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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Class Roles and Gear Dependency
So one of the things I hate most about all MMOs currently is pigeon holing me into a certain gear type or weapon type based on my class. WoW does it, FF14 does it, BDO has only 1 weapon choice and same for many games.
The one that strikes me the hardest tho was ESO. anyone can use any weapon or armor! A game where they swore customizability to the stars! but then truthfully gave us very little. If you weren't using a healing staff you couldn't actually be a healer. If you didn't wear plate you couldn't actually be a tank. I would really appreciate (and I'm sure many D&D fans would as well) if AoC could break this mold and finally allow healers to wield maces and wearing heavy plate mail to be in the fray (Pathfinder war cleric) If tanks could wear robes and base everything off of deflection and evasion (WildStar rogue tank) if warriors could cast spells (spell blades) or mages could use bows. I'm so tired of games giving me a weapon and an armor set and being like this is an RPG now PLAY MY WAY.
This is caused by having STATS on gear. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF MMOs find a better way to do character progression then shit loads of stats on gear that augments your character (like relics, rings, souls, amulets, weapons, Shields (BnS)) BUT then allow people to wear whatever they want within reason. (obviously, don't put tanks in bikinis and rogues in plate mail). but don't force everyone into 1 weapon, 1 armor class or 1 set like 90% of other games.
TLDR: I DONT WANT A DRESS AND A STAFF CLERIC !!! WANT A WAR CLERIC WITH SWORDS SHIELDS AND HALF-PLATE... thank you a concerned MMO player. o and transmog doesn't work... if I'm still wearing cloth getting hit like a truck as a war cleric then looking like I have heavy armor is useless and immersion breaking!
The one that strikes me the hardest tho was ESO. anyone can use any weapon or armor! A game where they swore customizability to the stars! but then truthfully gave us very little. If you weren't using a healing staff you couldn't actually be a healer. If you didn't wear plate you couldn't actually be a tank. I would really appreciate (and I'm sure many D&D fans would as well) if AoC could break this mold and finally allow healers to wield maces and wearing heavy plate mail to be in the fray (Pathfinder war cleric) If tanks could wear robes and base everything off of deflection and evasion (WildStar rogue tank) if warriors could cast spells (spell blades) or mages could use bows. I'm so tired of games giving me a weapon and an armor set and being like this is an RPG now PLAY MY WAY.
This is caused by having STATS on gear. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF MMOs find a better way to do character progression then shit loads of stats on gear that augments your character (like relics, rings, souls, amulets, weapons, Shields (BnS)) BUT then allow people to wear whatever they want within reason. (obviously, don't put tanks in bikinis and rogues in plate mail). but don't force everyone into 1 weapon, 1 armor class or 1 set like 90% of other games.
TLDR: I DONT WANT A DRESS AND A STAFF CLERIC !!! WANT A WAR CLERIC WITH SWORDS SHIELDS AND HALF-PLATE... thank you a concerned MMO player. o and transmog doesn't work... if I'm still wearing cloth getting hit like a truck as a war cleric then looking like I have heavy armor is useless and immersion breaking!
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https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/34774/beautiful-new-concept-art-released-on-stream/p1
I was just searching for that, thanks Lex =D
Also, every weapon in the game will already have animation made for them so all they would need to do is unlock them for all classes and allow us to augment them within their current class system. haven't made an MMO but I've made a moderately successful game by steam standards and understand the programming and animating that goes with this.
The difficult part comes with balancing this sort of freedom... that is near impossible T.T
IMO you wear gear appropriate for your functionality.
Which means gear and weapons will be more optimal for one functional class than another.
Because the function of that gear and weapon will harmonise with those class functions better.
<<----Freedom---------------------------------------------------------------------Specific---->>
there are vast groups all throughout. But most games, as the OP mentioned, fall towards the more "specific" range.
When ESO said that anyone can wear any type of armor and use various weapon types no matter race or class, I was excited at first. But then for a long while, back when I played, all I saw was DK's with fire staves, everywhere. It was the go to class/weapon combo at that time. This of course was years ago.
In the end, all that matters is if you are able to play the way you want, given the tools available, and enjoying yourself! If you want to be a healer class, but wear plate armor and wield a two-handed sword, then do it! If you want to be a tank class, but focus more on DD? Go for it!
One option to support different kind of combinations is to create such abilities which gives that real possibility to take different kind of approach to your class. For example if that healer have possibility to choose abilities which are efficient when you are close to your groupies, you could in this kind of case make your healer more tanky and be a frontline healer to other melee players. Maybe you could have melee weapon skill which heals allies in close proximity when you hit enemy for example, even i guess paladin (tank+cleric) could have that already. But i hope you get my point.
Also i see that maybe mixed gear combination can work better in PvP content than in PvE.
Past that there will be lots of customization and game as far as how in depth that goes that will become more apparent in the next months to year I would guess so let's wait.
For gear to be different it must perform different roles.
Classes by definition also perform different roles.
Thus gear must work better with some classes than others.
That is an inescapable fact.
The trick is to make tuned gear where it can be tuned for specific builds.
Otherwise you get the problem where someone who chooses to be all powerful by 'specialising' in healing can also be all powerful as a DD and/or a Tank by using the right gear (which they chose specifically to not specialise in).
That makes a total mockery of the whole specialisation concept unless that jack of all trade ability is neutered in the process to restore some semblance of balance.
You cant have your cake and eat it.
Well tank/mage will be more like tank which abilities gets some mages abilities flavors, so those wont be somethimg that boosts tanks protecting skills even more defensive, i guess those augments adds more elemental damage kimd of things if you look mages spells.
But i have been waiting game where i could play as mage tank. Tank which does not rely on full plate mail and shield, but spellbook full of protective abilities. I would straight away play that.
Mean while games like ESO were Announced that literally had everything you could ever want and then was dumbed down ever since. I'm not asking for literally a D&D online but at least give people diversity beyond the brain dead trash that has been coming out last 5-8 years.
Yes you can put a "Druid" in metal equipment but then you can't cast druid spells this makes you essentially a really weak fighter.
If you want to be that sneaky rogue wearing heavy plate will give you negative modifiers for sneaking, acrobatics and other dex based skills.
Pathfinder also has a Arcane spell fail chance on armor so a powerful mage who also wants to use a sword not only will have to split his stats between int, str, and con but he will also have much harder time casting spells the heavier the armor.
Again all these are possible but they are not optimal just like people are saying you can make that War cleric but it may not be as powerful as a hide in the back robe wearing cleric.
Mean while games like Morrowind were released that literally had everything you could ever want and then every game since they have dumbed down the equipment, spells and everything else. I'm not asking for literally a D&D online but at least give people diversity beyond the brain dead trash that has been coming out last 5-8 years.