Project Eternity - Drops Crafting Skill and Item Durability

[Sacred_Path]

You mean the casual players that believe enough in an old-school RPG that they'll help fund it out of their own pockets? Sounds like my kind of 'casual' player.

There's no questioning that the majority of backers will be casual players. There's nothing about P:E as advertised that would turn off casual players, so they are in all probability the majority in this group just as they are the majority in most cases.

What bothers me is not the amount of casual players; I'm p. sure they wouldn't have cared either way, durability or not. It's the loud segment of the minor group of harcore players that got this mechanic changed, and that bothers me. Though I'm inclined to believe as others that Josh didn't like the mechanics as they were planned anyway.

 

[kalniel]

The problem of vocal minorities on forums is present in all walks of life, I'm pretty sure that Josh et al are more than aware of it and know how to compensate for it or deal with it.

Personally, my preference is for the dropping of these as well, though I have enough belief in the team that had they implemented them I'm sure it'd still be fun. What worries me slightly are the calls that it's never a good thing to reduce the number of skills etc - that's really wrong IMHO - you can have too many skills and particularly on a 'low budget' game like this you need to focus on a great experience and very carefully evaluate what the return is on things that cost dev time (which is everything).

Compare these kind of decisions with those coming out of Tides (ie not all that much, certainly not finer gameplay details like this) and seems obvious to me which is more mature in terms of development of a real, working and fun game.

 

[qpqpqp]

I love durability in a few games and think it's great done right, but it should never be a gold sink; that's just stupid. MMOs are mostly fundamentally flawed, hence the piling om of extra stupidities. The trouble with poorly implemented crafting systems is when they cease to be alternate play styles. If they're just there to say aha! we have a noncombat skill then it's missing the point; if an alternate path to winning is not having the most powerful moves but fully exploring the most obscure details of a game world, then crafting becomes (potentially) fascinating and rewarding. All too often it's just tacked on and of no real consequence. Similarly, if durability only required you to tap on a hammer every hours then it's a waste of effort. Too bad most of yall are too blind to see these obvious truths. Oh well. As far as this game goes, neither detail will make or break it - but the cluelessness of the reason given does not bode well.

 

[Sacred_Path]

FYI, crafting is still in. 'Obvious truths' FTW

 

[screeg]

In all the time I've been following CRPGs, one thing is clear: what people want from an RPG is escapism. Anything that smells like washing the dishes or doing the laundry is right out. You will get very vocal very negative feedback on it.

Wow, that's a shocking assertion. I personally play CRPGs because I can't get enough of repairing my car and writing grocery lists in real life. [/sarcasm]

I personally think that anything chore-like (ie. micromanaged repair systems, waiting in real time while your character sleeps, FedEx quests) should at all costs be eliminated. This sort of thing strikes me as developer laziness and filler, not "realism".

 

[Sacred_Path]

Wow, that's a shocking assertion. I personally play CRPGs because I can't get enough of repairing my car and writing grocery lists in real life. [/sarcasm]

I personally think that anything chore-like (ie. micromanaged repair systems, waiting in real time while your character sleeps, FedEx quests) should at all costs be eliminated. This sort of thing strikes me as developer laziness and filler, not "realism".

You have to wonder how games like Ultima VII would have been received if the same line of thought had been prevalent back then.

"Baking bread?! That's useless! It only makes sense in an MMO where you can sell your bread to other players!!"

"Sleeping, eating and walking/ riding? Nothx, teleportation everywhere plz!"

 

[Thrasher]

I agree that using wear as a way to balance the player's wealth is stupid, and repairing and fixing stuff is ok if it isn't too frequent and grindy. I thought Ultima Underworld did it OK. I didn't mind switching out worn weapons for others. But without the repair skill, I resorted to save scumming, everytime I hit an anvil. Not fun… At all…

 

[Fenris]

Item Durability could be a great game-mechanic - if done right; I would like to see Armor that absorbs damage, like in the old ego-shooters, and then has to be replaced or repaired.

It might be a interesting decision wich armor to use - i.e. Scale Armor might be good to absorb any damage, but has to replaced frequently, while Plate Armor is hard to damage, but won't absorb much of blunt damage. It might be a good Idea to take out someone with a mordaxt (a poleweapon designed to pierce heavy armor) before a sword-wielder.

Weapons that could be damaged by bad luck, acid or special maneuvers might add another layer of complexity. It was great in the Realms of Arkania Games to find magic weapons because most of them wouldn't get worn out. It might be a tactical decision to use a ancient enchanted sword that never would get dull or a modern katana-like blade, wich could do more damage, but would get worn out with time.

A Repair-Skill could be used for simple repairs after a battle, but to restore the full capacity of a armor, you have to use the service of a blacksmith. I think that a adventurerer has better things to to then to become a master swordsmith i.e.; but it might be a great plot hook to rescue a masterblacksmith to get better items - if you get him the materials of course

I'm indifferent if durabilty is just used as a moneysink - it might still be intersting to just use some rusty blades, looted from some goblin, and not get your arming-sword repaired, to save money to buy some enchanted weapon from the dwarves.