There are currently quite a few discussions about the problems with multiclassing and economy and possible solutions.
Since I got some positive feedback to one suggestion among those and since I believe it might indeed solve some problems I give it a separate thread here.
The possibility of free multiclassing is perhaps one of the major features of Horizons, making it stand out among all the other games. While a system of free multiclassing is indeed interesting and one of the boons of Horizons it currently also becomes it's bane.
Let me try to explain ...
When Horizons started, most peoplepicked ONE adventurer class as well as ONE crafter class from among the given possibilities. There was an economy and sometimes you even had some difficulty acquiring the itemsrequired foryour profession. Everything went as with every other MMORPG.
Butin the endquite some players reached 100th level and realized that this wasn'tthe end at all. So they started another class and multiclassing began.
Now most peoplehave developedintohighly skilled master craftsmen with many different classeswhile the items they produce are still simple and quite the same. To a civilization as advanced as the people of Istaria have become, nothing that simple canhave avalue any longer, since everynext crafter can do it. As a result there can no longer be an economy at all. As another result many players start to become bored.
I believeoneway to solve that problem is to further develop the crafting system to suit the givenpossibilities of multiclassing and to make proper use of that feature.
The advanced system should introduce items, that do not depend on single-player and/or single-profession craftingbut items so complex, that onlymulti-classed crafters withseveralveryspecificprofessions areable to make themorthat require several specialized crafters to work together for completition.
I just try to give a quickly thought-out idea to explain ...
You might consider something like a "burning blade" tech that causes a blade toinflict some extra fire damage. First it might require some fiery essence that might only be gathered by an experienced gatherer.I can imagine gatherers using a unique skill, making the classmore useful as it was often suggested with the forums. That fiery essence might need to be refined and thendistilled with one or more trophies like fire wolf fangs andfire beetle mandibles into some kind of fiery oil, which can only be accomplished by an alchemist. The fiery oil might then be applied and imbued into afireopal. The fire opalmust be especially cut and prepared just for that purpose, which only a jeweler can do. The gem itself can only be created by the combined efforts of an alchemist and a jeweler working together or a single character being both. In the end the finished gem ist set into the sword's pommelduring the forging process. To properly handle and set the gem might require the combined efforts of a weaponsmith, an alchemist and a jeweler or again a single character having all those skills.
That base idea surely needs some more thought. For example where you can get those techs andforms to craft the required components. How rare those forms and techs should be. Perhaps crafting those parts is ratherdifficult and does not have a 100% chance of success while also only 1 item can be crafted at a time and only 1 such attempt can bemade within a certain period of time ...
The tech might be used through all tiers and perhaps add damage like a flame attack spell I-V with a likewise visual effect to the blade.It should just be somewhat stronger tobe worththeeffort, perhaps adding double the amout of damage and having a chance to immolate the victim. Such an effect does not seem to be too powerful, sincesomething similaris already possible with spells and crystals but such an item should nonetheless be desirable enough.
This is but one example and I think that many differentforms and techsfor all kinds of items would be possible and not too difficultto implement into the game. They make proper use of the many possible crafting classesand should even challenge multi-classed crafters. Such items as well as the parts of it sould be in high demand as there is only 1 attempt at a time and no one can simply craft 100 of them and put them for consignment.
Another interesting aspect of this might be the fact that the ideadoes nothaveto involve onlycrafters. Adventurers canbe part of this ideaas well to hunt the required trophies needed forthe different steps of crafting (or at least as soon as Nadia is gone- but of course you might also introduce new trophies that Nadia does not have) and of course to hunt for the forms and techs that might be a rare drop. Those new forms and techs should perhaps only be dropped byWA-mobs because it first seems much more reasonable while being a challenge in itself and second it prevents mass-killing of mobslike golems, spiders and fyakkis. Another idea might be an enchantedforge in the mountains, that is the only place to accomplish the final step of forging thesword.A process thatrequirestime, during which the crafters need all the protection they can getbecause of the deadly fire golems roamingthe place ...
The benefits:
- One advanced item needs several different crafting-schools for completition and each school involved needs its own forms and techs. You no longer acquire a single form and just start crafting with the one obtaining it first to make the most profit.
- The forms and techs are rare and hard to obtain. Players will need to work together with the different steps of crafting as well asto complete the final item. The new techs and forms also require players to work together tofindthem,since only WA-mobs drop them andyou can no longer set out aloneto do theusual mass-killing.
- The advanced items and the parts to create it never become too common, since you do not have a 100% chance of success and can only craft 1 at a time within a certain period.
- Unique places might be required for final completition of such items that are well suited for crafting events to build them as well as adventurers that protect the crafters later.
- Such items as well as the parts of it should be in high demand for quite a long time. The same should be true for the initial forms and techs. Both should make for some fix to economy.
Your thoughts?
- Narkano