Hi guys!
Great ideas everybody! We will certainly let the developers hear your thoughts! A few responses to everyone while we progress...
Active skills:
We can currently have a maximum of 3 effects
Examples: Damage, Taunt, Swap
Debuff, Skill delay, Damage
Attack up, Stealth, Swap
We are still in the era of 1 active and 1 passive skill as well, so the concept of a secondary skill is not yet available. It may come in the future as Valiant Force develops into an extraordinary game. I believe when that comes, every hero will get a revamp and a secondary active skill!
4th direction aura: Great suggestion! The developers have actually thought of this a while back, but it's still on hold as we continue to balance the current state of the game.
We are currently unable to incorporate 4 effects into one skill, hence the removal of Taunt from Darrion HD as a concept. Keep the feedback coming!
Love from MiloD!
Hey MiloDinosaur,
Thank you for your response, we really appreciate acknowledgements to our suggestions
In the paragraphs below, I have 2 main suggestions:
(A) New Skill sets called "Bonds" : dependent on specific job class or unit match up that allows valiant to change their skill and aura effect set when activated.
(B) Valiant specific weapons
Since it has been clarified that there are some limitations as to how the skills can be changed, here are my thoughts:
1) Original Skills of Valiants should not change much, (as an exception, only when certain jobs are not used at all (royal huntsman))
Reasoning: most players built those same valiants with the intent to use those same skills. Imagine if someone build a darrion HD for its taunt and removing negative effects skill combination for pve. now it can no longer taunt which makes it less useful for story and event. such changes can upset a bulk of players.
2) Since we are looking at a maximum of 3 effects, assuming if we use existing format, that will limit the changes to damage output, Area of damage, skill cool down.
With summoners in play now and a few event heroes capable of dishing out tonnes of damage (ronan), to make valiant viable again, you will most likely need to increase their damage output, increase area of damage, decrease skill cool down. But there will be no end to power creep.
Even so, I believe most players are looking forward to improvements in these areas marginally.
3) Since each valiant has a job role and their skill sets are limited to their jobs, technically developers have few old skill combination to play around with to keep in line with their job abilities.
To circumvent this problem, one can consider to create brand new skills, such as back in the days when ronan first appeared with magic missiles. Problem with this is again, might be a start of another power creep.
In few other threads, I believe there are many other players who hold the thoughts that certain elements of the game are lacking, such as character development.
While it is more straightforward to think of revamping skills solely for their utility, I believe that a more comprehensive outcome can be achieved even while changing their skill sets.
For example: In its current state, the valiants and hero units in general all operate on the rectangle grid as mercenaries. They are just put together solely for their independent skills that might match up well with others. I do think that this is still a beautiful part of the game, except that just as how it feels cold to lump units together for no other reason than their aura utility to complement each other, this cold feeling dissipates out towards the overall delivery of the game story. ( you do not take advantage of how units when paired together can have additional relationships that translate to strengths which can add a new layer of fun and meaning for pairing different units together, while achieving new strategic gameplay goals.)
To simplify the point above, what I am suggesting is that, if 3 effects are the maximum at the moment, I believe that can and should be respected, but why not consider a different set of 3 skills for each valiant when they are paired with another class or any other specific hero.
Just to illustrate my point further:
Assuming Leon BK and Darrion HD keep their original skills. A new addition could be a new branch of dependent skills known as "bonds" where the description can be something like:
{
Bonds: ( 2 turn CD)
Code of the Holy Knights
When Leon / A defender class hero is within Darrion's aura:
Bond Skill:(player has option to choose to activate this skill if player activate bond, overwrites unit existing skill)
Darrion pulls enemy to empty tile in front of caster.
Shield all defender class heroes within Darrion Aura with 100%
Darrion Hp and reflects 30% of damage for 2 turns.
Bond Aura effect(overwrite existing aura): Aura activated when Bonds is activated
Attacks of Units within Darrion Aura will heal for 25% of damage dealt.
}
The above is just an example of how when different specific units are paired together, new skills can be available. I typed out the skills in a hurry, so not much thought have been put into the exact impact of those skills. Simply an example to illustrate the potential of my point.
This way, not only will players try to mix up Valiants with other specific units, if those same valiants and units have a plot link or character development links, this will be more emphasized through gameplay and players will be able to connect better with their characters rather than just treat them as mercenaries. Just to quote an example, a reason a game such as fire emblem is so popular is due to the fact that while they have a decent strategic gameplay system, they do not neglect or downplay the ties between the units and amplify them within the gameplay itself. Then the lore and the world of Arathos can be more exemplified that way.
The intent of bringing up FE is not to suggest VF should be like FE, but just that gameplay can also be an area to maximize character relationships. Its like killing two birds with one stone.
4) Lastly, if valiants must be enhanced differently other than their skills: can consider also valiant specific weapon bonus or more rune slots or additional skill rune slot for valiants.
Although the 4th point to me is too skewed for P2W alr since those valiant weapons will likely need players to pay for them. Alternatively, you can make the valiant weapons something that players have to go through another slew of plot and dungeon/ event to craft the item.
I think players could appreciate some epic crafting quest instead of relying on RNG for drop or accumulating of new currencies to buy equips the entire time. lol.
Cheers,
Frey
