Much like map gen, this is another topic where I don't think the current system is better or worse than the previous ones, it's just different again.
I would say this one of the better systems so far but it still feels lacking as a consuming player and I really don't like it solo (I'm usually doing highly organized co-op where we split roles/skills).
For me this is a philosophical issue of sorts. This is the kind of crafting/combat game where you want to be good at all things. It's not really an RPG or MMO. The gameplay, content, difficulty curve - all scream at you to advance and become good at all things - fighting the ever increasingly difficult zombie variants, crafting/tech to work towards better gear you ALSO need for said zombies.
Unless you are in military style organized co-op or are some kind of freak, you most likely do not play this game to be ONLY a builder, or ONLY a crafter, or ONLY a gatherer, or ONLY a zombie fighter, or ONLY a looter, or ONLY a farmer, or ONLY a miner. Even if you do play with friends you probably ALL want to be good at many things.
The skills systems they put forth have all felt like massive hindrances to being good at all things. Somewhat necessary because it's equally silly to have players in top tier gear on day 1 (you would all be smelting steel day 1 if you could). But I think they all go too far, and cripple us too much early, with the payoffs from skills often being ridiculously overpowered making the difference between no skill and any skill so ridiculous that you rarely feel like you can be without out so many of the skills.
Plus, the system in 17 was heavily attribute-oriented. 18 shed a lot of the attribute flavor such that there is very little point in attribute groupings - they've just become artificial buckets for skill groupings. All this does is make the system suck more because you get MORE gates. Need X skill points to raise a skill and need X skill points to raise related attribute even though raising related attribute is otherwise pointless (IF you happen to use weapons from that group it's ok, all attributes raise head shot damage making it nothing special.
If there must be gates, the character level restrictions were less obnoxious. At least with that you could freely spend on your skills without also considering whether or not to dump points in attributes you don't give a crap about.
The skill book thing has come and gone over time. It mostly sucks. It was ok when you could ONLY get some skills via books and had to hunt for them, except for those times you could never find a forge recipe and the tsunamis of tears flooded the forums. In theory the system in 18 sounds interesting but in practice, it's like a kick to the nads when you spend valuable points on some skill that you could've just got thru a book. This could be balanced better. If the xp gains were faster so that skill points didn't feel like screwing them up was major trauma to the point of wanting limitless respec, then maybe the books wouldn't be such a huge insult.
I would say this one of the better systems so far but it still feels lacking as a consuming player and I really don't like it solo (I'm usually doing highly organized co-op where we split roles/skills).
For me this is a philosophical issue of sorts. This is the kind of crafting/combat game where you want to be good at all things. It's not really an RPG or MMO. The gameplay, content, difficulty curve - all scream at you to advance and become good at all things - fighting the ever increasingly difficult zombie variants, crafting/tech to work towards better gear you ALSO need for said zombies.
Unless you are in military style organized co-op or are some kind of freak, you most likely do not play this game to be ONLY a builder, or ONLY a crafter, or ONLY a gatherer, or ONLY a zombie fighter, or ONLY a looter, or ONLY a farmer, or ONLY a miner. Even if you do play with friends you probably ALL want to be good at many things.
The skills systems they put forth have all felt like massive hindrances to being good at all things. Somewhat necessary because it's equally silly to have players in top tier gear on day 1 (you would all be smelting steel day 1 if you could). But I think they all go too far, and cripple us too much early, with the payoffs from skills often being ridiculously overpowered making the difference between no skill and any skill so ridiculous that you rarely feel like you can be without out so many of the skills.
Plus, the system in 17 was heavily attribute-oriented. 18 shed a lot of the attribute flavor such that there is very little point in attribute groupings - they've just become artificial buckets for skill groupings. All this does is make the system suck more because you get MORE gates. Need X skill points to raise a skill and need X skill points to raise related attribute even though raising related attribute is otherwise pointless (IF you happen to use weapons from that group it's ok, all attributes raise head shot damage making it nothing special.
If there must be gates, the character level restrictions were less obnoxious. At least with that you could freely spend on your skills without also considering whether or not to dump points in attributes you don't give a crap about.
The skill book thing has come and gone over time. It mostly sucks. It was ok when you could ONLY get some skills via books and had to hunt for them, except for those times you could never find a forge recipe and the tsunamis of tears flooded the forums. In theory the system in 18 sounds interesting but in practice, it's like a kick to the nads when you spend valuable points on some skill that you could've just got thru a book. This could be balanced better. If the xp gains were faster so that skill points didn't feel like screwing them up was major trauma to the point of wanting limitless respec, then maybe the books wouldn't be such a huge insult.