[MUD-Dev] Alternative skill systems (was: Attractive Grouping)

[cruise]

This thread seems to have mutated again...

Adam Spivey wrote:

> For lack of better terms, I'm calling it a three tier system.
> First tier is your character's vital statistics ala DnD. Unlike
> DnD, these should rarely if ever change.  Second Tier would be
> your skill in a very specific skill set. Fighting with broadswords
> would be one skill, crafting baskets would be another. These would
> change according to how often you attempt that specific skill.
> The third tier is your education level or training in a general
> set of skills. Going to weaving school would bump up quite a few
> of your crafting abilities. Knight school would bump up most of
> your combat related abilities.

Tasci wrote in a separate post:

> You have to do it on the skill level because someone who is
> skilled at killing Orcs with a sword will not likely be able to be
> as skilled killing Orcs with a spear.  One interesting notion,
> which I haven't seen much, is to have each skill cascade onto
> other related skills, like a person with 40 sword would have +10
> to all bladed weapons, +4 to all melee skills, and so on up the
> chain.  One must be careful though, because using my example
> getting a 40 broad sword, 40 katana, 40 machete, 40 rapier, such a
> person would pick up a curve bladed saber and suddenly find
> themselves better at it (50) than any of the other bladed weapons
> they actually practiced.  ^.^()

> This does carry over to non-military type stuff.  A world class
> bread maker is going to know how to make decent muffins, probably
> can scramble eggs better than most, might know a thing or two
> about the spice balance in marinara sauce.  A skilled plumber is
> going to run into electric wiring sooner or later.  (Or
> toadstools.  o.O) A dragon rider is most likely passable on a
> horse, ox, or dire wolf 8).  Depending of course, on what you
> choose to be "related" skills in your game.

With those two comments, it seems appropriate to mention the system
I'm working with...

Each skill can have several dependant skills, and several skills it
in turn inherits from. The total skill value is based on three
components: the inherited effect of parent skills, skill acquired
through use, and skill acquired through learning (like a
trainer). Increasing a skill through use or teaching also increases
the parent skills a small amount, all the way up the chain.

The influence in both directions is variable for each skill -
broadsword might inherit 50% bladed-weapons, 40% strength and 10%
dexterity for example. In addition, the feedback up the chain can be
taken from other skills - so a higher wisdom could increase the
improvement of parent skills (as it allows you to generalise
techniques better), or martial skills boost the base stats more than
craft skills if you're a fighter, for example.

All increases become less the higher the skill is already, and
increasing any skill degrades others by a miniscule amount (1% of
1%) - but only from the "taught" section of the skills - something
you lern the hard way sticks with you better than something you just
read in a book. This provides two nice benefits:

1) There's a natural limit to how much you can really learn before
each increase costs you something somewhere else.  2) There's a
natural balance between "buying" skills and taking the time to learn
them. So a rich merchant could pay a trainer to teach them how to be
a master fencer - but if they then went back to their business,
those skills would quickly degrade (and they'd have to keep paying
to keep them in top form).


Yes, it's amazingly complicated - after a character has been playing
a while the skill-tree has self-organised itself quite
dramatically. On the plus side, it does prevent min/maxing quite
effectively :P

--
[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org ]
   "quantam sufficit"
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev