PC Progression skills created more defined character classes

[Hyperbolt]

If i remember right, the fun pimps told us they wanted to create more defined character classes in the new skill system.

However, i feel that they were actually more defined with the old system in alpha 16.

This is because of the removal of all progression skills.

Right now, in alpha 17, its all about exp and skill points, not about what you do.

For example, i could go hunting zombies for days, and then i become really good at bartering.

Another example: "After hours of mining, i can finally learn how to craft a bicycle!"

Thats how it is with the new skill-system. No skills are tied to what you actually do in the game.

When we had the progression skills, if you wanted to be good at traders, you actually had to do alot of trading, which makes sense.

If you do something alot, you should become better at it.

If i could change the system, i might do it something like this!

Add the following progression skills:

Marksmanship - For the marksmanship perks, increase level by using firearms and other ranged weapons.

Scavening - For the scavenging perks, increase level by looting and salvaging devices.

Strength - For melee combat perks, increase level by using melee weapons.

Mining - For the construction perks, increase level by mining and harvesting with tools.

Survival - For the survival perks, increase level by taking damage and harvesting plants and crops + Cooking food and crafting medical items.

Presence - For the influence perks, increase level by trading, completing quests and healing allies.

Craftmanship - For the craftmanship perks, increase level by crafting and upgrading.

Fitness - For the recovery and athletics perks, increase level by using stamina. (Like A16:s athletic-skill)

I haven't come up with any fitting progression skills for the stealth perks and a couple others.

The pack mule perk should move to the fitness or scavenging skill.

The physician and master chef perk should move to the survival skill.

With some balancing and tinkering, a system like this would have my liking very much!

Other ideas?

 

[thraka]

It used to work that way for everything, until the forum BadWrongFun Cops raised a stink about people grinding skills up, at which point it was suddenly a travesty to all right thinking people, and was subsequently removed from the game for many skills.

 

[Poojam]

It used to work that way for everything, until the forum BadWrongFun Cops raised a stink about people grinding skills up, at which point it was suddenly a travesty to all right thinking people, and was subsequently removed from the game for many skills.

The tragic part is that it worked both ways in A16 to an extent. You could do what you liked and dump those points into unlocking the things you loathed, or work it out naturally by doing. It gave you choice while simultaneously incentivized your actions. When you levelled your mining skill it gave you a burst of xp. That burst doesn't happen now.

Now, the only actions that are effectively incentivized are killing zombies, because they give you so much more XP than everything else. And you have the"freedom" to dump those points into anything you want, which is sort of fine, but it's holy unbalanced. It's like they forgot to factor in the burst XP for the skill level up.

 

[Kosmic Kerman]

What you are describing is how A15 worked. It had its upsides and downsides. The upside was that it was more immersive. The downside was that you had to stare at forges to increase your crafting skill, jump on cacti or spikes to increase your armor skill, or spam bandages to increase your medicine skill. If you haven’t played A15, I’d give it a try so you can see how the system you are proposing works in action.

 

[Poojam]

What you are describing is how A15 worked. It had its upsides and downsides. The upside was that it was more immersive. The downside was that you had to stare at forges to increase your crafting skill, jump on cacti or spikes to increase your armor skill, or spam bandages to increase your medicine skill. If you haven’t played A15, I’d give it a try so you can see how the system you are proposing works in action.

You didn't have to, but it was an easy way to level up those skills. As it turns out, no matter what algorithm they choose (bonking zombies on their heads) or tossing your flesh onto cacti, players seem to choose the most efficient.

I'd rather it be the more immersive per A15, but would go along with the hybrid approach in A16.

 

[Sawth77]

If we're being honest, i wouldn't even mind seeing this taken a step further (after the current stuff is balanced, of course). Have actual survivor classes (and a way to toggle them off or on, to have a more traditional play for those on MP servers, etc). Wouldn't have to be terribly indepth, or create characters that break the game, but something that lets you choose a character type that fits your style.

