Profile: AnlaShok
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• • Simple idea - invisible levels

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    Yeah, as has been mentioned most games who have open pvp as more than an afterthought hide levels. I think even if pvp isn't that important, that levels should be hidden anyway. Levels to me act as a divider of the playerbase, and don't seem to accomplish much, except to inflate the egos of higher level characters.

    Gear-wise, you OBVIOUSLY should be able to tell that someone who is wearing a backwards dragon helmet with a perpetual flame, giant angel wings, the neon armor from TRON, and has a big club with a skull on the end of it is probably someone you don't want to mess with. But there should also be high level assassin characters who don't stand out, yet can take you out with a couple of jabs in important places.

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    Totally agree.

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    The downside of course, is that some people might want to display their level, which begs the question, maybe it should be up to the players? With the option, I could see two potentially bad things happening. One, hiding level is deemed "cheap" so pretty much anyone hiding their level is assumed to be a newb and promptly ganked. Two, hiding is considered the way to go, and people who walk around with their level are easily picked on. Two isn't that bad, but one would suck.

    If it's always hidden, you can still announce what level you are, although people might not believe you.

    What about LFG? Level is pretty important when looking for people to group with. If you hide levels you might not know what you are getting. And greifers could pretend to want to group, find out what level someone is, and then know whether to attack or not. So hiding does have some flaws. I've never seen it happen in games that do it, but I haven't played a lot of open pvp games either.

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    Character level is a status symbol to many people, that's why they want to display it. I think that if they have other ways of showing their status, like good equipment, powerful mount, a retinue of bodyguards, etc, they are satisfied.

    ironore is on the right track. As there is no direct way of telling anyone other's power level (I want to get rid of levels as stupid abstractions of power, but I'm using the term here because it's short and easy to understand), there should be none for telling your own. Obviously there must be a way to determine how good you are, both for you and for potential companions/employers. Some are straightforward: lift a stone weighing 200 kilograms and you know you can (dead)lift at least 200 kg and so you have a strong back. Run two miles in 12 minutes and you have a good (though not excellent) aerobic capacity. Some, like skill with a longsword, are more complicated, but still testable: if you can hold your own against a trained city guard (who are known to be better than bandits), you might be considered okay. If you are a top student of nation's top school, or a champion of arena, you know you are good.

    These, however, are mainly for your knowledge only. It's cumbersome to start looking for that 200kg stone when a someone is in hurry. One idea is certificates/diplomas/whatever. They don't have to be hardcoded into the game (though it's simpler if they are). What I mean that you could go to city barracks and ask the captain of the guard to assess your skills (for a price of course). He and you do some sparring and he writes a note saying you are at least as good as his guards. After that he signatures or stamps it (ingame, so that the item shows that it was signatured or stamped by whoever really did it). Then when you meet a potential employer, you can show the certificate to him. If he trusts whoever wrote it, he may recruit you. Or he might require you to spar with his personal bodyguard, or something else. Of course some status symbols might automatically show your competence. For example if you had a blood-red cloak with gold lining, one that only king's personal guards are allowed to use, you probably don't need to prove anything. Either you got it by being good, or you killed it's previous owner guard, in both cases you are well worth having. Simpler thinks like strength could be displayed as muscle mass of your character model.

    This kind of hidind stats, combined with increased emphasis on player skill, should really make leveling and grinding less appealing and useful.

    The idea is still far from being ready, so I hope to get more good discussion (and promise to answer sooner next time). I believe the certificate system has problems and needs assistance, but it would definitely help if someone outlined them for me, in case I miss some.

  • Posted: 9/02/08 6:32 AM
    Developers Corner