Question on the archer class suggestion!?

[hawkus1]

Why are archers , a class that many people would like to see added to the game , generally frowned upon by the BH or whoever has been currently assigned to game development?

Archers have been around since cavemen roamed the earth, they certainly were used in this time period. My idea about a gunsmith class was shot down (no pun intended), even though gunpowder was available in the time period ffthg is in. Certainly somebody can manufacture wooden arrows and bows, lots of trees in the forest , make that possible.

While I'm on my soapbox, why are ninjas, as well as weapons for black belts, on the same boat?

[icestol2m]

i say the BH picks a few of the idea's we've suggested or there own w/e and lets us pick from the selection

[Kija]

Darlow is not Earth, so even though they look similar to a certain developmental stage of us, they are still not us. After the Hunting Grounds formed, it halted all technological advancements, so guns were never invented. Archers do exist in the world, you just cannot be one at the moment.

I do not think any of those are completely frowned upon; however, there is a lot of work that goes into each class and stage, and any minor change can completely change it. For instance, giving a blackbelt a weapon can have a much larger effect than one might think. A lot of thought has to go into how the weapon affects the class, would the weapon be useful, and so on. If a blackbelt were to have weapons, this would change their fist theme, or if they have fist weapons, then their damage setup would have to be completely redone, and plenty more thought and balance that would go into that. This is not to say that archers would never exist, or that blackbelts would never have weapons. But there is already a lot of changes coming to the current classes, which requires a lot of new balancing and thought. And sometimes people's suggestions do not fit the direction of a class we want them to take. For instance, giving a redmage exclusive access to a life area spell.

We like to listen to suggestions; however, at the end, we believe it should be our decision. We want players to have playing the game, but we want them to have fun playing our game. And sometimes, popular decisions is it not always the best route. If we added something everytime enough people asked for it, we would have summoners and chocobos already. Any game developer should take the time to listen to their players and find out what they want, what they dislike, and so on. But they also need to be able to decide that for themselves as well. They are players too, and they also have thoughts on the game. When it comes to making the final decision, the players' thoughts are weighed in, but it is ultimately decided by what they believe is best for their game, as you never want to make a game that you do not enjoy yourself.

[Rand]

Precisely. I think sometimes people forget that underneath these robes of ours, we're normal people too. I am Rand, the Redmage of Darlow, balancer and writer for the Hunting Grounds....but I am also Nathan, of Indiana, who loves to spoil his niece and nephew.

Ninjas are certainly a popular topic lately, aren't they? It's like I've said before lads. Make a poll, and see what happens and the feedback you get from it. Same for black belts with weapons. Same for the suggestion of adding in archers later on down the road, how you'd want them to be and why, their pros and cons. This means you, Kyou, since you're the Banner-General on this particular scene.

[Mahn]

Well said, Kija. BTW, also dig up my old thread/post of "Advanced Classes".

[hawkus1]

My mistake then , is Darlow another planet in a galaxy far, far, away from our imagination then?

I guess the chaotics really f'ed up society then if there has been no technological prowess . Maybe since magic is available to the mages and certain gifted people , technology took a back seat to it. As did basic survival needs.

Yet swords, axes, and blunts and such continue to be manufactured ,somewhere. I'm certain some where or some one on the planet has a mill and can manufacture bows and arrows, or leather gloves for blackbelts from a tannery, or leather gloves with sharp blades attached to them.

But this is not the issue I guess. Time and effort involved in creating 2 new classes of characters is. Having no knowledge of game creation also makes me unable to fathom what it must take to create said classes. I'm a quick study , I'd be more than happy to learn if there was any way I could help. As far as suggestions on strengths and weaknesses for a new class I agree , some one please create a poll. Heres my 2 votes for two new classes , I want archers and ninjas as a class choice, and weapons for bb's gunsmith's need not apply!

P.S. one last thing is there a general form you want filled out when it comes to class suggestions... (strengths, weaknesses, abilities ,weapons carried, pros, cons ...etc.)

Oh 1 more thing , I forgot to mention is that I also agree that certain class suggestions (summoners and chocobo's) may not "fit" into the story line for the hunting grounds. When I found this game on Byond, I originally did not know that thg was a final fantasy story either , its an original work of art (soon to be anyway via v8). Others (newer people) who just joined thg go by the assumption that this is a final fantasy fangame/story. Which is why people probably want chocobos in the game.

