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Bard changes are horrible
- Thread starter UODevTracker
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Good thing I brought my hard hat and my flame retardant suit.
1: Masteries.
Yep you can only have one. I like it like that. And its easier for -me- to balance game impact that way.
With single mastery choices, it allows players to run around with templates that aren't always cookie cutter.
Hopefully masteries take root eventually and new abilities can be added and new bonuses tied in.
(If masteries had been for archers, there'd be a distinction for cross bows and bows. But I don't think archery is in need of loving right now).
2: Quests: Initially I had a draft for quest chains to unlock the mastery and each ability under that mastery and allow players to repeat them as needed.
Then I had a second thought that after 8 years people playing bards may not really want to embark on a 45 minute quest to gain access to new abilities or shift between different masteries. At the same time, I don't like the idea of flipping a switch or simply changing your hat and now you are something completely different. The goal of these quests is not to provide a difficult or time consuming challenge for players who have invested hours, days, months building up skills. The quests simply require 3-5 minutes of effort, ACTUAL PLAYER effort, with a guaranteed result.
3: Abilities: The abilities are meant to be situationally(my word) useful.
They are a good buff for the bard themselves. And with the right suit and skill adjustment most of the beneficial ones can probably be sustained indefinitely.
They depend on playstyle and goal.
1: Masteries.
Yep you can only have one. I like it like that. And its easier for -me- to balance game impact that way.
With single mastery choices, it allows players to run around with templates that aren't always cookie cutter.
Hopefully masteries take root eventually and new abilities can be added and new bonuses tied in.
(If masteries had been for archers, there'd be a distinction for cross bows and bows. But I don't think archery is in need of loving right now).
2: Quests: Initially I had a draft for quest chains to unlock the mastery and each ability under that mastery and allow players to repeat them as needed.
Then I had a second thought that after 8 years people playing bards may not really want to embark on a 45 minute quest to gain access to new abilities or shift between different masteries. At the same time, I don't like the idea of flipping a switch or simply changing your hat and now you are something completely different. The goal of these quests is not to provide a difficult or time consuming challenge for players who have invested hours, days, months building up skills. The quests simply require 3-5 minutes of effort, ACTUAL PLAYER effort, with a guaranteed result.
3: Abilities: The abilities are meant to be situationally(my word) useful.
They are a good buff for the bard themselves. And with the right suit and skill adjustment most of the beneficial ones can probably be sustained indefinitely.
They depend on playstyle and goal.
Posted a wonderful huge page long response, but I guess it took too long to write it so timed out. I'm so not going through that again.
So Here's what I can remember in no particular order.
Why 1 mastery at a time?
It is my thought that if two people of equal skill were to dedicate the same time and effort to the same thing they would be equally adept. By the same standard if the same two people in a different situation where the first focused on only one thing, and the second focused on two things. They may both be considered masters at what they do but they will likely not be equal.
I believe that a pure mage should probably be a better mage than a mystic mage, or a necro mage. Hence a Bard can go ahead and max skills in every one of their bard abilities, but they will be best at their focus ability.
Though I do like the idea of posibly adding some multi discipline abilities to future iterations of the bard mastery system I would still want masteries to be geared towards focusing.
The mastery system takes a step away from the template for all seasons. Any of the abilities will be useful, though they may not be the best for the situation.
To Party or Not to Party?
The beneficial bard abilities can augment the effectiveness of their party members. You don't have to party, you can keep the benefits all to yourself. Though I'm sure any group would be very appreciative for any of the beneficial abilities. At the same time, if you're just out for yourself you may appreciate the extra survivability.
Not to mention the ability to outdamage most casters in game for short periods or if you prefer, feed off the damage that anyone else is doing to your target.
------------------------
Side Notes:
Bard abilities should only be cancelled by using the same skill as the mastery focus. (ie Using provocation will cancel Inspire and Invigorate, but not any of the other abilities)(If you want to Discord and Despair it'll take 2 Bards)
You can stop an active ability by recasting it. (This will be 0 cast time, 0 mana cost)
Bards interupt threshold is lower for PvP damage than PvM damage.
(In PvP with all 70's anything under 6th circle or a heavy pain strike probably won't interupt the bard. In PvM closer to flame strike or a high damage armour ignore.)
So you can stand in the corner if you like, I'll be out there swinging away.
All bard abilities are affected by LMC.
Quests: Most easily accomplished walking around moonglow or haven
------------------------
Random responses:
I did not make a mistake in coding. It is my intent that switching between masteries requires more effort and thought than using a soul stone or changing equipment.
