This is just asking what is acceptable of the amount of classes that seems like a good number in an mmo. I don't care if you like classes or not. Just vote and reply lol.

Vote on your perferance...

depends on the game. some games are fine with no classes while some are fine having 100+.

Originally posted by decoy26517

depends on the game. some games are fine with no classes while some are fine having 100+.

true, i meant your personal prefrence

I'm in favor of cramming as many classes as possible.  Having lots of choice is always a good thing and with the multitude of classes you're more likely to find something that best suits you rather then playing a warrior with 3 different specs you could choose to play a light tank with slightly less armor and do it all with agility and avoidance rather then taking it in the face day in and day out.

If you're going to have classes bring back SUPPORT classes!  Also make sure that Healers HEAL and don't out damage an assassin.

 I'm in favor for as much as possble... then you won't have as many cookie cutter builds. I think Guild Wars in a way has done some nice things regarding class/skill use making many viable "builds"... and with all the constant nerfing of powers people are always coming up with the next Flavor of the Month build. The more I look at CO it looks like it has a bunch of potential regarding this subject, but I can't say because I have not played it yet.

I guess my main point is, the more variables you throw in, the more individuality you get. Uniqueness is good, imho, regarding MMO's. I don't wanna be the same Healer or DD toon, just with #2 hair, #6 face.

My ideal fantasy MMO would only count 6 classes;

Physical Tanker; Short range attacks, physical nuker (not dps but hits for biggest numbers)

Magical Tanker; Long range attacks, magical nuker

Physical dps; Long range fast attacks, best sustained physical damage

Magical dps; Short range attacks, best sustained magic damage

Healer; Effective at both short and long range, dealing both phys and mag damage

Pet Class; Pet deals short range phys, caster long range mag

Add an extensive universal (sandboxy) skill system and a varied number of specs for each class (except each can handle their basic work whatever its choices) and youd have a lot more variety than systems relying on twice as many classes. It would cut down on balance issues and since both "hybrid" classes have well defined jobs youd have no overlaps in PvE functionality. This would require mobs to have equally varied and proportioned attacks. For PvP, classes should be balanced, apart from the universal skills, which would then become the way to customize by adding missing choices (allowing a short range phys class to gain long range mag for instance) or allowing a class to focus on its own job. In any case a class can always do its job regardless of choices, by making class abilities very cheap and easy to acquire. Id rather have an MMO concentrate in creating content for few classes (starter areas, exclusive quests, skill systems) than a lot of classes that will basically share most content. If any given char can have no more than 30-40% of the skills available to it, and you make the skills varied enough (sort of like WOW specs except not dependant on progressive trees).

Sry for the rantish exposition, its just that i think hybrid classes have somewhat ruined gameplay in class based games, and this just for catering to pretentious play styles. If you want something more varied it should be available through skilling.

I guess a minimum of 6 is ok,but what happens in a very diverse game with only 6classes is a whole ton of spells and abilities for each class.That means 4/5 hotbars on the screen with a mess of spells.You know what follows after that?Game apps,players cannot control it all themselves,so the cheating begins.

I would rather see more classes and spread the spells and abilities out.Of course the alternative is 6 class and very few spells and abilities,a pretty simplistic game design follows.

Originally posted by Illius

I'm in favor of cramming as many classes as possible.  Having lots of choice is always a good thing and with the multitude of classes you're more likely to find something that best suits you rather then playing a warrior with 3 different specs you could choose to play a light tank with slightly less armor and do it all with agility and avoidance rather then taking it in the face day in and day out.

If you're going to have classes bring back SUPPORT classes!  Also make sure that Healers HEAL and don't out damage an assassin.

I agree good sir! I have 14 classes now.. but thinking about adding 4 more...but they wouldnt be support.. but support could work!

I tend to like games with fewer classes.  It gives the developer more time to ensure each of the classes is balanced and (more importantly) fun.

However I definitely prefer the advancement system to open up more opportunities for different playstyles (at this point WOW's 10 classes are worth 2-3 distinct classes each; but that's not really realistic for an on-release game.)

The playstyle count is more important than class count, and how many alts you need to roll to reach all of those playstyles.  As much as I disliked FFXI's interface (so much that I only gave it 30 mins of play) I eventually realized that being able to access all your playstyles with a single character is a pretty cool approach to things (although I suppose you basically are still "rolling an alt" if you have to go back to fight newbie things to level the new job.)

Originally posted by Wizardry

I guess a minimum of 6 is ok,but what happens in a very diverse game with only 6classes is a whole ton of spells and abilities for each class.That means 4/5 hotbars on the screen with a mess of spells.You know what follows after that?Game apps,players cannot control it all themselves,so the cheating begins.

I would rather see more classes and spread the spells and abilities out.Of course the alternative is 6 class and very few spells and abilities,a pretty simplistic game design follows.

You do make a good point, but the massive amount of abilities is something that could be dealt with through casting times, sets of skills working on the same cooldown, more situational skills, etc.

