Feedback:User/Arghore/Generic Weaponskills on non-profession weapons

Generic Weaponskills on non-profession weapons
User	Arghore
Categories	Mechanics Items

This suggestion deals with one of my biggest pet-peeves in MMOs, the 'you can not use this' message on weapons. More then often it totally ruins the joy of a drop, and it also makes me frustrated about the suggested 'fact' that if my necro finds a sword, (s)he can not figure out that the pointy end and the sharp edges will hurt. For GW2 to be the best MMORPG of today&tomorrow the 'you can not use this' needs to go.

The suggestion is to give every weapon a few generic underpowered skills (more on underpowered below), these are thus not linked to a profession and are equal for all professions that do not have the particular weapon as a 'profession weapon'. This gives the following opportunities in regards to the game:

• Professions that now have fairly limited weapon options get access to all weapons, be it with generic skills.
• Various suggested weapontype features can be integrated in generic skills (f/e a melee staff, or bare handed combat)
• Now that all professions can pick up all weapons a whole lot of 'themes' become available on characters, carried as a 2nd weaponset, that are otherwise not possible. (f/e a Necro-Pirate with Sword & Pistol)
• Now that most professions have access to underpowered weapons, they can use these weapons to act as a self-emposed HardMode (in low or high lvl content)
• Another convention is out of the door, one that limits the use of weapons to certain classes just because, well i never realy understood why...
• The game becomes a more finished whole, there seem to be no 'designer cut corners' which oozes higher pollish and thus better quality.
• Having generic skills on weapons now, does not exclude some of these weapons to become profession linked at some point. In fact, it makes a lot more sense if a profession can already use the weapon, but 'now' has also found ways to integrate the weapon into it's arsenal with profession related skills.

Setup of Generic Skills

To make sure these skills do not completely replace other weapons (besides flavor), i think making the skills on them 'underpowered' is the best way to go. In a sense they become like the racial skills, an option for flavor and in some cases some added 'utility', but by no means a full replacement of true profession skills. The way to make them underpowered (see below) also makes sense in regards to the amount of time that has to be spend on development of this feature:

Main Hand weapons: gets 2 skills (in slot 1 & 2)

Off Hand weapons: gets 1 skill (in slot 4)

Dual Hand weapons: gets 3 skills (in slot 1,2 & 3)

Giving the generic weapons less skills makes perfect sense to me: the profession may figure out the general purpose of a weapon (basics) but can't become proficient users of them. This also means that the actual skills on them may follow general balance conventions, as the weapons are limited in amount of skills, not in actual power. (though a X% could be used in their formulas, so that they don't have to be considdered specifically in every balance review).

• By making clever use of already excisting animations for all weapons across all professions and races, the amount of new animations can remain limited to truely new skills. These new skill type animations (f/e bare handed combat) may very well be re-used in other content. So clever design of the generic skills can reduce development time by reusing animations, and new animations can be justified by creating content around them.
• The 'you can not use this' message can now be replaced with 'this weapon has limited usefulness'

Examples

I think I will have to give some examples to get the creative juices flowing. Obviously i don't have all animations in my head, but by giving examples for various weapons atleast the idea comes across and you (ANet) can take over with some better suited skills:

• While i give examples for all, it may be more suitable to limit some weapons to main or offhand generic use. The point is to make all weapons have A use, be it limited, so that the 'you can not use this' can go.
• !! Due to the small amount of under water weapons i would exclude underwater weapons from the system

Main Bare Hand

1. Right hook, damage

2. Push, minimal knock back

or

2. Shin Kick, short cripple

Off Bare Hand

4. Left hook, damage

Main Axe

1. Hack, top swing, damage

2. Throw, throw axe, damage

Off Axe

4. Swing, right to left swing, damage

Main Dagger

1. Slice, left to right swing, damage

2. Throw, throw dagger, damage

Off Dagger

4. Stab, damage

Main Mace

1. Whack, top swing, damage

2. Throw, throw Mace, limited knockback

Off Mace

4. Swing, right to left swing, damage

Main Pistol

1. Shoot, damage

2. Throw, short confusion

or

2. Pistol Whack, damage

Off Pistol

4. Shoot, damage

Main Scepter

1. It's a kind a magic, random scepter skill from other professions

or

1. In your face, swing scepter damage

2. Poke Eye, short blindness

Off Scepter

4. None, there is no dual scepter ingame

Main Sword

1. Stab, damage

2. Slice, right to left, damage

Off Sword

4. Swing, right to left, damage

Off Focus

4. Pray this works, random scepter skill from other profession

or

4. Whack, hit foe with focus, damage

or

4. Throw, throw focus, short confusion

Off Shield

4. Hide, hide behind shield, damage reduction ór block next

Off Torch

4. Light, set foe on fire, short burning

Off Warhorn

4. Attention, blow horn, small adrenalin boost

Great Sword

1. Stab, damage

2. Swing, arc damage

3. Whirl, 360 damage

Great Hammer

1. Side Swing, (arc?) damage

2. Front Swing, damage with chance on knockdown

3. Toe smasher, lift hammer drop on toes, short cripple

Longbow

1. Shoot arrow, damage

2. Lucky shot, damage and 50% chance on penetrate

3. Whack, whack foe with bow short stun on hit

or

3. Stab, stab foe with arrow in melee range, damage

Rifle

1. Shoot, damage

2. Lucky shot, damage + 50% chance on bleed

3. Swing, swing rifle at foe, damage

or

3. Push, use back of rifle to push foe back, short knockback

Shortbow

1. Shoot arrow, damage

2. Lucky shot, damage + 50% chance on bleed

3. Throw, throw bow at foe short confuse

Staff 1. Whack, overhead swing at foe, damage

2. Swing, right to left swing at foe, damage

3. Push, push back foe with staff end, small knockback

or

3. Pole jump, Use the staff to jump forwards.

• final note: if i were to hope anything to be added to GW2 in the state GW2 is now, it would be this feature. It would be the cherry on the cake as far as playoptions go. --Arghore 21:05, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Return to the suggestion portal.