article / interview over at Warcry

[cauri_order]

Tulga ? Horizons is still alive.

We sat down with David Bowman, president of Tulga Games, the new owners and operators of the Horizons franchise. Quiet but matter-of-fact, he detailed Tulga's plan to make Horizons a premier MMOG title in the future. They've reached the point of stabilizing subscriber churn, and are now focusing exclusively on content creation and client refinishing.

At the forefront is a schooling overhaul. Players are currently allowed to choose a specific skill school, which opens up a set of abilities reserved for that particular school or class. For instance, should someone who plays a warrior most of the time decided to raise his healing school skills, he would join that school for the day and kill things as a healer would. It's designed to keep from pigeon holing people into a particular class for the entirety of their characters' lifespans. However, in its current state, becoming part of another school didn't mute the skills you'd learned in another school. As an example, should our fighter decide to be a healer for the night, he could join the healing school, heal people, and still bash monsters like a fighter. Once the system has been changed to align with Bowman's vision, skills will come into and out of focus depending on what school the character belongs to at the time.

Lootable equipment is making its way into Istaria, as well. Player created items are currently the only means of suiting up for battle. In the near future, Blighted weapons, dropped off the undead hordes attacking the living citizens of the world, will give players the chance to pick up a makeshift weapon after savaging a foe. The weapons will also be craftable eventually, and every weapon that drops will have five random modifiers, both good and bad, placed on them, just to spice up things.

Also on the horiz- list of upcoming changes are player created quests. The quests will be fully featured and created out of game using a special tool. While certain missions inspired by players have seen the light of day before, including a special ?Dead Parrot? quest (a nod to the famous Monty Python skit), the new system will be the first of its kind in the MMOG industry.

Concerned about the ?long term health of the game,? Bowman is focused on making Horizons a staple within the industry. Every key member of the original development team is working for Tulga, and they feel comfortable moving forward with the project.

http://www.warcry.com/scripts/column...amp;colid=6720

DB? Comments? :)

[gopher65]

I'm curious as to what limits they will place on multiclassing. I think everyone agrees that multiclassing in its current form is a bit ruinous to the game, but I don't think we want to see our characters basically wiped out by a new system;). It will be interesting to see if they can pull this off with enough .... style to ensure the satisfaction of both current and new players.

EDIT: I also think the player made quest creation is about the best possible thing for this game:). If this idea works, I fully expect all other MMOG's to copy the idea (if they aren't working on something similar already).

[cauri_order]

My main concern with the article is the changes to Multiclassing. Didn't Dave say recently that we will be able to take all our classes to 120 once the cap is raised? This kind of contradicts that statement...

[Peaches]

Time will tell, aye?

[refuse]

from IRC

[20:39] Manga-4tw: from my understanding of the dragons, while they love the faction differences they still want a choice in thier actions
[20:42] Silowyi: also a lot of dragons don't really like the idea of being forced into a roll based on incomplete information presented as much as a year ago
[20:42] Manga-4tw: ^^ what sil said

As posted in here:
http://community.istaria.com/Web/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=54448


I for one "don't really like the idea of being forced into a roll based on incomplete information presented as much as a year ago".

Alot of thought should go into the change to multi-classing before doing it.

[evilkarl]

My interpretation is when using a school that doesn't have or learn those skills they will not be available to you

Eg If you are 50 mage, 50 ice disciple you won't be able to use the flame/energy/mind/summoning skill

[Peaches]

Hrmm, that doesn't sound good. ;( I like to have healer spiritist and have a chance in battle, as a healer alone, I have no chance whatsoever. :(

[LaughingOtter]

Once the system has been changed to align with Bowman's vision, skills will come into and out of focus depending on what school the character belongs to at the time.

Some clarification, explanation, and discussion is needed here, and sooner rather than later.

[Kulamata]

That's very vague; does it mean skills will no longer be masterable? Does it mean that spells from another school will no longer be usable? Does it mean that a generalist school like Ranger will be stripped ofbroadcapabilities? Does it mean that it has not been thought through, but just that it's time for a nerf?

Considering that the "vision" thing almost destroyed the game, I'm not happy to hear that it has resurfaced. The record on nerfs has been appalling; heavy handed, ill-thought through, and coincident with,and I think, causing massive player defections.And if they didn't cause the defections they sure didn't stop them.

Sure know how to offset good news in a hurry. Couldn't we have had a few days of rejoicing in the dragon, elar, and invasion news?
And the improved tutorials?

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

I just hope we get some more details about what changes may take place to multiple schooled characters. I agree that the current system is a bit crazy (I mean, why should a 'holy' character such as a cleric get to use blight spells?) and hopefully they dev's will come up with something that both 1.) keeps players from feeling all their current effort and time into their characters was for naught, and 2.) still gives some benefit for school combinations with abilities that no longer cross over.

All I wanna be is a shaman with solid melee skills, cuz spears are damned cool.

P.S. If you're reading this Mr. Bowman, give us all the information about such changes as you can stand. Overactive imaginations tend to fill in the blanks.[:#]

[oluviel]

It already looks like they have started overhauling individual classes to make them stand alone viable. Nor did he say that multiclassing will be useless. Think about it, the multiclass system is currently so flexible that players all have too many of the same skills, spells and abilities there is no individuality left, except for dragons of course.

If they were to improve the individual power of classes to compensate for the lack of multiclass power the game would be a lot better off.

However, istill say beyond the issue of multiclassing stamina and mana should hold more weight on the to do list.

[Peaches]

If they were to improve the individual power of classes to compensate for the lack of multiclass power the game would be a lot better off.



