I'd like some help on the classes for my game. I'd like to know if my "tests + exam" idea is good, and if you would like it. Well, here goes. Maybe it's crap though. *** The player classes At the beginning of the game, you get to choose if you want to be a male or a female human. Then, you will choose your appearance with noze, eyes, ears, hair, width, height and other choices. After, you will select your favorite clothes from the ones available to you at the start. Then, you get to choose which class you would like to be as a career – each citizen must have a career goal, and though you can always change paths, if you don't you will have stat bonuses for your perseverance and decision making. You will then pass three tests and an exam at the Colony's HeadQuarters before being able to go outside. '' I would like to be '' ... (determines initial class goal) (test 1) Protector : very skilled at melee combat, strong, can use all melee weapons, but limited guns and no glyph magic, high HP and DEF Gunner : very skilled at distant combat, can use all guns, can use some melee weapons, no glyph magic, medium HP and DEF Magician : very skilled with glyph magic, can use all staves, no melee weapons or guns, low HP, high MP Then, you get to answer another test. This will give you a bonus when you create your character. This is a one time only mechanic (can't cancel it afterwards). You can only choose one. '' I'm interested in...'' (determine initial boost) (test 2) Close Quarters Combat : boosts ATK by X point Shooting from distance : boosts DEX by X point Surviving : boosts DEF by X point Exploring : boosts LCK by X point Fast things : boosts SPD by X point Reading books : boosts MP by X point Tanks : boosts HP by X point Finally, you have another thing to choose from a list to create your character. Again, this is a one time mechanic. '' What seems the most dangerous for you?'' (test 3) Being ganged by enemy troops (Battle A) Falling into a trap out of nowhere (Battle B) Running low on health while facing a unique monster (Battle C) The fourth test takes place in a single room of the Colony's HQ. Depending on your choice from test 3, you will face a common situation...hehe. Battle A : you are surrounded by low level monsters and most kill them all. If you don't succeed, your character is destroyed and you must create another, since you failed the exam. Battle B : you start in the room. The floor is made of tiles. If you land on a trap tile, you fall to your death. Your character will be destroyed if you do so. To avoid trap tiles, you must check them carefully, they glow for a short second each five seconds. There's only one way through the tiles to the exit. Battle C : there is only one monster, but it is strong and you have low hp. You must use some tactics to kill him, then the exit is unlocked. After the tests You enter a room with some boxes containing, depending of your class, one melee weapon, one staff or one gun. There's a box with 500 zenit, the currency in this game, and another one with 5 Tonics (HP) and 5 Vials (MP). The HQ master will talk to you, and you will eventually be granted access outside. Classes after level 25 After level 25, a player can return to the HQ and select a career speciality, thus creating hybrids custom classes. TBD. Classes after level 50 After level 50, a player can return to the HQ and select a mastery. These are devastating skills unique to each classes. Once you are imbued with a mastery, you can't change class. Classes at level 90+ After level 90+, a player can return to the HQ and select a transformation into a legendary class. TBA

The first two sound ok... my first thought is that the class and boost are quite similar to Elder Scrolls' class and birthsign, which work alright. Although with only 3 classes and players not creating their own, youll need to make sure theres a lot of variation within the classes to keep people interested.


Im not so sure I like the idea of the 3rd and 4th though... From the way youve explained it, it seems as though you ask players which scenario they would find hardest and then deliberately present it to them. To me, it would feel like the designers were being spiteful.

Id suggest offering players the choice of any of the battles, but giving a bonus reward for facing the challenge they chose as the hardest. That way players can deliberately choose to challenge themselves if they wish, without feeling like theyve been tricked.

The other point to remember is, especially in an MMO, you need to take online walkthroughs into account. Do you have some way to stop players reading through the options beforehand and selecting the path they think will be easiest?

i have to agree, its like 3 classes only. Looking at wow, you have the three basic extremes:

tank
ranged damage
support (wizard)

But you offer no real hybrids to fill the gaps for people that wanna play more balanced. Maybe this will be offered by choices within the class but its a bit too obvious that the three classes are the three old-school mmorpg-roles.

