06-02-2009, 12:17 PM
I'd like to get back to "realistic circumstances" when it comes to gear and equipment. Stuff like BoP and BoE was meant to solve a specific problem. It was an easy solution but not a good one.
For example,
BoE/BoP were largely implemented to keep rare equipment worth something and so that encounters would not be made worthless for upcoming players. If everyone already has Grubthor's Axe of Power because it's tradable and people simply do hand-me-downs, then pretty soon there are so many of those axes floating around that people basically get handed one when they first make a new character.
A better solution would be some sort of equipment degradation. Another option would be to simply eliminate that kind of gear-based, fixed encounter system.
Similarly, I'm not that comfortable with level/skill limitations on gear. If I pick up a sword, I should be able to swing it with whatever my sword skill is. I would need a really good reason for why I need "Sword skill 50" in order to swing a particular sword.
Of course, you could do stuff like magic swords, where different abilities open up based on your skill with that type of sword (or maybe even with that individual sword). At skill 1 it's just a sharp piece of metal. A skill 2 you figure out how to use its magic to increase your parry rating. At skill 3 you figure out how to use its magic to add fire damage to your hits. At skill 4 you figure out how to use its magic to fling fireballs from it. I'm kind of thinking of "Bleach" here (Japanese anime) where you would not only have sword skill, but you'd also have to become familiar with your sword to unlock its unique abilities.
I could see doing something like that, so that a sword master can do unique things with a sword that a newbie couldn't do. (Magic aside, higher sword skill might open up things like "riposte" or vast improvements to your parry ability, etc.)
For example,
BoE/BoP were largely implemented to keep rare equipment worth something and so that encounters would not be made worthless for upcoming players. If everyone already has Grubthor's Axe of Power because it's tradable and people simply do hand-me-downs, then pretty soon there are so many of those axes floating around that people basically get handed one when they first make a new character.
A better solution would be some sort of equipment degradation. Another option would be to simply eliminate that kind of gear-based, fixed encounter system.
Similarly, I'm not that comfortable with level/skill limitations on gear. If I pick up a sword, I should be able to swing it with whatever my sword skill is. I would need a really good reason for why I need "Sword skill 50" in order to swing a particular sword.
Of course, you could do stuff like magic swords, where different abilities open up based on your skill with that type of sword (or maybe even with that individual sword). At skill 1 it's just a sharp piece of metal. A skill 2 you figure out how to use its magic to increase your parry rating. At skill 3 you figure out how to use its magic to add fire damage to your hits. At skill 4 you figure out how to use its magic to fling fireballs from it. I'm kind of thinking of "Bleach" here (Japanese anime) where you would not only have sword skill, but you'd also have to become familiar with your sword to unlock its unique abilities.
I could see doing something like that, so that a sword master can do unique things with a sword that a newbie couldn't do. (Magic aside, higher sword skill might open up things like "riposte" or vast improvements to your parry ability, etc.)