Re: The Armor Quandry
Posted: November 28th, 2010, 12:46 pm
Gripes? I don't allow gripes!
Assuming I suggested the same exact system for Light Armor, an aspiring rogue would only need to develop the skill to 5. This would then make LA the same as Book II with 1 point in the skill. If one never found a book or spoke to a trainer, then it would cost a whole 7 skill points, or 4 more than Book II. Anything beyond that is only stuff that "adds value" to developing the skill, but doesn't make it useless if you don't. As I've mentioned before, I don't really have a problem with the Heavy and Light armor skills as they are in Book II. All this conjecture is to just spice the skill up for those who think that all skills must provide value-addedness as incentive to develop them.
That said, I'd probably be a bit more forgiving with the LA skill... since it's "lighter," it is eaiser to become acclimated to, but should still be as difficult to master. Something like...
0 points = -30% AR
1 Points = -15% AR
2 Points = -10% AR
3 Points = -5% AR
4 Points = No AR Penalty
5 Points = +1% Durability
6 Points = +1% Durability
7 Points = +1% Durability
8 Points = +1% Durability
9 Points = +1% Durability
10 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge
....
20 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
30 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
40 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
50 Points= +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -10% Weight on equipped pieces
I know some people will cry about only offering a 5% dodge over 50 points, but 5% is nothing to sneeze at. I upped the weight reduction for Light Armor, since once again it would be easier to acclimate to. LA's all about avoiding damage, and carrying more loot!
IJBall: I know you want it on the "Every 5 Points" system for bonuses but without seeing how the monsters and Damage Reduction skill are balanced, I (personally) can't agree to providing that much bonus early on. If BW cranks up the monsters and makes them more powerful then sure. Considering the fact that in Book II you can still build a character that the endgame enemies only have a 1% chance of hitting... After all, we're talking about adding value to the armor skills, not making them indispensable.
As far as coding, other than the feat I just threw out there for grins on HA, I don't think it would be particularly difficult to program - BW's already figuring in the durability and Move Silently bonuses. If anything it would just be more difficult to bug-test.
I did think about coming up with something drastically different in regards to how LA would be handled as opposed to HA, but I'd have to think about it a bit longer. In the end they're both just types of armor, so making them too different from each other might cause confusion or break them.
Assuming I suggested the same exact system for Light Armor, an aspiring rogue would only need to develop the skill to 5. This would then make LA the same as Book II with 1 point in the skill. If one never found a book or spoke to a trainer, then it would cost a whole 7 skill points, or 4 more than Book II. Anything beyond that is only stuff that "adds value" to developing the skill, but doesn't make it useless if you don't. As I've mentioned before, I don't really have a problem with the Heavy and Light armor skills as they are in Book II. All this conjecture is to just spice the skill up for those who think that all skills must provide value-addedness as incentive to develop them.
That said, I'd probably be a bit more forgiving with the LA skill... since it's "lighter," it is eaiser to become acclimated to, but should still be as difficult to master. Something like...
0 points = -30% AR
1 Points = -15% AR
2 Points = -10% AR
3 Points = -5% AR
4 Points = No AR Penalty
5 Points = +1% Durability
6 Points = +1% Durability
7 Points = +1% Durability
8 Points = +1% Durability
9 Points = +1% Durability
10 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge
....
20 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
30 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
40 Points = +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -5% weight on equipped pieces
....
50 Points= +1% Durability, +1% Dodge, -10% Weight on equipped pieces
I know some people will cry about only offering a 5% dodge over 50 points, but 5% is nothing to sneeze at. I upped the weight reduction for Light Armor, since once again it would be easier to acclimate to. LA's all about avoiding damage, and carrying more loot!
IJBall: I know you want it on the "Every 5 Points" system for bonuses but without seeing how the monsters and Damage Reduction skill are balanced, I (personally) can't agree to providing that much bonus early on. If BW cranks up the monsters and makes them more powerful then sure. Considering the fact that in Book II you can still build a character that the endgame enemies only have a 1% chance of hitting... After all, we're talking about adding value to the armor skills, not making them indispensable.
As far as coding, other than the feat I just threw out there for grins on HA, I don't think it would be particularly difficult to program - BW's already figuring in the durability and Move Silently bonuses. If anything it would just be more difficult to bug-test.
I did think about coming up with something drastically different in regards to how LA would be handled as opposed to HA, but I'd have to think about it a bit longer. In the end they're both just types of armor, so making them too different from each other might cause confusion or break them.