Game Mechanics Spell Update

I am not the first to suggest this, nor will I probably be the last, but I hope to give one of the most comprehensive threads on the topic of Swappable Spells. Because it is so long (8 google docs pages), I have split the thread up into collapsable “spoiler” sections for ease of reading.

Spoiler: What are swappable Spells?

For those who don’t know, swappable spells would mean that there are more than 4 spells for each class, but you get to choose which 4 you want to use at any given time. Take the Mage, for example. You’ve got the heal, teleport, meteor, and ice snake spells, in that order. With swappable spells, you can have a heal, teleport, lava pool (a new spell), and ice snake spells. You can switch between having the lava pool or the meteor in slot #3. Spells can not go in any slot, they have to go into a specific one, and you choose which spell to equip of the spells that can be put in that slot.

Spoiler: Why should we have them?

1a. Making decisions about which abilities your character can use, and trying to line them up with whatever build you are trying to create adds a new and amazingly fun layer of depth to play around with. Right now we can only choose which stats to stack to create different builds, but it should be that we create builds by choosing how our character behaves, and then we stack stats to compliment that.

1b. Every other MMO/looter game does this. WOW has specializations, Diablo 3 has swappable spells and let you pick from a handful of modifiers for each spell (which are basically the equivalent of major IDs), Destiny 2 has 3 classes, each with swappable subclasses, each with swappable movement, grenade, class abilities, and nodes which change how the subclass plays. Being able to change the abilities of your character past choosing a class and not even including gear yet, it’s just a given.

2a. When there is a spell that you don't like to use, for me it's Uproot, it really puts a damper on the player's experience because there are only 4 to begin with. You just lost 25% of what you can do with the character. If swappable spells are added, I could chuck Uproot to the trash can and play with a spell I actually find fun and impactful.

2b. To go along with this, I think player retention, more specifically how long you play each character, will be increased by this. At least for me, I’m bored with the skills that I can use by level 30-35. By level 40 I’m annoyed, and by level 50-60, I am sick of the game (which is why even though I have been playing Wynncraft since before the Mob Update in 2014, I have never reached max level). If I have the option of trying a new loadout of spells, I won’t get bored with the character nearly as quickly.

3. Swappable spells breathe new life into all current classes. I may be tired of warriors now, but with a few new spells to experiment with, there are exponentially more versions of a warrior that I have yet to try. Just adding 1 spell that can be put in slot #4 means that there are 2 versions of warriors, twice what we can play with now. If you also add another spell for slot 3, that would mean there are 4 versions! Occasionally adding new spells to each class means that there are frequently more reasons for players to level up and play with classes they have already "completed" because it is a slightly different experience.

4a. This gets much more bang for the developers' buck than making new classes. They could put 4 new spells on one new class, 1 new playthrough for the players, or they could put 1 new spell each on 4 existing classes, 4 new playthroughs for players.

4b. Another way that swappable spells are more cost-efficient than making new classes is that new classes require completely new loot pools for new weapons spread throughout the entire game. That's a lot of items that need to be made. Just put those same spells on the classes we already have and you don’t have to do that.

4c. The new spells could be modified versions of things that are already in-game, meaning it takes less time and money than making spells for new classes, which by definition have to be fairly unique, like the Shaman’s totem was. Take the Archer’s Arrow Bomb, for example. With a bit of touch-up on the particle effects and stats, you can copy and paste that onto the Mage and call it a fireball. Bam! New spell for minimal work.

4d. I have heard (from I think Salted) that characters you create take a huge amount of storage space. New classes mean that they would have to store even more of those performance taxing characters. Adding spells doesn’t do this.

5.For the better part of a decade, we have only gotten a 25% increase in spells and classes to use (Shaman was added), while other parts of the game have grown immensely. The map size over tripled, quests and NPCs compounded even more, and completely new systems were put in place, like crafting/professions, raids, discoveries, and housing. Classes and spells are lagging far behind.

6a. More spells inadvertently help out balance between the classes. One damage spell may be better than another, but with swappable spells, only one has to be on par, the devs have multiple chances. Until they buff what needs to be buffed, people can just stay away from the bad spells.

6b. Furthermore, if a spell is too good, just make a patch harshly nerfing it. Because there is another spell people can use in place of it, the class is still playable.