I guess my point is i hate classes becoming necesary only because of a couple of buffs or skills. I think a system like the one i described has all bases covered and can give each class both variety and a very unique feel. Classes relying on abilities more than mechanics (like Aion's chanter which relies mostly on buffing) or hybrids like WOWs pallys (which lack an identity and easily become OP) are solutions im not pleased with. Ofc you can always think outside the box and come up with a new system that doesnt rely on traditional roles. Or you can prove me wrong (i do mean this as a friendly challenge not trolling) by pointing to a role that could be added and remain significant. I already included two gimmicky roles (i gave hybrid skills to healer to make them stand out with a style their own, and the pet class which i do think is interesting as a solution) and think upping the list could only be done by either mixing roles or coming up with more gimmicky roles, which from my experience does affect gameplay. This is just my opinion after all, ill agree only six classes could be a tough sale.

I'm generally in favor of more classes with narrower roles, but this really requires a heavy emphasis on group dynamics and getting a character's core skills.  If you are playing a HoT based healer, and you don't get any of the relevant spells until you're halfway to the top, it's hard to really build that class.  So, lots of classes, with very specialized niches and too bad for anyone who roles a tank wanting to do |337 deeps.  Oh, and don't make dps classes faceroll easy to play...

I am ok with the traditional Swordsman, Archer and Mage but since the rise of other games that offers a lot of new characters, I realize that it's much better to have like a dozen or so character classes to have individuality and uniqueness.

Originally posted by Caleveira

My ideal fantasy MMO would only count 6 classes;

Physical Tanker; Short range attacks, physical nuker (not dps but hits for biggest numbers)

Magical Tanker; Long range attacks, magical nuker

Physical dps; Long range fast attacks, best sustained physical damage

Magical dps; Short range attacks, best sustained magic damage

Healer; Effective at both short and long range, dealing both phys and mag damage

Pet Class; Pet deals short range phys, caster long range mag

Add an extensive universal (sandboxy) skill system and a varied number of specs for each class (except each can handle their basic work whatever its choices) and youd have a lot more variety than systems relying on twice as many classes. It would cut down on balance issues and since both "hybrid" classes have well defined jobs youd have no overlaps in PvE functionality. This would require mobs to have equally varied and proportioned attacks. For PvP, classes should be balanced, apart from the universal skills, which would then become the way to customize by adding missing choices (allowing a short range phys class to gain long range mag for instance) or allowing a class to focus on its own job. In any case a class can always do its job regardless of choices, by making class abilities very cheap and easy to acquire. Id rather have an MMO concentrate in creating content for few classes (starter areas, exclusive quests, skill systems) than a lot of classes that will basically share most content. If any given char can have no more than 30-40% of the skills available to it, and you make the skills varied enough (sort of like WOW specs except not dependant on progressive trees).

Sry for the rantish exposition, its just that i think hybrid classes have somewhat ruined gameplay in class based games, and this just for catering to pretentious play styles. If you want something more varied it should be available through skilling.

Just a question of all the classes you speak of you limit yourself towards combat only in a MMORPG? ........why?

Don't get me wrong I like the classes you speak of but they do make a MMORPG experiance very limited, I mean sure those classes are okay if we speak about a pure multiplayer game, but don't you think in a MMORPG there should be more then just combat classes only?

I do see this trend continue, where most when I read certain complaints all focus mostly on combat only feature's, when reading reviews again it seems mostly about combat and if the MMO offers more then combat  most reviews hardly spend any time at those other feature's besides combat.

Personaly I feel a MMORPG should be about 60% combat and 40% other activities, that could be crafting/harvesting, perhaps some form of entertainer. If a MMO focus merly on combat such a game for me just becomes a Action Online Game.

So I would say on topic 20+ classes where 60% is combat oriented and 40% is none combat oriented. To me that's what makes a MMORPG. But keep in mind I am a niche MMORPG player so my idea of a MMORPG is very different then that of the majority of people who are now into this genre.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I guess a minimum of 6 is ok,but what happens in a very diverse game with only 6classes is a whole ton of spells and abilities for each class.That means 4/5 hotbars on the screen with a mess of spells.You know what follows after that?Game apps,players cannot control it all themselves,so the cheating begins.

I would rather see more classes and spread the spells and abilities out.Of course the alternative is 6 class and very few spells and abilities,a pretty simplistic game design follows.

What kind of argument is that?  What kind of terrible designer would determine the number of abilities in the game before determining the number of classes in the game?

A good designer is going to take those 6 classes, give each of them exactly how many abilities they need to be fun and interesting (which won't be very different than classes in a 20-class game), and then compared to that 20-class game have more than three times as long to spend making each of those skills dynamic and interesting.

Originally posted by icaughtfire

I am ok with the traditional Swordsman, Archer and Mage but since the rise of other games that offers a lot of new characters, I realize that it's much better to have like a dozen or so character classes to have individuality and uniqueness.

Cleric much?  Or Rogue?

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Originally posted by Eronakis

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Originally posted by decoy26517

depends on the game. some games are fine with no classes while some are fine having 100+.

