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Some suggestions for future updates

GaldorP
GaldorP
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These suggestions are not directly related to Update 6, but I've found no general suggestions forum, so I'd like to post them here :)

1. CLASS SPECIALIZATIONS: With only 4 main classes in the game, character diversity feels quite low. Even if you count all six weapons skill lines on each class as separate builds, that only leaves about 24 builds and they are often very similar. There just is not much of a difference between two VR 14 characters of the same class. Even if they choose different armor types and weapons and one is more Magicka-focused while the other has more Stamina than Magicka, the play-style of these two characters will still be quite similar if they perform the same role in a group: Many class skills are situational and are optimized for either group PvE content, solo-questing, or PvP so many people end up using the exact same skills in similar situations.

My suggestion to increase build diversity and make sure not every VR 14 Dragonknight is exactly the same as all other VR 14 Dragonknights, would be to add a class specialization system: Each character, at some point in their career, would have to pick one of their 3 class skill trees as specialization (for example Ardent Flame, Draconic Power, and Earthen Heart for a Dragonknight). Characters with a specialization could learn additional active and/or passive skills in the skill tree they selected. I feel this would add a lot to build diversity and would also create new incentives to level more than one character of the same class. (Or add 3 completely new skill lines as specializations and keep all the existing class skills unchanged.)

2. GROUP-FORMING CHAT ROOMS: With the daily Undaunted pledges that have become an important part of the game, it is really shameful that there is currently no working group search tool.

My suggestion would be to allows players to open group chat rooms with a custom title (to indicate what the purpose of their group is) and an optional level requirement to enter the chat room. Players could then access a list of all chat rooms that are currently opened, filter that list by levels and look for a group they would like to join and join that group's chat room. The group leader could invite people to the chat room, invite people from the chat room to join the group, and kick/ban people from the chat room. I think this system would be incredibly helpful for people to find groups for all sorts of purposes: veteran dungeons, world bosses, dark anchors, fishing, roleplay, Craglorn exploration, Craglorn quests, farming in Public dungeons, grinding for Exp, PvP, VR questing. The possibilities are endless.

3. GUILD DATABASE/GUILD ACTIVITY/GUILD NAMEPLATES: Guild leaders and officers are currently required to post recruitement messages in the zone chat of many different zones on a daily basis if they want to recruit new guild members in the game. Many of the large guilds that are not trading guilds are simply used to form groups for daily activities like veteran dungeons, trials, or PvP because there is no working group tool. Rare are the guilds where people help each other and play together with the same people every day in various activities. Apart from the guild vendor auction system and the temporary claiming of castles in Cyrodiil, there are no activities that reward or encourage players of a specific guild to work together and achieve something together for the guild.

Establishing a guild database that can be accessed ingame and that lists how active a guild is in PvE and PvP (based on average activity in both fields from the past 14 days) and/or how many trials/veteran dungeons the guild has completed, how much total Exp and Alliance Points earned as a whole, in my opinion, would be a first step to make people care more about their guild and form stronger bonds within their guild. The guild database could also list the name of the guild leader and a custom guild description that could be seen by anyone so guild leaders who wanted to could give others an idea of what their guild is all about, post their recruitment text once instead of 50 times a day, give the name of recruitment officers to contact. I think this would really be helpful in building a healthier ingame community and allow for a stronger guild identity.
At the same time, add an option to see the main guild of each player character you encounter in the game and also show a guild nameplate on all NPCs of a castle or resource that has been claimed by a guild. In the first 10 minutes after capturing a castle or resource, only allow guilds that have made a major contribution in its capture to claim it.

Summary:
- Suggestion 1: Player characters choose one of 3 specializations after reaching a certain level or rank. There would be 3 different types of Dragonknights, 3 different types of Sorcerers, etc. Once selected, the specialization could not be changed anymore.
- Suggestion 2: Group chat rooms with a custom title and an optional level requirement instead of the current group search tool.
- Suggestion 3: A public (ingame) guild database with name of the guild leader, guild description, indication of guild activity in PvE and PvP (average from past 14 days), and guild achievements (for example: total Exp/AP earned and dungeons/trials completed) + guild name plates on player characters (main guild) and on NPCs of castles/resources that a guild has claimed.
  • GaldorP
    GaldorP
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    One more suggestion to add:

    4. GUILD LEVELS: As an addition to suggestion 3 I would suggest to add a guild levelling system where players could earn levels for their guild by gaining Exp and AP, by completing group dungeons and trials, and by holding castles claimed by their guild in Cyrodiil for a certain amount of time.
    Higher guild levels could unlock minor passive abilities (for example +0.25% Max Magicka, Stamina or Health or +1.5% Healing done, etc.) for all guild members.
    The level of each guild would also be visible in the public guild database.

    I did not explain this in suggestion 3, but obviously each player would have to choose one main guild and only that guild would be visible on the guild name plate of all of that player's characters, and also, all characters would only benefit from the guild level passives of the player's current main guild.
  • Arki
    Arki
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    Some interesting thoughts here. Would just pop in and say that I don't think more class specialization is the way to go. That would just lead to more min/maxers saying that you need to have X specialization to be viable blabla.

    Lack of build diversity will allways be an issue if you want to be among the most competitive players, as they will allways be playing the numbers game and choosing the percieved optimal build. What is considered viable will also be partly based on hearsay and more or less correct info, and player skill will often not come into it - especially if you run in to some of the less open minded players. Thus more specialization might end up giving you less choice...

    I'd rather have more skills to choose from that had different and interesting synergies with other skills, more situational skills etc. New weapon lines, spellcrafting(!!) etc. Rare dungeon materials and recipies for weapons / armor with unique effects that synergies with particular types of skills etc. Example: Armor that gave extra dmg on some type of elemental spells or weapons that lowered a particular resistance etc. Strange procs that could disorient or fear or whatever.

    I'd absolutely love something like an axe that had a really small change to summon a short lived ghost of its original owner that did decent melee dmg and lowered armor on target :)

    EDIT: About group forming chat rooms. Great idea. But maybe first just make it possible to see what kind of groups are about to be formed. Where you could cherry pick among them and not just force yourself into one activity with possible endless queueing... Then they could make chat rooms to suppliment this, to give group leader more control.
    Edited by Arki on 14 February 2015 13:16
  • GaldorP
    GaldorP
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    Thanks for your comment :)
    New weapon lines, spellcrafting(!!) etc. Rare dungeon materials and recipies for weapons / armor with unique effects that synergies with particular skills etc.
    The things you mention here all sound like great additions that I would like to see in the game as well :)
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