DeletedUser
So in the beginning, we have nothing but our fists, that count as melee weapons, which we use to duel against the very first quest opponent. As firearm duelists, the first objects used to fight are stones. Both melee and firearm duelists then go on to slingshots, jagged objects, blunt weapons, etc. After all this, we finally get to blades and guns. Soon, we are promised shootout weapons. That's all great. So.... What ever happened to the makeshift objects we used to use to defend ourselves? Why can't we still use them? Master them, even?
What I propose, is bringing back those good old days in a whole new light.
For melee users, we have ourselves a pair of ragged gloves. Now this is just a step up from a bare fist, but a step better nonetheless. As we go on, we get better equipment such as work gloves, padded work gloves, specialist work gloves, fancy cotton gloves, wristbands, wool mittens, brass knuckles, barbwire wraps, spiked gloves, cowboy gloves, high-class elbow gloves, mining gloves, construction gloves, wooden braces, metal plated gloves, gauntlets, etc. The list goes on.
For firearm users, we have ourselves a clay jug shard. Here, we just went from a blunt throwing object to a sharp one - give a concussion or take an eye out, your choice. As we progress, we get more useful weapons, like a handful of sand, tobacco spit, pile of broken glass, animal droppings, bigger rocks, coins, gems, nails, newspapers, boomerangs, frying pans, spittoons, horseshoes, wooden planks, darts, throwing knives, throwing axes, whips, spears, javelins, etc. The list goes on.
Now, using such things effectively are all very hard tasks to accomplish, wouldn't you say? So how is one going to start down the path of a fist-fighting cowpuncher or a spit-hocking gambler? Simple. You start only when you're damn good and ready, that's when! So when do you know when you're prepared? When your raw skills reach that certain level. What that level is, is up to how everybody sees fit; most certainly, it's going to be pretty high. But I'm not talking about looking fancy, I'm not talking about building a shack, I ain't saying ya gots ta go hide in a corner like some coward, or even that you have to thread a needle and make that friggen union flag yourself. Nah, not those little things, but what are they all a part of? What is that overall knowhow you need to be able to do them all at once? What is that thing.... What in the world.... AH!
Attributes. Plain and simple, a single point that gives you 5 skills points in a certain area. But what good are they by themselves? Not much, really. So how do we get a better use out of them? Well, we assign them to our new gloves and stones, that's how! But how do we assign them, and to what? Just put two and two together. Vigor, Toughness, Reflex, Dodging, Aim, Shooting, Tactics, Appearance. Any of these sound familiar? So how about the attributes to which they belong? That's right. Strength for our bodies, Dexterity for our hand-eye-coordination, Mobility to get the hell out of the way of that incoming blow, and Charisma to throw our opponent off-guard. These go both ways, not just for what you're using at the time. And just like that, you took those 8 dueling skills and made them 4. Congratulations.
But why just attributes? Sure, they aren't used for much else, but shouldn't anything else count? Nope. Health points are the universal part of both jobs and dueling, and that is the only skill that needs to be as such. But think about it. Guns? Swords? They're used for nothing but fighting; for killing. But our own two hands that hold those weapons are also used for so many more things. Fighting? Working? You get shot in the back while you're picking flowers, obviously not thinking you need to be ready for a war. You're clad in the best possible clothing for falling down a cliff and into a pile of cactus and coming out feeling like a million bucks - but you're in a ghost town, no one around for miles. Isn't there something more worth your while for passing the time? Those hands. Those hands of yours that do so much. Why not use them now? Wait wait wait - who ever said anything about changing your getup to do something different than what you were planning? Those hands. They can not only pick weeds, but they can hurt others as well. So what could you do to make the most out of them? Waaaait a minute. What was that thing we were just talking about? Didn't you have a pair of gloves, just for that sort of thing? Didn't you have a few darts that could be thrown to gamble at the local saloon? Why yes. Yes infact, you did. So if you're tearing an extremely rooted vegetable out of the ground, and your fist accidentally flies back and decks an assailant right in the face, or you're making bets on who can hit the bullseye, and one of your darts misses by a longshot and impales itself in some jerk's forehead at the bar, you can safely say that not only have you done your task with flying colors, you have also completed what you were originally hoping for.
So all of those multipurpose items, what makes them so great? Why are the requirements so high? Because you not only have a dueling weapon, but work clothes as well. These items have the stats to benefit both a duler AND a worker. These items have the stats to protect yourself while you're constructing a building. These items give you the ability to do a high-level job while you're waiting for that hour-long restriction on your opponent to disappear without worrying about his/her friends showing up at your doorstep. These items even the odds, and open up all new possibilities to explore the world around you. Of course, to promise equality, we'll need the help of some 'special abilities' - DON'T WHINE, IT HAD TO BE SAID SOONER OR LATER.
But you're balancing two things at once, with bare hands and makeshift weaponry; they can't be that useful, can they? Well, that is true. They depend entirely on your abilities as basically a naked human being, so they will not be the greatest in either the field of working or dueling, but they can still help, and having mastered them, you can call upon them quickly. You may lose more duels because of them, and you may not be able to scrape that labor point requirement, but because they are an extention of you, they make it so much easier. These are elite items, best used by higher levels, and should be a lot more expensive than a normal item. Most likely, those who pure stats will find themselves with the top item in that class; an item that will make others fail in comparison.
