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The Myth factor
Hello everyone, I'm trying to start a discussion on something I find very important in MMOs, and it is something that I feel developers are having a hard time creating because of the increasing need to appeal to the masses - the myth factor. AoC promises to be a game for gamers, as Steven puts it, and it is making me believe that the myths of old might rise yet again.
By "myth factor" I mean every single one of those stories (and their respective effects) of first world boss kills that took several months and hundreds of players, that one guild back in game X that was so mighty no one could dethrone them, that one weapon that had a ridiculous drop rate, but gave you amazing stats, however, it would flag you constantly for PvP and if you died you dropped it (actually a thing, look it up). The crystal dragon from EQ is an excellent example on how mysticism in games is a great way to make your players strive for something more.
Having hard goals to achieve in your game isn't a bad thing, as most companies believe nowadays. If reaching the top is difficult, every time anyone passes by that one players who is using all endgame gear, not only will they know their name (identity in a MMO is a huge thing) because they stand out, they will want to be like him/her. The recent trend of appealing to everyone and everything and never locking anyone out of content because they're a paying subscriber who can't play all day is killing this sense of wonder and admiration. The connection and loyalty people will have to the game will depend on how the game makes them feel. Having someone catch up to your 600+ hours of playing in half the time because a certain patch dropped with a lot of catch-up mechanisms is as unfair as not being able to play the content at all because you lack the time. In fact, I actually believe that saying to someone their effort and hard work were useless, or unnecessary, is even worse than telling someone they can't do it because they aren't ready.
I hope there is a focus on this aspect as the game develops, it would be great to the certain personal/guild-content milestones in the game that can only be achieved through months of constant effort and dedication. Should myth surround this game and its' hardest tiers of content, it will definitely be a very successful and long thriving MMO.
I understand this is a bit of a controversial topic, and I ask that you take it merely as my personal preference, so that we can all be respectful to each other whilst debating. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
By "myth factor" I mean every single one of those stories (and their respective effects) of first world boss kills that took several months and hundreds of players, that one guild back in game X that was so mighty no one could dethrone them, that one weapon that had a ridiculous drop rate, but gave you amazing stats, however, it would flag you constantly for PvP and if you died you dropped it (actually a thing, look it up). The crystal dragon from EQ is an excellent example on how mysticism in games is a great way to make your players strive for something more.
Having hard goals to achieve in your game isn't a bad thing, as most companies believe nowadays. If reaching the top is difficult, every time anyone passes by that one players who is using all endgame gear, not only will they know their name (identity in a MMO is a huge thing) because they stand out, they will want to be like him/her. The recent trend of appealing to everyone and everything and never locking anyone out of content because they're a paying subscriber who can't play all day is killing this sense of wonder and admiration. The connection and loyalty people will have to the game will depend on how the game makes them feel. Having someone catch up to your 600+ hours of playing in half the time because a certain patch dropped with a lot of catch-up mechanisms is as unfair as not being able to play the content at all because you lack the time. In fact, I actually believe that saying to someone their effort and hard work were useless, or unnecessary, is even worse than telling someone they can't do it because they aren't ready.
I hope there is a focus on this aspect as the game develops, it would be great to the certain personal/guild-content milestones in the game that can only be achieved through months of constant effort and dedication. Should myth surround this game and its' hardest tiers of content, it will definitely be a very successful and long thriving MMO.
I understand this is a bit of a controversial topic, and I ask that you take it merely as my personal preference, so that we can all be respectful to each other whilst debating. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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Comments
For all the people who don't have time and I'm one If I'm honest, let them have the awesome aesthetic for $$$ For those who chase that drop; Oh yeah let them stand apart from everyone, including the cash shop aficionados, let them shine like Jonah on the hill, all glorious.
You're also right about the importance of a player or guild's identity in the game's community. Players and guilds should be known for their ability or aptitude towards a certain aspect of the game. If content is designed so that it is easy for everyone to participate at the same level, it's not the same. There's no achievement in completing the task.
