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A number of our guild members are rather excited about the new online game Horizons, including myself. I知 not overly impressed with the graphics, but the game play sounds very interesting. One of our guild leaders posted some information about their trade skill system and I thought you all might interested in taking a look at how a different game is going about their trade skill system.
Horizons Interview: James Jones
Utildayael: How would you describe the trade skill system in Horizons?
Scan: The core concept behind items in Horizons is player creation. While there will be thousands of predefined items placed in the game, the most unique and valuable items will be made by players. Also, almost every item in the game can be player made or scavenged. Providing alternate means to survive and advance without predominantly living on a coin system. A major focus of the items is economic balance and trade. If money becomes too common in the realm it begins to drastically devalue.
The Horizon's economy is based largely on trade between Players, rather than interaction with NPC merchants, although NPC merchants may very well be employees of characters themselves, hence still contributing to player trade not player/npc trade.
An additional source for economic balance comes from the mastery of skills. Practice alone will not be enough to master skills, there will be consumables that must be bought or traded for in order to improve skills. The skill mastery system will also require a player to advance to more expensive components to advance a skill beyond a certain level. Quests will have to be completed, and new teachers sought out to advance skills past certain levels. Some skills require dedicated facilities to perform, which often times are quite expensive, while others rely heavily on other players.
Utildayael: What sets this system apart from other trade skill systems in similiar games (UO, EQ, AC) ?
Scan: There is a lot more focus on player created items. Any item in the game can be made or scavenged by players. This will include the "uber" items. If the item is found somewhere in the game, expect to find a formula to make that item somewhere in the game. Now there are a few and I mean a few exceptional items that are merely myth and legend, no one has ever actually seen these items. However, it may be possible that a player could come across one of these artifacts. Which of course these items can never be duplicated. Trade skills are also heavily tied into the quest system. So a lot of items will require very unique exotic items that can only be obtained through a randomly generated quest.
Utildayael: What have you learned from other MMORPGs as far as trade skills go?
Scan: Personally in most of the MMORPG's out there I always found trade skills to be of insignificant value in terms of time/money resource spent on them vs reward achieved. I could always make more money, get better items, and have more fun killing and camping than doing trade skills, and that's pretty sad, cause camping has to be the absolute most boring thing to do. Now UO was quite a bit better at trade skills than the other games, my problem with UO was the look of the game. There was no immersion factor to it and I always had a hard time forcing myself to play. So I can't honestly judge their trade skills as well as the other games.
Utildayael: Will the system accomodate changes and additions, such as new items that can be made, and even new trades?
Scan: The system is extremely dynamic, currently there are 48 trade skills. These skills cover every possible item that will be implemented at launch. However, our system does allow us to add new items and new skills very easily.
Utildayael: What is your favorite thing about the trade skill system in Horizons?
Scan: Diversity. Players will be able to become extremely skilled at certain skills and will have to rely on other players to support them in making great items. I think it will be a tremendous aid in creating overall social strength in the various cities of the land. I think you'll see villages that specialize in gathering raw materials and taking them to the cities where the concentration of tradesfolk will be so they are close to other skilled trades folk to make great items. This is very similar to how our real world developed and worked prior to the industrial revolution.
Utildayael: What has been the biggest challenge in the development of trade skills?
Scan: The biggest challenge is defining what is enough and what is too much. The core concept came to me about two years ago, and I've kept it in a notebook ever since. Applying the general skill tree concept and deciding which skills would be valuable and needed and what skills were just filler. That was one of the things that really irritated me with other mmorpg trade skills. Certain skills just didnt have a lot of real value. Like cooking, when cooked items had no benefit over bought items that were cheaper.
Utildayael: If I was interested in becoming a tradesman, how would I start, and more importantly, how would I be able to afford it without having to resort to fighting for startup money?
Scan: Well in the cities you will always find willing npc's looking for new apprentices. They will train you, and provide you with the basic neccesities to get started in your career. As well as, providing you a facility to use until you are able to branch out on your own. Of course, these merchants will usually want a percentage of any business you do in their establishment, and will usually take a percentage of your business for a time after you build your own facility.
Utildayael: Will titles of skill (master, apprentice) be assigned automaticaly with skill level? Will there be visible rank titles at all?
Scan: We have decided yet how we will distuingish the level of a trades person. Personally I don't really want to see people using a number scale. 94 skill weapon smith making weapons at a great price!. That's the kind of thing I don't really want to see. This is an area that we will be finalizing in the next couple of weeks.