Now, to figure out the skills.
Remember, these items can only be equipped by attribute levels; "Requires 35 Strength" and whatnot. Dueling levels and character levels have nothing to do with this.
One way to calculate the dueling stats, is to compare them to character level and lower them. The level 35 melee and firearms are the regular Foil(22-44), and the regular Deringer(29-45).
Another way to calculate them, since puring a single attribute is pretty hard to do, is to compare and contrast the dueling stats to the skill points earned for each level. With melee weapons, puring strength and puring vigor completely, you would end up with 140 vigor at level 35, thus being able to wield any weapon up to that level, but doing quite a bit more damage in turn. So it would be best to pick a middle point, and calculate it depending on the nearest pre-existing weaponry at that time.
Now, if we were to make them available to all levels, then let's say up to level 10, these would be like any normal weapon. They'll increase along the way, and once you reach level 20, start showing noticible results from there. Level 50+? Weeeell, now we're talking elite. Not sure of many people who would spend all 99 character levels in a single attribute, but this idea makes the possibility very real.
Other than dueling stats, what about work stats? Most clothing already gives work stats, and only one or two normal weapons do the same, but in a very, VERY little amount. Once again, calculating either of the ways you would with weapons in a style for clothing, will come up with a reasonable number of skills points. If you pure, you get better stats. So a high level item in this class, would then be assumed to have overly generous amounts of extra skill points. Level 50+ attribute? You can expect skills such as 30+ trading, 68+ toughness, 50+ repairing, 80+ horseback riding, to be equipped to a pair of 50+ strength gloves. These are just random numbers, but if you've pured through 50 levels, I'd think you deserve at least that much.
So, the special abilities part? Not quite as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, pretty simple if you think about it. Two things:
1. The town hall lowers the difficulty of constructing buildings, why not give that ability to an item? One of these two abilities would be to decrease the difficulty of a job, so you don't need as many labor points to start it. The higher the level of the item, the more of a bonus it gives to this ability. This effect will benefit duelers the most.
2. We've all seen ambushes, which is pretty much what the attacking side of a duel in this game always is, but it is always fair. But what about counters? Those who are fast enough to flip the table in their favor? This bonus will allow the defender one extra attack to the eight, making a total of nine. This extra attack will come into the duel first thing, before the next eight are calculated. Like a free hit. It is treated as having an unguarded stance, thus increasing the aim and damage of the blow. Or perhaps it could even have a single base damage, that hits 100% of the time for that first blow, and steadily increases as you get a better item in that class. This effect will benefit workers the most. Now they have some small chance of defending themselves.
What I propose, is bringing back those good old days in a whole new light.
For melee users, we have ourselves a pair of ragged gloves. Now this is just a step up from a bare fist, but a step better nonetheless. As we go on, we get better equipment such as work gloves, padded work gloves, specialist work gloves, fancy cotton gloves, wristbands, wool mittens, brass knuckles, barbwire wraps, spiked gloves, cowboy gloves, high-class elbow gloves, mining gloves, construction gloves, wooden braces, metal plated gloves, gauntlets, etc. The list goes on.
For firearm users, we have ourselves a clay jug shard. Here, we just went from a blunt throwing object to a sharp one - give a concussion or take an eye out, your choice. As we progress, we get more useful weapons, like a handful of sand, tobacco spit, pile of broken glass, animal droppings, bigger rocks, coins, gems, nails, newspapers, boomerangs, frying pans, spittoons, horseshoes, wooden planks, darts, throwing knives, throwing axes, whips, spears, javelins, etc. The list goes on.
Now, using such things effectively are all very hard tasks to accomplish, wouldn't you say? So how is one going to start down the path of a fist-fighting cowpuncher or a spit-hocking gambler? Simple. You start only when you're damn good and ready, that's when! So when do you know when you're prepared? When your raw skills reach that certain level. What that level is, is up to how everybody sees fit; most certainly, it's going to be pretty high. But I'm not talking about looking fancy, I'm not talking about building a shack, I ain't saying ya gots ta go hide in a corner like some coward, or even that you have to thread a needle and make that friggen union flag yourself. Nah, not those little things, but what are they all a part of? What is that overall knowhow you need to be able to do them all at once? What is that thing.... What in the world.... AH!
Attributes. Plain and simple, a single point that gives you 5 skills points in a certain area. But what good are they by themselves? Not much, really. So how do we get a better use out of them? Well, we assign them to our new gloves and stones, that's how! But how do we assign them, and to what? Just put two and two together. Vigor, Toughness, Reflex, Dodging, Aim, Shooting, Tactics, Appearance. Any of these sound familiar? So how about the attributes to which they belong? That's right. Strength for our bodies, Dexterity for our hand-eye-coordination, Mobility to get the hell out of the way of that incoming blow, and Charisma to throw our opponent off-guard. These go both ways, not just for what you're using at the time. And just like that, you took those 8 dueling skills and made them 4. Congratulations.
