[alphabet]

Ive always wondered why we werent allowed to choose professions in Jumpgate.

Example:
Military
Pirate
Privateer
Hauler
Miner

This would in effect get rid of the tag system. A pilot could choose between two career paths with one being the major and the other being the minor.

Hauler/Miner
Military/Privateer
Pirate/Hauler
etc., etc.

Just because you choose one profession over another doesnt mean you cant do the other things.. But there should be profession specific equipment that is only available for people in that profession.

• Like robber is only available to pirates.
• The biggest mining lasers only available to miners.
• Some weapons only available to military, etc.
• Basically the best tools of each profession are for that professions use only.

This would get rid of the crappy tag system, plus allow us to RP better because we would have professions.

Thoughts?

[Jump]

You could have different leveling paths for each profession.

[vorlon31]

*cough* fluxer

One of the things that is so good about Jumpgate is the freedom. Log in today and mine, tomorrow haul, next arti..whatever limiting equipment types to professions would be fine IF you can still trade them to non profesionals.

[Raz]

Good lord no.

Your profession = your ship. Got money? Buy it.

Your skills = your flight skill.

I thought we already all knew this?

Guys, Jumpgate's whole charm is the fact that invisible dice aren't rolling. Let's not start adding them just to pretend to be WoW.

I played a game that did something very similar.

It started out as a 2d MMO paintball game. You could buy anything as long as you had the money and the weight. It was quite immersive and was awesome since you were always saving money for some sort of goodies.

When it was redone, they did it as you guys said, and seperated all equipment into 'professions' EACH of which required levelling.

Money lost importance cause you never had the level to buy anything. Killing other players changed from a fun experience to a grind cause I needed kills.

It felt fake and just an excuse to keep me playing longer.
I quit in 2 days.

[Ambrosius]

Actually, I had started an idea a while back to tie RP or "profession" if you will to your squad. Want to be a miner, join a "mining guild" with all it's resulting benefits and limitations.

The start of that idea is HERE.

[Raz]

But how is it in any way a good idea to lock players OUT of in-game content unless they grind to it?

You really want to lock people out of mining Rads unless they have L50 mining?

Jumpgate should be about possibility and feasibility. Tough minerals should be tough because they're tough to GET TO, not tough to GRIND TO.

Also: Most squads do everything at one point in time. Squads are supposed to have Squad leaders who decide what the squad will be doing, and they are responsible for organization.

Give them POSSIBILITIES to do, don't lock them into one path forever! That's just asking people to get bored!

[Ambrosius]

If you're responding to my idea:

a) you can change squads; and

b) A pilot in a mining guild could (for example) go fluxing or arty hunting, but he would have to do so in one of the ships available to him. A factionalist could mine, they just would have to do it in a tow (for example).

Benefits and limitations . . . choices. It makes things interesting (IMO) -- not boring.

[Raz]

a) you can change squads; and

Are you saying that Brotherhood should have all just had access to PvP stuff and should have had to mine in tows just because of their squad registration?

There is no justification whatsoever for locking squadded players out of in-game ships. Firstly, Jumpgate has always had a problem with not enough people mining and hauling, not too many people. Locking segments of the playerbase out makes no sense.

Also, the devs have already stated they want the 'in and out' time to be faster, meaning they want more accessibility to more stuff to do, quicker.

So, it's safe to say this will never happen anyway.

Also, can you think of a single logical reason why Quantar or anyone else would seperate their loyal forces, making their military mine in tows?

I think we have to keep in mind here that we are all seeing stars since we just learned that a game we all love is getting a jolt of life. We can't take that to mean that this game can do no wrong and that every crazy idea we have is going to work. We have to be careful, because even the most well-intentioned ideas can have drastic effects on the in-game feel of a title.

[Cord]

I like the variety of things that can be done with Jumpgate. I do not want to be locked in to a job. I like that all pilots can eventually learn to do all things. The spice of life and all that.

[alphabet]

Hehe Raz, you seem to take the point on almost every post that the game currently is the way it ought to be. If that was so, Jumpgate would have a heck of a lot more peeps playing rather than the low levels that are currently online.

Regardless, if you look closely at my suggestion, it doesnt lock a player out of anything, except maybe high end specialized equipment. If your a Military/Hauler, you can still mine for ore. You just wouldnt have the high end specialized mining equipment that a dedicated miner would have. That person chose what they wanted to be, why not throw them a carrot?

Vorlon, I was thinking that the Privateer would be the role of fluxer. Actually it would be sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. More of a role for the undecided. Have access to all the equipment, but none of the specialized high end stuff.

Anyway, where I was going is that military/pirates would always be consider HG to each other. military/military could engage in hostilities, and if the factions were truely at war, more benefits could be bestowed.

Miners and Haulers would be considered the civ class.

Unreg is unreg. Anything goes there, its the wild west.

Note: You could always change your profession, but like Jump said, there needs to be a ranking curve or credit hit to make keep the players from going instant HG to CIV.

Hope that explain my idea a little better.

[Raz]

Hehe Raz, you seem to take the point on almost every post that the game currently is the way it ought to be.

Not quite. I just think the current way that ships are done is very well made and already quite fun.

The problem with Jumpgate is that it wasn't complete when it had players, so it atrophied and lost the community a game like it needs to stay interesting.

The whole 'overarching point' I'm trying to make is that yes, Jumpgate does need improvements. It needs a LOT of them. But taking away possibility from the players is not one of those improvements, because it runs the risk of making the game not feel open, free, and unlimited.

Jumpgate needs players, information to be TOLD to the player, an easier learning curve, more fun missions that impact the world, and more profitable, meaningful, fun work in general.

A lot of the stuff that's coming I already agree with, alphabet. I like AI pilots, as long as they don't take over for the players. Those kind of things will enhance the atmosphere of the game, help the economy take care of itself, etc. That's a winning idea.

Just locking people out of stuff isn't an idea I want to entertain. We should be concentrating on ways to make everything fun, so that people who play can't wait to try everything out. When they excitedly go back to the station to grab mining stuff, do you really want them to see "REQUIRED: MINING 5. PLEASE GO TRAIN."?

(Yes, I know the level system sorta-kinda does it now, but there is always something available, and as you level, you unlock everything. Having to individually level for professions just screams 'grind' to me.)

Also: The minute I heard this announcement, all the work Istvan had been doing over the last 2 years suddenly made sense to me. Guys, he was coding factional warfare when there was like 5 people logged on most of the time.

We have to keep in mind that they have been laying framework for an improved game for QUITE a while now. When Jumpgate actually had the 'critical mass' of players it needs to stay thriving, it was not even close to the game that it is NOW, much less when Evolution comes out.

A lot of the stuff that caused the original game to die has already been fixed!

[TexMurphy]

Millitary tags are in fact a millitary profession...

As soon as you load up cargo move it and then sell it you are a hauler by profession you get payed for that activity hence professional hauler...

But yes beeing able to sign on as a Solrain/Quantar/Octavious Factional Hauler/Miner/Millitary/Scout and through that get access to different missions might be an idea. Though there has to be a reason for why you haul/mine/scout/fight for a faction, as well as a risk and a reward attached to it.

Tex