The above is the key to all these possible changes. As a healer alone, I cannot survive, mainly when I am out getting resources. Thats all I want to do, is have a chance to fight something and not eat dirt all the time. Is that too much to ask?

[Varangaard]

"Skills will come in and out of focus" is a very, very vague way to put it. It does sort of imply there'll be changes to how skills are inherited between classes... This should be clarified asap as all this comment accomplishes is to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt amongst the playerbase (let's face it; the current multiclass system is almost as open as it can be, so any change is more than likely to be negative)..

[PJ]

Suprisingly enough I'm oppossed to any changes that change the philosophy of the current multiclassing system. I'm not so naieve to believe that there's no problems with the system, however the system we have now should be tweaked not overhauled.

Does the current system blur individuality? Maybe (I'll not conceed it) but a complete overhaul back to a single class system or one with heavily restricted multiclassing is the wrong approach.

Vive Le Quilt!

[oluviel]

#1 remove the level rating penalty
#2implement stamina and mana based upon tiers
#3Your main classwould haverelatively low costing skills for mana and stamina
#4 You can choose your first subclass. The abilities/spells ect from this class gets a 25%stamina/mana cost penalty
#5 Youcan utilize the power of the3 subclasses at once. These subclasses would have an innate impact on your main class in terms of base attack, hp ect.
#6 All spells and abilities raise by 25% mana or stamina cost depending upon if is a subclass+25% subsubclass +50% or a subsubsubclass +75%
#7 you can level all classes to max, and interchange them between main class, sub class ect, but you cannot use the abilities of all 15? classes at once.

That's my vision of how the multiclass system should work but i doubt anyone else would like it

[Peaches]

You need to add one thing in that mixture, for example, a healer cant stand alone battles, I play a lot, and have to be able to defend myself when gathering resources. That is the ONLY reason I multiclassed. I can now battle without eating dirt all the time. Take that away from us, without giving us a bit more in our ONE class to battle, then the game is destroyed. This saddens me ;( I truly wish someone in dev would respond, as I am very very concerned at this point.

[imported_Ssilmath]

I for one have a huge problem with changing the multiclassing system, because I think it takes away from individuality, rather than promotes it. Think about it. If you are limited in the way you play, you will opt for the best combinations...Right now, it is not uncommon to see a lot of different combos based on personal or RP preference. I see nothing wrong with a cleric casting blight spells. Same reason I see nothing wrong with an electrician doing plumbing work, as long as he is trained in both fields. Same reason an artist can also be a writer. Same reason an architect can also be a demolitionist. As long as you have trained in those fields, there is no reason you can't do both. Of course, the electrician won't be as good working with plumbing as the one who does it full time, but if he needs to, he can.

Has my point gotten through the thick skulls of those who seem to hate the single best and most individualising part of Horizons? Has anyone else noticed that the ones screaming for limitations tend to either have a single, maybe a few classes or are dragons? They A) Don't stand to lose a whole lot of work if multiclassing is limited and B) Don't understand that someone with 8 level 100's isn't nearly as powerful as 8 single 100 level people...

There could be more limitations, I do think so...But I see no reason to either remove or severely limit the system. Some tweaks here and there. But it is just as viable for someone to be 100 Cleric/100 Spiritist/100 Warrior as it is for someone to be a Master Electrician/Plumber/Carpenter in RL. How bout we nerf that too...

[kengar]

I'll weigh in with apprehensive but not yet panicing.

However, I can't help but emphasize one thing that's already been said. The devs need to explain this, not the specifics, but the general changes, before our imaginations fill in the blanks with the worst.

I'm not opposed to any and all changes in the multiclassing system. I understand the issues that they want to address, and I've taken advantage of exactly the loopholes they want to close. I did 16 levels of mage in one day, without ever casting a flame/energy/ice spell other than wards/resists. I put on some padded ironsilk armor, picked up my saris blade of rending, and went out and played tag with T4 golems. So that's one thing they want to change. I don't have a problem with that, I thought it was an odd way to level at the time.

On the other hand, my Paladin is taking Healer to lvl 100 so that I can shift my training points from Life/Augmentation to combat skills while still able to cast T5 spells. ANY reduction in the amount of Life/Aug that carries over to Paladin from healer is going to really hurt, especially if the 50 points per T5 tech penalty comes back. Taking Healer to augment a Paladin's spell casting is, to me, exactly what multiclassing should be used for even by the strictest standard, enhancing your class with improved or related skills.

But how do you limit the first without causing havok to the second? Devs, please involve us in this, at least enough to let us know what benefits of multiclassing will be left. Should I stop raising my Healer, since it won't take much to eliminate what benefit I get from it? I'm ready to drop druid and spiritist, since I don't use those spells much in combat when I'm a Paladin and the combat abilities aren't huge (Field of Growth, Ethereal Armor, Forest Mist, and Vigor), I mostly took them so that I wasn't melee'ing my way through healer.

[Peaches]

Aye I am not *panicking* but do have reason to be *concerned*. I sure do hope there is a response soon. Yes, there is some fixing that needs to be done, as you stated. Just wish we knew more.

[refuse]

problems I have if it is subtractive instead of additive (i.e. removing abilities we have now).

1) Can I exchange classes I have now, that I expected to use for Xp for my main class.

2) Can I have all the XP wasted because of rating since I started back, towards my main class.

3) Can I have allt he money for other armors, spells, tech comps for spells and armor and weapons for classes that I could use but can't now.

Barring that,
I don't see how they can even remotely change multi-classing and expect to keep the current bipeds playing the game.

Oh, and of course dragons will think it is cool.