• 🏆 Texturing Contest #33 is OPEN! Contestants must re-texture a SD unit model found in-game (Warcraft 3 Classic), recreating the unit into a peaceful NPC version. 🔗Click here to enter!
  • It's time for the first HD Modeling Contest of 2024. Join the theme discussion for Hive's HD Modeling Contest #6! Click here to post your idea!

Upcoming changes to skills and character models & new abilities

Status
Not open for further replies.

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
1H zerker is meant to be exactly as viable as a tank as crusader and monk (That's a lot of 'as').

There's is no such thing as an "off tank" in Gaias. Simply because "off xxx" roles tend to suck (as in: are either OP as fuck or are worthless), so I avoid them whenever possible. If anything, a 2H berserker may count as an off-tank, but itemization and balancing adjustments are more and more trying to combat that (hence why I added the 20% absorb on shields and why berserker specific armors have a lot less armor on them).

My design goal was to have 3 classes capable of tanking (crus, monk, zerker) and 3 classes capable of healing. The latter is still lacking, as currently only druid and cleric can heal. I'm currently thinking about adding a healing spec to the bard aswell, but that would require a lot of new skills to be added. And I want everything to be fair game and not have a class that has significantly more skills than others - so it will probably take several more updates for bards to accumulate enough skills to be viable healers.

The reason why I want 3 classes each to fullfill a healing or tank role is that pretty much all the content is balanced around 4-5 players. I want each game session to have an available healing and tank role, no matter who you play with without forcing players to load twinks all the time.

That's why I'm also thinking about making respeccing easier, by removing the cost of abilities and the skill reset (or make all abilities 'learn by scroll', to allow players to re-learn them for free once acquired). The current system, with absurdly high ability costs is way too restrictive, imho.
 
Level 7
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
379
That's why I'm also thinking about making respeccing easier, by removing the cost of abilities and the skill reset (or make all abilities 'learn by scroll', to allow players to re-learn them for free once acquired). The current system, with absurdly high ability costs is way too restrictive, imho.

I agree with this to an extent. Right now we don't really have enough abilities to need to decide how we want to 'spec'. Even with these upcoming skills I don't think its necessarily going to cause us to leave behind anything too important. Though if we do get to a point where we NEED to get rid of 2h abilities to be a viable 1h zerk tank in situations, then yeah respeccing is too harsh.

On the topic of 1h-Zerk tanks.. I actually think they're very good. This is mostly specing into the talent tree that provides +15% damage with 1h weapons, but still. Even using a 2h I find the talent that removes the Berserker Rage malus is extremely helpful even when not main tanking and using a 2h, so I just put the last point into the 1h damage boost as none of the other trees have a very good second talent worth getting.

Though Im never one to be too concerned with the "Meta" game. Are 1h zerkers the most EFFICIENT use of a player spot? Probably not, but they are viable and do quite a good job tanking our current content. So just because its not the BEST, doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. Nor do I think it specifically needs changed as it actually does work quite well as is.
 
Level 4
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
130
i simply dont get why you have to stick with a certain class for tank role etc. if its possible make druid tank. im ok with it.
 
Last edited:

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
Texture swapping and hair color selection has been implemented into the game now.

Here's some ingame screenshots ... :)
 

Attachments

  • Screen1.jpg
    Screen1.jpg
    184.4 KB · Views: 136
  • Screen6.jpg
    Screen6.jpg
    196.2 KB · Views: 232
Level 4
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
130
since you include hair color i hope u have the *must colors* which are, black/brown, blonde, ginger and white then colors such as green, pink etc.....
 
Level 3
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
54
1H zerker is meant to be exactly as viable as a tank as crusader and monk

I think this is what I was looking for. In terms of EHP, yes. But maybe I should rephrase what I said at the start. 1h zerk loses DPS when he loses aggro, compared to the other 2 tank classes, which is kinda meh. I don't know if that is intended, or just something that isn't very well thought of at the moment.
 