Utildayael: If, for example, metals become too rare, and no one is willing to become a miner/metal maker, how would the game world compensate for the demand?
Scan: It doesn't, if the players let their economy fall apart, and don't mine metals any longer than its their own fault. It will be a lot like the real world from that aspect. As armor and weapons start to break down over time, adventurers will be forced to either mine the metals themselves or pay great sums to get a retired miner to do it. The metal will always be in the world, but the players have to go get it.
Utildayael: How intricate will the trade skills be? For example, what would be required (material wise and skill wise) for someone wanting to build a small house?
Scan: Every item will have a formula that must be scribed into the players books. Some items are used to make other items, but all items have a formula. A house for example will include probably 5 or 6 different skills, each having a list of procedures that the tradesman must know in order to build the house. If he hasn't learned how to frame a door yet, then chances are if he tries to frame the door it won't work right. Players will learn individual processes in each skill, this I think is a better way than a numerical system to judge skill level. If a player knows 8 weapon smithing processes, then he is quite a skilled weaponsmith.
Utildayael: Could a large group of tradesman get together and purchase a workshop and all be able to use it effectively?
Scan: Absolutely
Utildayael: Could a few smiths form an assembly line of sorts, (one makes the blades, one the hilts, the other puts them together) and would there be an advantage to doing that?
Scan: That is very possible, and up to the players to find out.
Utildayael: Will woodworkers & smiths require each other for the most rudimenary of things? (e.g. nails, axe handles) Will those things be NPC produced?
Scan: If a weapon needs a wood handle, or a wood tool, weapon or item needs a metal part then they need each other.
Utildayael: Will tradesmen be able to work on multiple things at once? (eg. can a woodworker make 24 chair legs one day, and assemble 5 chairs out of them the next)
Scan: Depends on the size of his shop. If he has enough space, and enough clamps in his inventory there is no reason why he can't do multiple tasks at once.... once each task is initiated.
Utildayael: What do you feel is the single most important thing to get right in the trade skill system, the one thing that will keep people in thier tradesmen profressions?
Scan: Value and Reward. Players have to be able to have fun doing their profession and they must be able to make items of value. If either of those are missed, trade skills will be a failure.
Utildayael: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview James!
Interview: http://horizonsvault.ign.com/feature...rviews/3.shtml
Home Page: http://www.istaria.com/
If you would like to read more information in an FAQ format, take a look at this link:
http://hovault.ign.com/thegame/faq/
Horizons Interview: James Jones
Utildayael: How would you describe the trade skill system in Horizons?
Scan: The core concept behind items in Horizons is player creation. While there will be thousands of predefined items placed in the game, the most unique and valuable items will be made by players. Also, almost every item in the game can be player made or scavenged. Providing alternate means to survive and advance without predominantly living on a coin system. A major focus of the items is economic balance and trade. If money becomes too common in the realm it begins to drastically devalue.
The Horizon's economy is based largely on trade between Players, rather than interaction with NPC merchants, although NPC merchants may very well be employees of characters themselves, hence still contributing to player trade not player/npc trade.
An additional source for economic balance comes from the mastery of skills. Practice alone will not be enough to master skills, there will be consumables that must be bought or traded for in order to improve skills. The skill mastery system will also require a player to advance to more expensive components to advance a skill beyond a certain level. Quests will have to be completed, and new teachers sought out to advance skills past certain levels. Some skills require dedicated facilities to perform, which often times are quite expensive, while others rely heavily on other players.
Utildayael: What sets this system apart from other trade skill systems in similiar games (UO, EQ, AC) ?
Scan: There is a lot more focus on player created items. Any item in the game can be made or scavenged by players. This will include the "uber" items. If the item is found somewhere in the game, expect to find a formula to make that item somewhere in the game. Now there are a few and I mean a few exceptional items that are merely myth and legend, no one has ever actually seen these items. However, it may be possible that a player could come across one of these artifacts. Which of course these items can never be duplicated. Trade skills are also heavily tied into the quest system. So a lot of items will require very unique exotic items that can only be obtained through a randomly generated quest.
Utildayael: What have you learned from other MMORPGs as far as trade skills go?
Scan: Personally in most of the MMORPG's out there I always found trade skills to be of insignificant value in terms of time/money resource spent on them vs reward achieved. I could always make more money, get better items, and have more fun killing and camping than doing trade skills, and that's pretty sad, cause camping has to be the absolute most boring thing to do. Now UO was quite a bit better at trade skills than the other games, my problem with UO was the look of the game. There was no immersion factor to it and I always had a hard time forcing myself to play. So I can't honestly judge their trade skills as well as the other games.
