[crossfire] Items and balance, was Re: race/class lacks distinctions

[Andrew Fuchs]

On 7/1/06, Mark Wedel <mwedel at sonic.net> wrote:
> Wim Villerius wrote:
...
> > I would suggest also to modify quite some existing items. Adding still
> > more items degenerates the value of current items. Why would you search
> > for 'special item' if the so-and-so not so special item gives almost the
> > same benefits?
> > Perhaps - but that's quite a different discussion - it's worth to remove
> > a lot of (more or less) special items from the game.
>
>   Possibly.  I think Raphael had got some script which showed all the items in
> the game.
>
>   But my thought for class/race specific items also does help out balance some.
>
>   For example, monks are banned from weapons and armor.  Certain races are also
> banned from certain objects.
>
>   It may be desirable to give those classes/race combinations some items to help
> restore their balance some.  However, you don't want to make them available to
> everyone, as then the human fighter can use it and really get things out of whack.

Anyone want to make a script to find the best set of equipment for
each race/class combination? (including generated and modified in map
objects)

>   So such a feature can be used to further help to balance the races and classes.
>
>   But the other thing, going back to the original discussion, is it starts to
> add some distinction.  As a mage, I can were that diadam of spellcasting, which
> gives some cool bonus, which fighters can't.  This would also likely make it so
> that all high level characters don't go around all wearing the same equipment,
> as there sort of is the 'this is the best set of stuff' thing.
>
>   Another thing, long discussed, was to split attack damages based on attacktype.
>
>   Right now, if a character does damage, it uses the best of any attacktypes the
> item(s) he has does.
>
>   This means that any item that gives you an attacktype is really pretty handy.
>   It also means that balancing some objects is harder.
>
>   But if you did things like 'dam_fire 12' 'dam_weaponmagic 4', it can help to
> reblance things some.
>
>
> >
> > Another great way to eliminate the problem under discussion is to remove
> > quite some races/classes! Simplicity is a key to success.
> > Besides, that allows to create really different races/classes
>
>   Yes - although if different skill levels are done, getting rid of some classes
> may not work really well.
>
>   It could perhaps be interesting to have an advanced character creation method
> where each character is allowed X expert skills, Y basic skills, Z advanced
> skills, and they can choose which skill they want and customize themselves.  But
> that starts to get really complicated.
>
>   I haven't looked at all the races recently, but at one time, there were
> several human type races because there were not different classes, just races,
> and race sort of determined class.    So some of the human type races could
> probably go away.

Lets see:
Humans, Halflings (somewhat debatabe if human or just humanoid),
Northmen, and Vikings; with Northmen and Vikings sharing the same
faces.

Other "Humanoids":
Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half Orcs (Half Human?), Serpent Men
, Trolls, Wraiths

What we have left:
Quetzalcoatls, Dragons, Fireborns

So, yes we can probably get rid of a few of the human/humanoid classes.


I want to bring up that there is a patch for an experimental per-race
HallOfSelection on the sf.net tracker.  This could help the balance
issue a little.
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1389432&group_id=13833&atid=313833

-- 
Andrew Fuchs