Soup's on, but who's cooking it?

[greatcleavage]

[After a productive day out in the fields earning money, Roy heads back down the streets of Mac Anu, his arms laden with sacks and piled high with -- groceries. Did he really expect to eat them all by himself? Of course not -- he had guild members to feed!]

[But the fighter Edge Punisher had a faint frown on his face as he made his way carefully to the @Home...]

I hope someone can figure out some way to cook all of this...

Comments

[greatcleavage]

True, but everything starts simple, and builds up from there. Understanding the basics is vital!

[tank_sniper]

[Shrug.]

Whatever you say.

[greatcleavage]

Trust me, if your battle plan is 'hit harder', you're nothing but a barbarian.

[tank_sniper]

I wasn't planning on it.

[greatcleavage]

Exactly! You need to be able to deconstruct what you're doing to its basic elements, then understand them and improve on them.

[tank_sniper]

Like controlling your breathing while aiming... that kind of thing?

[greatcleavage]

Exactly! Breathwork while fighting with a sword is also important, but it's certainly not something you'd think of if you didn't understand the process.

[tank_sniper]

...I see.

[Wow way to carry a conversation Shinon.]

[greatcleavage]

Though the level-up mechanic kind of obviates the need for that.... [To which Roy just sighs.]

I'm guessing you haven't had much formal training with guns, given that?

[tank_sniper]

[She shakes her head.]

Not outside of the game I played.

[greatcleavage]

And inside isn't quite the same. It's funny how that works, isn't it?

[tank_sniper]

[She gives a shrug.]

In a way... I guess you could say each place has its own rules on how things work.

[greatcleavage]

That's been made fairly clear to me. There was a time I could have taught you some general pointers, but these days, it's greatswords only for me. Not that I really mind, but I miss having the option.

[tank_sniper]

You mean because of the class system?

[greatcleavage]

Exactly. A fighter should be proficient in all simple and martial weapons!

[tank_sniper]

I feel a little constrained by this system too. Even GGO let you have some freedom when building your character.

[greatcleavage]

Out of curiosity, in what way?

[He's still confused by her conceptions of her previous campaign setting, but so long as he's prepared to accept her word for it, he's interested in what she would have done differently with herself, if given the chance.]

[tank_sniper]

Mostly stat allocation. There was actually a big problem recently where characters who focused on AGI got in trouble as more equipment was found that required a high STR stat. They did well at first because their speed was able to keep them floating, but when none of them could equip the stronger equipment, a lot of players felt like they had gotten themselves stuck

[greatcleavage]

Hmm, so you had limitations by stat. There's a certain sort of elegance to that -- I mean, it doesn't really make sense that a guy with a strength of 6 could pick up and use a greataxe with nothing more than the same penalty to hit and damage that he'd get with a dagger -- but past a certain point it becomes pretty silly in the opposite direction. Like what kind of weapon really needs you to be so strong that basic physical fitness isn't enough to lift it?

[tank_sniper]

There are some pretty big guns out there. I once met a guy who had a large, rare gun that could easily wipe out opponents in a second, but it was so heavy he had to take a movement penalty.

[She gives a shrug.]

My own strength stat was barely enough to carry two weapons without giving me a movement penalty. But because of the way I play, I hadn't put much into my character's health stat at all.

[greatcleavage]

[Oh Shinon. You never take Con as a dump stat. Charisma, sure. Wisdom, maybe. If you're raw muscle, maybe even Int. But never, ever Con.]

Run and snipe style, never get hit, I'm guessing?

[tank_sniper]

Once you fire your first shot, you've marked your location. And because of the way the system works, all bullet paths are shown with a red line; the snipers' advantage is, for that first shot, there is no line.

I can usually fire off two shots before my opponent can get their bearings, but it's hard to keep it up once they know where you are. After that point, there's really no reason to stick around if you can help it.

[greatcleavage]

While they're traveling to the start of that line, can't you move to a different location and shoot from there? Or is there no real provision for swift, stealthy movement?

[tank_sniper]

It's possible. If you can't kill someone in one hit, that's usually what you have to do. But if they're on the alert, it can be a lot harder to find an opportunity to shoot again without being noticed, especially if the terrain isn't favorable.

[greatcleavage]

That seems discouraging on both sides... either you drop them instantly before they can react, or you have a very poor chance of survival if you don't.