7. At least based on how I think the spell system works, this wouldn't even be very difficult to add. I assume that the devs run a chain of command blocks whenever the player does certain combinations of right and left clicks, so to add a new spell that can trigger based on the same clicks, just add an if gate that leads to one or the other chain of command blocks, casting one or the other spell. You can keep track of which spell is equipped with a variable, and if the variable is 1, cast the original spell, but if it's 2, cast the new spell.

8. Adding new spells will allow for more difficult and fun experiences, especially in the endgame. Right now, every character has to be able to do everything, at least to a certain extent. With more spells, you can make situations where players have to be really specialized for one purpose or another because the spells are really specialized for one purpose or another.

9. Think of the alternative: It’s five years later, we might have a new class, but the classes we have now haven’t changed. They have the same spells and abilities we have been playing with for years. Is that fun? Is that what you want? Is that sustainable? The longer we, as players, can’t make choices on how our character behaves, the abilities it can use, the quicker the game dies from being too stale, which is tragic considering how far Wynncraft has come and how much potential Wynncraft has.

Spoiler: Counterarguments and my rebuttals

At this point, you might still have some reservations about adding this system. Below, I have compiled a list of concerns I have heard and my responses to them.


1. “People are just going to use the best spells and ignore the rest so you might as well not even have them”

Unless the devs add in spells that behave the exact same and only differ by stats, this won’t happen. You’re incorrectly assuming that the spells can actually be ranked by one metric, (assumedly damage), but not all spells can be. I like to call these “situationals”. Think about Meteor vs. Vanish. Is one just outright better than another? One does only damage, and the other makes you invisible and gives you a boost of movement speed. These are different metrics, apple to oranges. The point is that they have different uses for different scenarios. Even among damage spells, some spells can be better than others in different scenarios. Let’s say there are two different bosses, one is extremely slow and tanky, and the other runs around the room like a lightning bolt and has low health, making it really hard to kill despite its low health pool. Also, you can choose between two damage spells: one is an AOE on the ground, with high damage that can stack per spell in the area, the other homes in on enemies with laser precision at the cost of a bit of DPS. I’m sure you can see where I’m going. The AOE spell is going to be much better again the tanky boss. You can stack a ton of DPS and because the boss is so slow, it will stay in the damaging area for a long time. Against the fast boss, this spell would barely get any use because the boss will run through the AOE so quickly that they might only take a tick or two of damage. But the homing spell, on the other hand, will shred that fast boss. Because the boss can’t escape the damage, this spell will get much more DPS, even though it might on paper seem like it will do less. Against the tanky boss, the homing spell isn’t useless, but it clearly is less optimal than the spell that can deal much more damage. Just by changing what the goal is, the tools that the player will use will change. Each tool has its use, and the player feels smart for figuring out how to utilize each one to its maximum potential. As long as each spell has a situation it shines in, and no spell does every job, you will not have a singular build that everyone uses everywhere in every situation. I discuss this more later on.

Spoiler: Small point about metas

This is a minor point you can skip over if you want, but not every spell has to be perfectly balanced compared to others and/or the best you can use. Actually, certain things are supposed to be better than others, because letting people figure that out is what makes these games fun. On the second half of the complaint, the part that says it isn’t worth having the spells in the game, this just is a terrible standard. Should other weapons be removed from the game because they aren’t as good as the best mythic you can get? Of course not, that’s ridiculous. Should other classes not be in the game because they aren’t the best class? Of course not, that’s ridiculous. So should new spells not be added in because they might not be as good as the originals? Of course not, that’s ridiculous. Again, part of the fun comes from finding out what is good and what is bad. Having more options, even if not optimal, add to the experience because you can just have a bit of fun with them when you aren’t trying to play at the highest level you can (a.k.a raids or other endgame content).

