On the subject of stats propposed in kickstarter update.
1. I will try to argue that perception is unnecessary.
Chance of successful hit can be determined by speed and dexterity(with different weights based on weapon you're using).
Sight and hearing can be determined by constitution(which is a health stat so it seems obvious).
Discovering traps and finding treasures and secrets should not be stats based in my opinion. Divine Divinity and Divinity II showed that it's possible.
2. Luck(secondary stat) can be removed.
I never understood this stat and do not know anyone depending on it. It's very obscure. RPG is fun because of experimentation. And you cannot experiment with luck. You can have bad luck with high luck and good luck with low luck. If you make luck too powerful it can break the game. If you make it not relevant then why include it at all.
3. Equipment. Armor should not depend on any stat. You should be able to wear armor if you can carry it. So magical armor can just reduce the weight.
4. Weapon scaling. I also hope that weapons and armor will NOT depend on your level. I like the idea of bows depending on strength. Basically I like the idea of weapons scaling with different stats. For example
knifes could scale with speed
crossbows, halbers and some swords with dexterity
axes, maces and some swords with strength.
5. Also what do you think about completely respeccing of character stats and skills within game? I think it should cost money. It provides a lot of experimentation and RPG genre is all about it.
6. You could also think about throwing away level system and replacing it with continuous progression. Because level system is only used to make stat increments more accessible. E.g. in level system you get level up and can increment strength by 1, in continuous progression you can at any time increment strength if you have N points of XP. You can also determine very easily from your existing level system the amount of XP needed for every level of continuous progression upgrades.
7. I also like when dialog trees show which dialog options follow from high stats. I think it should be transparent. Maybe even show throws as an option.
1) Agreed
2) Agreed
3) Disagreed. Armor should be handled like any other equipment. See 4).
4) Every weapon, armor or equipment item should depent on stats, not on levels. A mage without enough strengths should not be able to wear heavy armor or wield a great sword.
5) Disagreed. Respeccing characters completely is a major immersion breaker. Respeccing single stat points could be ok for a high price (not only money but also XP?). But if you want to change your character from a mage to a warrior you should have to start a new game.
6) Makes no sense if you get only one stat point per level (as it is now). So there would be no difference between a level system and the XP system you propose. Here you only get a message "You have enough XP points now to increase a stat -> new level".
7) NEVER EVER! Stats should ALWAYS work in the background in a video game, they should never be visible in dialogues or something else. If you have "enough" stat points in e.g. charming there could be another dialogue line in some conversations but it shouldn't be marked "charming 10:.....". You should be able to get that on your own be reading the text, everything else is another immersion breaker and after all, bad design....
