Leveling System theory, Leveling only unlocks abilities Options

[IIomenII]

Hello!

Was having a discussion with a friend of mine over how MMORPGS are pretty much copy pastes of each other and usually get called "WoW Clones." This eventually lead to "well what would you do to change it then?" So thought I'd share my idea with RRR just incase anyone could be inspired by it...

Remember this is with an MMORPG in mind...but could be altered to fit a console game.


*Every player has set base states at level 1....they differ depending on if you are a MAGE WARRIOR ROUGE CLERIC

*When you level you do not gain any stats what so ever....just unlock abilities at set levels that are unique to your chosen job class

*Weapons unlock Weapon Skills you can only use while that weapon is equipped

*Gear gives Defense and effects and abilities....Gear would have level requirements in order to use
-Heavy Armor makes you heavy but much higher def
-Light Armor doesn't weigh you down...with moderate def
-Cloth Armor gives no def...not weigh down...But major magic resistance

-Abilities can be used with equipped gear
-Special boots that let you jump high
-Special Mask that makes you immune to Fear effects
-Special Cloak that makes you drop "hate" when used (cant do any action while in use) and regain "hate" once removed
- ETC

*Lots of "Open World" multi player content that promotes group playing.
-Easy grouping options

There are many pros and cons with this design

Pros

*Can customize character with abilities pretty easily

*Most content in the game would be what is considered "end game content" in current MMORPGS

*New players and Veteran players could easily group together for a common goal (Money, EXPERIENCE POINTS, Special game currency,
Gear/weapon rewards.)

*No "grind" to cap level in order to actually play the main focus of the game. (Always hated that...most MMOs it feels like you have to be max level THEEEEEEN you can play the game.)

*Playing the content and enjoying the victory is the focus of the game....not stats

Cons

*Playing the content and enjoying the victory is the focus of the game....not stats (I posted this as PRO and CON because some people only play MMORPGs to get that "Im godly and I'm better than you" kinda feel....which this design doesn't promote nearly as much

*Developers have to make sure there is enough content to keep players playing for years.....without that Grind to max level that can take a month or two that time has to be filled with content that can be played by players of all levels.

EXAMPLES OF GAMES WHERE STATS DONT MATTER

Team Fortress 2.....players work together to defeat the other team using their chosen class
Super Mario Series
Any First person shooter....just mattered what weapon you have
Left for dead




So thats the skeleton of the idea i had....Feel free to add to it...or bash it horribly.

[IIomenII]

Very interesting ideas here....thought I'd throw another into the mix. This style would require a very intelligent AI system for it is a complicated form of "Hate" or "aggro" the enemies use. The enemies would actually base their tactics around what the players team setup is based on certain factors.

*Fear - The more intimidating the character looked the less likely "Certain" enemies would target them. They would go for a weaker looking opponent. While "Certain" other enemies would target the scariest looking target first due to honor or whatever....

*Intelligence- If your fighting say a skilled opponent, its going to fight you tactically...like target your team in certain order....healer...damage dealers....than the tank.....

I personally don't like the tank healer damage dealer setups that pretty much are the basics of MMORPGS....rather have it that each player has to fight..and keep THEMSELVES alive and only really rely on their team mates to even the odds..
Examples

Warrior has to block attacks with their shield or parry with their 2handed weapons and use their heavy armor to negate attacks...trade off is a steady damage output with now self "Heal" ability and has a timer on how long they can last in a single fight.

Mage has to keep distance between the enemy and themselves....say cast a volley of spells at their target and once their target gets in their face...they turn invisible or something...and have to locate themselves to their next safety spot.....burst damage....low health...limited magic points.....good evasive spells.

Rouge has medium armor....low damage output....but really high evasion...great at fighting other melee types...bad at fighting mages.

the usual right? this were just off the top of my head...sure they could be better fleshed out.

Gaining experience points and "leveling up" would be fun if you could go about it in personalized ways....lets say its quest based...and your quest was to bring back a necklace that the bandit king stole from a lord....thats it

once at the bandit king's hide out you could....

A.) Sneak in undetected....and just steal it from the bandit king and return and get the EXP... longer method of obtaining things but safe

B.) Approach the bandit king and negotiate obtaining the necklace from him either through Trade or intimidation
-Bring the bandit king a dragon skull and he will trade it for the necklace
-"Gimme the necklace or I'll skin you alive.....if your intimidating enough he just might give it too you....or just straight up fight you.

C.) Break down the front door and slaughter everyone till you get the necklace.

[rewells]

Good ideas, IIomen. The good ol' kill enemies = get exp = gain level = gain slight improvements to all stats is tried and true and embedded in RM's DNA, but I think relying on it too much can limit creativity. Giving stat bonuses based on equipment and items is basically what most action/rpg's like Zelda do (Link gets more HP by finding heart pieces and finds stronger weapons that also grant him access to knew areas).

Changing enemy AI based on party set-up is also an interesting idea. Usually in RPGs the player has to pick the right party to execute the best strategy in battle, but in the system you describe it sounds like every party set-up would require it's own strategy since the enemy 's strategy will change. If that kind of intricacy could be designed well, that could intentionally be a lot of fun.

I especially agree that games should offer optional quests throughout the game to improve character stats. I dislike FF12's combat and license system, but I do appreciate the availability of quests, so that if I have to level grind, I can at least have some objective and an optional area to explore, and usually you get an item or equipment out of it too.

I really wish more RPGs had difficulty settings so the player could adjust things like growth curves and enemy encounters to their liking. Sometimes I just want to breeze through a game I've already beaten without having to grind, and sometimes I want to challenge my patience. Does anyone know of any good RPGs with difficulty settings?

Very interesting ideas here....thought I'd throw another into the mix. This style would require a very intelligent AI system for it is a complicated form of "Hate" or "aggro" the enemies use. The enemies would actually base their tactics around what the players team setup is based on certain factors.

*Fear - The more intimidating the character looked the less likely "Certain" enemies would target them. They would go for a weaker looking opponent. While "Certain" other enemies would target the scariest looking target first due to honor or whatever....

*Intelligence- If your fighting say a skilled opponent, its going to fight you tactically...like target your team in certain order....healer...damage dealers....than the tank.....

I personally don't like the tank healer damage dealer setups that pretty much are the basics of MMORPGS....rather have it that each player has to fight..and keep THEMSELVES alive and only really rely on their team mates to even the odds..
Examples

Warrior has to block attacks with their shield or parry with their 2handed weapons and use their heavy armor to negate attacks...trade off is a steady damage output with now self "Heal" ability and has a timer on how long they can last in a single fight.

Mage has to keep distance between the enemy and themselves....say cast a volley of spells at their target and once their target gets in their face...they turn invisible or something...and have to locate themselves to their next safety spot.....burst damage....low health...limited magic points.....good evasive spells.

Rouge has medium armor....low damage output....but really high evasion...great at fighting other melee types...bad at fighting mages.

the usual right? this were just off the top of my head...sure they could be better fleshed out.

Gaining experience points and "leveling up" would be fun if you could go about it in personalized ways....lets say its quest based...and your quest was to bring back a necklace that the bandit king stole from a lord....thats it

once at the bandit king's hide out you could....

A.) Sneak in undetected....and just steal it from the bandit king and return and get the EXP... longer method of obtaining things but safe

B.) Approach the bandit king and negotiate obtaining the necklace from him either through Trade or intimidation
-Bring the bandit king a dragon skull and he will trade it for the necklace
-"Gimme the necklace or I'll skin you alive.....if your intimidating enough he just might give it too you....or just straight up fight you.

C.) Break down the front door and slaughter everyone till you get the necklace.