[crossfire] new character creation

[Mark Wedel]

  Now that 1.50 is released, I plan to start work on the new character creation 
method.

  This new method puts the creation in-client.  This has several advantages - 
better interface for the end user, removes a lot of code from the server, and 
also moves some of the current character information from maps into archetypes.

To do this, the client will request following information:
stat points to spend
race information (description, stat adjustments)
class information (" ")
starting map choices (description of those choices).

  Note that while there is currently race information in the archetypes (so 
other than perhaps some better descriptions), there is no class or map 
information in the archetypes - that would have to get added, but using the 
hallofselection provides a template for that.

The client will then present the user with this information - I see a pulldown 
in one area for race, another pulldown for class, and a table for the status 
where player can increase/decrease them, and also see what adjustments the 
race/class is doing.

  After player makes there choices, the client sends this information (stat 
distribution, race choice, class choice, etc) to server, which then validates it 
is correct, and if so, play starts.

  One nice side effect of all of this is that classes will not be archetypes, so 
can be recorded in the player structure - right now, class information is 
basically lost.

  Am I missing anything?  should we also present choice of god to the player?

  Related to this, should some of the classes/races get pruned down?  Looking at:

http://wiki.metalforge.net/doku.php/class?s=class

(I'm presuming that is mostly up to date), it seems some tuning could be done. 
If one goes for the typical 4 major class types (fighter, cleric, mage, thief), 
I could see some reductions:

Ninja, Swashbuckler, Thief:  While there are some subtle differences, I'm not 
sure if there are enough of them here to warrant 3 different classes, especially 
given the game isn't really well designed for sneaky types (most dungeons are 
too full of monsters to ever sneak around)

Barbarian & warrior: barbarian is really the best pure fighter, but given hefty 
penalties, unlikely to ever pick up spell casting, where as the warrior code. 
But if that is someone plan, they might be better off choosing a spellcasting 
class in the first place - you're basically going to get all the same skills 
plus some by starting in wizard, just a minus in the stats.

  I almost wonder if adding some dead even class (no plusses, no minuses) simply 
for those that want to pick up other skills later on.

  I'm also not sure exactly how to do it, but it would be nice to somehow 
collapse down the different mage type classes to a single one, and then have the 
player choose what skill/focus they take - otherwise, evoker, summoner, wizard, 
sorcerer are all about the same.

  The races are a bit better:
http://wiki.metalforge.net/doku.php/race_guide

  All of them are fairly different, and other than northman perhaps being too 
close to human, don't see any real changes to make there.