The problem with having “Tank” as a class name

Hello all, I believe this discussion may have come up before, but I really would like Steven and friends to reconsider the name “Tank”. Overall, they have done a good job at naming the other classes and subclasses, but they ruin the immersion of the game by using the class name “tank”. Tank was a code name given to military vehicles being created in 1915. It has been a slang term for classes and archetypes in many video games given to the role that is used to absorb/mitigate or “tank” damage. Having a class name feels very uncharacteristic compared to the other class names. It’s like naming your cat “Cat”. It’s cute and punny, but is that what they really want for their game? What class do you play? Oh, I play a tank! Yea, but like what class? TANK!! *insert meme of a tank with a face on it... drooling*

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Damokles

Hurf Derfman wrote: »

FuryBladeborne wrote: »

Someone should merge all of these threads into a megathread.

Too 3 mega threads:
DPS meters
Corruption and why I don't understand it
Rename the Tank archetype

Dont forget the dual shields mega thread! XD

Hurf Derfman

Damokles wrote: »

Hurf Derfman wrote: »

FuryBladeborne wrote: »

Someone should merge all of these threads into a megathread.

Too 3 mega threads:
DPS meters
Corruption and why I don't understand it
Rename the Tank archetype

Dont forget the dual shields mega thread! XD

Definitely honorable mention/runner up for sure.

Sent

I did some digging and found this. Relevant question at 58:54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30qJOqZUAg&feature=youtu.be&t=3534
They want the base archetype name to clearly reflect the role.

I'm dubious about Bard to be perceived as a party buffer for those who never played D&D.

Grox

I personally like Champion.

maouw

Sent wrote: »

I did some digging and found this. Relevant question at 58:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30qJOqZUAg&feature=youtu.be&t=3534
They want the base archetype name to clearly reflect the role.

I'm dubious about Bard to be perceived as a party buffer for those who never played D&D.

"so... why is a bard coming to the battlefield with his lute?"

Atama

Tank is an anachronistic name with no place in a fantasy game that doesn’t have any idea what a “tank” is. Prior to WW1 the term didn’t have anything to do with warfare or armor.

Fun fact: the term “tank” was a code word meant to keep the military secret about what was being developed. In 1915, when tanks were being built they tried to hide what was being made so they called these huge metal structures “tanks” so that people thought they were meant to hold liquids, not protect soldiers as war vehicles. The name stuck and so the vehicles kept the name.

We might as well be calling them “barrels” or “casks” for as much sense as this idiotic name means.

Next up: let’s call mages “Pew-Pews” and fighters are now “Hackenslashers”.

TheGoodzilla

I was just talking about this with others, especially as it affects the future abbreviations that will inevitably happen.

Lord of the rings online managed to come with interesting names for their trinity based system.

That being said, why couldn't fighter be mercenary (sword for hire), tank could be soldier or guard, ranger could be Woodsman or something, heck even mage could be wizard (because isnt summoner just a mage who specialized?) and I don't know about the others.

But in regards to this

CaptnChuck wrote: »

Sadly everyone, including me, has been asking for class/archetype name changes for a long time now. But Intrepid hasn't changed them. So it is what it is.

I feel like if this really matters, and we keep talking like it does, then eventually some kind of change will occur.

Marcet

Change the name to vanguard, protector, guardian or whatever. Tank is a made up word for a role in a game not a class.... It seems very bad calling it "tank". It doesnt seem like fantasy world.

Khronus

Damokles wrote: »

Just call him Champion/Defender/etc and be done with it.

Defender is where it's at IMO. It's very clearly defining what the role is but it isn't as silly as the word "tank". I keep seeing this pop up as a concern and it will eventually be changed I'm assuming.

maouw

Petition to rename:

Rogue --> DPS Melee
Ranger --> DPS Ranged
Mage --> DPS Magic
Cleric --> Healer

Then all will be right in the world.

