a few points into everything, and never be welcome into groups, while groupers would min/max and never be able to solo.
Laura "Taera" Genender
Community Manager
MMORPG.com
Go check out Ryzom if you hate being sandwiched into one class and one set of skills. Ryzom allows you to level every single skill. there is 250 levels each skillm to master every one would take 3-5 i imagine!
Classless system is perfect for hunting
For example you are out hunting with a group, you are initially levelling up melee, after say 5-10 levels gained the xp might drop per mob if you are using the highest lvl in group. Switch to a different melee, use offensive magic, or switch to healer and allow your friends level up the melee. The choices are yours. Beauty is after all that you can then craft the mats yourself
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Now i just gotta count down the days till these exams are over and i get me gaming face back on
You don't have a problem with the class system, you have a problem with the fact you can't just up and change your profession on a whim.
Skill based systems always ALWAYS result in a "best skill set" in MMOs. The only way you will ever see any kind of diversity is on a class based MMO.
UO has skill based system, you should like it. Or you could play FFXI where you can be any class you want at pretty much any time. Multi-class to the extreme.
http://www.greycouncil.org/
I think that GW had some genius in this regard, because even if it is class-based there is enough variety within, and you never feel pigeon holed (access to secondary class helps). There is always room for improvement (individual skill and teamwork), and once you choose how you want to play the class, you need to learn how to play it right. Some classes are more flexible than others though, and mesmers for example can basicly perform anything. That's what class implementation lacks, the ability to perform anything for any class (heal, damage, utility, control, buff, hex, et...) but with different means. If it was like that, players would feel much more freedom within a class.
I agree GW in terms of games that have class based system is the best of the lot. I also feel that the ability to change your talent / spec points around in town without having to pay to change them or do some silly quest is a good idea.
In fact I am bummed out that WoW has not done away with forcing you to pay to respec and instead gone the way of a global timer or in town on respec ability like GW when it comes to talent / spec points.
this is one thing runescape did well.
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MMORPG's I've Played: World of Warcraft: 10/10 - Rappelz: 7/10 - Ragnarok Online: 8/10 - DnD Online: 2/10 - Runescape: 6/10 - LotR Online: 5/10 - Anarchy Online: 7/10 - CoV: 8/10 - Rohan Online: 8/10 - Guild Wars: 7/10 - Flyff: 8/10 - Warhammer Online: 8/10
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