But why just attributes? Sure, they aren't used for much else, but shouldn't anything else count? Nope. Health points are the universal part of both jobs and dueling, and that is the only skill that needs to be as such. But think about it. Guns? Swords? They're used for nothing but fighting; for killing. But our own two hands that hold those weapons are also used for so many more things. Fighting? Working? You get shot in the back while you're picking flowers, obviously not thinking you need to be ready for a war. You're clad in the best possible clothing for falling down a cliff and into a pile of cactus and coming out feeling like a million bucks - but you're in a ghost town, no one around for miles. Isn't there something more worth your while for passing the time? Those hands. Those hands of yours that do so much. Why not use them now? Wait wait wait - who ever said anything about changing your getup to do something different than what you were planning? Those hands. They can not only pick weeds, but they can hurt others as well. So what could you do to make the most out of them? Waaaait a minute. What was that thing we were just talking about? Didn't you have a pair of gloves, just for that sort of thing? Didn't you have a few darts that could be thrown to gamble at the local saloon? Why yes. Yes infact, you did. So if you're tearing an extremely rooted vegetable out of the ground, and your fist accidentally flies back and decks an assailant right in the face, or you're making bets on who can hit the bullseye, and one of your darts misses by a longshot and impales itself in some jerk's forehead at the bar, you can safely say that not only have you done your task with flying colors, you have also completed what you were originally hoping for.
So all of those multipurpose items, what makes them so great? Why are the requirements so high? Because you not only have a dueling weapon, but work clothes as well. These items have the stats to benefit both a duler AND a worker. These items have the stats to protect yourself while you're constructing a building. These items give you the ability to do a high-level job while you're waiting for that hour-long restriction on your opponent to disappear without worrying about his/her friends showing up at your doorstep. These items even the odds, and open up all new possibilities to explore the world around you. Of course, to promise equality, we'll need the help of some 'special abilities' - DON'T WHINE, IT HAD TO BE SAID SOONER OR LATER.
But you're balancing two things at once, with bare hands and makeshift weaponry; they can't be that useful, can they? Well, that is true. They depend entirely on your abilities as basically a naked human being, so they will not be the greatest in either the field of working or dueling, but they can still help, and having mastered them, you can call upon them quickly. You may lose more duels because of them, and you may not be able to scrape that labor point requirement, but because they are an extention of you, they make it so much easier. These are elite items, best used by higher levels, and should be a lot more expensive than a normal item. Most likely, those who pure stats will find themselves with the top item in that class; an item that will make others fail in comparison.
Now, to figure out the skills.
Remember, these items can only be equipped by attribute levels; "Requires 35 Strength" and whatnot. Dueling levels and character levels have nothing to do with this.
One way to calculate the dueling stats, is to compare them to character level and lower them. The level 35 melee and firearms are the regular Foil(22-44), and the regular Deringer(29-45).
Another way to calculate them, since puring a single attribute is pretty hard to do, is to compare and contrast the dueling stats to the skill points earned for each level. With melee weapons, puring strength and puring vigor completely, you would end up with 140 vigor at level 35, thus being able to wield any weapon up to that level, but doing quite a bit more damage in turn. So it would be best to pick a middle point, and calculate it depending on the nearest pre-existing weaponry at that time.
Now, if we were to make them available to all levels, then let's say up to level 10, these would be like any normal weapon. They'll increase along the way, and once you reach level 20, start showing noticible results from there. Level 50+? Weeeell, now we're talking elite. Not sure of many people who would spend all 99 character levels in a single attribute, but this idea makes the possibility very real.
Other than dueling stats, what about work stats? Most clothing already gives work stats, and only one or two normal weapons do the same, but in a very, VERY little amount. Once again, calculating either of the ways you would with weapons in a style for clothing, will come up with a reasonable number of skills points. If you pure, you get better stats. So a high level item in this class, would then be assumed to have overly generous amounts of extra skill points. Level 50+ attribute? You can expect skills such as 30+ trading, 68+ toughness, 50+ repairing, 80+ horseback riding, to be equipped to a pair of 50+ strength gloves. These are just random numbers, but if you've pured through 50 levels, I'd think you deserve at least that much.
So, the special abilities part? Not quite as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, pretty simple if you think about it. Two things:
1. The town hall lowers the difficulty of constructing buildings, why not give that ability to an item? One of these two abilities would be to decrease the difficulty of a job, so you don't need as many labor points to start it. The higher the level of the item, the more of a bonus it gives to this ability. This effect will benefit duelers the most.
2. We've all seen ambushes, which is pretty much what the attacking side of a duel in this game always is, but it is always fair. But what about counters? Those who are fast enough to flip the table in their favor? This bonus will allow the defender one extra attack to the eight, making a total of nine. This extra attack will come into the duel first thing, before the next eight are calculated. Like a free hit. It is treated as having an unguarded stance, thus increasing the aim and damage of the blow. Or perhaps it could even have a single base damage, that hits 100% of the time for that first blow, and steadily increases as you get a better item in that class. This effect will benefit workers the most. Now they have some small chance of defending themselves.