Disclaimer: What I'm about to say is simply my opinion.
I think the "custom vocation" system is a great idea. However, I don't think it is a great idea to expect every player to be equal. Players love to specialize. Everyone can use every spell and every armor, so practically the only way we can specialize in something is by choosing which weapon we want to use. This is like choosing our "vocation". You say that distance weapons are used for large monsters. This, to me, is a very bad idea. Weapons should be balanced, as to give players a choice: which weapon do you want to use? Every weapon type should have the possibility of becoming a primary weapon. If all distance weapons are expensive and only for bosses, then you're making the whole "archer" vocation unpractical for every day use. Of course, you can have certain weapons such as ice rapiers that are very expensive and break easily but are very powerful, and you can make certain weapon types be more useful for certain tasks (for example, giving the club a greater area of effect while giving the sword a higher damage but only one target) but you can't make an entire weapon type be situational for one specific task. You have to give the players a chance to specialize in something. Restricting entire weapon types for specific tasks is almost like restricting entire vocations to certain specific situation. If I'm a melee warrior with 120 sword skill, I don't want to have to switch to bow and arrow to kill a demon. I understand you may want every player to be able to use every weapon and have specific weapon types be good for specific situations but by this you are removing the customization elements of Tibia, which are extremely important in MMORPGs.
You may say that you can customize your character through gear, sockets and enchantments, but this isn't really customization. You can't define your character based on your gear, since you can simply take it out and trade it for something different.
Also, I think you should change the upgrades you can buy with points. Right now you can buy +1 skill, which is a bad idea, since you can easily lose it by dying, and since skills are harder to level when they're higher then everyone will just wait until they're 100+ in a specific skill to buy it with points. You should be able to buy something that is permanent, like +5% damage for example. This also opens up the possibilities of not only buying weapon skills (which only affect weapon damage) but also things like attack speed, run speed, chance of mitigating damage, etc (that are based on percentage values and not on skills). This expands the possibility of customization a whole lot.
Fine, I will dissect this and spend more of my time, that I could be making things better with it. Though I do not mind, if this is what is preferred.
I think the "custom vocation" system is a great idea. However, I don't think it is a great idea to expect every player to be equal. Players love to specialize. Everyone can use every spell and every armor, so practically the only way we can specialize in something is by choosing which weapon we want to use. This is like choosing our "vocation".
No players are equal because they specialize as they play, by the actions they choose they become unique by skill sets. Perhaps when you sleep at night, you meditate and spell train, perhaps I will spend my nights with nightshade training my skills. We will not be identical. This gives us a lot of diversity, as well as no "pseudo reality" adoption of accepted limitation!! Why would you want to be a knight, when you could be a knight, a sorcerer, a druid and a paladin? It's is competently absurd, and it is not the classes but the false sense of belonging to a title you are looking for. To be somewhat of a "eliteist" in a field, however you can be that in a no vocation system even more so!!! It has been well discovered that people would prefer to be limitless, though getting them to see this is so difficult.
You say that distance weapons are used for large monsters. This, to me, is a very bad idea. Weapons should be balanced, as to give players a choice: which weapon do you want to use? Every weapon type should have the possibility of becoming a primary weapon.
This is an easy one, may I point out to you this... "fist fighting". How about the countless inbalances in the core tibia system as a whole, easier leveling by the distance users for years, the pvp advantages for distance, honestly the list is extensive. The point being that in my system it is at least closer to being more well designed, and even cipsoft could not balance distance really with melee. I have an idea about this that may explain it better to you.
Would you rather have someone chasing you with a sword or chasing you and shooting you with crossbow bolts? Bttom line is I did not make the rules of the universe man. Ranged"Distance" weaponry is so far superior that melee weaponry is hardly viable in comparison. Where as the saying goes "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight" I did not make the rules of the universe really I just need to follow them and understand them. Distance weaponry is better!! even by making it weaker it is still better!! and even if you implement it is a weak state for common use, people complain until it is of equal power and then abused. Distance is better flat out, period, and it is limited for that reason. It will be less limited once the artisan skills are in to perform crafting of wooden objects, however for now, I have in my opinion successfully negated the statement quoted.
If I'm a melee warrior with 120 sword skill, I don't want to have to switch to bow and arrow to kill a demon.
That would never be the case. The ammo would be an additional means to destroy a target faster as in a bonus over standard means. Standard means being normal weapons and spells.
You may say that you can customize your character through gear, sockets and enchantments, but this isn't really customization. You can't define your character based on your gear, since you can simply take it out and trade it for something different.
This is another easy one to answer. I did not say that gear customizes you, I said the way you play does.
Fame does, what mount you ride does, weather or not you are premium does, how much health you have bought, how much mana you have bought, if you choose to play as a hp buffertank or if you choose to manashield tank and use less spells. What weapons you choose to augment that playstyle and how hard your skills are developed, the levels you have earned and where you also chose to spend the extra !points gained. GEAR ONLY AUGMENTS ALL OF THESE BASELINE FACTORS. assisting in creating more complicated diversity though % based systems, where someone can become seriously focused in one direction or a jack of all and a master of none.
Also, I think you should change the upgrades you can buy with points. Right now you can buy +1 skill, which is a bad idea, since you can easily lose it by dying, and since skills are harder to level when they're higher then everyone will just wait until they're 100+ in a specific skill to buy it with points. You should be able to buy something that is permanent, like +5% damage for example. This also opens up the possibilities of not only buying weapon skills (which only affect weapon damage) but also things like attack speed, run speed, chance of mitigating damage, etc (that are based on percentage values and not on skills). This expands the possibility of customization a whole lot.
Some of this is good comment and some bad. Health and mana are the real choices, the others are optional for assassins. You may not understand this but choosing a skill is a % damage add, but one that can be lost! this is good because we do not want people running around who have a permanent 500% damage or something of the sort. The fact it can be lost makes it a gamble and since the points are expendable no required extras! and h[/mp can be bought in game with currency.... everything is negated systematically!! That is why it is set up as it is.
I'm even impressed by the outcome of a lot of it once it's working together, it makes for a really cool set of features.