2. "We should just add on to the Major ID system, not add a new one in"

Major IDs are not a replacement for methods of substantially customizing the abilities of your character. It's obvious that Cherry Bomb adding a bit of upfront damage to your Smoke Bomb is not the same as getting to switch Smoke Bomb out for a new spell. Major IDs don't fix the problem of having pretty much the same spells for years. Despite the name, they just aren't major differences. Also, they don't even follow the definition of customization. You have no choice whether you use them or not, you either get the effect, or you can't use that piece of gear at all. Another problem is that they are only for high-level and/or rich players. People in low to mid-game are stuck with the same old boring spells. Again, other games don't lock changing your character's abilities behind gear, they let you choose both. This is just speculation, but I think Major IDs were added in to try to put a band-aid on the problem. If that was the case, then look at the reception. I never heard anyone say "Oh my gosh, these Major IDs are so fun, there is so much potential of what I can do, and I won't get bored with the spells we have now for another 5 years!" It was "Oh, that's kinda interesting. Anyways..." Major IDs just aren't the solution. There's no reason we can't have both of these systems, the game would, in fact, be better because of it, but just having the one is underwhelming, to say the least.


3. “More spells means more for the devs to balance, taking time away from making new content”

Well, yes, they do have more to balance, but it’s about the best use of their effort possible. They keep adding items, they just added a new class in the last update, they must not have a problem taking on more to balance, and which do you prefer they spend time on: stat-sticks or fun ways to play? This isn’t going to take up every second they have, they will only balance spells as often as they do now, a few times a year. New spells are also new content, with a ton of benefits listed above. Anything they add will be more to balance, but spells are one of the best things to take that time to get right.


4. "Adding this system makes the game too complicated. There's a reason that the phrase 'Keep it simple, stupid' became popular in game development"

This doesn't make the game overwhelming for new players or too complicated or anything like that. Right now we have 2 main systems of customizing your character after choosing a class: gear and skill points. Everyone who has ever played a looter understands how equipping gear works. It gets more interesting by endgame, but by then, players understand the systems enough to add a bit more to the equation. Skill points, on the other hand, are very simple. All you do is pick which of 5 stats you want to increase when you level up. All I want to add is the option to choose between spell A and spell B (and possibly C down the line) for a spell slot. If you think getting to choose between 2 options tips the game over the edge and makes it overwhelmingly complicated, your problems lie with Wynncraft, not me. Again, I will point to any other looter game. Destiny 2 has classes, gear, weapons, all stuff we have so far, subclasses, and abilities and load-outs (called "nodes") to choose from within each subclass, none of which we have or are close to. It may sound like a lot, but all of this is pretty easy to understand and utilize. I'm not asking for anything nearly as in-depth as something that, which isn't even complicated according to Destiny 2 players, so I think we're good.

Spoiler: Why is this better than other options?

We've established that the game needs more customization of characters' abilities, but why are swappable spells the best option?


1. Subclasses/Specializations

For those who don't know, this system would let you basically choose a class within a class. Archers could choose to be either a hunter or marksman, etc. Each one would give you access to new abilities or effects. While this would be better than what we have now, it just doesn't provide as much customization as swappable spells would, especially if the choice is permanent. Don't limit the player if you don't have to.


2. Move pools

The only difference between what I suggest and what this suggests is that move pools would let you put spells in any slot rather than a specific one. I actually do prefer this system on an ideological basis, but based on how I think the spell system works, this would just be too hard to implement.


3. Skill trees

This one is just WAY too much work and WAY too much of a change from what we have now to be reasonable.

Spoiler: What spells should we add?

Well, I have a few ideas, but this is not my forte. I recommend you look at AcadeeAlkana’s thread filled with over 30 suggestions linked here if you want some ideas of what spells to add.

It should be noted again, if you didn't read the entirety of my rebuttals, that new spells should not be solely different percentages of damage, otherwise, they really could be pretty boring. They should each have some sort of situation they are designed to be useful in. They could fill multiple roles, but they shouldn’t be used for so much that you can rely on them during every situation. As long as you don’t have 2 spells that are used for the exact same thing(s) on the same class, (2 spells can both be good against single targets, but they need to be good for something else as well that doesn’t overlap with the alternative spell), there won’t be a singular best spell over another. Considering how critical this is, I wanted to make a list of different scenarios spells can excel in.

Spoiler: What can spells be used for/good at doing?

1. single target vs. groups of enemies

2. fast enemies vs. slow

3. slowing, stunning, or otherwise hindering enemies

4. buffing your and/or your allies' damage, defense, movement speed, etc.