Khronus

What if as a community we just changed the name ourselves. From now on we call it Defender. When mentioning it in posts or questions for the team, just use Defender until it sticks and they change it haha. Might work!

Amma

maouw wrote: »

Petition to rename:
Rogue --> DPS Melee

Ranger --> DPS Ranged

Mage --> DPS Magic

Cleric --> Healer

Then all will be right in the world.

I support that. If IS uses the reason that the archetype has to tell us what the character is all about, then we need to change the names, at least here in the chat, until IS understands that choosing a trinity-role as a Name is..."not so well done".
Lets make a full list:
- Tank is already there :-)
- Cleric -> Healer
- Bard -> Support
- Warrior -> Sword-DD
- Rogue -> Dagger-DD
- Mage -> Range-Magic-DD
- Ranger -> Range-Physical-DD
- Summoner -> Pet-DD

And if someone gets the idea to tell me, that warriors can use more than swords, well.....Tanks can do more than tanking, so......have fun. :-)

Marcet

maouw wrote: »

Petition to rename:
Rogue --> DPS Melee

Ranger --> DPS Ranged

Mage --> DPS Magic

Cleric --> Healer

Then all will be right in the world.

Exactly...

Anonymous332

Champion would be good name

Invilicus

Adding my small voice to a topic that will likely resurface a hundred times before launch.

The main argument against the "Tank" name seems to be that it's immersion breaking as hell. This is both valid and extremely important for a game that continues to tout immersion as one of its main selling points.

The only argument for "Tank" that holds any water is that people might choose the wrong class and feel stuck in a role they didn't want. That's fair, I suppose. But it can also be easily mitigated by having accurate descriptions of the archetypes available to players at the character creation screen. Heck, just put a banner across the top saying, in bold, red letters: THIS IS THE TANK ARCHETYPE

That being said, I wouldn't be totally surprised if this all turned out to be an elaborate prank/inside joke by the devs. "Tank" will persist all the way up through the betas, then BOOM! Name change at launch.

(On a personal note, I'm partial to Vanguard as a more appropriate name

)

Snarkotics

Love this post.

Tank is so boring and overused hopefully they can change it in the future!

Atiqa

Like has been mentioned, "Tank" wouldn't really mean anything in the world of Verra. At least not in a way that makes sense.

I'm perfectly fine with all the other ones, because they make sense, but unless there are tanks (the war kind) hidden somewhere in Verra, nobody would call someone a "tank".

Pretty easy fix too. I don't mind really what they would change it to. Guardian would still keep it clear that it's a tank archetype (ofc changing tank + tank name), but anything that makes sense really.

Hurf Derfman

Atama wrote: »

Next up: let’s call mages “Pew-Pews” and fighters are now “Hackenslashers”.

I hear by petition to have Mages formerly addressed as Pewpews.

While we're at it let's just rename everybody to better match their play style.

Fighter: Tankwabnabe
Cleric: Bae
Rogue: Coward
Ranger: Bow Coward
Summoner: BadPewpew
Bard: FknNoob
Tank: Chad

And then whatever dumb name Tank/tank has should be changed to:
TOTALCHAD

Damokles

Hurf Derfman wrote: »

Atama wrote: »

Next up: let’s call mages “Pew-Pews” and fighters are now “Hackenslashers”.

I hear by petition to have Mages formerly addressed as Pewpews.

While we're at it let's just rename everybody to better match their play style.

Fighter: Tankwabnabe
Cleric: Bae
Rogue: Coward
Ranger: Bow Coward
Summoner: BadPewpew
Bard: FknNoob
Tank: Chad

And then whatever dumb name Tank/tank has should be changed to:
TOTALCHAD

Fighter: MeChargeNow?
Rogue: Stabby McStabsomemore
Ranger: PewPew
Tank: Masochist-Inc.
Bard: Seduction101

Volgaire

We asked 2 years ago and still no change, I don't mind it too much but tank really feels off considering what a tank really is and all. I also had a problem with how mage + mage gives archwizard not archmage but thats far less of an issue.

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