Utildayael: Will the system accomodate changes and additions, such as new items that can be made, and even new trades?
Scan: The system is extremely dynamic, currently there are 48 trade skills. These skills cover every possible item that will be implemented at launch. However, our system does allow us to add new items and new skills very easily.
Utildayael: What is your favorite thing about the trade skill system in Horizons?
Scan: Diversity. Players will be able to become extremely skilled at certain skills and will have to rely on other players to support them in making great items. I think it will be a tremendous aid in creating overall social strength in the various cities of the land. I think you'll see villages that specialize in gathering raw materials and taking them to the cities where the concentration of tradesfolk will be so they are close to other skilled trades folk to make great items. This is very similar to how our real world developed and worked prior to the industrial revolution.
Utildayael: What has been the biggest challenge in the development of trade skills?
Scan: The biggest challenge is defining what is enough and what is too much. The core concept came to me about two years ago, and I've kept it in a notebook ever since. Applying the general skill tree concept and deciding which skills would be valuable and needed and what skills were just filler. That was one of the things that really irritated me with other mmorpg trade skills. Certain skills just didnt have a lot of real value. Like cooking, when cooked items had no benefit over bought items that were cheaper.
Utildayael: If I was interested in becoming a tradesman, how would I start, and more importantly, how would I be able to afford it without having to resort to fighting for startup money?
Scan: Well in the cities you will always find willing npc's looking for new apprentices. They will train you, and provide you with the basic neccesities to get started in your career. As well as, providing you a facility to use until you are able to branch out on your own. Of course, these merchants will usually want a percentage of any business you do in their establishment, and will usually take a percentage of your business for a time after you build your own facility.
Utildayael: Will titles of skill (master, apprentice) be assigned automaticaly with skill level? Will there be visible rank titles at all?
Scan: We have decided yet how we will distuingish the level of a trades person. Personally I don't really want to see people using a number scale. 94 skill weapon smith making weapons at a great price!. That's the kind of thing I don't really want to see. This is an area that we will be finalizing in the next couple of weeks.
Utildayael: If, for example, metals become too rare, and no one is willing to become a miner/metal maker, how would the game world compensate for the demand?
Scan: It doesn't, if the players let their economy fall apart, and don't mine metals any longer than its their own fault. It will be a lot like the real world from that aspect. As armor and weapons start to break down over time, adventurers will be forced to either mine the metals themselves or pay great sums to get a retired miner to do it. The metal will always be in the world, but the players have to go get it.
Utildayael: How intricate will the trade skills be? For example, what would be required (material wise and skill wise) for someone wanting to build a small house?
Scan: Every item will have a formula that must be scribed into the players books. Some items are used to make other items, but all items have a formula. A house for example will include probably 5 or 6 different skills, each having a list of procedures that the tradesman must know in order to build the house. If he hasn't learned how to frame a door yet, then chances are if he tries to frame the door it won't work right. Players will learn individual processes in each skill, this I think is a better way than a numerical system to judge skill level. If a player knows 8 weapon smithing processes, then he is quite a skilled weaponsmith.
Utildayael: Could a large group of tradesman get together and purchase a workshop and all be able to use it effectively?
Scan: Absolutely
Utildayael: Could a few smiths form an assembly line of sorts, (one makes the blades, one the hilts, the other puts them together) and would there be an advantage to doing that?
Scan: That is very possible, and up to the players to find out.
Utildayael: Will woodworkers & smiths require each other for the most rudimenary of things? (e.g. nails, axe handles) Will those things be NPC produced?
Scan: If a weapon needs a wood handle, or a wood tool, weapon or item needs a metal part then they need each other.
Utildayael: Will tradesmen be able to work on multiple things at once? (eg. can a woodworker make 24 chair legs one day, and assemble 5 chairs out of them the next)
Scan: Depends on the size of his shop. If he has enough space, and enough clamps in his inventory there is no reason why he can't do multiple tasks at once.... once each task is initiated.
Utildayael: What do you feel is the single most important thing to get right in the trade skill system, the one thing that will keep people in thier tradesmen profressions?
Scan: Value and Reward. Players have to be able to have fun doing their profession and they must be able to make items of value. If either of those are missed, trade skills will be a failure.
Utildayael: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview James!
Interview: http://horizonsvault.ign.com/feature...rviews/3.shtml
Home Page: http://www.istaria.com/
If you would like to read more information in an FAQ format, take a look at this link:
http://hovault.ign.com/thegame/faq/
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