Class Balance?

[Tarran of Chaos]

[img]/Web/Themes/Generic/images/icon-quote.gif[/img]Tarran of Chaos wrote:

The problem is they are continuously giving to one race and imbalancing reward vs time and effort.

Rewardfor effort is anissue AE/Tulga has always struggled with. [img]/Web//emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img] All players, no matter what they play, can make the same complaint. It's a bigger issue than just biped lovevs. dragon love.

Frankly, people can playan elf or a dwarf in a lot of games. Dragons are unique to Horizons.Other games have different races, but all races in those games are played the same way. Dragons in Horizons play a totally different game from every other race. That's a selling point whenit comes to attractingand retaining new players - which is the most important thing the game must do right now.

Retaining the established, long-term player is important also; however, the longer you've been playing the less likelyit is that you'll leave over a given change. You've stayed through other changes, you've adapted, odds are you will continue, even if you don't like that change.

The other really strong selling point Horizons has are crafting, multiclassing, and friendliness to the casual player. Plots/lairs and player-created content help retain players, but not really attract new ones.

At launch, dragons - the game's single-biggest 'hook', were horribly incomplete. After almost two years, dragons are finally ready for launch. Crafting was and is a strong asset, and will be much improved once the Confectioner revamp is done.

The more headcount TG has, the fasterwe will see new systems & new content. How do you get more headcount? More subscribers coming in and staying. What, right now, is the best hook for bringingnew subscribers in?

Dragons.

If you want to see awesome biped content, getmore people in who will be blown away by how much fun it is to be a dragon andwho will stay because lairs are totally cool. Like it or not, dragons are the big draw. After all, when was the last time you heard someone say, "Dude, you can be a dwarf!!! That so totally rocks!!!"?

Ok, for Dragons to be a playable race without totally screwing up the balance they must CONFORM to all the rules the wayevery other race does. As far as dragons being ready for launch? Are you kidding? They need the same amount of classes, all of which take an equivalent amount of work as the schools for the other races. This is what happens when you add unfinished content to a game. We are playing in freaking beta testing here. Nobody knows whats coming or what they can count on or whats gonna get taken away from them.
Dragons are a novelty that wears off, like when you play a game in God Mode and get sick of it faster. Run up and triple multistrike something to death in a blink. Oh wow that was interesting... not. I remember when someone told me I would have to put alot of my training points into primal to use the good heals and buffs for my level. Yeah right. Stuff doesnt live long enough to threaten you. I dont even wear armor lol. I guess if all the other races want to exist just to make dragons look more powerful thats on them but I am lobbying for an even playing field so it matters how you play your character instead of what race you are. Playing as a dragon is picking the easiest difficulty setting of the game and if all TG does is stroke dragons thenthere is no point havingall the other races.
I play this game because of the armor teching system and multiclassing. I dont like just wearing run of the mill ordinary armor. Thats why I stay. It has nothing to do with dragons and I know a considerable amount of kindred spirits in that regard. If they dont make this game an even playing field its gonna die plain and simple.

[Jayne]

Ummm, playing a dwarf or anyother race other then dragon, doesn't make them any less appealing. these races can be just as interesting as a dragon to people if they had individual abilities and places to live.

I am not gettng on a dragon vs biped band wagon, but Rover your comment on the subject is false. Horizons CAN benefit from all the races in the game. They can make them all more interesting to play and thus improving these common races you speak of, over these others typical games.

Jayne

[Rover]

I do not disagree with you, Jayne. I would very much like to see the day when each race has unique and exciting content that has an impact on your gameplay. Right now that content is minimal at best. I do very much want to see racial housing and ability quests. I do want to see the day when someone might tell their friend, "If you like dwarves, you have to try Horizons. Nobody does dwarves the way they do."

That day is not today.

Today, if you want to talk about unique and exciting features, it's dragons. If you want to get noticed, you have to stand out and grab people's interest. Some games do it with half-naked women; Horizons has dragons.

[Guaran]

Half-naked women?

Half-naked Gnome women????

[:O]

[Rover]

Or half-naked Dwarven women with big bushy beards and huge...war axes. That might catch the eye...

[imported_tjl]

Or half-naked Dwarven women with big bushy beards and huge...war axes. That might catch the eye...

I know one dwarf who would like that.

[Tribunal]

Half-naked Gnome women????

dude female gnomes are hot[H]

[Guaran]

I'm getting hungry.

When gnomes run around half gnaked, it's snack time.