Goblin Squad Member
|
A friend asked me to help find some information related to Skill Training & Combat. These are the 4 blogs that are probably most important. I highly recommend reading the related threads as well - or at least skimming them over for posts from the Devs. The threads can be accessed via the "paizo.com" link at the end of each blog.
Your Pathfinder Online Character - discusses skill training and character advancement, although it's a little light on the actual mechanics of skill training.
You're in the Army Now! - discusses unit combat, where players join formations in order to fight cohesively. Think of the Spartans in 300.
A Three-Headed Hydra - discusses the combat system and how the Ability Bars will work.
Gentlemen, You Can't Fight in Here! This is the War Room! - discusses how PFO will handle Critical Hits.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Reading these questions in the recent interview:
Kickstarter Conversations: Pathfinder Online Interview
Q: Going back to the Guild Wars 2 reference, your “action bar” setup sounds very much like Guild Wars system. How much do you think the proposed weapon skill variations will differentiate you from the Guild Wars 2 system? For example having two different characters using the same sword but only having first three abilities be the same yet the next three be selectable based on skills or maybe not available at all!
A: We're not modeling our UI on any one game. What we're seeking to do is create meaningful choices
Cont'd:that players make that define what they can do at any given point in the game. Being outfitted as a wizard means that you accept certain risks - there are strengths and weaknesses in the kind of gear you use to cast arcane magic. If you find yourself in a situation where you wish you were wearing heavy armor and swinging a sword, you'll have to retreat, find a place to change gear setups, and then return to the encounter later. Or you can try to figure out how to make your current gear setup work even in hostile environments.We're also focused on the idea that gear should not define if a character is powerful or not. We're using a system of conditional keywords. High-level gear has a lot of keywords. That must means that such gear can do a variety of things if, and only if, the character using the gear has the requisite abilities to activate those keywords.
So if I give a newbie character a vorpal flaming humanbane weapon, in that newbies hands, it's just a sword. But in an experienced vet's hands, some or all of those keywords may match abilities that character has, and that weapon becomes much more powerful.
Those kinds of abilities are the things you'll be choosing to enable in the UI, and thus choosing to have available as you play. Different sets of abilities and keywords will give you different sets of options.
Q: So making another obvious comparison, this time with EVE Online, how are you avoiding the whole “Spread sheets in space” problem EVE has with many.
A: Combat in Pathfinder Online will be more visceral and immediate than combat in EVE.
Con'd:In EVE, you can zoom your display out and just treat ships as icons on a radar display, firing weapons and using defensive systems in the very abstract. Pathfinder Online will require you to pay more attention to managing your position and facing relative to other combatants. It won't be "twitch" gaming like a First Person Shooter, but it will require your full attention on the details to become an excellent warrior.-paste- I think that there's room for spreadsheets in the River Kingdoms, to be honest. A lot of people in EVE enjoy playing the market, and that means keeping track of all sorts of data from prices of commodities and finished goods to the various manufacturing processes involved, and tracking supply and demand. It's not everyone's cup of tea but there's a HUGE population of people who enjoy it.
One idea belonging with this type of combat might benefit from is:
(1) Position + UI => Determines which parts of the body can be hit or aimed for. Therefore:
(2) Using a body-plan UI of the opponent targetted to highlight. Eg archery certain areas could be available closer in range for an archer or depending on their accuracy. In melee/close-combat: Blocking-Dodging-Attacking-Crippling could all be modified by successfully choosing an area.
This sort of system would provide information to the player, choices and contextual options, and second-guessing the opponent and simulate aiming in a way that is not "twitch". And add depth to decisions eg knock out the wand arm or blow to the head, to increase "to hit%" etc. Again context could range and orientation influencing where to hit on the body is avaialable eg back highlight on the UI when an attack would successfully hit (for double/crit) when the avatar is position arced accordingly.
/a few dollars more..