Cooperal replied to How do we feel about skill progression? September 24, 2021 @ 12:53:27 pm PDT
I think it is mostly in a good place. The max level bonuses aren't phenomenal but that also means that the loss of skill points by death is not going to be a big game changer. To make them anything more than small bonuses would distract from the games main focuses.
Saying that, I do think that after you get past 90 or so, they could probably do with levelling out that skill loss curve, or the XP required per level. After that point the maths scales to become quite ludicrous.
Adjustments I would make to some of the skills though:
1. Remove the swim skill and give swimming all of the bonuses of running skill. Or keep swim skill but buff it 25% speed just like running skill. It's pretty bad in its current state. Swimming is already something that you are usually going to be trying to avoid at all costs; so unless you put yourself in a super rare situation where a -50% stamina usage bonus can make a life or death difference, you're still going to have to wait to dry off just as quickly as anyone else.
Though I prefer the former option, they could alternatively make swim skill reduce drowning damage, which is currently 5% of max health per tick.
2. The blocking skill is pretty insane. It takes a long time to level. As it scales by a percent of the blocking power of your shield, it is fairly useless with earlier stage shields and it risks becoming too useful on later stage shields. The matter of whether an enemy can be blocked or parried at all, is much more likely to determine the viability of a plan than the much higher bonuses received from weapon skills.
Nerf the percent bonus and replace some of it with a flat number determined by which size shield you're using. Reduce the grind. Give it something extra so that it still has some type of benefit against enemies that you outgear, such as increasing the parry stagger duration.
3. The sneak stamina usage reduction is massive but simultaneously quite useless, as you rarely ever need to stay sneaked for long periods of time. Nerf the stamina usage reduction and exchange it for faster sneak movement. While practicing your crouch-walking form would surely make it less tiresome, these vikings already have leg day covered mostly through other means. Learning to do it faster just makes sense.
Saying that, I do think that after you get past 90 or so, they could probably do with levelling out that skill loss curve, or the XP required per level. After that point the maths scales to become quite ludicrous.
Adjustments I would make to some of the skills though:
1. Remove the swim skill and give swimming all of the bonuses of running skill. Or keep swim skill but buff it 25% speed just like running skill. It's pretty bad in its current state. Swimming is already something that you are usually going to be trying to avoid at all costs; so unless you put yourself in a super rare situation where a -50% stamina usage bonus can make a life or death difference, you're still going to have to wait to dry off just as quickly as anyone else.
Though I prefer the former option, they could alternatively make swim skill reduce drowning damage, which is currently 5% of max health per tick.
2. The blocking skill is pretty insane. It takes a long time to level. As it scales by a percent of the blocking power of your shield, it is fairly useless with earlier stage shields and it risks becoming too useful on later stage shields. The matter of whether an enemy can be blocked or parried at all, is much more likely to determine the viability of a plan than the much higher bonuses received from weapon skills.
Nerf the percent bonus and replace some of it with a flat number determined by which size shield you're using. Reduce the grind. Give it something extra so that it still has some type of benefit against enemies that you outgear, such as increasing the parry stagger duration.
3. The sneak stamina usage reduction is massive but simultaneously quite useless, as you rarely ever need to stay sneaked for long periods of time. Nerf the stamina usage reduction and exchange it for faster sneak movement. While practicing your crouch-walking form would surely make it less tiresome, these vikings already have leg day covered mostly through other means. Learning to do it faster just makes sense.
8:13 pm, September 24, 2021