Ok, in another thread someone made the argument that a "Skill System" means you MUST increase your skills by using them. The example here would be Star Wars Galaxy (and that's the system Darkfall will use). You shoot your pistol over and over, and your pistol skill goes up.

The poster stated taht if you earn skill points, and spend them, that this is NOT  a skill based system, it's a LEVEL based system.

For example, you earn XP, and then you get awarded 5 skill points. You can spend them on any skills you want, to increase skills, or buy  a new skill. FOr example, you could spend them all on your pistol skill, or 2 points on your pistol skill, and 3 points on your medic skill. Is this a skill system, or a LEVEL based system?

Well sure skill based systems are also a level based system, just in a different context.  But what makes the skill system appealing is that you choose where to place those skills rather then picking a class and leveling the character and skill level with no chance to change later on.  For example, in wow you create a warrior and level your character while at the same time leveling your skills.  If you want to change to a mage, you must create a new character.  In a skill system, you wouldn't need to create a new character to change, you'd simply start training different skills.

Ideally, the best skill system would be one where you can level your skills, at a later time change them to another skill set (e.g. become a doctor and then change to a bounty hunter), and at the same time have your skills you've already earned stay available so that you can change back to a previous skill set without the need to retrain.  In this system, you could theoretically be able to create a character that learns all skills in the game, can pick and choose the skill combinations that the player likes best, and can move to and from different skills with no penalty provided the skill has already been learned.  This method provides the most comprehensive and compelling leveling system possible.

Levels and skills are not mutually exclusive.

You could do a system where you get xp and levels and spend it on new or improved skills and that is a skill system.

The opposite of skill based is class not level, though I am sure you could always do a class/skill hybrid or completely different system too.

So you could also do a class system where instead of levels you increased the aspects of your class from use rather than levels and I consider that a class system.

Skills systems just mean that you pick the different  paths like sword, gun etc. to make your own character type, class is where you pick a premade character type, how you progress in the game, if at all, is seperate.

Asheron's Call uses both. You're skills go up as you do stuff and you can spend EXP into skills.

I'd prefer to just have one type of xp (or a few if you have combat skills, non-combat skills, and trade skills).  So, you just play the game and spend the skill points however you want.  There are no level mechanics needed for that system, it's just xp = skills.

Just me, but I don't like the old style of skill system, where you have to use the skill to raise it.  Just turns out to be a grind.

Originally posted by Tatum

I'd prefer to just have one type of xp (or a few if you have combat skills, non-combat skills, and trade skills).  So, you just play the game and spend the skill points however you want.  There are no level mechanics needed for that system, it's just xp = skills.

Just me, but I don't like the old style of skill system, where you have to use the skill to raise it.  Just turns out to be a grind.

I think the logic behind the increase through use system is that it won't be a grind because you only use what you want to.

Of course to not suck at those abilities you have to use it over and over again so it always becomes a massive grind to me too.

But I agree a system of a just using XP to get new skills and such would be my favorite, or even a system like Fable, combining specific with generic xp to purchase new abilities, so that it encourages some focus but lets you expand too.

Originally posted by Tatum

I'd prefer to just have one type of xp (or a few if you have combat skills, non-combat skills, and trade skills).  So, you just play the game and spend the skill points however you want.  There are no level mechanics needed for that system, it's just xp = skills.

Just me, but I don't like the old style of skill system, where you have to use the skill to raise it.  Just turns out to be a grind.

I agree. Spending points feels like I have more freedom. Do whatever I want, use whatever skills I want, and when I have enough xp I get some skill points to spend. Then I can take as long as I like to decide what I want to spend those skill points on, depending on how I want to build my character. Maybe I want to increase what skills I have already, or maybe I want to take my character in a new direction, and buy some new skills.