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
I think this is what I was looking for. In terms of EHP, yes. But maybe I should rephrase what I said at the start. 1h zerk loses DPS when he loses aggro, compared to the other 2 tank classes, which is kinda meh. I don't know if that is intended, or just something that isn't very well thought of at the moment.
All classes have their specific strengths and weaknesses. Crusaders have an edge in multi-target tanking, monks deal significant spell damage, Zerker tanks deal a lot more "white" damage than any other tank class and have demo shout to debuff enemies, but their main threat generating attack is a reactive skill, so they need a disciplined group in order to work. Sounds balanced to me.

since you include hair color i hope u have the *must colors* which are, black/brown, blonde, ginger and white then colors such as green, pink etc.....
All player colors will be available, so, yeah, blonde (yellow), ginger (orange) and white (grey) are available. Black is a little bit of a problem, as there is no black team color, just dark grey.

But I think players will also like the other colors. I've found that especially light blue, dark green and red look surprisingly good on all models aswell. Even purple looks decent. Teal and pink gave me cancer, though.
 
Level 8
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
482
worth it.


any chance to make ground more stable?
there is so many "ups" and "downs" hard to play in 3D if someone wish ;p
 
Level 7
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
379
Naw they look pretty much identical. I'd imagine at the birds eye view it'd be even less noticeble so I wouldn't bother with the bigger file sizes.
 

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
Added paletted mode @ 64 colors to the comparison:

Left: 20kb
middle: 40kb
right: 30kb

Paletted mode (right) looks slightly sharper than hires jpeg compression (center), but at reduced color depth (you'll notice the difference at the skin areas).
 

Attachments

  • TextureQualityComparison.jpg
    TextureQualityComparison.jpg
    80.5 KB · Views: 552
Level 9
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
599
I mean they look better, not not worth the extra space, and like what Box was saying, in 3d view and from the camera zoom they will all basically look the same
 
Level 3
Joined
May 12, 2011
Messages
58
I have to agree with the recent sentiments: as long as the textures are of decent quality, it shouldn't matter much as we're not looking at our characters at point blank range.
 
Level 9
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
599
^that wouldn't be bad, as long as its not the basic camera because I think the distance its at currently is optimal (atleast for me) to get a wide enough view to play effectively and know where mobs but still see enough detail to appreciate the map because the scenery is beautiful
 

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
Adjusting the distance of the non-locked camera doesn't work, as any use of the mouse wheel will always reset the distance to the default. Making the units bigger would be far easier, but that would also require a re-design of basicly all towns and villages.

I wish I'd have the time for that. I would love to re-design mytargas and the villages by using the Sword & Stone modular doodads instead of the dated B²M house models. Would look much better and even save file size.


http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/...rrainer-needed-gaias-retaliation-orpg-260263/
 
Last edited:
Level 28
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Messages
4,759
Adjusting the distance of the non-locked camera doesn't work, as any use of the mouse wheel will always reset the distance to the default.

Actually there's a funny use for the mouse wheel.

If you just make a trigger that only set the camera's Angle of attack(periodic timer as event like 0.03) you can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. ^^
 

Zwiebelchen

Hosted Project GR
Level 35
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
7,236
I'll try to get it done until christmas.

Depending on how fast I can fix the bugs, maybe I can also add a little bit of actual new content as a "christmas present", like a new boss or one of the new abilities.

Also, there's something wicked coming to you guys in the next update, featuring sonofjay. ;)
 
Last edited:
Level 7
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
379
Im not sure I'd enjoy just one new boss. I'd kinda prefer all the new content come out at once rather than just sitting at once new boss waiting for it to respawn over and over :p.
 
Level 5
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
107
Thanks for the status update Zwieb. Im sure a lot can't wait. I agree with Box; I rather have all new content boss related come out together, so it can be that more worthwhile.
 
Level 3
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
54
I dont see whats wrong with releasing some of the new content as a "christmas present". At some point in the future everyone will be having all the new content by then and it doesnt matter. In fact releasing partial new content earlier is better as it gives players an insight on what's to come and urges current players to gear up for new bosses. Also, new skills are gonna be pretty unique and require some time to people to adjust their builds or adjust to a slightly different style of gameplay.
 

Jumbo

Hosted Project GR
Level 19
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
1,316
Actually I agree with both views on this. Adding small amounts of new content every time is tedious, but adding one new encounter/quest in this specific instance of a christmas version will be perfect. It also means that we can test that encounter and find bugs before everything else is released.
 
Level 2
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
15
i was thinking (that s always bad). what if a creep was added in myrtagas, that s immovable doesn't attack doesn't die and has the average defense of current bosses, and you can test out the dps you do. i think it would be nice but irrelevant. your thoughts?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top