Stats multipliers hurts build creativity and I think AoC should make a difference regarding this
Currently I am playing Witcher 3 for the 3rd time. Some times I log into ESO for a couple of BGs and then I log out quickly.
However these two games got me thinking recently that the main reason why people can't create fun builds with the classes and weapons and other tools we are given is that many games designs forces competitive players to use boring combinations.
First off, something unrelated to multiplier (%) bonuses.
In ESO stamina is the attribute that increases your stamina pool. The more you have the more physical skills you can use before you run out.
Magica is the attrivute that increases your magic pool. The more you have the more magic abilities you can use before you run out.
The devs also though it would be good if stamina gave you bonus physical damage and magica gave you bonus magic damage, regardless of actually having stats like Weapon Damage (increase physical damage) and Spell Damage (increase physical damage). There are also items that let you increase equally both your damage stats.
But if you are a fighter that wants to spare some points into magica, so that you can utilize some non dmg magic abilities like... I don't know, buffs, you can't do that. Because if you sacrifice your stamina points, your physical damage weakenss, even if you have high Weapon Damage.
And if you wanted to play as a battlemage? Nope, sry. Unless you dump all your points into stamina, you won't high enough physical damage output, even though you have good enough weapon damage.
Now to the main point of the thread. In ESO as well as other mmos, many buffs, passives, actives, selfbuffs, group buffs provide % bonuses.
Again from ESO, there is a buff called minor brutality which increases your weapon damage by %. So if you have access to this buff you would like to stack on Weapon Damage and weakness your self in other areas such as max MP, max stamina, stamina regen, HP regen. Anything.
Since you have this unique buff you want to drop everything and stack Weapon damage.
But what if this game didn't design this buff with a % bonus, rather a flat bonus. 100 Weapon damage at lv 15, 150 weapon damage at lv 25, 350 weapon damage at lv 50. There. You got your unique increase that not many other classes have. You got bonus to your weapon damage. But you are not forced into ignoring all other stats and just play with the same monotonous attack pattern.
And what about critical? Critical rate, critical damage. You want to increase your critical rate because you are a roque, but you sacrifice your weapon damage. Your damage is so low that your critical strikes are barely better than your normal strikes. And you also have chances to NOT land a critical hit.
Then you want to increase your critical damge but you have to sacrifice your rate,meaning good luck in landing one good strike.
But what if your weapon damage is low then what's the point of having high crit damage? 10 extra damage? When you land a crit?
Wouldn't it be better if there was only CRITICAL RATE? If you have high damage and high critical rate, you will often deal strong blows. Simple.
In witcher 3 there are combat skills that increase the damage of your strikes, there are magic skills that increase the damage of your magic and there are alchemy skills, that increase the damage of your bombs and the potency of your potions.
If you slot combat skills, you get free physical damage bonus. For every skill you slot you get 10% more dmg, meaning you can end up with 400% more damage on your sword strikes. Now compared to that your magic abilities or your bombs do laughable damage. If this lazy, free bonus, tied to no active action was not in the design of the game, players could easily pick and choose some sword skills, some magic skills and some alchemical skills and actually build a proper Witcher 3 playstyle, and feel like you are a witcher.
Did that free 10% bonus needed to exist? What does it offer to the gameplay, other than forcing players to play more boring builds.
Do we really need % bonuses and multiplier buffs? What is wrong with flat bonuses that increase the more the player lvs up that ability? Aren't bonus multipliers the main offended in min/maxing and to some extend some builds becoming OP, leading to balance problems?
If a class is designed to go in deal damage and get out, then design that class.
If a class is designed to take damage and CC, then design that class.
If a class is designed to deal some damage, take some damage but not be the focus target, design that class.
With % bonuses you have unkillable tanks that do nothing else, you have 1 shot rogues and mages and people complain.
People chose to play as a tank because they know that a tank does and doesn't. Same with damage dealers. % bonuses don't do ANYTHING to improve the identity of classes.
