This is something I've wondered about for a long time.  I'm just curious, so I thought I would start a simple poll to see what a few others think.

Please feel free to list the reasoning behind your choice.

Me....  I'm for the skill-based system.  To me, it gives me more control of what I want to do with my character and allows me to match it with the way I play the game.

I like a combo of the two. As long as I can level doing what I enjoy (PvP), leveling is ok. If I have to PvE to level, i pass..:)

A well-designed combo.  Athough a skill system allows for more customization, people also enjoy the simplicity and organization of classes and levels.  The player may want to learn fireball, but he also wants to be called LV56 Pyromancer or Mage.

SWG had a winning formula. All they ahd to do was polish it and add content. Instead they chose multiple times to try to start from scratch reinventing the game. Esentually setting themselves back adding tons new bugs and problems.

I will never understand how such bad ideas were chosen. SWG had such potential. I miss my old game.

They might see now what happens when you screw all of your vet players, but I still will never play another SOE product.

Actually the SWG system is a combination and not a skill based system. UO had a skill based system.

and...

dont count on them understanding why SWG did not become more popular or even the industry understanding it. They never will.

I believe in the combination as well. A good basic fighting stylle skill gain first and then on top of that add the classes. SWG did have a good idea, they just didnt exactly make it right. They should have looked more closely to UO imho.

Skill based, with an asterisk.  There is something to giving my character a title or category but I like the idea of customization that's possible with a skill-based system.  The asterisk is a poison pill for preventing the jack-of-all-trades characters that those systems encourage.  Something I've thought about is using a double-plateau learning curve.  Initially it costs a lot of "points" to learn a skill to a basic level (grasping the concept), then less to advance to a normal level (rapid learning phase), then back to a lot to advance further (mastery of nuances).

For you stat-heads, think of it as a Guassian (normal) distribution curve with x-axis being your current skill level and y-axis being the benefit you get from learning.  You start somewhere on the left (default skill level or whatever), where advancement is slow, then you reach the middle where advancement is quick, and then move to the right where advancement is slow again.

Originally posted by Shohadaku

SWG had a winning formula. All they ahd to do was polish it and add content. Instead they chose multiple times to try to start from scratch reinventing the game. Esentually setting themselves back adding tons new bugs and problems.

I will never understand how such bad ideas were chosen. SWG had such potential. I miss my old game.

They might see now what happens when you screw all of your vet players, but I still will never play another SOE product.

<agrees vehemently>

the skill onion was one of the best systems i've seen in any game.  UO was too horizontically linear, it felt like the polar opposite of a level based system.

First, for me it is not skill-based vs level based, as they are reflecting differents thing.  A game such as Rolemaster has skills, levels and classes...all wrapped in 1 game...

Levels may award an amount of skills points, or a level in class...or whatever.

Ideally...I want static and firm class with little freedom in groups...and much freedom in solo.  This is almost contradictary...but not totally.  A game could work with class, you level up and earn spells/abilities and skills point for example...your skills could be totally useless in groups, but extremely helpfull in solo.

In my perfect MMO. The best soloer is a soloer who earn and developp skills, lot of them...he can do everything...but at the same time, the best grouper has a class, a designed role and is limited to that role...and the best grouper also earn everything in groups.  In my perfect MMO there are no raiding/PvP, so this complexity about soloing and grouping is perfectly thinked and well resolved.  Having skills developped isn't much help in groups...the mobs are different and you need badly to relly on your class and what it provide...while in solo, your skills are extremely good and the class is nearly useless.

It wouldn't need to have 2 HPS bar...but...it would simplify a LOT of things to have 2 of them...you died if either drop to 0...mobs attacks either bar, but not both...Now to explain that, maybe you have an armor and hps, solo mobs ignore the armor, while group mobs would crush your hps soo fast if you run out of armor that your armor is all that really matters against them.

You could also read my blog...it has another approach to include raiding, PvP and other gameplays I don't like, trying to be more inclusive.

Skill based, pure and simple.

If I HAVE to select a single one, I'm going to say level. Look, we would all like to say skill based, but the truth is, only a small percent of the players actually want that. Nobody wants it to be their second job, like FFXI can be. They want to be able to play casually and still be competitive. The easiest way to accomplish this is through level based progression. Granted I WOULD prefer skill based, but the reality is that you would have empty servers.. and thats no fun for me at all.

Skill Based

Definately Skill based

I think the DnD scheme does it best.

1. Level - This specifies your progression, and how powerful your character is meant to be, what opponents are a challenge to you and how much of a challenge, and it gives you a credibility.

2. Statistics - These are values which describe your character in a general way. For example, the stat "Strength" may specify how strong your character is, on average. This allows to individualize your character in the beginning. Later, you get some upgrade points for your statistics, which can be spend according to where you think you improved.

3. Feats - These are options that change the gameplay. For example, you can take a Feat "Toughness" that gives you more hitpoints. The number of feats you can choose is predetermined - or in some way reasonably limited. Especially, the DnD class levels are also a kind of feat, as are the sorcerer class spells etc. Essentially, Feats are like skills, but they are flaglike, so they're either 0 (you dont have the feat) or 1 (you have the feat).

4. Skills - This is a fixed list of general profiencies. For example, there is a stealth skill (well actually two of them, Hide and Move Silently) that determines how well you can avoid detection. In DnD, the number of skills you can get is determined by your class. In a more general way, one could allow the player to buy either feats or skill upgrades. Alternatively, one could make the cost of feats and skills depend upon his statistics, making feats and skills cheaper to attain for people who have invested in the corresponding stats.

All in all, the DnD scheme allows you to create very individual characters and very individual gameplay styles, while striving strongly for attaining a balance.

Skill
Based

Skill Based!!!!!

I would vote skillbased, but I could not vote here since there were no option to vote without suporting SWG's skill system. However the skill system in AC1 appeals to me.

well well i LOVE to show my own skill, but i think it needs to be challenging aswell

skill based is cool, but i am not aware of how to make a balanced ste of options to players so that its balanced enough and can then make the players develop above from the balanced states

and omg! hell rages if the game has skill with friendly fire, STOP hitting meh

Originally posted by Thunderhead

well well i LOVE to show my own skill,[...]

That kind of game is called "egoshooter".

all right, well i assumed only, I dont know anything

Just asked myself "skill" whos skill, char is not a who, must be player then... compendre!

Do you have a Book i can read so i can understand the L33T Geek Lang. ?

If anything dead by this, idd blame the OP for missleading Lang. Choice

Skill based (Char not player), not familiar with old SWG (was interested but was to busy (wife/work)) and apparently its now not what it was, so no point in going there I guess.

But yeah, skills.....

However I have always employed a 'Level measure' in my paperbased RPGs (those were pure skill based), this basically compared the Experience spent in aspects of the character to permit the players to brag and throw titles at each other. Hence level 10 magic/ lv3 warrior etc. Its somtimes handy for folk to better perceive themselves rather than trying to add up what they've spent and where.

Personally I'm 'Ian' not a 'level ?? Geek' (who am I kidding?)