Option to remove the GM icon...

Hi,

a fraction of the player base really dislike to have to go around with the GrandMaster icons that at the moment (correct me if wrong....because I could be...) are impossible to remove....the reason is simple...they don't like to show around where their build is strong and weak...

An option to remove this icons will live everybody happy....who still want to go around with them will just do it...

 

It hasn't really bothered me that much but that is a point. It's a very gamey feature and not everyone wants to broadcast information that's none of anyone's business. Granted I imagine the motives of the OP are different from mine but if given the choice I would probably choose to turn mine off. Given the further choice, I may even decide to not view anyone else's either.

For that matter I don't even care for pledge titles or items which special symbols on them that announce your pledge level and status but that may just be me.

 

I think the solution for most is to just take the skill to 99, and avoid getting the GM tag.

Not an optimal solution if you want to increase a skill you really like beyond that... but if deception is your goal then you have an option. You can always set them to unlearn to drop below 100 if it's too late.

To play devil's advocate to the OP though, there is also the apprentice feature where being in a party with a GM gives you a bonus to learning that skill. If someone is in your party, they will get the icon showing they have that bonus, and who they are getting it from. So you likely won't be able to completely hide them unless hiding them also removes that bonus to party mates.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't be able to hide them if we wish. I'm just saying that if we can, there may be implications to another game feature.

 

I would counter that there's a difference between noticing someone's skill in use (ie in a party) and just being able to click on them and see a list of their GM skills. If you're partying with someone the odds are much better that you know or will get to know someone and depending who's in the party you wouldn't necessarily know who's providing the bonus. Compare that to simply targeting someone, anyone and seeing all their GM skills.

An optimal solution shouldn't be contrived. If I want to get my cooking to 120 skill for my own benefit and not volunteer that information to anyone, I should be able to do that. Being forced to stop at 99 denies me that ability.

Alternatively, you could add an opt out option to the apprentice system in addition to turning the GM tag off on a per skill basis. Just add one or two check boxes on the skill tree. If I don't want to teach anyone to cook I should be able to do that as well. Apprenticeship is a voluntary relationship between apprentice and master and that is how it should be. A voluntary arrangement we should have the option to the deny if we wish.

On the other hand.. who's to say you can't pick up a few tricks by seeing another skill in use whether the user intends for you to learn or not. As far as apprenticeship goes there may not be a perfect solution and I might even go so far as to say it shouldn't be limited by party but rather by proximity, but now I'm going off on a tangent so I'll stop there.

 

Good points Bowen. Again, I'm not against being able to hide them if you wish but wanted to note that the apprentice feature would/could be affected. In fact, I believe we should have the right to hide them if we want to. And it would be preferred to be able to do it on an individual skill basis and not just a global on/off switch.

You may want to be able to advertise you have a GM in Blacksmithing or Carpentry or Cooking for example to help you promote the sales of those items. But on the other hand, you may want to hide those to avoid being asked about making something for someone when you are focused on another aspect of the game.

Combat skills are the same. A healer for instance might want to advertise that they are a good healer to get into a group, whereas a PVPer might want to hide all of their GM's for obvious reasons.

 

This is what I've done this release. I agree that it's not ideal to allow other players to see what you have mastered from a tactical point of view. But, this method effectively caps your level to avoid detection

However, I also think that equipped weapons should be visible on a person. Just as it is not intuitive that someone would know I am a master of a halberd, they would at least be able to see that I am wearing one. Maybe the visible GMs is a compromise to making weapons visible? Although I would like to be able to turn them off as well.

 

I agree with @Xail . This needs to be a feature that can be shut off. If your in a group with the person it's a different story so the apprentice thing works but otherwise no thanks...

 

I agree that it should be something that can be toggled when you want to advertise perhaps.

Slightly off topic, is it possible to "inspect" other players' paperdolls? Is that in scope for pre/post-wipe?

 

+1

 

I generally agree current system is a bit awkward, but in some ways i think having that tradeoff is not a bad thing. Trading the element of surprise for raw power (considering post GM skills cost a ton of xp for few gains) could be considered good design. Optionally hiding GM skills is more convenient, but it is a tactical no-brainer to always hide.

 

The ONLY reason to hide it is if you have something to HIDE. If you earned them legitimately then you should show them with Honor.

If you are worried from a PvP point of view possibly but ONLY slightly since 90 - 100 - 110 - 120 in skills really is NOT all that significant in changes in abilities.

 

Stop there cowboy.

It goes without saying that if such an option is ever coded in this game, the ONLY way to do it fairly is that the player hiding his/her GMs is also unable to see anyone else's GMs.

You don't want to give out intel on your build? Sure, your choice. Then you instantly give up any equal intel on others'.

 

It seems reasonable to me that such visible personalization would fall under the existing umbrella of the "Titles" mechanic, and treated the same way.

 

I support this, being a PvPer this is extremely important IMO. If i can read someones build atleast gms for the most part i already can devise a strategy for fighting them, or decide not to attack if i know its going to destroy me. I should have to guess if i can take someone in PvP or not, and also try and figure out their build as im fighting them. Otherwise PvP is going to be pretty boring IMO

 

As already addressed in this thread, optional toggles don't strictly stop you from seeing other people's. Even if they did, you could easily just use voicechat to communicate with someone who had them on. Honestly, I think the only "fair" way to do it for pvp is to remove GM icons entirely out of group or to leave them as is.

 

Im agreeing with you, if removing them entirely is an option that would be ideal.

 

I agree. Sometimes, there is a cost to apprenticeship . "Bring me 99 wolf heads using this small knife and it alone, then I shall teach you..." or even better, "water my cotton plants every day for a month, then I shall teach you..."

This is tricky. A grandmaster can conceal her/his skill level and appear simply "talented" to others, but doesn't have to reveal a high degree of mastery unless severely dangerous conditions force it out. Likewise, a grandmaster would be able to appear appropriate to any skill level she/he chooses - able to feign the skill of a novice, given how deeply the skill is known. If a grandmaster chooses, the prowess over the skill can be shown.

I've met a few grandmasters of various martial arts systems in my time, and met many masters. Every personality has its differences, but its obvious when command presence is being used. When its being minimized it can seem to disappear. From a tactical perspective, its rarely useful to maintain an expression of one's level of "grandmastery." The instantaneous switch from serene and tranquil, to extreme display of prowess, is far more dramatic when the recipients dont know the scale. Thus, displaying "grandmastery" is always a choice. Its also a strategic choice.

In SoTA terms, I am in agreement with it being "off by default." I am also in agreement with a skill to "profess grandmastery," where one could claim to have such a skill level, even if not even close, and be able to deceive others into believing it.

I think there should be a skill for detecting another player's skill level in anything. There should be an automatic, baseline "guess" based on your skill level vs theirs, that should be a fair guess. Then an additional skill, "detect mastery," would be checked against the other player's skill(s), and against their skill level in "profess grandmastery."

 

i dislike having the gm icon on my name. i think it should only appear to people who are looking for a guild war, when they toggle it on. then they see guild masters who have the option on their end to enable guild war functionality.

that way, my name won't have gm tag on it if i'm not in the mood to put my guild at war, to people who are looking for just that.

 

This thread is about GM = Grandmaster not GM= Guildmaster... But I agree that the guildmaster tag should have a toggle. My alt is a guild of one, so I don't see why it is so important to know she is leading herself. But being in a guildwar should probably flag it on automatically.

 

That's fine with me but what about those who want to advertise? There's a difference between say.. someone playing it close to the vest and someone else broadcasting the info. Just because I choose not to show off my skill shouldn't deny someone else's ability to show off to you.