Page 1 of 1

Change focus?

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 12:54 am
by guardDog
Hey everyone...

I have been thinking about ways to possibly bring back older players and get some life back into the game. The GM team is doing a great job and I truly appreciate everything that they are doing to bring this game that was such a part of our life for so many years back to us. There were a lot that came back and then have left again. How do we get them back? How do we get even more players back?

The current transformation of Kaer Gerroz has given me an awesome idea. What if a wave of Chaos or something washes over the City and changes dreamers? Dreamers could use different methods to protect themselves if they do not want to change. The change.. let dreamers change focus. They would keep their dreamsoul, but would have to learn everything else all over again. The current way people can bundle level up to third makes this easier to achieve. There would be some big questions like.. do they lose halos or have to gain them back? the art of Sphere? Things of that nature.

I think it would really bring some fresh life back into the City.. I know it would be a huge amount of work on your end..

Please let me know what you think of the idea.

Norm

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 12:50 pm
by Venom
If I logged in and Venom was suddenly a SoulMaster, I would scream in shear terror. This is because I'd be hounded by Kage as being a SoulMaster and well.... have Soulmaster cooties.

Still it would be neat to allow others to change focuii.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:09 pm
by Gerroz
If this was in effect I think that the players who -choose- to change focus should be able to retain their focus, flame and blade levels, transfered to the other focus, and that the bundled arts (all up including level 30, should be platted already for all characters over 5th sphere.

Then people might consider it

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 7:36 pm
by Brother Timothy
I couldn't be anything else but a dreamseer.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:48 am
by guardDog
I was wondering if anyone from Koi saw this and what you think of it? A player does not have to switch focus. It is their choice, but I know a few that will come back if this is true and even some current players that would switch at least 1 of their toons.

Just curious.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 1:53 pm
by Koi-Shadow
From the responses above, it does not seem like there is much community interest currently to justify the amount of work this would require from the GM and Dev teams. I would be curious to hear from someone who is not currently playing, but would play if they were allowed to change their focus. I would also like to hear if any current players would change their character's focus if given the chance and what they would change it to.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 2:20 pm
by Riggs
Personally, I think this could be fun.

I have a 6th sphere SM and a 4th sphere teacher SM. I chose the latter because at the time of his creation, obviously, I didn't think I'd ever be able to play my original (6th sphere) character ever again and I like the SM focus.

The only one I would change would be the 4th sphere SM - but as gD mentioned in his original post.. there would have to be a definition on how Train would get passed on/transferred with a focal change.

The only focus I would change too would be a FS - likely because my first ever character was a FS and I enjoyed the focus. However, if I enjoyed it more than the SM I kept... then I wouldn't have made my 4th sphere teacher character a SM, would I?

I don't think I'd want o change to the other 2 focal groups; not that I dislike them, or anything, because I've played them all in some form - I just prefer an SM first, then a FS. The others would be a toss up.

- B

DE/Vamp

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 2:47 pm
by Tobyz Friend
If given the opportunity to change my characters focus, I would consider changing from GK to SM. The only reason I wouldn't is if I had to redo all my arts. If I were able to change and have the SM arts, similar to what my GK arts are at I would do it for sure. But if I had to start over with only say the focal blade, and flame carrying over I may not.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:40 pm
by Sidas
I would consider consenting to it if the right roleplay was there. Needless to say, I would be against if I had to retask for everything again. :-)

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:08 am
by Cherokee
I'm with Sidas on this one. It would be an interesting RP, if people had the choice to go with it or decline. Personally, I don't think I would change Jade's focus..but I know several that would love the opportunity to do so. But that's only if they could swap their character's focus and arts, for another with the arts and levels matching. I don't think anyone would want to lower their arts just to play another focus.

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:45 pm
by Clarity
I don't dislike the idea. We have so many people who are dreamseer and so few that are fatesender, that giving the option to some folks to change their focus might help even the balance quite a bit. I also have no problem with folks exchanging high end plateaued focal mains.

What does need to happen is that it needs to be roleplayed out. None of this "Wow suddenly x is a different focus and no one ever speaks of it or wonders how it happened" stuff. Someone suddenly changing focus should struggle with their new-found gifts, both internally, and externally. You were a Dreamseer but suddenly you're a Gatekeeper! Oh those darned chaos winds! Shoot, I have no idea how to focus my energy on my Will, so I keep accidentally evoking know instead of return! How the hell do I make Ward work! My feet are so heavy, were they always this heavy? What the heck, I totally didn't even realize that was what was being hinted at by X person! Normally I would have picked up on those subtleties instead of just seeing the obvious!

It would need to be a one time in game event, perhaps before a patch, with those folks already active who wish to participate signing up ahead of time, with a no-takesies-backsies policy. Wanna change your focus, now's the time, be prepared because there's no going back. Then just give the option to folks who are returning during the transfer process "A one time chance to change the focus of your returning old character from one of the previous versions," with the understanding that it needs to be roleplayed - not forever, mind you, but for the first few weeks of active play. And for returning players, it offers a chance to get re-aquainted with the game mechanics in a fun way!

In fact, you could use the teaching system, rather then force the tech team to db edit everyone's arts, which would reduce, or more accurately spread out the amount of work required by the tech team - By using the bundle system. Anyone effected by the change could receive an ooc bundle codex to learn all their new arts, with a simple ((roleplay the struggle of learning how to use a new focus)) and then a secondary one for regaining full plat level of the original plateaus of the equivalent arts lost - ((Master your new arts)). That would incorporate the GM Teacher team, and to a lesser extent the Master Teacher players, for the initial learn phase, and give the Tech team time to handle the DB art plateau level edit phase. All while pushing roleplay and interaction.

AND! For folks who wanted to do this, if they were teachers, a simple "Keep your halo off until you've 'mastered your new arts', then return to your teaching duties," clause would go far to lend to the ongoing roleplay with out having to mess with train or quest.

If it's something Koi folks are interested in undertaking, I even have a neat idea for the catalyst, as I'm willing to bet others do as well! Maybe a contest for best idea with Pmare or Rp points as a reward?

Food for thought, at any rate ^_^

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:03 am
by Golah
Clar, I love you more and more every day =)

Re: Change focus?

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:46 pm
by Uthanatos
I realize this thread is old as all getout, but I think with the new dual focus system in place it's kind of viable at this point, a lot of dreamers WOULD go GK secondary, except the primary reasons to go GK secondary are...well, restricted, mostly being the focal art, others would choose DS as a secondary but would be restricted from...okay I'll mention blast just because people like it in PVP, but mostly combine. Allowing them to FULLY swap, I.E. making their original focus their secondary focus and taking their second focus as the primary, would really balance things out to promote people to ACTUALLY take a GK or DS secondary, let's be honest, you could get Firestorm, you could get Trap and Abjure...ooooor you could choose GK or DS. Just, runnin it up the flagpole to see who salutes.


Uthy