Same class but with different skills per actor

[kovak]

How would you approach a design where though every actor has access to a class each actor will learn different skills instead?


What if i tell you that their fixed subclass could be the reason behind this?

 

[Blinn]

In my game, the class is unique to the character. Thus, each character will learn different skills.

 

[BloodletterQ]

Well, I'm guessing that characters have different elemental affinities? Also I think that changeable class should be the subclass, not the primary if you want characters to have specific stats. That seems one way to work for me.


I'm guessing if it's not elemental affinities (IE Dart won't learn Ice magic and gets the best Fire Magic) you could have all skills accessible but require different stats that the character has. 

 

[Harosata]

I played a game that had a character that could convert other characters into...drones.  Those drones had the same moves except for one that is their converted unique skill.


Also, it's possible to place features on actors to make them unique even with the same classes, like choosing a race and then a class in an MMO.  For example, two knights, but one of them can equip a gun as well.  But yeah, you might need a sub-class for characters to learn skills specific to them.


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1.  As said above, the simplest way, assuming only class skills are learned, is simply to give the actor racial or unique abilities.  For example, everyone can be priests, but the Chosen has Bless.


2.  For each actor, there would be a list of classes, with each group of class also adding skills for that character.  So if you have 3 actors and 3 classes, there would be 9 classes total.


3.  Find a Subclass formula.


4.  You could try out Himework's scripts:


A. Feature Conditions - Ideally, you have one class and the feature is a skill.  Then you would have something like a.id == 1 and a.level >= 5.


B. Learn Conditions - This one is more tuned for skills.  Again, probably write it so that some skills can be learned if that is the right actor.

 

[kovak]

I think that going for the character's background is how i've handle it and give the smallest class pool as possible (at least 3 but not more than 5) and use the unique aspect for both class and subclass, i'd lock the subclass to allow the character to have some specific skills too and to reflect his background though it may look forced at 1st glance (it will not if i disable the subclass menu :v).


@harosata Yeah, the racial/ place of birth aspect is something that works pretty fine if you use the subclass.


@Blinn I'm more into "role" stuff instead, you will know by name why the character has that class but will need to pay attention to its skills to see the differences between characters to fit in your own play style.


@BloodletterQ The elemental affinity stuff works well with fantasy settings or pokémon, will aways love how a nice use of elements as the core aspect makes a game divine. You can also use the subclass for stats too if you allow the character to have access to the same classes in the subclass menu.

 

[Basileus]

Well if you are looking for methods...

• Just make a different version of each class for each character (Thief - A, Fighter - A, Thief - B, Fighter - B, etc.)
  
• Use a Common Event to check each character's current level and class and distribute skills accordingly
  

If each character has a set subclass, then I can see that coloring how they approach other classes. Like a guy with Woodsman as a subclass may have an Archer class that is more like a Hunter while a girl with a Mercenary subclass may have an Archer class more like an Assassin. 

 

[kovak]

Yup, that's pretty much how i can see this @Basileus, for sci-fi settings it can get a bit weird if you have mutants or aliens...which may be way more complicated to solve IMO.


On this case i think that the subclass would end up being a mix between racial traits and background traits.

 

[Rayhaku808]

I'm gonna be a little vague here as I've not played the full game. But there's and indie game called Loren the Amazon Princess. It's primarily a VN with turn based combat. Which isn't all that bad considering. Your main character can be a warrior and in his/her particular skill tree, is a good defensive healer I think. Where as this Loren-chick, is also a warrior but mostly a glass cannon based on her stat growths and skill tree.


i see no problem with the same class different skill thing as long as the class shares some important similarities like passives, stats and signature skills; bash, stomp, a war cry or enrage skill.