Now obviously there is not enough spells for this and this suggestion won't be implemented probably for a very, very, very, VERY long time
Not neccesarily. I would obviously design this system with future expandability in mind. Which means I can add more spells to each choice later on with just a single line of code.
With the currently planned layout (4 choices per base class and 5 choices per advanced class), this would mean that I don't actually *need* new spells for this to work, simply because we only have 4 advanced class spells per class currently, so you can get them all.
This would mean that you only have 2 spells to pick at each base class choice and 1 spell to pick at each advanced choice (and nothing to pick once).
The "nothing to pick" choice would obviously be filled up as soon as I implement this; making a new skill per class is long overdue anyway.
Actual choices (as in 2 or more) for the advanced class skills can be added later on. For now, it would be fine with a mandatory pick per choice.
I can always change the order later on. So bishops would in the first iteration be able to pick both mend and divine shield on different choices, until I have more abilities to fill up the choices (and eventually group them together in the same choice ... or not. It's a balancing decision I can apply based on the metagame at that time).
if even at all, but if you are thinking of pairing both similar spells and opposite spells together then I think the magic number is a grouping of 4 abilities per choice. 2 for each 'role' that way the player has the option to choose like-minded abilities which they prefer as well as something completely different & still having the option to choose something else as well.
This is
very far into the future, but yes.
2. You might get MORE dead-weight spells having 4 spell choices obviously some won't get used as often as others.
Yes, but this is more or less because certain playstyles will always be more popular than others. For example, pure DPS bishops or DPS monks will rarely be played.
That was never really my gripe with the ability system... I accepted that as a neccesity for the holy trinity gameplay. My gripe was always with certain spells being an auto-skip for utility spells at any build.
Balancing 4 spells with each other in that regard seems like a managable task. At least it's much easier than balancing ALL spells with each other.
And even if a certain playstyle forces having some skills: with redundancy, I can still allow options here (as my Heal vs Flash of Light example demonstrates).
3. I'm not sure how creating so many spells would affect the save/load file.
It wouldn't. Actually, the save code will probably remain the same in length. Instead of saving 14 binary choices (11 skills + 3 reserved as a "yes or no" choice), I would save 4 base-3 choices and 5 base-5 choices.
2^14 = 16384 = 5 digits* (or less)
3^4 * 5^5 = 253125 = 6 digits* (or less)
*this applies to a base-10 encoding. Gaias uses base-62.
The reason I suggest such a preposterous idea though is because:
1. Forcing the player to pair similar spells (such as Mend or Divine Shield) still forces the player to play a certain type of role they might not necessarily want to do.
Obviously, pairing similar spells should only be done for spells that are still useful, regardless of playstyle... crippling curse is such a candidate for me. Every cleric uses it, no matter if they heal, DPS or tank.
If all 8 of their other spells focuses on some other aspect of the game but this one pairing doesn't it just feels a little out of place in my eyes. That is why the magical pairing of 4 spells works best. You have the choice of roles, and a choice of which spell fits that role best.
2. This is a system designed for the future of Gaias, not the Gaias of now.
I concur. It needs more spells, but this doesn't mean it wouldn't work even with the current selection.
I'd say it would already work nicely with just the 3 new spells per class that are planned for 1.2C anyway.
Now I don't believe EVERY spell should have a 4 spell pairing, but on the ones where you want to pair like-minded abilities together should be paired with opposite role spells too, even if it's only three, to at least give the player some more freedoms in the roles they choose for themselves. A choice of maybe even 3 roles or a dps role choice, a holy choice, and a hybrid choice spell. As you mentioned you could always add some redundancy in spells too i.e. "Flash of Light" & "Heal" but I agree these redundancies shouldn't be over done either.
The goal (for now with our very limited spell choice) should be to pair abilities in a way that players can build viable specs for the roles the class can take.
So if certain choices are no brainers for now (as they are defined by the class role, like ditching heal as a monk) until more spells are added, that is absolutely fine to me.
I just don't want to code dozens of new spells before changing the ability system anyway.
I'd rather change the system now and THEN build new spells around it instead of changing the system later and then having to apply changes to these spells so that they fit in context.