4 réponses à ce sujet

[KDD-0063]

Note: I know the DA team will probably be under time pressure, so probably worry about character progression problems only after designing the core combat mechanics.

Problem of current DAO and DA2's progression system:
If you build your character properly, do all/most side quests, get very high level and all those good gear, especially if you install all those DLCs, the fights just feel less and less dynamic down the road.

It's not just DA. KoAR and Skyrim have this problem too.

The thing is, encounters have static difficulties. They have to be. High dragon will always be high dragon even if the level scales, but players don't. A improperly built level 2 character is not much worse than a properly built one; but the difference between them at level 20 will be huge.

The thing is, normal difficulty may not assume the character is properly built but nightmare difficulty should. So the difficulty scale should be non-linear. Assume on nightmare difficulty, first mini boss is about twice as hard as the same boss on normal, then the final boss should be, let's say, five times as hard as on normal. Might not be exactly the same number, but you get the point. Fights should be progressively harder, not easier.

We also want to make different builds more similar in terms of power at max level. Imo there should be an easy to get max level like, say, level 20. It's also easier to balance this way. Now, that's in terms of "power", different builds should have different utility and combat style, but should be equally powerful.

I'll break it down to two parts: stats customization and gear. 
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Stats:
Two similar builds should have similar stats. Many games even used auto-leveling such as WoW or SWTOR. On one hand it's easier to balance, on the other hand it takes away customization.
I propose two ideas:
1) "Half-customization": stat customization only affect your power to a quite limited extent, like EV spread in Pokemon series.
2) "Stat-recommendation": gear's stat requirements recommend players to customize their stats towards power builds. The stat requirements should be higher.
Overall, this kinda limits the effect of players' customization, but in my opinion it's necessary to an extent.

Also, for some reason I don't like the willpower stat as it is, because it neither increase your offensive power, nor does it increase your durability. It's a "dump stat" for many builds and many things reduce its effectiveness, such as blood magic and sustained abilities. If it's difficult to balance it, just make the classes' resource static like in SWTOR and Diablo 3, and make willpower, say, a stat that increases your resistance or something.

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Gear:
Players should be able to get decent gear either through the main storyline quests or through easy crafting system. Content should be balanced around this kind of gear.
Optional bosses and story DLCs should give much better looking, but only *slightly* better gear so that the player isn't too overpowered for the bosses.

That's my opinions anyways. As for abilities, beware of buff and debuff stacking that gives the players to deal huge amounts of damage to super-long health bars of bosses.

Modifié par KDD-0063, 18 mai 2012 - 10:14 .

[wsandista]

First of all remove level-scaling.
Second balance attributes where they are attractive to all classes instead of just one.
Third, make sustained and passive ability bonuses in%, so that way they don't be OP at the beginning, then degrade mid to late game. Make activated talents the same multiplier so they also don't degrade. DA2 did this and is one of the only things it did right imho.
Fourth, bring back tiers for equipment and only have unique equipment have bonuses, that way using an xp glitch to gain ultra-powerful loot will become less attractive.
Fifth, make classes that are able to take on more roles. Warriors should be able to tank with high-health and damage reduction, or damage with high base damage and sustained abilities that increase damage.Rogues should be able to tank by being unable to be hit, damage through high crit chance and crit damage, and disable with abilities that cripple fores. Mages should be able to CC, support, and damage with a plethora of different spells.

[MichaelStuart]

I have never liked or understood the point of character levels in any game.
I find that character levels create more problems than opportunities.
I would rather my characters gain power by finding better equipment and even this I like kept to a minimum (having to complete difficult side quest)

[KDD-0063]

MichaelStuart wrote...

I have never liked or understood the point of character levels in any game.
I find that character levels create more problems than opportunities.
I would rather my characters gain power by finding better equipment and even this I like kept to a minimum (having to complete difficult side quest)

http://taugrim.com/2...-of-vertically/ 

There are articles talking about this whole leveling thing in RPG.

I would love the idea of a more horizontal progression approach, but I also think DA should retain character customization in the leveling process and such instead of marrying the system of GW2.

And I think the risk of vertical progression can be managed in a single player RPG in multiple ways, especially if there's a toolset.

[Its_a_Catdemon]

I agree with making different builds more similar in terms of power, and that attributes should be attractive to all classes. I'd rather have the "half customization" method you mentioned than gear taking control of your choice of stats, making you need a certain build for you gear. Although I'd prefer stats have strong effects overall, just balance it so the build is still good, gaining other advantages so no stat is a dump stat. Most of what wsandista said sounded good, with a variety of roles per class instead of pigeonholing us.