Example, you could choose a Fighter/Warrior/Brawler (call it what you will) who gets a couple starting points in Stay Down, Pain Tolerance, and Charging Bull. Long Distance Service Providers (archers, snipers) get Boom, Headshot!, The Huntsman, and so on.

People who like world building and crafting could be gifted with points into those specific talents, maybe even get earlier access to the forge (or other recipes that give them a leg up on someone who chooses otherwise), less ingredients required on some recipes, or the ability to make the heatmap generation lower so attacks are less frequent.

As stated, i think there's balance work to be done but this isn't so far out of the realm of possibility that it's not feasible. It also provides, on its own, a little balance between those people who want to go smash zed heads, those who want a quieter approach, and those who just want to build and craft in relative peace.

Likely, this has been put elsewhere and i've just not seen it, but here it is anyway.

 

[Hyperbolt]

What you are describing is how A15 worked. It had its upsides and downsides. The upside was that it was more immersive. The downside was that you had to stare at forges to increase your crafting skill, jump on cacti or spikes to increase your armor skill, or spam bandages to increase your medicine skill. If you haven’t played A15, I’d give it a try so you can see how the system you are proposing works in action.

I've been playing some Alpha 15 as well, and yes, i cant say that i liked they way you sat all nights crafting stone axes to level upp your toolsmithing skill, and other similar things. Thats why i used A16 as structure. They had fewer progression skills, but the good ones where still there, like barter, mining and athletics. There were skills in A16 that i thought needed tinkering with too, but not as much as i think with the A17:s system.

 

[secateurs]

The A16 system wasn't good either, I like the current system better with the one small modification of the level gates being removed.

 

[Katitof]

The only "specialization" in A16 was between crafting weapons or armor as you couldn't reliably keep both up while maxing all other meta skills.

So I'd say what we have now forces players into classes much more then anything A16 offered.

 

[Tetrameth]

If i remember right, the fun pimps told us they wanted to create more defined character classes in the new skill system.However, i feel that they were actually more defined with the old system in alpha 16.

This is because of the removal of all progression skills.

Right now, in alpha 17, its all about exp and skill points, not about what you do.

For example, i could go hunting zombies for days, and then i become really good at bartering.

Another example: "After hours of mining, i can finally learn how to craft a bicycle!"

Thats how it is with the new skill-system. No skills are tied to what you actually do in the game.

When we had the progression skills, if you wanted to be good at traders, you actually had to do alot of trading, which makes sense.

If you do something alot, you should become better at it.

If i could change the system, i might do it something like this!

Add the following progression skills:

Marksmanship - For the marksmanship perks, increase level by using firearms and other ranged weapons.

Scavening - For the scavenging perks, increase level by looting and salvaging devices.

Strength - For melee combat perks, increase level by using melee weapons.

Mining - For the construction perks, increase level by mining and harvesting with tools.

Survival - For the survival perks, increase level by taking damage and harvesting plants and crops + Cooking food and crafting medical items.

Presence - For the influence perks, increase level by trading, completing quests and healing allies.

Craftmanship - For the craftmanship perks, increase level by crafting and upgrading.

Fitness - For the recovery and athletics perks, increase level by using stamina. (Like A16:s athletic-skill)

I haven't come up with any fitting progression skills for the stealth perks and a couple others.

The pack mule perk should move to the fitness or scavenging skill.

The physician and master chef perk should move to the survival skill.

With some balancing and tinkering, a system like this would have my liking very much!

Other ideas?

+1 great point, my thoughts exactly.

To go and kill a bunch of zeds because I want some skills to help mining or cooking is counter intuitive, and missing the whole 'rewards' idea entirely.

 

[Hyperbolt]

Perhaps, but what i dont like with the new system, is that you dont have to do anything specific to gain certain perks.

You could go kill a ton of zombies and then you make yourself a mechanic with the skill points.

I prefer the ”if you do something alot, you get better at it”. I still like the new perks, i just want them to add progressive skills they build on, instead of level gating.