I also don't believe in difficulty levels (think WoW - Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, Mythic). I think if you can't do it, then you can't do it. You shouldn't get to dial a particular encounter down until you can do it.
People call it elitism, but the truth is I probably wouldn't be one of the "elite". I just don't have a problem with being gated from things that I either don't have the time to accomplish or simply am not skilled enough to do.
And as far as real-money cosmetics, I'm not for that. Not at all. In an MMO part of the prestige and your character's identity is tied to cosmetics, and if you achieve something difficult through in-game means, I do not think someone should be able to spend $30 in a web store to wear the same models with different colors.
You really think awe and wonder comes from just power and not uniqueness ?
What you are basically saying is I want godmode (aka vertical progression).
Godmode is great to satisfy single player demands where they are enitled to self obsessed gratuity.
Alas you are not playing a single player game when you enter an MMO.
You should not be entitled to any more power than anyone else in a multiplayer environment of peers.
New players are not your personal slaves and playthings to dominate through buffs and spawn camp.
No sir. You should play without those gloves with the horse shoes hidden inside and get some game skill instead.
You should suffer naturally skilled new players kicking your arse and deal with it.
:D
You really think awe and wonder comes from just power and not uniqueness ?
What you are basically saying is I want godmode (aka vertical progression).
Godmode is great to satisfy single player demands where they are enitled to self obsessed gratuity.
Alas you are not playing a single player game when you enter an MMO.
You should not be entitled to any more power than anyone else in a multiplayer environment of peers.
[/quote]
What makes one unique, when everyone is the same?
This "godmode" as you call it, can only be achieved through group effort, vastly opposing the idea of a single-player. Whereas in a single-player, one person plays alone, in the scenarios I have depicted, one must join forces with others to achieve one's goals.
It isn't a matter of entitlement, as people would have the same opportunities, nothing would be blocked, your character may not have gear that awards it with stats that allow for it to mathematically beat his opponent, but nothing would prevent you from getting better gear, as a player, except your own real life conditions.
[quote]
New players are not your personal slaves and playthings to dominate through buffs and spawn camp.
No sir. You should play without those gloves with the horse shoes hidden inside and get some game skill instead.
You should suffer naturally skilled new players kicking your arse and deal with it.
<img alt="????" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f600.svg" />
[/quote]
You may have had some poor past experiences, but never did I mention the desire to grief new players, the fact that you would assume such is beyond me. Naturally this is my opinion, and so I value yours as much as mine, no matter how I disagree. But I do disagree, it would make no sense for a new player, who isn't even capped, to defeat a well-geared player. It shouldn't even be mathematically possible. Do I want the game to have elements of skill? Of course, both mechanical and strategic. Perhaps you misunderstood my whole argument, asking for power differences is not the same as asking for absolute imbalance. In fact, should you read my posts spread around the forums regarding how I expect Intrepid to manage gear, and you will find that I actually prefer smaller power differentials between progressively better tiers of equipment and that I wish for those better pieces to be harder to acquire. I may be silly, but is someone spends 3 months of his/her life grinding for that better chest-piece only to get an overall 1% increase in stats, he/she damn well deserves it.
My personal philosophy is that I would like for Intrepid to steer away from "stat gear"(where the bulk player advancement is achieved through the procurement of progressively better gear), in favor of "stat allocation"(players get a set amount of points at each level, to put into any stat they choose). It's my believe that this puts the power in the hands of the individual player, and not in the gear they wear.
Granted, gear will still be important, but not the "end all, be all". Gear should have basic attack/defense functionality, that improves the better the gear is. Also, gear can be further enhanced/enchanted, with better gear having a higher threshold for these improvements. Nothing stat altering, mind, but things such as additional elemental attack/defense, divine healing/warding procs, etc.
Gear should ADD to the flavor of your character, and the world at large. There should be other goals to achieve in an mmo, other than the best of the best gear. Otherwise, once that's accomplished, people will just leave for the next mmo, with the newest loot, until new content comes out, rinse-repeat. As developers, and a player community, lets find additional "dopamine rushes" to satisfy our need for achievement. Thanks, people!
