02-22-2012, 04:37 PM
Conceptually, skill based and class based shouldn't be any different. All skill based really means is that you can create your own custom class. "Two-handed axe wielding archer mage" is your class. Call it "Mage Assassin" and it's no different than a class from any other class based game.
If everyone is gravitating towards the same class (the same set of skills) then you have a balance problem -- for whatever reason, other choices aren't interesting or useful enough.
That is:
Mage Assassin: 50 magic skill, 50 archer skill
Archer: 0 magic skill, 100 archer skill
Whether these are classes or things you built yourself through a skill based system is immaterial. If everyone is going to be a Mage Assassin then there's probably a balance issue where 50 archery is good enough and it's better to get 50 magic than an additional 50 archery. (Or, similarly, you max out those two skills at the complete expense of some others because the others aren't worth even putting a point in.)
So basically as a designer I think you have to sit down and design skill based systems that support specializing equally as well as diversifying. Whether you then arrange those skills into set "classes" or not seems immaterial.
If everyone is gravitating towards the same class (the same set of skills) then you have a balance problem -- for whatever reason, other choices aren't interesting or useful enough.
That is:
Mage Assassin: 50 magic skill, 50 archer skill
Archer: 0 magic skill, 100 archer skill
Whether these are classes or things you built yourself through a skill based system is immaterial. If everyone is going to be a Mage Assassin then there's probably a balance issue where 50 archery is good enough and it's better to get 50 magic than an additional 50 archery. (Or, similarly, you max out those two skills at the complete expense of some others because the others aren't worth even putting a point in.)
So basically as a designer I think you have to sit down and design skill based systems that support specializing equally as well as diversifying. Whether you then arrange those skills into set "classes" or not seems immaterial.