Wauten Dayhil
Demon Hunter and Wordplay Extraordinaire
Hello forum-goers, I am Restless, Lord of Undeveloped Game Ideas,
A bit ago, I was watching some gameplay of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, during which magic was being used constantly (illusion magic, cast on passerby NPCs, to quickly level it). It got me thinking - why would constantly casting the same spell over and over again teach you about the finesse behind a proper calm spell, or what kind of flames you should picture when casting a fireball, for the greatest effect? I know a lot of others have wondered about this, and decided to make mods to fix such things in games, but I'm lazy and I don't know how to mod, so I'm putting this out there for someone else to take and do with as they please. And if anyone else wants to add on, they can do so by replying here.
Anyways, on to the actual idea I had. So essentially, when you cast spells in games, a value is added to your experience, based the difficulty of the spell, correct? An Expert level spell will give you more experience than a Novice spell. Experience gained increases your skill, which increases your ability to cast such spells efficiently and with more power behind them. Simple. But what if - and I know I'm crazy for saying this - what if there was ANOTHER experience bar? Two bars that are affected by how you, as the player, want to use magic.
So first off, you have an experience bar that's known as your Theoretical Knowledge (TK). This is what you know about a specific magic skill (I'll be using the well-known fireball as an example) and how it can be applied. What the best shape of a fireball is, the most efficient way to construct the spell in your mind, all the different effects you can make your flames have, et cetera, et cetera. You learn the ins and outs of the basic fireball, and your basic fireballs aren't so basic anymore (possibly not even fire!). TK is increased by studying the craft in detail - going to classes, reading studies on it, getting tutoring from your professors, and so forth. At the end of the day, it lets you cast more spells, and they can have more effects (damage over time, extra/different base elements, a spreading of the fire, etc.), so you can play with your magic more.
The second experience bar would be linked to your Practical Knowledge (PK). This stat delves into your basic ability to impact the world through your magic. The previous example, fireballs, would be changed in a rawer way... More raw..? Anyways. They'd do more damage, be larger, and you could put more power into any extra effects that are available (from your Theoretical Knowledge). So with a high PK, you would be better and better at killing things with your fireball. PK is increased through actual use of the skill; be it in combat, conversation, or some other C word that's related to actively doing something (gotta get the alliteration in there).
So you put effort into your Theoretical Knowledge of spells to give yourself access to more variants and the ability to cast more spells (figure you only get so many spells per day or something - ya know, D&D-style), while you increase your Practical in order to have a stronger influence on whatever you're throwing magic at. This way, equilibrium between the two can be achieved by increasing each at an even pace, or the player could dump all of the exp into one or the other. Theoretical to have a ton of little spells, or a handful of giant, anime-powerful ones courtesy of Practical applications. This way, players get to decide what kind of magic his/her character makes use of, and how reliant they are on other skills to explore whatever world the characters inhabit.
Come to think of it, this type of experience system could be applied to other aspects of games, too. Finesse versus Brute Force, Intimidation or Persuasiveness, all kinds of similar-but-not-quite-the-same aspects in games.
Anyways, thank you for your time, and I hope you can make use of this in your endeavors, people of the Internet.
A bit ago, I was watching some gameplay of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, during which magic was being used constantly (illusion magic, cast on passerby NPCs, to quickly level it). It got me thinking - why would constantly casting the same spell over and over again teach you about the finesse behind a proper calm spell, or what kind of flames you should picture when casting a fireball, for the greatest effect? I know a lot of others have wondered about this, and decided to make mods to fix such things in games, but I'm lazy and I don't know how to mod, so I'm putting this out there for someone else to take and do with as they please. And if anyone else wants to add on, they can do so by replying here.
Anyways, on to the actual idea I had. So essentially, when you cast spells in games, a value is added to your experience, based the difficulty of the spell, correct? An Expert level spell will give you more experience than a Novice spell. Experience gained increases your skill, which increases your ability to cast such spells efficiently and with more power behind them. Simple. But what if - and I know I'm crazy for saying this - what if there was ANOTHER experience bar? Two bars that are affected by how you, as the player, want to use magic.
So first off, you have an experience bar that's known as your Theoretical Knowledge (TK). This is what you know about a specific magic skill (I'll be using the well-known fireball as an example) and how it can be applied. What the best shape of a fireball is, the most efficient way to construct the spell in your mind, all the different effects you can make your flames have, et cetera, et cetera. You learn the ins and outs of the basic fireball, and your basic fireballs aren't so basic anymore (possibly not even fire!). TK is increased by studying the craft in detail - going to classes, reading studies on it, getting tutoring from your professors, and so forth. At the end of the day, it lets you cast more spells, and they can have more effects (damage over time, extra/different base elements, a spreading of the fire, etc.), so you can play with your magic more.
The second experience bar would be linked to your Practical Knowledge (PK). This stat delves into your basic ability to impact the world through your magic. The previous example, fireballs, would be changed in a rawer way... More raw..? Anyways. They'd do more damage, be larger, and you could put more power into any extra effects that are available (from your Theoretical Knowledge). So with a high PK, you would be better and better at killing things with your fireball. PK is increased through actual use of the skill; be it in combat, conversation, or some other C word that's related to actively doing something (gotta get the alliteration in there).
So you put effort into your Theoretical Knowledge of spells to give yourself access to more variants and the ability to cast more spells (figure you only get so many spells per day or something - ya know, D&D-style), while you increase your Practical in order to have a stronger influence on whatever you're throwing magic at. This way, equilibrium between the two can be achieved by increasing each at an even pace, or the player could dump all of the exp into one or the other. Theoretical to have a ton of little spells, or a handful of giant, anime-powerful ones courtesy of Practical applications. This way, players get to decide what kind of magic his/her character makes use of, and how reliant they are on other skills to explore whatever world the characters inhabit.
Come to think of it, this type of experience system could be applied to other aspects of games, too. Finesse versus Brute Force, Intimidation or Persuasiveness, all kinds of similar-but-not-quite-the-same aspects in games.
Anyways, thank you for your time, and I hope you can make use of this in your endeavors, people of the Internet.
