Starting Quests Questions and Chosen Paths (Answers are irrelevent now)

Discussion in 'Player Created Resources' started by Coconut, Jan 15, 2016.

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  1. Coconut

    Coconut Avatar

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    So went back to update the starting quest and path chart and found there is an added reply to the questions - at the end she tells you which path you have chosen and where you are headed but she also asks you that if you want to change it you can and pick whatever you want. So you do not have to lie anymore but you still only get the simple choice of 3 templates Ranged, Blades, or Fire Mage.

    Here is updated chart with starting towns filled in and if you just answer the question the results you will get.

    [​IMG]

    Again the questions are irrelevant, you can change it at the end.

    Blades - Battle of Highvale
    Arcane (Fire tree) - Blood River
    Ranged - Solus Bridge
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2016
  2. Lissira

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    I hope we get an edition to this. I would love to start with custom skills like back in UO. Feels more in-tune with Character Shaping :)
     
  3. Moiseyev Trueden

    Moiseyev Trueden Avatar

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    The devs are very anti that for some odd reason (I know the supposed reasons, just disagree with them). But they are putting in the ability to untrain skills so you can wipe what you don't want and I believe get some minimal extra xp for it (doesn't give you extra skills though... just general exp)
     
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  4. Lissira

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    Sounds like a good plan.
     
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  5. Bubonic

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    Lum hates the idea, but I'm going to keep saying it. The gypsy's questions and your answers should affect attributes, not skills. Having this affect skills makes no sense, and causes all kinds of problems.

    In my opinion, it's a poor design choice.
     
  6. KuBaTRiZeS

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    Awesome! Thank you very much. It's a bit sad how only the majority counts... i'd love if choosing love only questions could give you a different build than answering Love with some Truth or Love with some courage... but if we can change that afterwards, what's the point of tying answers to the path we chose?

    QFT. Attributes are always a benefit for everyone, and people wouldn't feel too compelled to pick a path over another. To me the real reason for the paths to exist is to enjoy the moral aspect of our character... tying starting skills to the chosen path is very Ultima, but it also defeats the purpose of diverging path characters... like the Courageous sorcerer or the ranger seeking for Truth. Or what's worst; it doesn't allow us to honestly answer as ourselves and play the character we want to play at the same time.
     
  7. Bubonic

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    In the older ultimas, the questions were tied to attributes, not skills, unless there is an extra layer that I'm not aware of:

    • Honor: +1 STR and +1 INT.
    • Humility: Contributes no stats at all.
     
  8. KuBaTRiZeS

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    I gladly stand corrected then! I like that even more. I can only see advantages to that approach...
    • Higher starting stats could make starting characters more powerful.
    • The capped amount of stats could be way higher than the amount you start with so it's not really decisive
    • Stats doesn't determine your playstyle, so the only reason to lie in the answers is a meaningless early powergaming. (Playing an archer with high focus because choosing Truth could be great, even when the optimal choosing is Love)
    • Am i the only one that's wondering the meaning of Dexterity being left as "the attribute of love"?
    Ok the last one doesn't count but i find it too hilarious to let it pass :D The point is that having an option to change the chosen path made questions irrelevant as stated in the OP... I can't see a better reason to change it into somtehing more meaningful and practical, like this.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2016
  9. Bubonic

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    I agree with all of your points.
     
  10. Bubonic

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    In addition, the only reasoning given as to why this was such a bad idea was that the devs "don't want the users to have to deal with attributes."

    Again, this makes no sense to me. How is dealing with attributes any different or worse than dealing with skills? It's kind of a non-argument.

    It seems like there are a lot of really good reasons to consider this route, and not really any good reasons not to.
     
  11. Solazur

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    I'd like to see a pool of points we could use for allocation of initial combat skills.
     
  12. KuBaTRiZeS

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    That's an obvious and cool way of doing it... if they want to keep the organic approach i think we could have another NPC that asks us "what do we want to be" instead of "how would we behave". Like a bard asking us about how do we picture our future self or something like that.

    Allow me to dream on a bit here... What could be the best is to handle the tutorials in a way that we have a different set of objects you get the initial skills related with that object. Then, at the end of the tutorial you're granted with the skills you used the most. For example you reach out from the moongate and find a weapon rack with a spear, a sword, a short bow or a mace... and further ahead you can find a spellbook of each magic school... Way further you find a chainmail vest so you can swap from light armor to heavy armor... then at the end Edvard talks to you about the way you fought and drop a sentence about you regarding the skills you'll be granted. Something like "i can see you being a fearless warrior! your mace will bring down a thousand foes" if you chose maces or maybe "you have a knack for water magic, you should study further until you master the powers of the arcane" if you chose that particular school.

    Of course there are edge cases and stuff, but those can be handled one way or another. Just how cool that may be? you enter a new magical world as The Avatar, destined for glory or doom by ancient prophecies and as you start discovering the world, the world reacts by making you proficent with what you chose to be in the first place!
     
  13. Miracle Dragon

    Miracle Dragon Legend of the Hearth

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    I'd like for the questions to feel even more meaningful in SotA, than they ever were in Ultima. I'd also like to feel rewarded for answering honestly as my true self. I want some level of meta-gaming involved in this aspect of SotA. I recommend they forget the stats and skills aspect, and instead, focus on linking these answers to how you progress through the story, how NPCs will react to you, and how readily which virtues speak to you and harmonize with your character, through meditation or karma or the variance of future companions.
     
  14. Weins201

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    Bumping to keep up top for new players
     
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  15. HoustonDragon

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    This should actually get a sticky from the Devs, if possible. Good information for new folks
     
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