Hyper-Active Skills: Burning Down the Skill Tree

My Avatar has bushy eyebrows...no, wait...thin eyebrows. His hair is gold, green, blue, maybe crimson. He's light, he's dark. He's tall, he's short. Aesthetically, my avatar is entirely customizable, which allows me to project an image to the online world according to my exact desires.

Sadly, this customization is sorely lacking in perhaps the most critical area of character development: skills. The modern MMoRPG has developed a frightening dependence upon the skill tree, a terribly sterile method for skill development that prompts massive stagnation in game play. Each class is generally allotted only a few avenues of growth, and among these options only one or two are considered "viable" builds. Characters thus often specialize in only a single branch of a tree in order to acquire the more powerful skills. When a character elects to "branch out" and develop multiple branches simultaneously, thereby foregoing the more powerful spells in each, the branches do not work in tandem beyond allowing him diversity in casting. I propose another way, which promotes the same type of creativity in skills that currently exists in appearance: Hyper-Active Skill Development.



Hyper-Active Skill Development

This is a proposal for destroying our old reliance upon stagnant skill trees and moving into a truly dynamic skill environment. Hyper-Active Skill Development will be the product of two processes: Elemental Skill Combination and Skill Synergy. The outcome will be wildly increased possibilities for development allowing players to customize their skills to their exact preferences as a player.

Elemental Skill Combination
The standard skill is an entity unto itself. You may not negotiate with it and you may not alter it. For example, "Melf's Acid Arrow" is an arrow shaped projectile composed of acid. When it impacts it may do a very specific type of effect, such as dealing acid damage. We therefore have four types of non-negotiable elements in this single skill: (1) method of delivery; (2) shape of projectile; (3) composition of projectile; (4) effect. When you elect to accept this skill you take it as is, accepting the parameters without objection.

Elemental Skill Combination will eliminate this automated requirement. Each of the elements will become separately selectable elements that may be combined to create a single skill. Thus, when you gain a level, you will gain not one skill point but 5 or 10. You will then select any elements you desire. You will then place these elements into skill formulas.

Example of a spell skill formula: (Modifier: Delivery)(Modifier: Spell Cast Time)(Fundamental Composition)(Modifier Effect)

Strategy becomes critical. Suppose we want a quick and dirty attack spell. We might select a short range "touch" delivery. Given the context, we would prefer a short cast time. Stunning is most effective when employing electricity, so we would choose that as the fundamental composition. Finally we would choose stun as the effect. Each of these elements would act in cooperation to create an effective stun spell, if we modify any then it becomes an entirely different spell for a different purpose. If we choose a longer cast time, then we might want a longer range delivery, but the added cast time will enhance the length of the stun since more power is devoted to the casting. Each element modifies each other element to determine the final product. This is Elemental Skill Combination.

Skill Synergy
This is the second half to Hyper-Active Skill Development. Every element you select belongs in any number of classifications. Every skill you create is similarly subject to a variety of classifications. As more elements and skills are developed in a single classification the power and potency of all other members of that classification increase, thereby providing synergy bonuses to your character. This is not meant to be a limiting factor, because of the sheer number of classifications applicable to each element and skill; this mechanism is meant to provide a bonus to players that elect to have some cognizable theme in their character but will by no means force "development tracks." Lets try some examples to explain it a bit better.

Say you elect to specialize in "delivery" elements. And you learn projectile, snipe, touch, grasp, telepathic and empathic deliveries. You will become a delivery specialist, providing bonuses such as increased accuracy to each of your delivery modifiers.

Say you specialize in two delivery elements: snipe and projectile with two effects elements: stun and blind. You will gain unique bonuses here as well, such as "incapacitator" bonuses. This particular combination of skills suggests a theme of long-range disabling tactics, so you will receive bonuses commensurate with this theme.

Say you specialize in basic composition, and you learn fire, earth, wind, and water. You will gain an "elementalist" specialization in addition to any other themes you have.

Each character could potentially belong in multitudes of theme classes, each providing unique bonuses and power to the character while still preserving the unique character identity.

Conclusion
Coding nightmare? Potentially, but computing power is arriving at a place where I think this is a viable option for the future. But what about the casual players that don't have time to deal with the intricate strategies that Hyper-Active Skills will promote? Simple, they can elect to use the old skill trees or they may ask for suggestions in their development based off of their prior choices.

Why be a rogue when you can be a Assassinating Incapacitator of Elementality?!?!

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