~ Suggestions & Improvement ~

[IndigoInsane]

I'm not sure if this has been addresed before or even where to put it but I thought suggestions is as good a place as any.

So one thing that has been bugging me for a while is backgrounds and languages. My current Character is from Meril yet starting the game his knowlege of Merrillian is zero. It just seems like an odd thing, and I've noticed it with my other characters too. Any way to change that in year one or is there a reason for this?

[Legate of Mineta]

II;

 

The primary reason is that Elumian is assumed to be your lingua franca, no matter your background. It does make sense, though, to have the language in the Background (and the Team has considered it before.)

 

At this exact moment, there isn't a plan to incorporate the languages, but this *may* change.

 

Good suggestion!

[Albert]

It would make sense from soneone born in Meril to have at least a few Levels of understanding of that language or dialect.

 

Even if they wouldn't be a "professor" at the language.

 

People born in ummm damn it my memory is cloudy... The old imperial kingdom island where Mineta is located... If that island is using Elumian as their primary Language then they could get Minetan Swagger or whatever that crazy skill was called that helped you fit in with the crowds of mineta and all that..

 

But the Elumian language skill seemed to be more about knowing both modern and old Elumian and different dialects of it. Same with the other Language skills.

 

So it would make sense if someone born in a town in Meril only knows about 3 levels of Merilian since they don't know everything about ancient and old Merilian and all dialects. Like someone who has been studying the subject for a very long time. They are also fairly young which should have limited their exposure before they got to the Academagia.

[Legate of Mineta]

Albert;

 

Yep, it does make sense, from a certain view. I can't say they'll add it, but there's a good reason to, for certain!

[hdghg]

That sort of ties in with starting skills being tremendously low compared to real life. I mean, these are 13-year-olds that often start without being informed of things like the befriend action. That's teenagers who have apparently never made a friend in their life and don't have the slightest idea of how to go about it. Most characters get more skills points in a few weeks than they start the game with... maybe they were in a coccoon for the first thirteen years of their life!

 

As someone who grew up overseas, I thing it's likely that by age 13 someone from an expat family in Meril where both parents were Elumian would have a better knowledge of the language than most 18-year-olds in Elumia who'd been studying it in school for 7 years. Students from a family with a merilian parent would probably be bilingual. It's hard to compare that to game numbers because 10 is the maximum but a character can train up to that in a few weeks without great difficulty while I believe I've seen 10,000 hours of study & practice quoted as a rule-of-thumb amount of time needed to become fluent in one language in real life...

 

Still, the game's about growing your stats so starting with unrealistically low levels makes sense from a game balance POV.

 

Edit: Just occurred to me that skill 0 presumably refers to a base 13-year-old level of ability rather than none at all. Duh.

[Legate of Mineta]

hdghg;

 

"Just occurred to me that skill 0 presumably refers to a base 13-year-old level of ability rather than none at all. Duh."

 

Exactly right!

[Albert]

After all, otherwise they woudln't be able to communicate with their firends, family or teachers at all.

 

Still, it stands to reason that someone born in a place where a certain language has been very prominent would know more of it than people born elsewhere.

 

if for example 0 in Merilian would suggest the language skills of a 13 year old average person, then everyone in school would be equaly skilled at every language.... I guess it would depend on school systems. There doesn't seem to be a lot of public schooling. But I'm assuming people get some kind of basic education for basic litteracy.

Otherwise most study actions woudl be impossible. Like a short gradeschool education or something. Then it would still stand to reason that someone born in a place where a certain language held extra sway would be likely to pick up a few things about the subject. At least something extra. Even Minetans would learn a point extra of Elumian since all their education would likely centre around this one language.

 

 

Also, as for training skills, the player characters training and studying skills are fairly formidable compared to the abilities of NPC students, they do fail a lot andtheir progerss is slower! I'm guessing this is to make up for their non-existant need to do Adventures to progress their own adventure storylines. (Just a guess)

[hdghg]

Lessons plus the occasional adventure or event seem to max out their trained skills well before final exams if the player has good attributes. In my current game there are several months to go, but only 1 subskill (incantation spells) can still be improved by lessons. I hadn't been skipping lessons this far but they're now essentially wasted time periods. I'd like it if there was a benefit to attending classes even when the skills are maxed out. Some ideas I had:

 

- Increase the number of trained subskills. Zoology is a big example of this - it has 6 subskills but the class only trains 3 of them.

