Bards equiping musical instruments

[NuSair]

Sitting here thinking about it, I seem to recall the devs saying there were all kinds of issues with bards equiping musical instruments.

I am not sure I buy that. If fact, I know I don't. Here's why. The main mechanics are already in the game.

Spellbooks.

And you can't tell me it's that hard to place the graphic of a lute, flute, ect (maybe the really big instruments I can see there being an issue with, but not the normal ones) on the paper doll.

The effect of not acting like a weapon is already there with spellbooks. And then, you can give the instruments traits similar to spell books.

You could even go so far as to just copy the spellbook code and just reskin it (like has been done over and over and over).

So, again... what is the issue?

 

[HP_Zoro_HP]

Forget all this rubbish and make the bard masteries useful in pvp situations even when the bard is being focus fired on without having the friggin buffs fall off after every hit!

 

[startle]

Sitting here thinking about it, I seem to recall the devs saying there were all kinds of issues with bards equiping musical instruments.

I am not sure I buy that. If fact, I know I don't. Here's why. The main mechanics are already in the game.

Spellbooks.

And you can't tell me it's that hard to place the graphic of a lute, flute, ect (maybe the really big instruments I can see there being an issue with, but not the normal ones) on the paper doll.

The effect of not acting like a weapon is already there with spellbooks. And then, you can give the instruments traits similar to spell books.

You could even go so far as to just copy the spellbook code and just reskin it (like has been done over and over and over).

So, again... what is the issue?

They just don't want to hassle with it, is my guess... What you say is certainly true... There's no code on an instrument that says: "You can't be held on the pd"... That's for sure... They could just apply the "carry" on instruments that could normally be "carried", like a lute or a flute... The same "carry" code that is currently being used to "equip" spellbooks...

 

[startle]

Forget all this rubbish and make the bard masteries useful in pvp situations even when the bard is being focus fired on without having the friggin buffs fall off after every hit!

And that wouldn't hurt either.... It is time Bards got some love...

 

[yars]

instead of instruments,use a book of sheet music with special mods

 

[Warpig Inc]

If they go about doing the artwork and adding other mods besides slayer. Leather strap and slung over the back in the cloak spot. Most bards depend on other skills. Fighter, mage or luck tamer. As far as gargoyles go. Just be another thing in the long list of things they can't be part of. AFK at the bank while flying is their payback.

 

[Cetric]

I would like to beat someone to death with a lute to be honest.

 

[NuSair]

I would like to beat someone to death with a lute to be honest.

Killer tunes.

 

[startle]

^^^^^^ ^^^^^

 

[Nails Warstein]

I have always wanted this, and I second the call for having the instruments in a shield position (like lanterns) with possible shield modifications and resists with spell channeling. If they do this, we don't want shields to go away, cause warriors might just replace their shield with an instrument, which makes no sense, so there has to be a balance, perhaps require 80 musicianship to equip the instrument, the way some shields require 80 strength to be equipped.

 

[Aran]

Sounds like a waste of development resources to me.

 

[NuSair]

Sounds like a waste of development resources to me.

The point is that it would take very little development resources to begin with. 90%+ of the work is already done.

 

[Aran]

There's already animations for all the instruments being carried in every position by every race?

 

[Nails Warstein]

There's already animations for all the instruments being carried in every position by every race?

Not sure if there is, but they seemed to figure out how to create dozens of new weapon types and shields when they created gargoyles, we're only asking for lutes, flutes, drums, tambourines, aud-chars, and harps to appear equipped.

I wouldn't mind if they added a hymn book with some war song like spells we can sing while we're at revamping bards.

 

[NuSair]

There's already animations for all the instruments being carried in every position by every race?

This isn't WoW or EQ. It really isn't that hard or complicated.

 

[The Zog historian]

Not sure if there is, but they seemed to figure out how to create dozens of new weapon types and shields when they created gargoyles, we're only asking for lutes, flutes, drums, tambourines, aud-chars, and harps to appear equipped.

I wouldn't mind if they added a hymn book with some war song like spells we can sing while we're at revamping bards.

Stygian Abyss wasn't made with ease, remember. It was the first expansion in four years, made when the Devs had a larger team. We can't assume things will be "easy" when they may not be, and even if they are, the Devs may have other priorities for more players.

 

[Viper09]

This isn't WoW or EQ. It really isn't that hard or complicated.

It isn't?

 

[NuSair]

It isn't?

No, it's not.

Reskinning stuff is done quite a lot in UO. In it's basic form, you see it when you put on one of those Halloween mask and it makes you look like a creature. You also see it when EMs take a peerless and slap an orc body on to it. They also do that with items. Remember when the turn ins started for the new Clean Up Brit and normal books were being turned in for a lot of points? That is because a normal book was reskinned and given some different text in places, but in its code, remained a normal book, which is why when it was set up for those tomes from SA to be work a lot of points, normal books that they were reskinned from were also worth a lot of points.

You could take a spellbook or any other hand held item and reskin it (by reskinning I mean putting a different or new piece of art on it) and make it an instrument.

The hardest part of the process would probably be the new artwork, which isn't hard as much as it takes time.

 

[Aran]

No, it's not.

Reskinning stuff is done quite a lot in UO. In it's basic form, you see it when you put on one of those Halloween mask and it makes you look like a creature. You also see it when EMs take a peerless and slap an orc body on to it. They also do that with items. Remember when the turn ins started for the new Clean Up Brit and normal books were being turned in for a lot of points? That is because a normal book was reskinned and given some different text in places, but in its code, remained a normal book, which is why when it was set up for those tomes from SA to be work a lot of points, normal books that they were reskinned from were also worth a lot of points.

You could take a spellbook or any other hand held item and reskin it (by reskinning I mean putting a different or new piece of art on it) and make it an instrument.

The hardest part of the process would probably be the new artwork, which isn't hard as much as it takes time.

Haha, yeah.. uh... No.

 

[Lady Mal]

Add to this idea skillets and rolling pins and count me in

 

[Nails Warstein]

I am still waiting for this concept of carrying instruments with spellbook or shield mods a reality. They can make all kinds of new Eodon art, but this is a bridge too far?

 

[MalagAste]

My only concern with this is at present you can use and instrument and equip a Spellbook with loads of bonuses.... if you equip an instrument all you get is the single property of the slayer..... that's IT. Which then they would need to add imbuing or something to instruments to make them more like a Spellbook/weapon.

 

[Nails Warstein]

My only concern with this is at present you can use and instrument and equip a Spellbook with loads of bonuses.... if you equip an instrument all you get is the single property of the slayer..... that's IT. Which then they would need to add imbuing or something to instruments to make them more like a Spellbook/weapon.

Right they would have to make instruments with mods like wands, shields or spellbooks, and create artifact level instruments with mods as artifact loot drops, buy from collections, or found on mobs with up to legendary type properties. They can even make them macing weapons for all I care. I just think this would be a nice visual upgrade if they can make them useful, and desirable.

 

[Aran]

I say they fix the **** that's currently broken first.