Legacy

This was the winner of my little poll last time, so let's talk mad skillz (that pay the billz).


In Legacy, most (not all) skills are learned via skill trees. They are unlocked when a character learns the first skill in a tree and then skill points are needed to teach yourself the rest. Early in the game, Bradley chooses a school of magic and casts his first spell during a cutscene. At this point, the skill tree for his chosen element is available. There is a similar scenario for unlocking the skill tree for your chosen weapon. The classmates also get their skill trees at approximately the same time.

How does one get skill points? Well, this part is not yet set in stone. At the moment, the system is set up so that you get one at every other level (3,5,7, etc). It's hard to know if this is a balanced way to go about it just from my own testing, where I'm constantly bouncing all over the place. I doubt I'll know for sure until I get to the point where testing is being done by others. Fomar's script allows skill points to be awarded during events and I've considered using them as a reward for particularly challenging quests. However, that comes with the risk of giving too many skill points too early. I wouldn't want people to max out the trees too quick since the higher level skills are quite strong.

Are there more skills than just these two trees? Oh yes.

Later in the game, Bradley and his classmates will choose a specialization for their chosen school of magic. The names and details will vary, but they all boil down to a choice between one path that is based on offensive power and another path that is more tactical. For example, a water mage eventually decides whether to be a Hydromancer who hits enemies with huge amounts of water, or an Atmosphere Mage who relies on more subtle uses of magic to debilitate enemies. Your classmates will have this choice too. They will reveal in conversations which way they are leaning and if you have a high enough friendship level, you can persuade them to pick a different choice (if you want).

Then there are the guilds.

The city of Gallia has a guild corresponding to each of the six schools of elemental magic. Joining one will give access to highly advanced spells designed to maximize the effectiveness of your chosen element. You will also eventually learn the "grandmaster" skill, which is the big daddy that will pulverize your enemies.

The guilds are not implemented yet. You can walk around and talk to some of the mages but you can't yet become a member. Given the high level skills involved, you have to invest a nice chunk of change to get your membership. I don't think it will be possible to buy the membership in the demo whenever it's ready unless the player grinds like crazy but if they do, they won't get very far. If that happens, sorry in advance.

I've gone back and forth on whether to have another skill tree for the guild. If all you have to do is learn the first spell and then wait for the skill points to come, then there isn't much reason to go to the guild. I'd like them to be places that the player returns to frequently.

The last place to learn a skill is the Institute of Weapons, which was once the Gallian barracks that Arius and co. seized in Clean Slate. The building has been converted into an elite facility where people can get some additional training. This will cost money too, but not as much. It will likely be in the demo. The catch here is that because the place is so popular, the only way to get an appointment is to meet the instructor outside of the place. Once they know you, you'll be able to get in. Your classmates will eventually go on their own, all you have to do is introduce them to the right trainer. The skills learned here are based on TP, which are basically limit breaks in case you aren't familiar with VX Ace. For the moment, there is only one skill available there but I may add more later on.

I think that covers it for now. Feel free to chime in with any thoughts or ideas. Peace bros!