Stat System

Thank you for all of your support of BSC Days 07/14/14-07/17/14

The BSC (stands for Bat-Shit Crazy) Days were an event with a set of video and text presentations, updates, and reveals held by City State Entertainment on 7/14/-7/17/2014. For Camelot Unchained, BSC is often used by City State Entertainment to refer to the slightly off-the-wall, maybe a little "crazy" ideas of Mark Jacobs and the City State Entertainment team about our own game mechanics. The BSC Days event was a major early content and gameplay reveal for Camelot Unchained.

The Guiding Principles

• Bring back stat systems of early PnP games
  • MMORPGs have been simplified over the years, limiting player customization
  • Complex statistic-based systems require players to make choices. In our game, players can “gimp” their character, either accidentally or on purpose
• Bring back “usage-based” systems. If you want to increase your strength, do things that require strength. Remove “experience-based” systems and leveling, since we are an RvR game with few, if any, quests
  • Adds immersion to the game and the character
• Given the lifespan of successful MMORPGs, the stat system must allow continual growth, but not in a way that breaks the core concept of horizontal progression

Implementation

• Three major types of stats
  • Primary – Stats that can be raised or lowered during character creation and that can also increase with use (and may at times decrease during the character’s lifespan)
  • Secondary – Stats that can’t usually change over the life of a character, and do not increase with use such as a character’s vision
  • Derived – Stats that are based on Primary and Secondary stats
• Stat CapsUnlike most games, stats do not give overarching bonuses (+damage for example), but serve as a “gating mechanic” to abilities, weapons, etc.
  • All stats have multiple caps
    • Mundane – Stat progression is reasonably quick at this level
    • Heroic – Stat progression slows down now
    • Soft Cap – Stat progression is very slow at this point

Stat List – Primary

All stats on this list are currently planned for the game, but this may change during the course of development

• Strength – Increases carrying capacity, and allows use of heavy weapons and armor
• Dexterity – Reduces Encumbrance penalty, and allows use of medium weapons and light armor
• Agility – Increases movement speed, and allows use of light weapons
• Vitality – Increases maximum Health
• Endurance – Increases maximum Stamina
• Attunement – Increases capacity for summoning the power of magic through the Veil, and allows use of magic ability components
• Will – Improves control of magic, and reduces the chance of the Veil reacting in a negative way to magic spells drawn from it
• Faith – Allows use of magic granted by Greater Powers
• Resonance – Allows use of voice- and instrument-based abilities
• Eyesight – Increases Vision range and allows use of targeting abilities

Stat List – Secondary

All stats on this list are currently planned for the game but this may change during the course of development

• Presence – Affects how NPCs react to the player-character, as well as the effectiveness of certain abilities
• Clarity – Reduces the effects of Panic on the player-character
• Hearing – Increases the player-character’s Detection rating
• Mass – Increases the difficulty of pushing the player-character, and grants increased pushing power

Stat List – Derived

All stats on this list are currently planned for the game, but this may change

• Health – Increases the threshold for wounds and fatal damage to the different parts of the player-character’s body
• Stamina – Increases the maximum value and regeneration rate of Stamina, when used by movement abilities
• Movement Speed – Increases the maximum movement speed of the player-character
• Vision – Increases the distance at which other players normally become visible
• Detection – Increases the distance at which concealed characters may start to be detected
• Encumbrance – The burden of the equipment a player-character is carrying and wearing, reducing the player’s movement speed, casting speed, and attack speed
• Carrying Capacity – Increases the amount of weight the player may carry, including all armor and weapons. Players that are heavily encumbered will suffer penalties
• Panic Rating – The degree to which Panic events affect the player character, causing increased ability failure chance and reduced Stamina regeneration rate

Classes and Stats

• This game is geared toward players who want significant differences between classes
• Some stats are very important to only one or two classes, while other stats impact many classes
• During character creation, our players will have lots of points to spread across these stats while they search for their ideal build
  • Players will be able to min-max to their heart’s content during the character creation process
    • CSE will work with the Backers to create the next level of documents, geared to aid new players in creating a character without hiding formulas or info, in regards to the inner workings of stats and other aspects of the game

Stat Bonuses

• Stats will not provide bonuses to the use of items and gear. As per above, they will be used as a “gating mechanic,” allowing you to rank up and use better weapons
• There are multiple levels of proficiency at which a weapon can be used, such as “low, required, ideal, or extraordinary”
  • A very strong player might be able use a particular weapon better than a weaker player, but will not get a bonus across all weapons
    • This allows our crafters and players to have a lot more fun with their weapon creation and stat allocation in Camelot Unchained
• Camelot Unchained also won’t put stat bonuses on items
  • Goes against current MMORPG “standard,” which is a good thing
  • Balancing item stats has always been a big issue for developers in the long term
  • Overuse of stat bonuses is a major reason behind gear grinding

Summary

• The stat system for Camelot Unchained is a nod in the direction of old school PnP games as well as to some early MMORPGs
  • Player’s actions are directly tied to gains in their stats. Swinging a heavy sword will increase your strength
• The large number of statistics allows players great control over their character
  • Players who like to min/max will enjoy this system
• During character creation, players will be given points to allocate to their stats
  • Players will have meaningful choices to make, as some stats are “locked” at creation and can’t be changed afterward
• No stat bonuses to items is a major divergence from current generation of MMORPGs, where this is the “accepted” way of doing things
  • Instead, crafters will be given greater control over almost every aspect of item creation
  • Balancing stat bonuses on items has been a long-term issue for any successful MMORPG