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Ehm obviously my idea with sockets was much simpler, in practice stats boosts or maybe fire damage/protection, and maybe some other small things (HP/SP regen) but nothing as complex as adding spells or proc stuff

Neverr wrote:Honestly the simple fact that you recognize what you are doing "less fine grated customization" is a huge factor to ease the hit. I'm glad that you aren't simply propagating an aura of superiority and giving speeches about how you are simply making the game better, and the community is wrong. I'm totally behind you for acknowledging it. Big props!

Thanks, but I don't think it's that praiseworthy. Of course I do hope to make the game better, otherwise proposing changes would be kinda pointless. It's just that better is a pretty useless term on it's own in game design. Better at what? Baking cake? (To paraphrase my old physics teacher.) The problem is simply that we have so many characters that having an elaborate equipment system becomes a bother instead of an asset. Even worse the huge amount of items makes testing and balancing pretty difficult. As an actual example, we only realised a year after release that some cold resisting equipment didn't actually resist cold.
It's not only the equipment system that has this problem. As a general rule of thumb the more characters the player has to manage the less complex they can be before it becomes overwhelming. So the goal I'm working on this time is pretty much making the game simpler, or streamlining it. (Or dumbing it down if one feels uncharitable.)

On a side note, What Jack suggested would be awesome, the whole socket deal like torchlight or an even better example would be path of exile. (For those who haven't really heard of it you should check it out). PoE truly takes the ability to customize anything to the max and is close to the epitome of character customization. [...]

Simple things like "Proc on being hit" or "Proc when striking" for weapons, trigger gems adds an extreme amount of flavor to a game.

To the point I'd even say I'm an advocate of a much smaller item pool if we were allowed the ability to customize the items we can use with unique triggers and stat gems.

Thanks, now I can't stop thinking how to implement such a system.

The plan is a more abstract enchantment system. It's pretty much the same as the socketing of gems though, I'm only keeping a bit more design space open with an abstract concept.
I'm not sure if we're on the same page when we talk about triggers, but it's currently not planned for any enchantment to actively do something automatically. Conditional boosts are a different story and easily implemented with the new framework. Making abilities available to the character is also a possibility.

Anima_ wrote: Thanks, but I don't think it's that praiseworthy.

Honestly it is. Perhaps in an ideal world such things would not be worth mention, but in the stark reality we reside in today humility and humbleness are things to covet in game developers. So any hint of such traits I like to properly give respects to.

Anima_ wrote: Thanks, now I can't stop thinking how to implement such a system.

The plan is a more abstract enchantment system. It's pretty much the same as the socketing of gems though, I'm only keeping a bit more design space open with an abstract concept.
I'm not sure if we're on the same page when we talk about triggers, but it's currently not planned for any enchantment to actively do something automatically. Conditional boosts are a different story and easily implemented with the new framework. Making abilities available to the character is also a possibility.

Haha well good! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Many game designers say they are listening to fans. Some actually do and do takes notes. Others say they do and not actually look at anything. Others plain ignore them in general. To know that we are actually getting some feedback is extremely refreshing.

True, but also some people tend to think that if their superior (be it boss or game developer) doesn't agree with them, then they're being ignored.

Naturally with a community this small it feels like being half a developer when you post I've been here for like a week and discussed topics with 3 devs that I know of, most of all Jack. If the games were larger they'd have community managers to funnel the feedback and devs would be concentrating on developing.

Video game development is struggle between creative freedom and appeasing an audience. I do think there are times where developers have to put their foot down in order to get things done and stay true to their vision. People tend to be resistant to change; it may take time for them to embrace the change once everything falls into place. On the other hand, the audience can be a source for ideas that developers have not thought of themselves and challenge the developers' preconceptions. Some ideas that look good on paper may not work in practice, and sometimes it takes some fresh eyes to see it.

I always listen to everyone's suggestions. Then sometimes as Jaeger says, the ideas are good "on paper" but when implemented don't work (for a variety of reasons: too hard to code, unbalancing, requiring too much work to finish the game in time, etc etc).
Sometimes of course I plain disagree with the ideas and I don't listen but I have to say that this happened rarely so far!

I did like the idea of Tasks in the various cities (and of course, rising Fame decreasing the costs at the shops was a nice touch).

If there is time, and inclination, and depending on just what happens in the game, you might do a few different quests pertinent to the city.

For example, unless I'm mistaken, I think Horus is supposed to be the preeminent city of magic in the Empire. A wizard may approach the party to find a rare text. Maybe a few students approach Chambara, wanting to be taught by her/join her cult of personality. Maybe there is a human who may actually feel more at home in the woods, and might approach Myrth, feeling if she could be taught druidic ways.

Yes I want to do more sidequests, like the ones I'm doing right now for SOTW. They would be entirely optional but give something more besides the "tasks".

There has already been discussion over character creation but not much on backgrounds of Saren and Elenor.

The background creation in the first Loren was done in the beginning, and I encourage this practice for the sequel as well. The dialogues, were the background of the player character is brought to light, make the player character feel so much more unique. During problematic events the player character could present solutions based on his experiences in the past. Background references during romance scenes are also appreciated. For example: Elenor being a harem spy during Queen Karen romance. I hope that during the development of the sequel this practice is also used whenever possible and sensible.

What I wish to know is following: During the character creation of the upcoming sequel, are the background choices still the same or are they completely erased from the way of new possibilities. In short, has the history of servitude of player charater been totally erased, changed or is it still there?