Forums: Suggestions

Might it be possible to make attacks using three different skills instead of one or two?

Like make a skill using grappling, shortblades and mindwind called Backstab which deals light direct HP damage and ignores the effects of double blade/blunt defense and grab and block? (I know weapons for this particular combo are probably not yet in the game… but it’s only an idea.)

((on a side note, it does make a little bit of sense for a fire/shortblades skill, hot knives certainly do cut through butter, and they do quite a bit more damage to skin than cold knives too.))

Well, we already discussed this idea on the test server (where all the devs meet to plan evil things, y’know… the abbreviation “dev” must come from somewhere) and we did approve of it, but haven’t worked much on it yet, as we’d require a LOT of possible actions, and the code would need to be changed and… we’re working on many other things right now… but, since you suggested it here, the priority of three-skill-combos might change, so it might get into the game earlier.

Still, I highly doubt that there will be skills bypassing double-blades and stuff, as this would require a lot of specific code (just for “ignores combo/effect x and y” and probably a complete rework of several skills already in the game (because we can’t simply introduce a skill that has such an advantage, without making or changing skills in other branches of the skill tree as well…)

Still, priorities are different right now: We’re working, for example, on making Xinoloux areas open so you can go there, on new quests (most notable right now the sequels to The Double-Coil Inventor Part 1) there will likely be an interface update (it has already been done on the testing server and is being tested right now) dealing with inventory and stuff… and, some people already saw vessels and something else on the market, and thats another thing we’re on currently. Problem: The dev team is currently somewhat weak in numbers… so all this stuff may still take a while. We’re all volunteers, after all…

Still, don’t believe anything I say until Ranger Sheck signs it. ;)

The system is built to support any number of skill combinations. It was a game design I was tossing around many years ago and the intent was to allow for a “magic” system that would open up as you got more skilled and could combine multiple schools of magic.

It’s nice in theory – but as Kran points out, the possible combinations are so numerous. The problem is really balance – in order to be fair, we’d have to come up with tons of 3-skill actions.

I’ve actually tried it before, and I can confirm the system supports triple-skill actions – so it’s really just a matter of designing a ton of new actions. The problem we have when designing new actions is that people always have a great idea for a new action but the effect they want to happen isn’t supported by the code and therefore I have to add more code. At this point, I’m really trying to avoid adding to much more to the battle code because it’s pretty complex as it is. The real trick is to keep combat simple enough for new players to pick it up easily and yet have enough complexity that long time players don’t get bored with it :)

So to answer your question – yeah, no doubt at some point there will be triple-skill combos.

On a side note: you might not know this Bron, since you were absent for a while, but we do have some actions that require a minimum skill level before they appear. There is actually a fire/shortblades action already, but it has a minimum skill requirement – it’s a dangerous combo and you wouldn’t want to burn yourself ;)

Okay, I think I shall get to work with pen and paper drawing charts and maps for use of coming up with about 70 (give or take) ideas for you. I guess we can scrap that one skill idea at the top of this one, but it shall be replaced by some much more effective attacks.
And thanks by the way Sheck, I shall get to work on hunting that skill down.
I found one of those high level skills already though, fire and stone I believe…

((step one: finding as many skills as I can of what already exists, added three to the wikichart since my return.))

While I welcome your initiative an all that (no, really, I like the idea of someone designing actions again… everytime I come up with an idea, I think it’s just another duplicate) I hope you will mail this to Sheck someway, as I don’t think this would be appropriate for the forums. ;)
(Too many details, some finding out is part of the fun, and I don’t think we want to do the lengthy discussions on the whats and what-nots in here.)

Okay, I did the math, and you are totally right on there being a ton of possibilities (1256 realistic possible combos, that is not containing more than two different melee weapons in one combo) for three skill techniques. I believe it may be possible to send my list via e-mail when I get them done, of course some of them will be upgrades of current skills, or combinations of two existing skills in the case of one I’ve come up with already (actually combining three with that skill, but oh well.)
I may also include several two-skill things in that list too, but we will have to wait until the list is finished to know that much…

Yes – when you get some together, please email them to me and we’ll go from there: jason AT aethora.com

Thanks, Bron!

Prolly already know, but part 1 of 3 is finished and sent Sheck. Putting some finishing on the second part, and trying to come up with a good name for the third part.

Might it be possible in any way to make skills that check to see if both of your weapons are of the same type? Of course I will include examples of this, which is fit for dual weilding certain melee weapons only and still make sense.
Skull Smash: Clubs/Clubs(one for each hand mind you), use one club to strike your enemy, then the other to bring down on the distracted victim’s skull.
Assassin Blademastery, Short Blades x2, (could use mindwind to make it a three skill thing), blah blah blah, there are two knives in you.
Would this be possible to do?

At the moment, the system wouldn’t recognize that, so it would have to be coded in. But I don’t know if it will happen, because there are already enough viable combinations that require a primary weapon of those types, and one main aspect of the game is to combine different weapons to do combos. (We just added two new Club-only, and one new Short Blades-only action, for example.) Of course, they need primary Clubs or Short Blades, so Club/something or just Club, not something/Club.

Ah, okay, I’ll toss that little thing out then.