But i do think these suggestions can "fit" , or could "fit" into "THG". These classes would IMHO add to the storyline and enhance the game the BH is trying to create. Thanks in advance for reading and discussing these posts.

[Kija]

Something being manufactured and something being invented are very different. When the Hunting Grounds appeared, it destroyed their homes, resources, and access to the other kingdoms. They had to desperately find safe ground and start over. It takes time to rebuild a kingdom.

After so long, things got better, and they did manage to restablish trade routes, however, things were still in a bad condition. They were still poor and weak. Things were not focused on making new technologies; they were focused on just staying alive, and trying to discover what happened to their planet. Gunpowder is a complicated thing to discover anyways, and in the situation they are in, it would just not happen. However, as I already said, so I am not sure why you are argueing their existance, archers do exist, as do other various weapons not selectable in the game itself.

[Rand]

Yes, indeed. It just isn't available for use right now. There's an entire world of things that the normal player right now cannot see...some of which may come about in a later version.

[Vahu]

kija said:

Something being manufactured and something being invented are very different. When the Hunting Grounds appeared, it destroyed their homes, resources, and access to the other kingdoms. They had to desperately find safe ground and start over. It takes time to rebuild a kingdom.

After so long, things got better, and they did manage to restablish trade routes, however, things were still in a bad condition. They were still poor and weak. Things were not focused on making new technologies; they were focused on just staying alive, and trying to discover what happened to their planet. Gunpowder is a complicated thing to discover anyways, and in the situation they are in, it would just not happen. However, as I already said, so I am not sure why you are argueing their existance, archers do exist, as do other various weapons not selectable in the game itself.

I noticed most towns have ports, but thats about it concerning the ocean. I assume there are some fishermen about, since people need to eat. But, shouldn't there be a class that utilizes water for combat since the ocean seems to be nearby for just about every town? Even if they can't discover new means of technology, surely someone has studied the effects of water over time especially since there are ports and people do sail over the seas...

[lordphoenix]

vahu said:

kija said:

Something being manufactured and something being invented are very different. When the Hunting Grounds appeared, it destroyed their homes, resources, and access to the other kingdoms. They had to desperately find safe ground and start over. It takes time to rebuild a kingdom.

After so long, things got better, and they did manage to restablish trade routes, however, things were still in a bad condition. They were still poor and weak. Things were not focused on making new technologies; they were focused on just staying alive, and trying to discover what happened to their planet. Gunpowder is a complicated thing to discover anyways, and in the situation they are in, it would just not happen. However, as I already said, so I am not sure why you are argueing their existance, archers do exist, as do other various weapons not selectable in the game itself.

I noticed most towns have ports, but thats about it concerning the ocean. I assume there are some fishermen about, since people need to eat. But, shouldn't there be a class that utilizes water for combat since the ocean seems to be nearby for just about every town? Even if they can't discover new means of technology, surely someone has studied the effects of water over time especially since there are ports and people do sail over the seas...

Geomancers ftw? I like.

[Erb]

i keep having dayjavoo or whatever you call it every time archer is brought up,

idk about geomancers, they wouldn't fit the storyline
and what good would knowledge about water do in PoP

i dint see archers doing any good, when even a knight can hit a mob all the way in the back row with ease XD
all types of attacks are taken by all the classes already, giving them attacks of multiple classes will invade too much in the redmage class,
which reminds me,,
redmages can wield bow and arrow,, that will fit there instill skill like beans and cornbread,
an arrow charged with electricity or whatever
how would that work for when they use just a spell? shoot the energy with the bow, no arrow required

bow and arrow for redmage sounds very good to me

[U. Dye]

I actually think a Geomancer would be more like a FIRE-oriented mage... Hydromancy is more like water. Just FYI. <_<

[Kija]

Pyromancer is fire, hydromancer is water, and geomancer is earth. They would have the ability to throw rocks at people and cause earthquakes.

[Jumin]

throw rocks at people... like them guys over in the middle east

[Rand]

Everything suggested is taken into consideration, lads. And just because something doesn't have the same label...well, that doesn't mean it isn't essentially the same thing either.