Diversions and leveling discussion (was: Argh!)
Well, I haven’t just failed to update this blog, I’ve failed to work on the project for quite a while.
I’ve been working with Django at length… and while doing that I’m improving my Python knowledge bit by bit. At the moment I’m a little hesitant to really dive back into the game until I’ve finished Pro Django, which is an absolutely awesome read (though I’m only a quarter of the way through it). Picking up on some of the really interesting topics it covers — particularly metaclasses and Python introspection — which I have not had the opportunity to use before, having been a Mild-Mannered (PHP) Web Programmer for such a long time.
Anyway, I’ve also been reading up on various people’s thoughts on replacing the traditional RPG level system (i.e. kill things -> get experience -> gain a level -> get a cookie). While I’m quite used to that and enjoy its simple, linear progression, I do think it’d be interesting to either use something different or augment it to be a little more flexible and enable/encourage non-combat means of advancement (I’m a HUGE fan of crafting).
While taking in a discussion of How to Replace Levels in MMO’s, I started to put together some of my own initial thoughts (which I sketched out early on in design, a terribly long while ago) and see if I could perhaps take some inspiration from Mr. Green’s points.
I am still a big fan of the experience -> level paradigm -> stat paradigm; to me it’s a nice, clear way to see a little number increase (i.e. the cookie) from your work. He discusses a system used in LotR Online, which reminds me a bit of the Evility system in Disgaea 3 — basically, you complete a rather mundane quest/task and you receive a trait for it. You can then enable a set number of traits to affect your character’s abilities/stats… at least, that’s how I understood it.
This seems like a great idea; I think I’m going to plan on using this (or something similar) as a secondary leveling system. Well, I guess it’ll kind of be tertiary…
What I’ve been considering for a long time and am pretty set on is having several (perhaps many) ‘level’ stats for all characters… your combat level, your leathercrafting level, your potion brewing level, etc. Rather than just having these sit idly by waiting for you to use them, however, I want them all to contribute, most likely in one of these manners:
- Generate your overall level based on all skill levels, and generate your base stats from your overall level
- Have each skill contribute to a certain set of your base stats based on its level; either do away with total level or generate it approximately (perhaps as an average)
The main goal here is to partially or completely eliminate the need for combat if a player doesn’t want that particular grind. If you love crafting and can manage to do it until your crafting level is through the roof, then I think your total stats should reflect it enough to enable you to take on other tasks — whether this means combat, another craft, or anything that will depend on your ‘level’ — without basically starting over.
Say a level 100 crafter (this is just an example; I don’t want to cap at 100) wants to go fight something. By this point he’s probably made some bank in game and can afford more than a wooden sword… should he have to take his gold-plated mail and wield his +2 axe of smiting against… blue slimes? Or should his crafting levels make him effectively, say, a level 10 fighter, so he can go after gold golems? The latter is what I’m after, and I really think it’ll add a lot for people who want more than a little role play with their hack ‘n’ slash.