Implementing a basic, and I mean BASIC AA System?

[Spitty]

Star Wars Galaxies tried to implement a random modifier in skill tables.

It didn't end well.

I, for one, would be pissed if I had to spend some of my limited number of AA points on useless stats or skills because some serverside RNG decided I needed 5 points of CHA.

[Kika Maslyaka]

for AA system to be meaningful for a "classic feel", it will need to be:

1. capped
2. redesigned from the scratch

[Ferok]

If you're going to cap AA's, don't put them in at all. In Luclin, PoP.. it didnt matter if you had 40 AA's or 400. There were very few essential AA's and they were accessible very quickly. Beyond those, diminishing returns applied quickly. At some point, you were leveling up innate charisma as a warrior.

I have no idea why people want capped AA's. None.

[Kika Maslyaka]

so it would be more about customization and less about endless grind to get them all

[Acillatem]

If you cap them, you force people to choose rather than just get them all.

Without some form of randomization tho, you once again run into "cookie-cutter" syndrome, where everyone will choose the same path.

I agree with Spitty's sentiments regarding "shit I got /randomed into Innate CHA? WTF?". Maybe the random one can be tailored by class to not be "useless".

There will still be many similarities by class, but with caps and variance, it would create an AA system as it was originally intended to do (differentiate yourself from others of your class).

[Kika Maslyaka]

the AA paths/choices would need to be design better to be useful, so there are actually more than just 1 cookie cutter build. 9at least 2 or 3)

The problem of course lies with inherit EQ classic ultra specialized mechanics. Take cleric for example - you can't offer a cleric one path that improves healing and another path that improves anything else - the healing will be instantly preferable. And any cleric which didn't choose healing, would be considered an idiot. Unless of course the paths you can chose would not include healing improvements at all.... But its hard to imagine such paths...

Thats why i said system has to be redesigned from the scratch for it to work properly. Which most likely not going to happen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Acillatem]

Wishful thinking am I right? lol

[Ferok]

Originally Posted by Kika Maslyaka [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

so it would be more about customization and less about endless grind to get them all

Why is this better? You never needed to get them all. Some people choose to. But really, there were only a couple essential AA's.

"Customization" sounds more like Diablo 2 than Everquest IMO. Doesn't really have a classic sound to it.

[Ferok]

Originally Posted by Acillatem [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If you cap them, you force people to choose rather than just get them all.

Without some form of randomization tho, you once again run into "cookie-cutter" syndrome, where everyone will choose the same path.

I agree with Spitty's sentiments regarding "shit I got /randomed into Innate CHA? WTF?". Maybe the random one can be tailored by class to not be "useless".

There will still be many similarities by class, but with caps and variance, it would create an AA system as it was originally intended to do (differentiate yourself from others of your class).

You're creating elaborate solutions to problems that don't exist. I think AA's did exactly what they were intended to do; provide additional progression options for players beyond raiding.

[Acillatem]

They did HALF of what they were intended to do. The other half, as stated by Sony's description of Alternate Advancement, was to "differentiate yourself from others of your class". That didn't happen becuz everyone chose the same path, and/or was able to get all the AA's that mattered.

Just like regular levels - it just became a timesink where some people finished faster than others, but in the end it was all the same.