Traits and perks

Would you like to see perks and traits in M&B?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • You wha?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .

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Worbah

Grandmaster Knight
If you've played Fallout, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you should.

So, what I'm suggesting (has been mentioned in the before times, but I wanted to start this from a clean table) is that starting traits and perks should be added to the game. They could either be same for the different character classes, or they could be used as a way to make each class unique. Also, if you do like the idea, post the traits/perks you'd like to see. (basically traits can only be chosen in the beginning and they have both a positive and a negative side, whereas perks are small bonuses gained on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, etc. level up)

Traits:

1. fast shot: You get a bonus to the reload time of every ranged weapon, but you can never have the crosshair 'connect' when aiming (meaning you can never become a precise shot)

2. ferret: Your melee attack are faster, but you deal less damage per hit.

3. scholar: you gain a skill point for every point of inteligence, but you can raise strength based skills only on every four levels of strength instead of three.

(I'll add more when they come to mind)

Perks:

1. Night Fighter: This negates the effects suggested in the night fighting thread (should they be added). Minimum level 6

2. Fast Reflexes: Basically bullet time that works for a limited time. It already works in cheat mode, so why shouldn't it be added to the noncheat version in some form? Although F9 is a bit difficult to reach.
Minimum level 9

3. Natural Born Leader: the required level gap for upgrading units is 7 instead of 5. Minimum level 6.

... And so on.
 
Yes, I really liked the Fallout character creation system and this is one of the reasons. What would make me much more happy would be a character creation system more akin to pen-and-paper RP's than to console RP's, but that's unlikely. This, on the other hand, is a completely doable idea.
 
I'm thinking more in the line of the Total War games' Vices and Virtues (now called Traits in Rome). But essentially it is the same... Voted yes. But I want them to arrive as a result of some action.
Enough headshot kills in a row, then you gain Deadeye trait ect ect.
 
I'll throw in some that I have come up with (stolen):
Perks:
Strong back
You have a very strong back. -x to your encumbarance. Good for you.

Death Rage (berserk)
When you have only x% of your HPs left you turn into a fiercy killing machine (even more so than you were) you gain bonus to your attack speed and damage. Rawr!

Speed King
Your moving speed is increaced by x%. You're the speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed kiiiiiiiiiing!

Stone Wall
You have increaced resistance vs. horse charging (and falling from blunt damage). People tell tales of you pushing aside a charging warhorse at full gallop. Way to go brute!

Mauler
You are famous from bringing foes to their knees with your mighty blows. You have an increaced chance of knocking someone down with blunt weapons AND you also gain a similiar, but much smaller chance with other weapons (not including some spears).

Great Arm
You have a great throwing arm. Because of that all throwing weapons go farther with flatter trajectory (sp?). Rumours say that your great arm is an out come of the fact that you have never dated anyone.

Mobile Archer
You receive less penalty while aiming and moving on foot. You are a mobile artillery.

Traits:
Gore Obsessed
The amount of blood shed by your blade is doubled. No other effects. You just like the gore.

A-jointed-fetus-brother
You have a dead fetus sticked in your left buttock. When you fall down your brother helps you to get up x% faster. But you consume 1.04 times the normal rations.
 
I love the SPECIAL rule system from the Fallout games, and it would be neat to have a thing like the traits/perks for M&B.
And THE one trait I'd really love to see is bloody mess. :p

Hmmm been a long time since I last played FO, so I might go reinstall it and see if I get some inspiration for some good traits or perks.
 
Worbah said:
If you've played Fallout, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you should.

I really hope not. "Perk" systems are not even remotely close to reality. I greatly enjoy the surprisingly credible (although I hesitate to quite say 'realistic') TRPG-like ruleset of M&B, and I would hate to see it tangled up with abstractions and stylizations.

TRPGs have always had a tendency to favor interesting mechanics over versimilitude, and I think that a CRPG -- especially one like Mount and Blade, where one of its main selling points is, indeed, versimilitude -- should do its best to keep from doing the same.

