MMO Diversity, Part 4: Focused Skill Sets

Note: This post is mainly about massively multiplayer online rpgs but is applicable to any role playing game with a skill based system.

Recap: Skill Sets

Western MMO's: Traditionally, Western MMO's have fixed skill sets, where there is little or no variation among character classes as to what skill a class has. If a level 15 rogue has a 'pick lock' skill, then rest assured, some other level 15 rogue you encounter will be almost certain to have the same skill. This assures that classes have the skills to do what the designers intended, however, it means a relative lack of diversity in the character classes.

Eastern MMO's: Traditionally, Eastern MMO's have skill trees. One acquires skills by purchasing them with a skill point acquired by leveling. One can also empower their skills by investing more than a single point in them. In this manner, players can choose what skills they wish to acquire, and generally acquired much more diverse skill selections. However, the problem with this is that with a harsh system of 'no take-backs' and the quick obsoleting of skills that aren't being empowered are generally weaker or even useless. This leads to Focused Skill Sets with a Fear of Experimentation.

Thus, the main problem is how to create an environment where players can have diverse skills without leading to Focused Skill Sets and a Fear of Experimentation. This is a much harder problem than it seems.

Problem 1: There is hidden tension between an Experimental Community and a Diverse Community.

The problem is essentially: If a player can experiment all he wants, then how does he ever stick to a skill set? If all Thieves could magically become Healers without risk, how does one stop the entire community from jumping, en-masse, to the newest and currently best known build?

Real Life Example: Consider a collectible card game. One is free to experiment with his deck build as often as he wants. However, when you get up to a tournament level, the most predominant decks are those that are considered 'the best' in field. The freedom to choose whatever deck they would like often leads to the best players choosing the best decks. It is not unheard to see 50% of a high-level tournament make-up to consist of the same exact deck with minor variants.

Possible Solutions: Some scaled cost to re-experiment, limited experimental phases, a 'one-level' test phase for new skills, quick character re-advancement (The idea that once you've hit level 100 on a character, leveling another character to 100 should take much much less time.), merit-based advancement, Balance in power of the top-tier experimental builds, lots and lots of additional skills added over time (thus changing what is the 'best' build at any given time).

Problem 2: Making lots of skills does not neccessarily make a more diverse environment.

If Warrior One has 'Heavy Strike' and Warrior Two has 'Impact Strike'... how are they any different? We've given them different skills, but since they both need the same types of skills, they end up playing the same. The biggest offender of this is Trickster Online, where each of the 4 character classes essentially start with the same skill. 'Hit things for damage based on your primary statistic.' The game does get better later on, but because each character needed to play similarly early on, there is almost no difference in the skill selection they get early on.

When you have 4 different names for 'Hit something slightly harder' or 'Heal Damage', there's a problem. You might have name diversity, but you've just made the same damn thing.

Just look at all the games where mages will get 'ice bolt', followed by 'slightly stronger bolt.' Truly sigh-worthy. An entire class whose 20 out of 25 skills basically boil down to 'Hit enemy at distance for damage.'

Possible Solutions: Different resource bases for different skills. Basic Skills with alternate effects or additional effects. Diversification of roles. Later skills that have added synergy with basic role skills. The idea of gaining skill sets instead of individual skills. Skills that become more complex as they are improved, rather than simply more powerful (For example, adding a knockback component to a heavy blow skill, or adding a bleed component.) Skill cooldowns such that single overpowered skill is unable to be used repeatedly.