Which sigil will you focus the most time in?

I really desire to play a mage, but with the "card" system governing spells it doesn't seem likely. Right now I would say I would go for a heavy armored poll arm guy, that also has healing magic/skills.

If they allow mages to create their own spell combo "cards" or allow you to cast any spell at any time then I would definitly focus on spellcraft.

Otherwise if you focus mostly on magic just imagine how many spell "cards" you will have in your deck. Imagine the odds of the spell you want comming up when you need it if you specialize in multiple schools of magic.

You can't stack the deck either unless you want to limit your spells to a specialized few... then why learn the other spells?

 

I agree, unless you allow the player to stack the same card or very similar cards there may be "survivability" issues.
Though when I play a mage type, I don't tend to, or even want to diversify my magical repertoire. You can get a lot done with nothing but lightning.

**I envision fighting off a pack of mongbats and counting on drawing your trusty Fire~Ball and Chain~Lightning spells...tried and true, powers that you know you can count on.
But instead drawing "Purify food and drink", followed by "detect alignment" and being clad only in traditional wizard gear of either a fluffy fancy robe or threadbare robe (depending on your personal style), flip-flops and some kind of hat that is only good for sun and rain protection but not really much use for defense against claw and blade.
You might have been able to flee and survive if you werent trying to cast usless spells...

This would only appeal to people who enjoy a high-risk style of game play, and the majority of players would demand that it be "fixed"...but I'd do it.

 

Sounds like one fully funded account, and then 2 at a lower level to me...

 

What if the guy you are fighting is immune to electricity? SOL

However most people who focus on being a pure mage would want to learn more than one school of magic. I would definitly not want to play a mage character if I could only master one skill set. I want a variety. I would ultimately want to play the arch-mage character that knows all kinds of spells.

A guy who just focuses on Air magic is not special since any warrior could chose to focus on one school of magic. A pure mage should have skill points that allows them to have access to many spells. Sorry I agree with the guy who says I want access to ALL my spells in my spell book at any time.

 

That happens, you just have to roll with it. I never plan on "what if?", I just put on my wizard hat & robe and boldly go forth.

No need to apologize, friend.
We each have equally valid points, and there are benefits and draw backs to being both a "specialist", and a "generalist". It really boils down to the individual's temperment and preferances.
A good game should allow for different play styles to avoid "cookie cutter" builds and classes, that way we cab both have the same job, but still be unique individuals and not clones with the only differance between us being a name tag.

*I fully support your desire to become an Arch-Mage, Master of All Magics.If I aquire any reagents that I don't need due to my specialization I'll have an elemental servant (of whichever school of magic I pick...maybe a zombie if it's necromancy) drop them off at your place.

 

I like your comment. You do deserve to be able to make the character you want. That's what my comment was about too. If the system limits the type of mage you can be because you have 50 spells in your deck and they all come up at random, then people like me cannot play a mage because of my 50 spells the one I want to cast isn't going to be available when I need it.

 

Maybe they'll have a set-up to have a few pre-made decks to choose from on the fly. That's kind of the impression I was under.
You never know when you'll find yourself (no matter if you are a wizard/warrior/rogue/healer) needing to tank, DPS, heal or solo.
I don't think they'll gimp us too much with the card system, and with us being able to participate in the alpha/beta and give input, we should be ok.

 

We should probably stay on topic, there are plenty of complaining topics about the card system already, see Owain's.

To address the poll and OP, Combat baby, that is where it is at.

 

Not an option at this point, friend.

 

Though I am tempted to go with magic, since the system seems intriguing, I will definitely be focusing on crafting.

 

I think it's exactly on topic because my decision for which sigil I will focus on was completely redirected because of the proposed "card system".

We need to take that "random card system" into account if we want to make the right choice. Since I don't want to play a mage with only 8 spells either the random card system has to change for handling spells, or I switch to a weapon based skill.

Not only the combat system, but the schools of magic need to allow for somebody mastering more than 8 spells because I would like to have 45-65 spells to be a mage. So if we have to put ten skill points into each individual spell that also changes my decision.

So these are really on-topic concerns. Otherwise it's just too early for this thread because these other elements need to change and become more defined. Abandoning the game at this point is not logical for me since I've paid too much so the best option is to lobby for something that I would want to play.

 

Crafting and fighting would be the most important to me and healing. Magic will have to take a back seat unless it is the only way to unlock wards and locks and things.

 

Exactly true, and this goes for anyone who seems to have legitimate concerns and/or requests. Including my own past suggestions, and everyonelses.


*One thing this forum has is too many "wannabe chiefs" and self entitled, self appointed CEOs.
This is a product of a system built on wealth and though it may generate a lot of cash-up-front it will not be healthy for the system in the long run.
When that wealth has been spent and all we have left is a game/toy that will rapidly become out of date as technology and ideas pass us by.
The lucky ones will be those who have spent less.

When this game becomes F2P, and it will, mark my words...all will become equals.


**No offence to you Captain Jack, I know your heart is in the right place.

 

This is actually a very interesting topic and should probably be a new post in and of itself. But I'll make my drive by reply here anyway.

Free to Play is often a byproduct of "we need to do something different because we aren't getting new people to play our game." I would suggest that if this happens the game has bigger problems than what you're talking about, as the game is not going to become F2P BECAUSE of the Store Addons and purchasing power of some gamers. It would become F2P because the game isn't worth paying for it.

The niche that SotA appears to be going after is one that doesn't have ANY current compeition. I don't know of any other games in existence that are using this level of technology combined with this level of emphasis on roleplaying (real roleplaying). Now maybe this game gets really popular and it convinces a large company to try to out Richard Garriott everyone else in the marketplace (SotA). But if that's the case then I'm sure that's a problem that RG and team would gladly take on sometime in the successful future of their game.

