02. Character Statistics

Today I wanted to touch on character statistics or more commonly stats. I have played numerous MMOs from American MMOs like Asheron's Call, EQ, and WoW to Korean MMOs such as Lineage 2, Ragnarok Online, Wonderland Online, and numerous others. They each boil down into one of 3 systems.

1. Stats based on level and class - EQ, WoW, Guild Wars, Lineage 2, Ryzom, Istaria,
2. Stats based on level and investments - Ragnarok, Asheron's Call
3. Stats based on skills chosen - Matrix Online, EVE Online

Distinctions can made from each of these classes. For example Ragnarok only lets you invest in base attributes while Asheron's Call lets you invest in all skills. In the Matrix Online you earned pieces of code which would allow you to unlock skills that would affect your stats, while Istaria took the highest of each "class" and your stats were generated that way. Ryzom had you work on general classes and you could unlock more HP, SP, and stanzas which acted like customizable skills.

Now, each of these games goes further and you can increase stats with gear, some with special points which are nothing more than skills bought (i.e. WoW - talents, EQ - AAs).

So now it comes down to which type you would like to use. The easiest system is the first one, static stats based on level and class. You recalculate stats whenever equipment is changed, the user levels, or if they gain new skills, or have buffs/debuffs cast on them. The next 2 are essentially the same, you recalculate stats any time equipment is changed, the user levels, new skills are gained, have buffs/debuffs cast on them, or have invested points in stats or skills.

With these ideas in mind I am going to work on a system that incorporates as much of this as possible in a configurable fashion. So we will have base attributes which are based on level and class with investments that can extend them for a calculated cost and can then be increased by the skills chosen by the player. I'm looking at using the Ragnarok set of values, Strength - STR, Vitality - VIT, Agility - AGI, Intelligence - INT, Dexterity - DEX, and Luck - LUK. Most other fantasy MMOs follow much of the same rules with minor differences such as combining AGI and DEX or calling INT Spirit, or VIT Stamina. From there we will give the player points to increase their stats. The decision now comes down to following Asheron's Call, where you invest your spare xp into stats or like Ragnarok where you only get points every level and are stuck with them once invested or to build a new system. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and the experience you are trying to craft.

With all this in mind we are going to step into the creation of our character stats. Keep in mind, so far we have only covered basic attributes. The follow on to this is the derived attributes such as HP, MP, Attack, Defense/Armor, AtkSpeed and the complimentary magic ones.