- Give the player extra credit if they've maxed out the subskill that a lesson would be training

- Automatically free up the time slot without risk of punishment if the player has maxed all skills that would be trained in that time slot (the teachers know you're too advanced to benefit from those classes, so they suggest you pursue higher level studies on your own)

[Legate of Mineta]

hdghg;

 

Thanks for the suggestions- Classes are revamped in Y2, and you'll find that, for most Player goals, they remain useful. Your Instructors, while interested in your education, are not as modern as to suggest you pursue higher level studies in the suggested way, alas.

[Schwarzbart]

Grr I realy would like to see how year 2 class is differnt from year 1 and what class we can take but I probably have to wait till 2014 for this.

Btw. will we still be able to change the college at the start of year 2 as orginal planed?

[Legate of Mineta]

Schwarzbart;

 

I think the transfer mechanism made it in.

[Albert]

Schwarzbart;

 

I think the transfer mechanism made it in.

 

So I can transfer to the College dedicated to Gates or Mastery then?

[Schwarzbart]

If they open it again, sure you can. But I have my doubts that this will happen within the 5 years we have time to change the world.

[Legate of Mineta]

albert;

 

Those are definitely not open in Y2.

[freespace2dotcom]

Silly guys, mastery and gates are illegal....

 

Seriously though? in Y2 I want to start a good circle for learning up to lv 10 in both pillars.

[hdghg]

College switching is a cool idea to have in there. That means our required classes would change too I suppose. Do players get to pick a new set of classes for Y2?

[Legate of Mineta]

EXACTLY.

 

Edit: Pursuant to hdghg's question, yes, you do select new Classes in Y2, and, as in Y1, some are required by your College.

[Albert]

So given that I've "Mastered" Enchantment, mathematics, Incantation, Revision and Glamours as a class subject. I can now pick new classes? Or maybe more advanced classes in the subject?

 

Or Maybe it would be time for that wizard to study Botany and Chemistry.

 

So, my grades for those classes have been set and I will then have to add new classes to "my" record until it's time to graduate during the 5th year. When we graduate we will have taken most classes? Or will there still be a lot of classes we had insufficient time to take?

[Legate of Mineta]

I think it's safe to say that you have not "mastered" any of those subjects, as you will see.

 

You will graduate at the end of Year 5, if you are of good enough academic standing, and it's impossible that you will be able to take every Class in the game.

[Schwarzbart]

So even the non magic classes like Music, History, Arithmetic, Geometric, Dialectic, Grammar or Rhetoric will have a advanced class?

I hoped that they just teach the basics on what some magic skills will be based on in the later years.

Especial for the Grammar or Rhetoric class I somehow don't know how they will be of use for Magic.

[Albert]

So even the non magic classes like Music, History, Arithmetic, Geometric, Dialectic, Grammar or Rhetoric will have a advanced class?I hoped that they just teach the basics on what some magic skills will be based on in the later years.Especial for the Grammar or Rhetoric class I somehow don't know how they will be of use for Magic.

They may help you gain some respect and make things easier for you when writing an essay or some kind of project presentation. Even if they arent magical skills.

[Schwarzbart]

I didn't say they have no outside use but in a school of magic I expect that classes that are no requirement for other magic classes and also not teach some kind of magic are limited in deep they can be learned.

In my opinion the advanced topics for classes that have no requirement / helping effect for future magical classes should dalayed to at last year 3.

This is mainly to make it easyer to decide the focus of the future studies of a char otherwise we have over two times the class skills we have now.

 

This advanced classes can be part of the things a char can learn trough his free time, maybe even as lectures from Professors, but shouldn't be part of the class list of year 2.

 

Edit:

In year 3 then some of the basic topics of year 1 should drop out to limit the number of aviable class skills.

If the char still want / need to learn them then (s)he have to do it on theyr own.

[Albert]

I can totaly see one of my crazier studyholic students constructing a knowledge suctiondevice! To aquire all knowledge of all other mages and people! Must have more!

 

Engineering, Orthography, enchantments, mastery and a few glamours to smoothen of the rough edges of the experience... Some negation magic to protect against any would be "resistance troublemakers".... Resistance is futile!

 

Not Evil, just insane

[Leoshi]

Cordelia Troublepot already made a mind-reading device. Maybe you can work with her?

[Schwarzbart]

Scenes from a Dialectic Class 06 Exit 1 and Exit 2 shouldn't the given SS a Arithmetic Skill if Prof. Valenta is teaching?

Or was it planed that Prof. Monetario is the replacment for Prof. Sido? Because then Famous Gemoetry Problems would make more sense.

 

Edit: Oh I think its more interesting to have a device that automatic cast From Nothing Knowledge a unlimted number of times on the user.

But for game reasons I even would be fine if this happen once at each class timeslot where I learn nothing new.