Theory crafting skill trees

[WhimsicalPacifist]

I am reminded of LoTRO which implemented skill trees, balanced poorly and hemorrhaged players like a bloody park fountain. In 2013 with the conversion to skill trees Warden got dumpster tiered for tanking which was its main role (still is in the dumpster) and still has broken traits across all sections of the trees.

The problem with a skill tree is the illusion of choice; there always is an upper end optimal configuration that content and job balance is measured by. Does the skill tree have "filler" talents? Do they scale with level? How do you gate the capstones, ie are there any garbage filler talents to get to them?

Do you allow traiting across the skill trees? You balanced it around this level cap right? What happens when several expansions go by and you start having more impactful dual/hybrid specs that might even get two capstones? (sometimes encountered fairly early on like SWTOR Shadow tank/DPS hybrids on its launch that ignored capstones and got hammered).

[PyurBlue]

The problem with a skill tree is the illusion of choice; there always is an upper end optimal configuration that content and job balance is measured by.

That's only the case in a bad system. A good one will provide with an actual meaningful choice between balanced alternatives. I think something like skill specs (not trees, there would not be any customization) would be good for FF14 in allowing more diversity while making the game easier to balance. Instead of making completely new classes, we could have alternative forms of existing classes. This can be used to solve issues like those with AST where some people prefer the old card system. One spec of AST could use the old cards while another could use a completely different system.

[DrWho2010]

That's only the case in a bad system. A good one will provide with an actual meaningful choice between balanced alternatives. I think something like skill specs (not trees, there would not be any customization) would be good for FF14 in allowing more diversity while making the game easier to balance. Instead of making completely new classes, we could have alternative forms of existing classes. This can be used to solve issues like those with AST where some people prefer the old card system. One spec of AST could use the old cards while another could use a completely different system.

every battle is just a dps race though. there is no incentive to make a skill-spec system available.

[PyurBlue]

every battle is just a dps race though. there is no incentive to make a skill-spec system available.

It's true that FF14 is DPS centric, but the AST debate isn't so much about DPS as class flavor. Specs could cater to that while leaving DPS pretty even.

There is a bit of a DPS balancing issue with regard to support classes though. "Raise tax" comes up a lot in RDM and SMN discussions. We could let these classes have their res abilities by allocating them via spec. Those who don't value res and want a DPS boost could choose the DPS spec and vice versa. The DPS spec will obviously be better in situations where you don't need a raise but res value is going to vary with content and player skill. If you're farming with your savage static late in a raid tier, go DPS. If you're joining a newly released Alliance through DF, go res spec.