Fusionstrike
11-07-2012, 03:15 PM
STS has embarked on a change to PL to separate stat bonuses from vanity items. The first step was to convert level cap vanities into a ring, thus allowing players to have the bonus stats without having to wear the vanity items all the time. They've also stated that they would probably like to separate dragon vanity armor/helm from their own stats somehow, restoring the original intent of vanity items as purely for looks and not stat bonuses. This is a laudable goal, but questions arise as to how to separate stat boosts from vanities in a way that doesn't make them mutually exclusive to other bonuses, thereby radically changing the way things are used and therefore their value. (This last part really only affects dragon items, since those are the only vanities that are both tradeable and provide boosts that stack.)
The problem is that the single "ring" slot is the bottleneck, because it is currently the only slot that can be used to introduce an item that adds stats and can co-exist with both normal gear and vanity gear items. Thus, I believe the solution is to create a "charm closet", akin to the existing "vanity closet". The charm closet contains a set of slots just like the vanity closet. Items in these slots confer stat effects but are not visible. In other words, it is functionally a set of "ring" slots that are not mutually exclusive to each other.
This idea has been stated in various forms, but I think the one I'm describing is pretty complete and fits with the overall intent STS has. For example, let's say the "charm closet" has the following slots:
right hand ring (existing ring slot moved from "main gear")
left hand ring
amulet
bracelet
Other names of course could be used, but the idea is clear. Now there could be four (or whatever number is right) slots to play with for different effects. This would give STS the freedom to use several slots to present a myriad of effect choices to players, controlling which ones are stackable and which ones mutually exclusive by which slot they go on.
How would this solve the "dragon armor vanity" problem? Well, let's say STS created a "Fallen Prince" style quest just like for the cap vanities. The dragon vanity items would stop adding any bonus when worn (just like STS did with cap vanities). However, if the player equips the helm, armor and dragon pet of a set and visits the "Dragon Prince", they are given an "amulet of dragon valor" which can be worn in the amulet slot and therefore stacked with the cap vanity ring bonus. Such a solution preserves the existing stat stacking behavior (and therefore preserves the value of dragon items) while separating the stat effect from the vanity item itself.
One problem with this solution is that a single dragon vanity set could be passed around to allow hundreds to get the bonus off of a single set. To prevent this, part of the stat bonus award would have to be that the dragon helm/armor used to get the bonus item would become untradeable/unsellable in the process. In other words, they essentially behave just like a plat-bought vanity once the bonus is awarded. This way, dragon items are still valuable to be sold until they are used to create a bonus, at which point they can no longer be sold. This way, players can decide to sell dragon items (presumably still for a high price like today since they can be used to confer a bonus) or use them to create bonuses for themselves. (There are some variations on this idea in which maybe the bonus item could be sellable, or maybe the "vanity only" helm/armor as well, but then it creates problems of people needing to tell the difference between "vanity-only" and "bonus-capable" dragon items, so I prefer my original "can't sell once bonus created" idea. Selling the bonus item seems like it wouldn't be a bad thing, except that then a player who never bought the dragon pet for plat could end up with a bonus, which STS might not like.)
I think the "charm closet" solution has a lot of advantages. It allows separating vanity items from stat bonuses, freeing players to use vanities as exactly that: appearance-only modifiers. It also gives STS a path forward for every vanity that contains an effect: dragon items, founder's helm, big luck, etc. And it allows for tuning of bonus effects by giving multiple slots to work with. Maybe STS wants to introduce both a speed boost effect and a resistance to stun effect, but for some reason wants them to be mutually exclusive. Simple, just make them both bracelets. But they do want the stun resist to stack with a M/s boost, so the M/s item becomes a left hand ring. The possibilities are endless, and the flexibility is there to tune the system as needed.
I think this addresses all the current concerns and even opens up more interesting possibilities for STS to play with in the future.
The problem is that the single "ring" slot is the bottleneck, because it is currently the only slot that can be used to introduce an item that adds stats and can co-exist with both normal gear and vanity gear items. Thus, I believe the solution is to create a "charm closet", akin to the existing "vanity closet". The charm closet contains a set of slots just like the vanity closet. Items in these slots confer stat effects but are not visible. In other words, it is functionally a set of "ring" slots that are not mutually exclusive to each other.
This idea has been stated in various forms, but I think the one I'm describing is pretty complete and fits with the overall intent STS has. For example, let's say the "charm closet" has the following slots:
right hand ring (existing ring slot moved from "main gear")
left hand ring
amulet
bracelet
Other names of course could be used, but the idea is clear. Now there could be four (or whatever number is right) slots to play with for different effects. This would give STS the freedom to use several slots to present a myriad of effect choices to players, controlling which ones are stackable and which ones mutually exclusive by which slot they go on.
How would this solve the "dragon armor vanity" problem? Well, let's say STS created a "Fallen Prince" style quest just like for the cap vanities. The dragon vanity items would stop adding any bonus when worn (just like STS did with cap vanities). However, if the player equips the helm, armor and dragon pet of a set and visits the "Dragon Prince", they are given an "amulet of dragon valor" which can be worn in the amulet slot and therefore stacked with the cap vanity ring bonus. Such a solution preserves the existing stat stacking behavior (and therefore preserves the value of dragon items) while separating the stat effect from the vanity item itself.
One problem with this solution is that a single dragon vanity set could be passed around to allow hundreds to get the bonus off of a single set. To prevent this, part of the stat bonus award would have to be that the dragon helm/armor used to get the bonus item would become untradeable/unsellable in the process. In other words, they essentially behave just like a plat-bought vanity once the bonus is awarded. This way, dragon items are still valuable to be sold until they are used to create a bonus, at which point they can no longer be sold. This way, players can decide to sell dragon items (presumably still for a high price like today since they can be used to confer a bonus) or use them to create bonuses for themselves. (There are some variations on this idea in which maybe the bonus item could be sellable, or maybe the "vanity only" helm/armor as well, but then it creates problems of people needing to tell the difference between "vanity-only" and "bonus-capable" dragon items, so I prefer my original "can't sell once bonus created" idea. Selling the bonus item seems like it wouldn't be a bad thing, except that then a player who never bought the dragon pet for plat could end up with a bonus, which STS might not like.)
I think the "charm closet" solution has a lot of advantages. It allows separating vanity items from stat bonuses, freeing players to use vanities as exactly that: appearance-only modifiers. It also gives STS a path forward for every vanity that contains an effect: dragon items, founder's helm, big luck, etc. And it allows for tuning of bonus effects by giving multiple slots to work with. Maybe STS wants to introduce both a speed boost effect and a resistance to stun effect, but for some reason wants them to be mutually exclusive. Simple, just make them both bracelets. But they do want the stun resist to stack with a M/s boost, so the M/s item becomes a left hand ring. The possibilities are endless, and the flexibility is there to tune the system as needed.
I think this addresses all the current concerns and even opens up more interesting possibilities for STS to play with in the future.