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Stating the Obvious: In Defense of Skill Caps and Non-linear Gameplay

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
This thread will be patronizing to some posters. It'll sound like a lecture or talking down to proponents of removing any skill cap. I don't apologize because...

... too others, it might seem like common sense.

Skills caps exist for the following purposes:
Non-linear Character Development
If everyone can eventually have all the same skills, over time, every is more or less the same. Every cruiser would have the same weapons load out if they wished to be competitive, same with every escort or science vessel. You go from skill trees adding variation and non-linear development to characters to have just the ship and boffs changing things (weapons would be moot as we'd either all go to the most powerfull for a situation or every weapon would feel and play the same).

To be non-linear, choice must be made with the outcomes being mutually exclusive. That's how meaningful gameplay is partially created (besides fun, emotional hooks, and uniqueness).

If chose between destroying a romulan cruiser's crew or taking them all hostage or retreating from any conflict, we see that we can't have all at once.

If we had all at once, it'd not only be a paradox but also be linear (everyone would experience the same events).

Gameplay Balance
If skills caps are removed, roles become less important. Suddenly, a ships abilities and the crew powers are the only things that define what makes us different.

Expanded Game Developed:
If skills caps are completely removed (or placed too high) all planned content to expand the skill tree (or add to it) would be meaningless - we'd either have a flush of skill points to dump into or we'd face the same problem where everyone would eventually max those too.

New content would also become extremely easy without a skill cap. Creating difficulty would prove a complete chore for devs. New players would lightyears behind their older counterparts.

Why the Debate Lingers
Part of the real reason that drives forth all the "remove skill cap" threads is that players want more content.

Everyone, from the Devs down to the first-month subscriber, can agree on this.

It's not the like Developers don't realize you want more content and want to grow.

They do.

We do too.

However, more content will take time - especially enough to flesh out even the five more levels till the next promotion (assuming it follows the trend of a rank every 10).

There's a lesser reason why the debate might continue: some players assume getting everything they want is the same as happiness.

Even in real world psychology, happiness does not generally increase past the point where basic needs are met.

Ask anyone who has played a tabletop RPG over whether it is fun to have the entire party have unlimited power - or whether roles should exist where players can either go deep into one or two proficiencies or shallow across them all but not both. Min-maxing can create problems too - what if we want to play a dwarven bard or a Ferengi martial artist?

Instead of uniqueness, we'd have absolute power and nothing but the same lower-tiered missions to grind without challenge.

Instead we still have challenge and players have to make decisions, they have to decide what role or concept they want, instead of all us playing Q and having a "win" button.
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