 

The problem I see is not that it will become free to play, but that after a person buys the game they get pissed off that they lost a fight and got looted because of luck. Portalarium still gets the cash because they pay full price for the game, but will they pay for eppisode two? Will they tell their friends oh go play SotA because combat skills are mostly random.

I think with combat skills it's not as much of an issue for a warrior than a mage. That's my prediction. Unless mages are really limited to only 8 spells I don't see how this card system could support a full spellbook of 64 spells like UO had. There would be no way to ensure the right spell will come up when you need it. What if you want to teleport instead of throw a fireball? I can't imagine that you would stack your deck with teleport spells right before some random combat where teleport just happens to turn out to be handy without knowing for sure it is important.

 

I hope they are just overworking the word 'card' because it's popular and sounds innovative.
Now a system where you slot your skills and can change them at will (in between combats, or in a safe place like a town or out-post) would and could work verry well.
This was the system used in Guild Wars and it was/still is excelent, you aquire more skills and they go in your skill tab/chart to be used and organized how ever you want.
But in GW it wasn't a random pop-up, that is where skills for mages and archers (all ranged combatants) will suffer if it's totally random.
At least there will be time to fix it if that's how it plays out in the Dev's test play and Alpha for us.
The only potential problem might be is if they are so in love with thier idea they wont want to fix or drop it no mater how bad people think it is (if that ends being the case).

*There will also be the problem of those who think RG/LB is King Midas and whatever he touches is gold, they will argue strongly with no reguard for truth or common sence, in favor of anything they think will please him and make them look fawningly loyal in his eyes.
And many of them it would seem, haven't played and/or don't have much experience playing games or MMOs as thier posts often prove.
Things have changed since the Ultimas and UO.

**I'm cool with RG/LB, but I'm no brown-noser and will call it like I see it, good or bad.

 

Right on!!! Similarly to you I really think Lord British games are awesome. He has had some games that he touched that turned to gold. However he is a human just like the rest of us. Sure he has a gift to tell a story and create great games, but we shouldn't idolize him. He's just a man, human and foulable like the rest of us.

I can call out a few names of his worshipers that will be pissed off at us and call us contrarians for disagreeing with him. But those people are human and foulable too like us, and also do a lot for the community. So either way just keep thining freely and speak your mind because it's honest feedback. My hope is that everybody would come to the same conclusion as you, and be free to share what's on their mind. However it's easy to believe in somebody so much that you close your mind off to any other ideas that oppose theirs.

People many times idolize their pastors at church, and think whatever they say is right. I think questioning, and having serious doubts is a good thing especially for those who live by faith.

 

If everything always raises doubts and questions, and there is only challenge and suspicion, that is just as bad.
It is possible for people to have rational opinions that are supportive, it's not just idolizing.... some of it is, but I think a larger share is not.
We are dealing with opinions - for/against, not faith.

But you've painted yourself into a corner because you can't actually say my questioning and serious doubting of your opinion is a bad thing.

 

CLERIFICATION POST REGARDING DOUBT:

See I think I get where you're comming from. Let's examine a few key words in your first sentence ... "everything" "always" ... and there is "only" ... that is "just bad" ...

this type of absolute thinking I would like to avoid. I wasn't attempting to contemplate everything, and always in my message, and I wasn't suspicious either.

(Although I was suspicious a week or two ago when they told us that the waterfront properties with lighthouses etc will not allow a house on that property too.... I was very suspicious because of the way they worded the founder tier awards) Now I've put that behind me for the most part, but I still think that was really bad form by Portalarium and I stand by that stance.

However, my point is that doubt is a good thing. We are taught to believe in ourselves, and to believe in santa clause, and to believe in religion. Yet the people who lived in that cult in Jonestown could have used a good helping of doubt when they were told to drink the poisioned Kool Aid. For refrence see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown

I think many people would be better off if they learned to exercise doubt more often. Scientists do a great job of using doubt to their advantage. And without doubt it would not be possible to really come up with a unique opinion due to groupthink. So much input comes at us at all times, it is hard to come up with a free thinking opinion. First we must doubt what we hear and process it for ourselves. That's all I'm saying.

Here's something I like to remember when it comes to doubt. In a most unlikely place to find doubt, one of Jesus Christ's disciples named Thomas who has been scrutinized over the years by Christians because he doubted so much (according to biblical account) that he refused to believe Jesus was rasied from the dead until he touched him physically. In fact all of his disciples reportedly doubted before they saw him. I personally like that because I think Thomas was a great example of the grace of God. Jesus wasn't mad at him at all. Yet people still teach believing is such an important thing even in the Christian religion. If anybody was a radical it was Jesus. He did things that the relgious leaders of his era were appalled at, yet they only judged the outside of a person by what they do, not the heart. They were more interested in rules taught by men. These men were unwavering in their ideals and were blinded by ridged rules and regulations handed down to them. They didn't see the heart of those laws, and what they truly represented. That loving God and your neighbor was the point.

I think that's why there are so many points of view. We all may see one gemstone, and we all see many facets of it from each angle. It's still the same stone. However it seems some people focusing only on their view point would rather go to war with somebody who sees things differently... but we are all still humans.... we are all one. Why jump to the war conclusion when the other person might just have a reason for saying what he's saying.

It really doesn't matter what we all say, what counts is our unity. (Not groupthink unity, but unity inspite of diversity!!!)

So even doubting your own thinking is good some times. I hate it when I'm wrong, and sometimes we have to apologize. I need grace as much as the next person. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

 

I will focus on combat and healing cleric/pally type cant stray from that type of character! I love playing those! maby some blacksmithing to keep my armor and weapons up to par