Class System Revamp

[GM Oden]

So as I am a couple days from rewriting a fair amount of code for the class system a second time, i've given this some thought and have eluded to it in the past.

I'm proposing two big changes beyond the class change discussions we've in the past and are still on the books. Ultimately, the class system would fundamentally work as it does now but with a little more freedom.

I'm proposing we do away with the following:
- Base Class
- Class Trainers

To replace the class trainers can gain in heighten stuff, I'd replace that with a dot command. This will tell you the skill name and a countdown until you can gain again. When the clock reaches 0, you'll be able to gain. This command is already written.

Additionally, with no class trainers players won't need to go on scavenger hunts to find class trainer npcs.

Base class wouldn't actually be replaced, instead a player would create a character, pick the class they wish to play and be in that class. Entrance to the newbie area would be solely dependent on that characters total accumulated skills. So a character with less than 300 accumulated skill points could enter the newbie area while those above that can't.

Additionally with no base class what this ultimately means for players is, if you have a character and want to change classes, that restriction of only joining classes in the same base class is no longer a restriction. You could go from say a Mage to Warrior if you so desired. The restriction for leaving a class would work like this:

(Dot command names may vary)
.leaveclass
Your character must wait four irl days at any time in that duration you can change your mind by typing the same command in.

When that time is up and on your next login, you'll be presented with the ability to change your class. Skill and stat adjustment on class changes would work as they do now.

Summary:
This makes life a little easier for players and also for myself code wise, also to some extent other staff as we'd not need to worry about placing any class trainers in the future. It breaks the annoying base class lock and just makes the system itself much more straightforward and simple.

So what do you think, this isnt À la carte, so picky choosey is not on the menu.

[GM Oden]

I'll point a couple things out that might not have been considered by the no votes.

If you're a player, consider class hopping to train the slowest of skills. It's something that even with a four day wait to changing a class has the potential to make training to full in a desired class easier. Consistently complaints come in of speed to train, this helps with that while sticking within the integrity of the class system structure.

From staff and developer standpoint, dropping npc class trainers allows us to drop a block of code used exclusively by the class trainer npcs which is a win in my book since doing this makes our lives a little easier, less code to maintain and less npc placement stuff. But more importantly for players, it means we can automate entering heighten once fully trained and accessing now remote class trainers, easier through a simple dot command.

I'm in the firm opinion that the above changes really help make the hallmark system on Pangaea, much simpler to maintain, much simpler to understand, much more enjoyable and fun overall.

[Ranokan]

For me it sounds good, although do make sure it is easy to understand for "new"players, I propose that you include in the help menu a list of all dot commands.

On another point of view, instead of purely wipe profession NPCs, just create one type of NPC that is capable of doing whats you just mentioned. In this way you will still have some sort of RP behind it.

[GM Oden]

I'm more in favor of commands. Intrinsically you should be able to better yourself without the need to faux rp with an npc.

RP is not talking to an npc, if it was I'd have seen more people holding a conversation with seemingly mute npcs and in the many years I've played on pangaea and journeys end, both rp shards, that never or rarely, as in 1 in a million, ever happened. If the standard for RP is (and i know it has been for a long time so I'm not picking on you) that "my bank box please", "*taps the bank floor with his staff*", "I wish to sell", "I wish to buy", etc... Is what makes good rp, ya its really no wonder RP has been relegated to secondary importance by players and staff alike.

NPC speech text, house commands, boat commands, etc... are purely intended to be a means to an end. Speech in any of the scenarios above should have no bearing on how well someone RPs, these are commands that must be issued to access a service that the object provides, nothing more nothing less, a means to an end, a necessary evil that has been construed for a long time as being RP.

You want the Oden's Definition for Role-playing, its three important points:
1. Memorable and enjoyable story of a player character, from a player character, interacting with other player characters.
2. Dynamic, almost fluid happenstances which must be accounted for within the daily intercourse a player has with other players.
3. Ongoing conversation between two or more individuals completely unscripted or lightly scripted, being more of an improv scenario.

No npc offers either of those three points so, players can cleverly come up with "*looks at banker*" macros all they wish to but in my book, you score no brownie points or merit badges with me by doing that.