5. different elemental types (the same spell doing a different damage type will be much more or less effective based on the defenses of your enemies)

6. harder to hit vs. easier to hit enemies

7. distracting enemies/drawing agro

8. movement (like teleports or dashes)

9. summoning allies

10. point control

11. powerful spells with a cost, maybe of life

12. controlling where enemies move (like pushing enemies away from you)

13. spells that modify other spells

14. spells that modify characters (like turning into a wild bear great for melee combat)

15. map-wide transportation (like summoning a portal to Detlas)

16. making consumables (like using a spell to make a bunch of health potions for your team)

17. possibly spells that temporarily alter/create terrain

Spoiler: ”My spell ideas"

Warriors will get the obligatory Spin 2 Win spell that they have in almost every other game. Until you run out of mana, you will constantly (probably only 2-3 times a second for performance sake) deal damage in a small range all around you, like Assassin's Spin Attack, and lose mana. During this, you can’t do anything like using your main attack, casting other spells, or moving. The spell ends when you run out of mana or you press the same combo of clicks that activated it.

Mages will gain the ability to summon a pool of lava on the ground, dealing damage to enemies that walk through the area and slowing them down. Only one can be active at a time. This code can be borrowed from the damaging part of the Shaman’s Totem.

With this spell, Assassins throw a flurry of 3 shurikens in front of them, piercing through targets. Damage can stack based on how many shurikens hit a target. Everything except for the particle effects can all be made based on what the Shaman’s main attack is.

Archers will be able to place down a stationary ballista turret that shoots nearby enemies with powerful arrows every few seconds. It will target the nearest enemy, lasts for a moderate amount of time, and only one can be active at a time.

Finally, Shamans will get a different totem to use. This one doesn’t do any damage to enemies in the area and stops any damaging spell from being activated on it, (like Aura), but heals and buffs allies in a much larger area much more substantially.

Spoiler: How will you swap spells?

I personally like the idea that you would go to an NPC in a town, (maybe called a trainer or a spell switcher), that would have 4 things you can click on each leading you to a menu that lets you choose between the spells available for that slot. There would also be a confirm and exit button that puts your changes into effect and backs out to the main menu again (where you choose from the 4 buttons). Some want changing spell load-outs to cost soul points or emeralds, but I think this discourages experimentation. I think you should be able to try things out whenever you want to at no cost.

On the back end, all the devs need to do to keep track of which spell is equipped is have a variable for each slot. If you have the original spell equipped, the variable would be set to 1, and new spells would be 2+. When the combos of clicks are met (like RLL), then check what the variable is set to. If it’s 1, then activate the command blocks that cast the original spell. If it’s 2+, activate the command blocks that cast the new spells.

Spoiler: When would you unlock new spells?

You could make it so that when you unlock each spell slot (levels 11, 21, and 31), you unlock all the spells available for that slot, but I think this is a bit too much for the player to have to decide considering they don’t know anything about the spells.

Some say that the trend of getting new spells every ten levels should continue. This makes sense, but if you also continue the trend that all of the upgrades for that spell are unlocked 35 levels after, then there is only room for another 3 spells in total for each class, and I think we should make a system that allows more room than 3 spells.

I think the best option is giving the player a new spell every 7 levels after the respective slot is unlocked. For example, at level 11 you get your second spell slot. With this system, if there is a second spell that can go in that slot, you would unlock it at level 18. This way, you get a bit of time to play around with the original spell, but you also get access to a new one before you unlock a new spell slot. If there is a third spell to unlock for the second slot, you would get access to that one at level 25, and so on. This also allows for, if I calculated correctly, 5 new spells, not in total, but just for the fourth slot, and even more for the other slots. My idea gives much more room to expand upon in future updates and ensures that there is often something new for the player to play with.

To summarize, swappable spells are exactly what Wynncraft needs right now. They have extensive benefits including existing characters being more fun and customizable, making balancing easier, and time and efforts of the devs being spent most efficiently. It was explained how vital it is that each spell has a use/an area they shine in, and a few ways to go about ensuring that. Then, I talked about how the players would unlock and switch spells, and how the devs would implement that system. I truly believe this is the most important thing Wynncraft could add and I hope I have convinced you of the same. Thank you.

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Please don't comment why you don't want this to be added without reading the entirety of my counterarguments section.

 

This post brings up a ton of good points which I honestly wouldn't have the time or patience to bring up, even if I had thought of them. Thanks for bringing a whole slew of really strong points to our attention in favor of new Spells, and thanks for bringing up my Spell Ideas post!