If failing test 4 restarts the game, then why would players not choose what they believe to be the least dangerous on test 3 the second time around? That sort of makes the restart upon failing test 4 pointless, doesn't it?

A better solution to your notorious 'Test Four' is probably to award some sort of bonus (special item, bonus skill, stat increase?) related to solving situations similar to the one the player has put themselves in. This would actually encourage players (even the ones who read walkthroughs!) to pick their most difficult situation, as it helps them deal with future issues where they might otherwise have failed. Simply either force the player to retake the test or don't give them the bonus if they fail.

In regards to classes; they seem like renamed versions of the three 'core' classes typically found in most MMOs and 'normal' RPGs. For inspiration (don't steal the ideas, just take a handy nudge from them), look at this.

You have indeed covered the majority of the bases for (MMO)RPG classes, but there are some other things you should be aware of. Typically, an RPG includes the following class types:

- Tank (Warrior): Normally the highest damage rate per standard attack, tanks also act as 'meat shields' - they absorb damage or aggro to keep the more vulnerable members of the party safe.

- Ranged (Archer, typically found in Eastern MMOs): This class tends to deal around the same amount of damage as the DPS per attack (mid-range, weaker than Tank) and attacks more slowly , but can deal damage from afar at the cost of no mana. They tend to be relatively weak when engaged in close combat, so players will try and keep them away from any possible enemies. They have similar defensive properties to the DPS.

- DPS (Damage Per Second [Rogue/Thief/Assassin]): This class actually deals less damage than the Tank per strike. However, they normally have skills such as 'double attack', which results in them actually dealing the most damage out of any class. They are weaker than the Tank in defence, but stronger than the Spammer or Healer.

- Spammer (Mage): Does what it says on the tin, spams strong, ranged attacks. They are usually the weakest in close combat, both in offence and defence to balance this, however, and have a 'mana' limit or long cooldown times on skills to prevent them shooting off too many spells. However, they often have such a large amount of mana that running out is not an issue.

- Healer (Cleric/Priest): These guys keep everyone else alive. Very similar to the Spammer, except they spam healing rather than damage. They are normally equally weak in close combat.

- Buffer/Debuffer (Cleric/Priest/Warlock/Paladin): Often sharing a class with the spammer or healer, these guys are normally only good in parties, since they focus on enhancing or diminishing stats. Normally very frail, they shouldn't be relied on too heavily to survive without team mates. They often have 'mana' to limit their skill usage.

Then of course there's all the hybrids like the Buffer/Debuffer/Healer/Tank/Spammer (AKA: The Paladin), and some I haven't even mentioned, like beastmaster or summoning classes. Just remember - mix-n-match, make up some new types (but only if you're CERTAIN you can balance them), and most of all, BE CREATIVE.

Good luck!

- Protector
- Gunner
- Magician

And most importantly...

- THERE IS NO DEDICATED HEALER CLASS... HOORAY!

Thank you Kudgel. I was reading your post, and as I scrolled down, I promised myself that if I saw "Priest/Cleric/Healer" I would immediately stop reading. So good job!

As for the tasks, they actually sound really enjoyable to me. It's hard for me to imagine how it would feel actually playing it, but it looks really good on paper. The idea of being able to test out your class specialty is extremely appealing to me. However, If you have this level of customizability, let me warn you:

Every type of class (i.e. Magician, +1LCK, Specialty A, Mastery B) has to be viable. Every type of class has to be balanced in some way. In theory, any combination of classes should stand a fighting chance against any other combination of classes.

There is no perfect balance. But the closer you get to it, the better PvP will be.

Also, this game sounds much more appealing than the modern "Excel" MMO, and I hope you continue to make it different. There is one very large concern in today's MMOs that must be addressed at some point: You need to design your classes to be compatible with both PvP and PvE. With every patch, WoW manages to widen the gulf between them. Don't make the same mistake. Consider ways that they can be balanced.

Thanks for the input guys, it is appreciated.