(But then, I suppose I need more posts to my name, if I'm to be a credible commentator...)
 
Some perks are as realistic as any level based system's (which it self is utterly unrealistic) skill development. If they add to the game I'd say go ahead. More customization more fun. That's my opinion.
 
Ilex said:
Some perks are as realistic as any level based system's (which it self is utterly unrealistic) skill development. If they add to the game I'd say go ahead. More customization more fun. That's my opinion.

It's certainly true that customization is one of the most attractive and entertaining things that a game can include -- but I, at least, would hope that customization, especially in a game aiming, like M&B, for versimilitude, would stop well short of things like your "Death Rage" or the original poster's "Ferret."

And speaking of levels, I'd rather see those removed too, but this discussion is not so much about that. "Levels" were an unacceptable abstraction in the original Dungeons and Dragons back in nineteen-seventy-whenever, but they've become an accepted part of game development, I think through laziness more than anything.

I'm convinced that a game could do skill improvement based entirely on practice and use, or if nothing else at least just give 'bonus points' based on experience with other skills; the only games I can think of to have done things like that are a few roguelikes, but they did it pretty darned well. M&B seems a natural candidate for implementing such a system in a larger-scale game...
 
Yeah some of those perks are over the top for M&B (and the traits even more so :wink:). I was just exploring possibilities.

The usual problem with use based development is that it is darn hard to balance. Combat usually is the highest no matter what and some skills would be nearly i,possible to train. Leveling, although unrealistic, is very easily balanced and managed. But yes a well balanced use-based development system would fit M&B very well, and is a matter to be considered (it won't prob. happen because lots of stuff is hardcoded and it would be a very dramatic change).
 
Ilex said:
Yeah some of those perks are over the top for M&B (and the traits even more so :wink:). I was just exploring possibilities.

The usual problem with use based development is that it is darn hard to balance. Combat usually is the highest no matter what and some skills would be nearly inpossible to train. Leveling, although unrealistic, is very easily balanced and managed. But yes a well balanced use-based development system would fit M&B very well, and is a matter to be considered (it won't prob. happen because lots of stuff is hardcoded and it would be a very dramatic change).

Very good point. The few times I've encountered pure-use-based systems, they _have_ been pretty hard to actually work with -- and, indeed, M&B's use-based weapons-skills system can get tricky as well, if one sets out to adopt a new weapon type at high levels...

I'm glad we're more or less in agreement about this, though; I was nervous that I might start a flamewar... :smile:
 
I was thinking that maybe perks could be something like skills, but not "worthy" (shield skill IMO isn't a worthy skill, a few point wonder maybe but not something you often dedicate yourself into) of being a skill and having fewer "levels" (not often more than 2). They could also have special properties, like flattening the trajectory of a thrown weapon (see great arm) or lessening encumbarance (see strong back).
 
I don't really think a trait/perk system would be that unrealistic. Yes some perks might be, but others...
For instance night fighter would mean you'd just have better night vision. A perk that improves a weapon skill would mean you'd just have a greater affinity for that certain weapon. Natural born leader (make it so that you get an extra party slot) means that you're well a born leader, a very charismatic person who can easily make others follow him. And so on.

Problem is that for a lot of these it only really makes sense, from a realism point of view, to get them as you start your char (as in you're born like that) and not as you're levelling up. And some traits/perks are of course plain unrealistic no matter what.
 
PrinceScamp said:
Yes, and no, I do definately want some of these, but maybe your char could earn them?

It's meant so that you can choose traits only in the beginning of the game, and even then a limited amount. You get perks for every third or so level.

I think that the perk system could serve as a way of making characters more unique, and to add a little more depth to the character stats.


The perks and traits that have been listed so far are merely examples, they should be carefully thought of if implemented, or else they will unbalance the game.
 
Traits would indeed be a nice addition, as they would represent your natural strenghts and weaknesses and allow you to theme your character better, but I dunno about them perks. Perks fit into fallout, which had a kind of a cartoonish feel to it, but maybe not into a more serious game like mount&blade.
 
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