If a bard wants to max provocation thats a 240 skill point investment
If a mage wants to max magery thats a 240 skill point investment
If a provo bard wants to max discord thats a 360 skill point investment
If a mage wants to max necro thats a 480 skill point investment
Currently the only benefit to adding a secondary bard skill is that you can use that skill without interrupting your mastery abilities in the other skill.
These make for some powerful combinations but I'll wait a few weeks for players to figure out the ramifications of combining skills and abilities. Maybe its OP maybe they could use some more tweaks.
Mountain goats: My Bad. I forgot about them.
Having to use Different rabbits and healers: Really?
Casting Not Interrupting Bards: ( Yeah that would take about 2 seconds before it had to be nerfed)
--------------------------------------------------------
It's not what you can do. It's what you can do with it.
So Here's what I can remember in no particular order.
Why 1 mastery at a time?
It is my thought that if two people of equal skill were to dedicate the same time and effort to the same thing they would be equally adept. By the same standard if the same two people in a different situation where the first focused on only one thing, and the second focused on two things. They may both be considered masters at what they do but they will likely not be equal.
I believe that a pure mage should probably be a better mage than a mystic mage, or a necro mage. Hence a Bard can go ahead and max skills in every one of their bard abilities, but they will be best at their focus ability.
Though I do like the idea of posibly adding some multi discipline abilities to future iterations of the bard mastery system I would still want masteries to be geared towards focusing.
The mastery system takes a step away from the template for all seasons. Any of the abilities will be useful, though they may not be the best for the situation.
To Party or Not to Party?
The beneficial bard abilities can augment the effectiveness of their party members. You don't have to party, you can keep the benefits all to yourself. Though I'm sure any group would be very appreciative for any of the beneficial abilities. At the same time, if you're just out for yourself you may appreciate the extra survivability.
Not to mention the ability to outdamage most casters in game for short periods or if you prefer, feed off the damage that anyone else is doing to your target.
------------------------
Side Notes:
Bard abilities should only be cancelled by using the same skill as the mastery focus. (ie Using provocation will cancel Inspire and Invigorate, but not any of the other abilities)(If you want to Discord and Despair it'll take 2 Bards)
You can stop an active ability by recasting it. (This will be 0 cast time, 0 mana cost)
Bards interupt threshold is lower for PvP damage than PvM damage.
(In PvP with all 70's anything under 6th circle or a heavy pain strike probably won't interupt the bard. In PvM closer to flame strike or a high damage armour ignore.)
So you can stand in the corner if you like, I'll be out there swinging away.
All bard abilities are affected by LMC.
Quests: Most easily accomplished walking around moonglow or haven
------------------------
Random responses:
I did not make a mistake in coding. It is my intent that switching between masteries requires more effort and thought than using a soul stone or changing equipment.
If a bard wants to max provocation thats a 240 skill point investment
If a mage wants to max magery thats a 240 skill point investment
If a provo bard wants to max discord thats a 360 skill point investment
If a mage wants to max necro thats a 480 skill point investment
Currently the only benefit to adding a secondary bard skill is that you can use that skill without interrupting your mastery abilities in the other skill.
These make for some powerful combinations but I'll wait a few weeks for players to figure out the ramifications of combining skills and abilities. Maybe its OP maybe they could use some more tweaks.
Mountain goats: My Bad. I forgot about them.
Having to use Different rabbits and healers: Really?
Casting Not Interrupting Bards: ( Yeah that would take about 2 seconds before it had to be nerfed)
--------------------------------------------------------
It's not what you can do. It's what you can do with it.
Then what it is?
So far the only reasons Logrus has posted have been that firstly it was easiest for him to code that way (thats not a good reason), and secondly an idealistic view that a pure template should be more powerful than a hybrid, which may be a apply irl but it doesn't apply to UO, where hybrids are 99% of the time more powerful than pures.
Actually to clarify:
1. I didnt say a pure template should be more powerful than a hybrid.
I said a pure mage -should- be a better mage than a necro mage.
So if you say wanted to duel, Necro Mage vs Pure mage and have it limited to MAGERY only, I believe the pure mage should have some benefits as befitting any character person or otherwise who has dedicated themselves to a single goal.
Now if that pure mage was to go toe to toe with a necro mage, with all skills open to use, then thats an altogether different thing.
Not that a Pure mage should be more powerful than a necro mage or whatever template variant. That would defeat the purpose of hybrids altogether.
2. Easier to code for me, meant that using an already tested and functioning system to achieve my end of preventing flip flopping of masteries without risking introducing a host of bugs and issues that creating a completely new mechanic may do.