105 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
105 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
# Gigs & skills (hybrid progression)
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Vision-level design for how characters grow. **Combat** uses **gigs** (swap roles for grouping clarity); **each gig levels on its own track** (**per-gig** progression). **Non-combat** uses **skills** (gathering, crafting, and similar loops). [Epic 2 — Classless progression](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_classless_progression.md) (E2.M1–M4) still describes **skill** XP machinery; **gig** XP/levels are **per gig**—decomposition should be revisited when this split hardens.
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## Vocabulary
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From here on in game-design docs:
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| Term | Means |
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|------|--------|
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| **Gig** | The **combat role** (combat “class”): what you bring to a fight—kit, tuning band, party expectations. Not used for crafting or gathering. |
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| **Skill** | A **non-combat** trained capability only (gather, craft, etc.). Never used to mean the combat gig. |
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| **Sub-gig** | A **secondary gig** paired with your **main gig** on one loadout. Used for **limited** cross-gig ability access—see [Sub-gigs](#sub-gigs-ffxi-style) below—not for crafting or replacing the main gig’s identity in combat. |
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Fiction and UI may still say *job*, *contract*, or *loadout* in dialogue; design vocabulary stays **gig** / **skill** to avoid ambiguity.
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## Why hybrid
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- **Gigs** give parties a readable answer to “what are you on this run?” without forcing alts. They match **contracts, loadouts, and corporate muscle** as fantasy.
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- **Skills** keep the **economy and crafting** surface wide: anyone can work those capabilities over time, and “street doc” can mean high medic **craft skill** + rep, not only an active gig.
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## Gigs (combat)
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A **gig** is the **combat identity** you bring to a fight: ability access, baseline tuning band, and party expectations (tank, support, control, damage, etc.).
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- **Swap rules (agreed):** **No on-the-fly swap.** Changing **main gig**, **sub-gig**, or both happens only at a **safe hub**—a **city**, **home base**, or other **designated swap location** (world/data-defined). Not in the field, not mid-combat. **Open:** exact site list, fees, faction gates, or cooldowns at the hub.
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- **Combat progression (agreed):** **Per gig.** Each gig has its **own level/XP track** (and later mastery/perks on that gig). There is **no** shared single “combat rank” that advances all gigs at once. **Open:** when gig XP is awarded (e.g. only while main, sub, or both).
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- **Mastery/perks** can attach to **gigs** (combat expression) while **skills** use the same *idea* for craft depth (E2.M3-style), or stay separate—**open**.
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### Sub-gigs (FFXI-style)
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**Agreed:** each loadout has a **sub-gig** slot so one character mixes two gigs without full dual-main power. That opens a **large space of creative builds** as the gig roster grows—no need to enumerate counts; the point is **breadth of choice**.
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- **Reference pattern (FFXI-style):** at **main gig** per-gig level **X**, the **sub-gig** contributes abilities (and any sub-gated systems) only up to an **effective sub level** of **⌊X / 2⌋** (and not above the **sub-gig’s own trained level**—**open** how `min`/`floor` interacts). Exact floor/rounding **TBD**.
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- **Intent:** hybrid builds and party coverage (e.g. main damage + sub support tools) without letting a sub match a fully leveled second gig.
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- **Still open:** **gear** (likely still **main-gig–restricted** for combat gear; sub only feeds **abilities**), **consumable** amplification (main vs. sub), **PvP** ceilings, and UI (two gig strips on HUD). **Sub-gig** choice changes use the same **hub-only** rules as main gig swap.
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## Skills (non-combat, classless)
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Everything **outside combat role resolution**—gathering, refining, crafting lines, non-combat tech, etc.—uses **skills**:
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- **Any character can train any skill** over time (subject to world gates: discovery, rep, licenses—those expand content, they are not “you picked the wrong gig”).
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- **Identity** for “what you do in the economy” is the **skill graph + reputation + gear**, not the gig you ran last night.
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- **Long-term:** avoid dead-end grinds; slow or expensive is fine, “wrong choice forever” is not.
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### What counts as a skill
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A **skill** is a persistent, leveled capability improved primarily by **doing the activity** (chop, refine, assemble, etc.). Supplementary sources (books, training) stay optional. Skills stay **data-defined** (stable IDs, categories, prerequisites).
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### Categories (families)
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Categories group skills for **UI and balance** (e.g. *Gathering*, *Craft*, *Tech*, *Social*). They are **not** gigs and do not replace them.
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### XP, failure, caps, pacing (skills)
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- **Server-authoritative** grants with structured sources (node, recipe, mission payout, …).
