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So I?ve been making MiniMORPGs? on the sequel now.

The first was graphical (think U4 graphics) but this is text-based (MUD-style).

Need some suggestions for skill system.

Do you guys like tree-based systems, the normal UO skill system, the standard ?bash bunnies until you get XP, then apply it to whatever? system?

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Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net

i like the system employed in eve

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Eve is good but you have to remember that there are no actual "player characters" in Eve, just big monster ships so that works well for them.

UO has the right idea with their "what you work on is what you gain in" system though I think it should also "tree" out more physically besides being able to make certain items after so many points. This would allow players to become more specialized creating better items while giving everyone a niche.

As it stands right now, there are just too many crafters in UO. Not many people are able to actually make a living selling just crafts since 'EVERYONE" has a GM in almost everything.

EQ has a similar system of skill gain but its just way too hard to gain. If you make an item under their new skill system, it is pretty damn nice though and sells off vendors.

Other games like Star Whores and Anarchy Onlamers have a system that uses levels and allows you to buy so many points each level worth of "any" skill based off your race/class. Personally I don't like it...I feel that if your sitting at the bank making studded leather cod plates then that should be the only skill you gain in besides maybe "Gossip" or "Testing my patience".

Britain is currently under attack in the real UO and a person actually came to Skara and asked a friend and I "Where is the new bank parking spot".... I was playing my Dread and responded..."I don't know, we're not sheep". Seems *flocking* together in front of the bank with 200 stones of crap hanging off you is all thats left for UO players to do.

Yes I know that its way in almost any game, EQ is even worse. Perhaps in the games where people say the servers are devoid of life, they just haven't found the correct "Bank parking spot" yet. Thank you E-Gay for destroying every game on the face of the planet and turning every game into a "let's see who's the richest dumbass" festival...

So the short answer to the question is... ( ) I think a combination of the system used in UO and Star Whores. "What you work on is what you gain in" combined with a "skill tree" that allows the players to make some killer items such as houses and ships.

Dev (the digresser)

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"So...if crazy people don't know their crazy...does that mean your only sane if your know your crazy?"

What do you think of this idea?

Keep skills the way they are, but make all of them weaker. Then make each activity have its own attached invisible ?sub skill?? so, for example, someone with 70% blacksmithing who does nothing but make katanas will make far better katanas than a GM who makes a little of everything.

Same would work for most skills? swordsmanship might have ?sub skills? in using axes and swords, and even further specialize in a particular type.

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Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net

Sub skills might work but it would be something that would need to be controled by the player actively.

Perhaps breaking down blacksmithing so that it uses an average of stat's, blacksmithing skill level and the sub-skill. The original UO used a combination of the first two and it worked pretty well.

So if they have say;

10% Blacksmithing they would have 0% chance to craft weapons or armor.
50% Blacksmithing they would have perhaps 10% chance to craft one of the sub-groups like weapon smithing or armorer but not both. Then if you give them 200 points to invest in a skill group they would be able to Grandmaster in blacksmithing but only GM in one of the sub-skills thus providing the bonus to creating items you were looking for.

Using a combination of the two would mean that a GM Blacksmith who trained all his/her points into Weaponsmithing would average out to perhaps a 50% chance of creating an exceptional item not including their stat bonus. They would have a 100% chance to create a none weapon or armor item.

Star Whores uses this system and it seems to prevent one person from controling every single skill in the game thus promoting the player economy to some extent.

Dev

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"So...if crazy people don't know their crazy...does that mean your only sane if your know your crazy?"