Blazoned said:I'd like to see crafted ammo where there was an opportunity to experiment. Griffon feathers and an oak shaft... turns out they are amazing and burst into flame on impact. Griffon feathers and an elm shaft... turns out they warp and fly badly. Ideally the combo's would be different by player (random seed at creation?) so you couldn't just google the right answers.
interesting, add a Harry Potter wand type element to it.
Blazoned said:I'd like to see crafted ammo where there was an opportunity to experiment. Griffon feathers and an oak shaft... turns out they are amazing and burst into flame on impact. Griffon feathers and an elm shaft... turns out they warp and fly badly. Ideally the combo's would be different by player (random seed at creation?) so you couldn't just google the right answers.
I don't know how I feel about experimentation with ammo specifically, but I LOVE the idea of random seed at creation having an impact on your character in some fashion.
Blazoned said:I'd like to see crafted ammo where there was an opportunity to experiment. Griffon feathers and an oak shaft... turns out they are amazing and burst into flame on impact. Griffon feathers and an elm shaft... turns out they warp and fly badly. Ideally the combo's would be different by player (random seed at creation?) so you couldn't just google the right answers.
randomly seeding certain benefits at character creation deserves more discussion
I'm not sure if someone mentioned it, but I'd love to see enchanters and/or summoners capable of casting a buff that adds an elemental damage/proc to the ammo. The reason I want it on ammo instead of the weapon itself is because this would allow you to have multiple stacks of different types of buffed ammo to swap out. Consider a raid having various mob types with differing weaknesses etc.
Perhaps the summoner could... summon... something that people "trade" ammo stacks with to enchant it for however long. The picture in my brain is something similar to the goblet of fire from the HP series for fire arrows.
Good ideas...
I like the fact that a player would have to upgrade / craft / purchase unique containers for their craft, whether it be an archer or huntsman etc... So the better you get, the less it hinders your actualy inventory space. I don't think because someone chooses that class that they should have less inventory space for long, versus another class. I think having options to counter this makes it really fun and interesting. A lazy person would have to deal with inventory issues if loading up.
There are all sorts of ways you could handle this that could make it interesting and open up crafting for other players.
Following along the reagents for casters... and ammo for ranged classes... Consider this.
A ranged class (ranger, for example) has unlimited ammunition of "Normal" type. However, crafters can craft arrows with improved damage to go above this "normal" damage. As others have said... poison arrows, ice arrows, fire arrows, ect... The fire arrow can explode for AOE damage. The ice can act as a snare/slow... Poison is a DOT, ect. You can do similar things with other ammunition types. But the ranger should always be able to use their ranged attack.
Same with casters. They just cant use certain spells without certain reagents. (And why not make reagents craftable, dropped, and store bought too?)
Honestly, I've always liked ammunition. When I played a Hunter in WoW back when they had ammunition (and a much more in depth and interesting pet system...), I actually liked it. I could spend a lot on cheap ammo and carry a few of the expensive ones around for "real" fights. And I'm a packrat that never has a lot of inventory! But I made use of that quivver slot!
In Eve Online, you also have some weapons that use ammunition (projectile, hybrid, and missile weapon systems), and those that don't (lasers, drones). It's kind of a cool system and it works. Sometimes people forget to bring ammo, so you have to send someone on a run to get some more for a space station or infrastructure bash. But it's part of the game. Likewise, some people use laser/drone weapons (or carry drones on their missile boat, or whatever) so they can still do some damage even if they run out.
I like the realism that ammunition brings, whether it's for blunderbuss or for bow.
Also:
Are Rangers the ONLY class that can use ranged weapons? I've said for years WoW's Rogues should have had a ranged spec (maybe a dual wielding "gunslinger" that uses pistols or hand sized crossbows) as well as the Warrior class should have a two handed range weapon spec (Rifleman or some such). Those classes USED to be able to use ranged weapons, but more for token (every class had a "ranged" slot, and the more magicky ones simply put something else in it - wand, totem, libram - but the "melee/physical" classes had bows/crossbows/rifles), than for actual damage. I thought and have for a while that Rogues should be able to use bows (they could in Baldur's Gate, for instance...), just that the Ranger/Hunter class is the best at it, and does more damage with a bow than with a sword.
Likewise, I think a sneaky Rogue class should be entirely capable with a shortbow, just not AS good as with a pair of daggers. Like maybe 80% of his/her damage potential when using a shortbow, 100% (obviously) of his damage potentail when using daggers.
I honstly don't know why one has to be a Ranger/Hunter/Archer class to pick up a bow and arrows. It's not like Warriors are the only people that can swing a sword (well, unless you're playing Final Fantasy, but that's because swapping weapons swaps your class. XD) Warriors might just be the BEST with swords - and Rangers the best with bows - but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to use them.
I personally think that all "physical" classes should be able to use each other's weapons, just with various abilities and reduced capabilities. A Warrior should be able to use a longbow (he's strong enough), just doing less damage and having fewer "bow" skills than a Ranger. Likewise, a Rogue should be able to use shortbows just fine, and should be able to do things like coat his arrow tips in poison - what logic is there in being able to coat a dagger with poison but not an arrow? - and his "backstab" ability should change to "ambush" when using a bow; maybe it does less damage, but can be done from range and doesn't have to be behind the person, only stealthed?
Because logic, damn it! :p
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And for the love of Mike, I hope there's some healy class that is still somewhat "physical". I'm tired of healing in a dress with sparkles all the time. XD
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Oh, as for reagents - there's not a real equivalence, and I agree with the "life's not always fair" guys. Games like WoW dumbed stuff like ammunition down, stuff that actually made the classes and weapons and such unique, and look at all of you here, on this forum, becuase you want something DIFFERENT! Why would you petition the devs to make the same mistakes?
I like levitate spells requiring Light Feathers, or in combat resurrections (or other POWERFUL abilities) costing reagents. That makes a lot of sense to me. Portals, teleports, etc - that is, out of combat things (you could include "Camps" for Rangers/Bards/Etc, too) - costing reagents also makes sense.
But a Ranger/Rogue/etc using a bow already has an advantage over a caster - the ability to move and still shoot/deal damage.
Besides, in a game like Pantheon, it's not about the "big numbers", it's about tactics and skill, right? Along with the group/community experience of having to do things with people. A Ranger's contribution to the group isn't just being able to do damage (and, in fact, NO CLASS's contribution should just be able to deal damage), so having to do "more DD than any other class" isn't a way to "balance" the "disadvantage" of having to buy arrows.
The Ranger's other unique abilities - being able to melee, maybe being able to sneak/hide, maybe being able to cast low level Druid spells - are what they can bring to a group to "make up" for having to buy ammunition.
...and, again, Rogues/Warriors/etc should totally be able to shoot arrows, too. :p
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EDIT:
Sorry for the long post, btw.
Oh, and I do think that Rangers should have a baseline ability of "make basic arrow/bow/etc". So that if they run out in the field, they can make more, even if they don't have the fletching tradeskill. Maybe even a weak form of conjuration of being able to make arrows using their mana/spirit/whatever that do basic damage. This way they can always use arrows/bows/bolts/crossbows even if they "run out" of physical ones. But it should clearly be a "this is what you do when you HAVE to, but go get some "real" ammo at your earliest convenience" sort of thing.