JoeBroski09 wrote:You missed my first point. I guess I should have simply stated it, as I do tend to rant. I apologize. It was that we should not simply assume the reasons From implemented certain aspects of the game. They simply did, and now there are problems. The fix Buggy proposed fixes said problem, and doesn't create any new ones. It simply adds a new aspect of the game. Whether From would want that or not, we do not know.
The reason I said "by nature" is because across classical RPG standards, an elemental weapon has higher base damage, but using it forces the player to give up something. In this case, it's scaling.
I did not state that there should be stat requirements for armor. I don't know where you got the idea that I did so, but I just believe that in the same way that wearing bleed resistant armor helps against the Lifehunt sythe, element resistant armor would help against an elemental weapon as well. And if the player chose not to use armor to defend against the self-damaging weapon, there is the Resistance stat.
Buggy's fix to the problems he proposed may be more complicated than your own fix, but that seems to be the only "flaw." It also may be a positive, because not only does it fix the problem, it adds a new aspect to the game, especially the use of Resistance.
I apologize if I sounded attacking, I did not mean to. I concede that it is a little silly jumping to conclusions and arguing about the reasonings behind FROM's decisions, since none of us legitimately have a way of knowing what specifically went on. However, from my understanding of how game development works, starting with a mechanic as opposed to a theme simply makes more sense.
I am unfamiliar with the trend of higher base damages across elementals in other RPGs since my other RPG experience is mostly limited to Final Fantasy where elemental is mostly restricted to magic as opposed to weapons, and as a question founded purely out of curiosity I'd be interested to know other examples of this occuring.
As to armor requirements, I merely brought that up as an example to reinforce my idea that FROM seemingly desires the freedom of choice in armor selection more than designating certain builds with certain armors. Mainly in that if FROM had wanted to assign roles to armors, they would have accompanied armors with stat requirements, and the fact that they didn't says something.
I believe that the "armor for your own build" idea is flawed when it expands beyond a niche build. The Lifehunt Scythe works well because it is a unique weapon and as such allows for a changup of armor choice between weapons in a similar class; ie. that because the Lifehunt Scythe has a unique mechanic from other Scythe weapons and provides a different gameplay, it is okay to have specific armor setups for it because the armor becomes a way to enhance that unique experience.
Maybe this is just me being nostalgic, but to me self-damage has always had a similar property. Using the Makoto in Demon's Souls or Power Within promote a more aggressive playstyle since you are on a timer before you kill yourself. Using the Hiltless or Chaos Blade promoted a more precise playstyle, since you have to make sure each hit counts and you don't push your own limits. If this becomes spread across the board, I feel it will stop creating such unique experiences, since what would really be the difference between the Chaos Blade or a Lightning Iaito besides the kind of damage you inflict upon yourself?
And while I appreciate the fact that Buggy's suggestion would create a more varied playstyle, I also believe realism in terms of expectations has it's place. If something is difficult to implement from a development standpoint, then it's unrealistic to expect it to happen. In all honesty, I would be interested to see how the self-damaging aspect would play out, but the odds of it happening are very slim because it would take so much effort to implement properly. If something simple could be done that has a chance of actually happening, I would rather something be done about the situation than whatever I specifically wanted to never end up happening.
Again, apologies if I sounded attacking earlier, we cool still buddy?