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true, i meant your personal prefrence

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If that's the case then cram as many of those classes in there as possible! Custom classes are also a plus :D

Originally posted by Reklaw

Originally posted by Caleveira

My ideal fantasy MMO would only count 6 classes;

Physical Tanker; Short range attacks, physical nuker (not dps but hits for biggest numbers)

Magical Tanker; Long range attacks, magical nuker

Physical dps; Long range fast attacks, best sustained physical damage

Magical dps; Short range attacks, best sustained magic damage

Healer; Effective at both short and long range, dealing both phys and mag damage

Pet Class; Pet deals short range phys, caster long range mag

Add an extensive universal (sandboxy) skill system and a varied number of specs for each class (except each can handle their basic work whatever its choices) and youd have a lot more variety than systems relying on twice as many classes. It would cut down on balance issues and since both "hybrid" classes have well defined jobs youd have no overlaps in PvE functionality. This would require mobs to have equally varied and proportioned attacks. For PvP, classes should be balanced, apart from the universal skills, which would then become the way to customize by adding missing choices (allowing a short range phys class to gain long range mag for instance) or allowing a class to focus on its own job. In any case a class can always do its job regardless of choices, by making class abilities very cheap and easy to acquire. Id rather have an MMO concentrate in creating content for few classes (starter areas, exclusive quests, skill systems) than a lot of classes that will basically share most content. If any given char can have no more than 30-40% of the skills available to it, and you make the skills varied enough (sort of like WOW specs except not dependant on progressive trees).

Sry for the rantish exposition, its just that i think hybrid classes have somewhat ruined gameplay in class based games, and this just for catering to pretentious play styles. If you want something more varied it should be available through skilling.

 

Just a question of all the classes you speak of you limit yourself towards combat only in a MMORPG? ........why?

Don't get me wrong I like the classes you speak of but they do make a MMORPG experiance very limited, I mean sure those classes are okay if we speak about a pure multiplayer game, but don't you think in a MMORPG there should be more then just combat classes only?

I do see this trend continue, where most when I read certain complaints all focus mostly on combat only feature's, when reading reviews again it seems mostly about combat and if the MMO offers more then combat  most reviews hardly spend any time at those other feature's besides combat.

Personaly I feel a MMORPG should be about 60% combat and 40% other activities, that could be crafting/harvesting, perhaps some form of entertainer. If a MMO focus merly on combat such a game for me just becomes a Action Online Game.

So I would say on topic 20+ classes where 60% is combat oriented and 40% is none combat oriented. To me that's what makes a MMORPG. But keep in mind I am a niche MMORPG player so my idea of a MMORPG is very different then that of the majority of people who are now into this genre.

Ill be honest in admitting that i see noncombat playing styles belonging more to an idea of roles than one of classes. A class is something that you choose in a selection screen whereas a role you take upon yourself. A player may become an artist or a historian to its comunity, for instance, although i guess a merchant could be an example of a more commonly seen role. Some people are very passionate about this and will closely follow the fluctuation on item prices, what gold is selling for (on games that allow RMT), their competitors maneuvers, etc. This are the guys playing the economic game first. Ofc every once in a while they do feel like doing some combat or at least trying out their wares. To me competent combat should be available to all classes, regardless of wether you choose to exercise such skills.
 

And lets face it, most MMOs are geared towards an action-adventure gameplay. Games which seek otherwise, Farmville or Second Life are therefore usually considered a different genre, despite the fact they do actually involve role playing and are massive multiplayers. The rpg genre evolved from pnp rpgs which, despite the depth and sofistication they may have achieved at their height, were basically action oriented games. I usually played a Ventrue in White Wolfs universe, a sort of politically motivated class, and yet i always made sure to level fortitude and firearm skills first.

Now, i wasnt around to see how SGW worked, so it really is hard for me to visualize a noncombat class. I have no doubt they would be missing most of the game's content if strictly noncombat however, as even that game must have centered its content around combat. So, in short, im all for alternative ways to level and support for noncombat roles, but a class like this seems unattractive to me. This is just an opinion.

I dont know....either i play games with no classes (fallen earth) or i play games with a hell of alot of classes (vanguard). Basically if there is a class i like in a game or i can make a character i like in a classless system  i could care less how many classes there are.

 Over 9000 please. Also rename these classes skill-professions and let us choose any combination of those at the start of the game (2-3 maybe) then have a hardcap!

 I chose 10-12 for the simple reason of me not being good with making important choices. If there were 20+ classes to choose from in the beginning my brain would implode. Also I wish there were more elite classes in mmos. When someone reaches the lvl cap 10 more elite classes should be made available as a reward for lvling up all the way. This could result in races to the lvl cap though.

bump

15+, and one of them must be bard.

Less is more when it comes to classes in my opinion. Having 20 generic fantasy classes is just boring.

I rather see huge amount of custimization inside the classes or multi-classing to add diversity.

  Why not instead of the devs putting a set amount of classes the players get to choose freely through gameplay what kind of class they want to be. So, classes are only numbered by the players. 

(Sandbox FTW)

 As many as possible. Being they're all diverse and different.