I personally believe it should be taken a step further. I can't remember what game I was playing, but there are probably several which keep a running count of the monsters that have been killed since the game went gold. I know it often reaches billions, and even sometimes trillions. I'd like it if the loot tables would allow for one in a billion drops from completely random monsters. It'd be hilarious to me if a level 10 kills an orc chieftain and gets the Sword of Awesomeness with no level restrictions. The One Ring in The Hobbit is arguably the most powerful artifact in Middle Earth and Bilbo just stumbled upon it.
So that is to say I believe there should be massive vertical progression with some real effort required as well as some random luck that can in rare cases catapult someone immensely without much effort at all. At least if you can't be aggressive in vertical gear progression you can always hope you hit the lottery. We're talking about a world that was abandoned by an advanced civilization, so it's not far fetched to believe the orc chieftain got lucky and found that sword abandoned in some ancient hermits home.
Thank you for the constructive feedback and reply.
Stat allocation is not a strange system to me, and while it isn't my ideal system, it is one I rather enjoy in an appropriate context. I completely understand your arguments, but I find myself craving, still, for that competitive edge, those grindy hours to get that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. Naturally, I wouldn't want the significance of the gear upgrades to cause utter imbalance, as I have said, I don't want gear to define the abilities the player has, only to give him a small numerical advantage on his stats. I will provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewel pieces, which gave magical resistance to the player equipping them. The world's biggest bosses had these unique jewel pieces, 1 per boss, that gave you a bit more magical defense than the standard endgame jewelry and a few ability bonuses, so they were a great upgrade, in the sense that they allowed you to push your stats (previously capped by standard endgame gear) just a bit further, but just because someone had minimal increases in their stats did not mean they couldn't be defeated, as most of the game's PvP was grand scale and there were simply too many variables at play. But those jewels, oh boy, would people know who had them, merit/waiting lists were made by clans to distribute them for future drops, god forbid someone tried to sell one. So, more than bringing a small upgrade to its' wielder, these jewels created wonder, expectations, something to talk about. That feeling, I wish for that to be replicated most of all.
However, that is not to say that something similar could not be introduced in a stat allocation system, I'm sure that with inventive set bonuses and abilities and assuming that acquiring a new set would be a monumental task, the same effect could possibly be created. In fact, should Intrepid choose to do this, I would be rather curious to see if it worked, and if it did, I would surely welcome it.
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
Freespiryt, Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
Freespiryt, Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that <a href="http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/One_Piece">one piece</a>. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.
@freespiryt
Thank you for your constructive feedback and reply.
I completely understand your arguments, and whilst a stat allocation system is not my personal preference, it is one of the system I most enjoy. That being said, I simply continue to crave the grindy hours, hard work and constant effort to finally each that one piece. The sense of wonder an amazing item can create is something I would want to see replicated most of all. Allow me to provide a significant example: Lineage II had jewelry you could equip, these jewels would provide you with a bonus to your magical defense. However, some of the biggest bosses in the world had unique jewelry pieces they could drop, each boss had his own unique piece, and these gave you a slightly bigger M.Def bonus than the standard endgame jewels in addition to small ability bonuses. So, in a sense they were a huge upgrade because they allowed you to push your stats just a little bit over what the standard endgame competitive player expected to achieve, but their presence in a grand scale battlefield (as was most of L2's PvP) did not create instantaneous imbalance as the variables were simply too many. But the awe and wonder of possibly getting one of these, the very fact everyone knew who had them, clans made merit and waiting lists to maintain order in future drops, god forbid anyone tried to sell one. So, at least to me, these items did more than just add small stat increases to those who had them, it added an element to the game that I just find fantastic, myth.
I do have to state that, even within a stat allocation system, such themes could exist. I think that with well designed set bonuses, abilities, and a good dose of difficulty to acquire a complete set, the same feeling could possibly be achieved. If Intrepid would opt for that design philosophy, I would be curious to see how it worked, and if it did, I would certainly welcome it.