Archived Magic System Critique

[alpet]

Magic System Critique​

Greetings, fellow massivecrafters. In recent events, the Lore Staff have taken the initiative of implementing a new system of magic to replace the old. While this has decreased the over-saturated and power-gaming infested nature of the system, I (and other people) find that it has killed the idea of being able to do what you fancy (within reason) on massivecraft. Within the contents of this debate thread, you will hear my words on the matter.I will acknowledge that I do like magic (especially this system) and desire, like most people, to make a mage, that I shall admit. However, this thread is not fueled by my arbitrary desires, but more so a realization that things must change in order for people to be happy. Now, I wish to clarify that I respect the staff and that no one is getting downsized, it's merely that their decision was a bit flawed.

The main issue with this new system is the inaccessibility that the new magic system exhibits. It is nearly impossible for the common folk to make a mage, usually only able to be attained by high nobility, staff, or other more high-profile players. While I know that we can't hand out magic to any new player with terrible roleplay etiquette, we can't restrict it to the 1%, it is all about drawing a line in the sand or finding a middle ground. Another issue is the population cap itself. Having a set amount of mages (and a lower one at that) heavily prevents any fresh blood from filling in the ranks, and bringing forth new roleplay and ideas. This is because of the fact no one would give up their mage character, due to how special and limited it is. So, subsequently, when the slots are full, it would take an extremely long time for prospecting mage players to actually take up one of those slots.

Once the slots are full, they're going to be full for an extremely long time, until some of those said mage characters die or get shelved. Due to the fact magic is going to be extremely special and restricted, plus with the kill permission system, I find it hard to believe that these players would give up their mage characters. Also, the staff say that they wish to promote a sense of "mystery" in magic, which I can agree to. Though genociding the mage population isn't going to fix that, what will however is changing the magic system itself. Don't be afraid to put a more mythological twist to magic, don't be afraid to be vague in certain areas to stir wonder. I honestly like the newly updated magic system on how the schools are categorized along with the spells, it resembles Dungeons and Dragons quite a good deal.

The solution I have in mind is quite simple; downsize magic to a regular permission. I am not going to discuss the Grandmaster rank of the combat schools or the Silven race because this post is fully devoted to the magic system. Make magic a permission. I do think said application should be heavily scrutinized, but don't make it so closed off to the general masses that it's only possible for the 1% to attain it. Also, don't put a hard population cap on the number of mages, it won't be overbearing as long as the magic system itself is entertaining and immersing.. I think the good of having plenty of players happy with the magic system, and perhaps even interacting with it and making a mage, heavily outweighs the bad of a few powergamers here and there.

 

[FireFan96]

Here's my 2 cents on this and application systems in general

nobility, grandmasters, and mages. These are all locked behind applications.

Some people want to RP as a noble, but they can't because it's locked behind an application. Others want to be the best warrior, but that is locked behind application. And as mentioned here, others want to be a mage, but it is locked behind an application.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't believe anything should change. Nobles make up the upper percentages of a society, and are few in numbers. Master fighters are mostly heard of in legends, and rarely showcase their powers unless need be. They also make up a small number in society, perhaps even less than nobles. And mages are an anomaly. A mystical group heard in stories that many go their whole lives without seeing.

All of these groups are small and exclusive, yes. But that is because they fill the RP niche of these small groups of individuals. We shouldn't see 50 nobles, or 50 master bladesmen, or 50 mages. The quantity at times can undermine the quality, so to speak. Applications allow players who have contributed to the RP community to earn special permissions that the average *player* can't access right away.

But with that said, the key word I typed above is *player*. Not staff, not premium, not veteran, not newbie, *player*. A colorful tag means nothing in terms of RP. Any player is able to earn these permissions through contributions to the server. In my own experience, I started off as a merchant, and then became a baron in the old "anyone could declare themselves a baron" noble system, and then actively engaged with other nobles and commoners, getting back to where I am today, back to a baron. But in all my noble endeavors, I started out with a commoner character and interacted with people. Making the change to a noble was easy then because I already knew how to interact and had driven a (very) small plot in the harbor.

My advice to anyone not pleased with the application systems is to get out there. You may want to be a mage now, but perhaps you could settle for an alchemist today? If you get your name out there as an alchemist, perhaps you could turn them into a mage when you have an application accepted. Or perhaps be a vampire and plot with other members of the undercity to launch a plan against the surface. There are many ways to become noticed in the RP community, and most of these things don't require an application to do.

 

[Gen_tlemen]

I mean realistically if magic was real it would be hard to believe only 20 people actually practiced it. In all reality everyone and their cat would know a spell

 

[Aespair]

I mean realistically if magic was real it would be hard to believe only 20 people actually practiced it. In all reality everyone and their cat would know a spell

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I'm not entirely sure I can believe that. In a world where magic is repressed and seen as dark witchcraft, not many people would even want to become a mage, let alone have the ability and patience to. Add forced mutations that comes with becoming a mage, and it's hindered even further.

 

[Wumpatron]

The system is actually rather inclusive. You gain what you put into it. Contribute to the community and maintain a good attitude and there is little preventing you from attaining magic. The average player has just as much chance as a veteran, they just have to invest time into it.

 

[MonMarty]

We are aware that the criteria are not working considering only 2 players have qualified. There is an ongoing discussion within staff how to best structure a system to alleviate the draconian limitations on who gets entry level permission. That being said, I need to make a few things clear:

• The hardcap on slots will remain. Magic must remain the 1%, and the 1% is actually based on a more wide 10% of the average population during prime time cap of the entire server, not even just roleplayers. Assuming Regalia has about 100 players during prime time, assuming all those 100 people are roleplaying, assuming the people who became mages play on a daily basis, that would mean a tenth if not a fifth of the active population on any random day is a mage.
• It will never return to a free registry in the same way the old system was ran. The free registry is actually not a system that enforces quality control, it just inhibits players from creating a string of speshiul characters. Many of the free permission registry individuals inflicted rampant power gaming on other players but because of a lack of reports, such cases were simply never dealt with.
• The actual criteria need to be changed at this stage, which is most likely related to what we consider community work, and how we consider this reasonable or required at all. The changes will most likely take place in the coming days, and everyone can consider their waiting time lifted for the new criteria.

usually only able to be attained by high nobility, staff,

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Please be sure to properly investigate/read into a system before you create a critique on it. We have rejected half the staff applications for both Magic/Silven applications, meaning even staff don't universally get accepted, and nobility are barred from silven (under most circumstances) and magic applications.

 

[Conflee]

Please be sure to properly investigate/read into a system before you create a critique on it. We have rejected half the staff applications for both Magic/Silven applications, meaning even staff don't universally get accepted, and nobility are barred from silven (under most circumstances) and magic applications.

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To add a bit to that though I dont think a bit is needed per say but I see the argument of "only staff / staff friends get cool stuff" off and on: When it comes to unique or important, or potentially powerful things, the people who get them tend to be people who stand out, have contributed notably to the server, and have a clean record. These people also tend to be the people who qualify for Staff and Nobility, because they have been around longest. Its not based on the fact that they are Staff/Nobles, its more that all three groups pull from the same pool of players. So there tends to be a lot of overlap.