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- **Failure XP** (XP on a **failed attempt** at a skill action—e.g. burnt recipe—not **death penalty**): **per skill / per mechanic**; **open** globally, will depend on how each activity is built and what exploit surface it has.
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- **Caps:** **Soft** only—no hard “max level” by default. **Each level needs more XP than the last** (threshold tables or formula; **data-driven** per skill or policy).
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- **Runaway mitigation** beyond the curve: diminishing returns, context modifiers, or other knobs if telemetry demands.
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- **Gates** (recipes, rep, licenses) should **add** paths, not fake gigs.
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- **Pacing/catch-up** (E2.M4) applies across **skills**; **gig** pacing is **per-gig** (same or parallel engine—**open**).
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## Seams (gigs ↔ skills)
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| Topic | Direction |
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|--------|-----------|
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| **Combat gear** | **Gig-restricted.** Weapons, armor, and other combat-loadout pieces declare which **gig(s)** may equip or fully activate them. After a **hub-only** [gig swap](#gigs-combat), the player **re-banks or re-equips** combat gear for the new gig (automation vs. manual loadout UX **open**). Non-combat tools (pickaxe, scanner, craft bench) stay **skill**-gated, not gig-gated, unless a piece is explicitly hybrid. |
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| **Crafting combat gear** | **No gig or gig level requirement.** Who can *build* it depends on **skills** (e.g. gunsmith), recipes, rep, facilities—never on owning a gig or its level. A character can **craft combat gear they cannot equip** (wrong gig, low gig level, etc.): valid for **trade**, **stock**, or **group play**. **Equip/activation** stays **gig-restricted** as above. |
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| **Consumables** | **Carry and use** are not gig-gated by default—anyone can pop a stim or patch. **Potency can scale with gig:** e.g. a **medic** (or medic-adjacent gig) gets **bonus healing / duration / cleanse** from the same med consumable that others use at a **baseline**. Other consumables may have **no** gig hook, or hooks for other gigs—data-driven per item. |
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| **Rep / story** | **Hybrid.** **Faction / world reputation** stays **character-wide** where it fits (one person, one web of grudges). **Narrative** also includes **gig storylines** and **main-quest-style arcs** tied to a **gig**—mentor paths, employer chains, identity stories that assume you *are* that role for a chapter. State for those arcs is **per gig** (or per gig branch) on the same character; switching gigs does not erase character rep, but **gig plot progress** is its own track. |
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| **Alts / multi-gig mastery** | One avatar still reduces **alt** pressure for economy and story. **Maining every gig** is **not** a design problem for now: **gig leveling is intentionally slow**, so fully progressing (or “maxing”) every gig is a **long-term time investment**, not something handed out quickly. Players who put in that time **may** legitimately be strong in every gig on one character. **Revisit** only if pacing, live balance, or PvP show harm. |
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## Player-facing readability
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- **Combat:** UI shows **main gig**, **sub-gig**, levels/tracks, combat abilities, and **combat gear** the main gig can use (mismatched gear disabled or greyed). Consumable tooltips can show **baseline vs. boosted** values when the active gig gets an amplification.
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- **Non-combat / crafting:** **skill** list, XP sources, categories; crafting combat gear does **not** hide recipes behind gigs—only **skill**/recipe gates (optional UI hint if the product is unequippable for your current gig).
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- **Story:** journal or quest UI can separate **character / faction** threads from **gig** threads so players see which arc belongs to which gig.
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- Use **gig** / **skill** consistently in specs and tools; flavor text can vary.
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## Decisions log
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| Topic | Direction | Status |
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|-------|-----------|--------|
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| Vocabulary | **Gig** = combat role; **skill** = non-combat only | Agreed |
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| Combat gear | **Gig-restricted** equip/activation; non-combat tools **skill**-gated | Agreed |
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| Crafting combat gear | **Skill**/recipe/rep (etc.) only—**not** gig or gig level; craft-for-others OK | Agreed |
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| Consumables | Baseline for all; **gig can amplify** (e.g. medic + healing consumable) | Agreed |
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| Rep / story | Character-wide **rep**; **gig**-scoped **storylines** and **main quests** (per-gig progress on one avatar) | Agreed |
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| Multi-gig mastery | **OK for now**; slow gig leveling makes “all gigs” a **time** goal, not a loophole | Agreed (revisit if balance/PvP needs) |
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| Combat vs. non-combat | **Gigs** for combat; **skills** for gather/craft/etc. | Agreed |
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| Professions (economy) | No separate profession system; economy identity from **skills** + rep | Agreed ([overview](overview.md)) |
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| Primary skill XP | Do the activity | Agreed |
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| Failure XP | **Open**; decided **per skill / activity** once mechanics exist (not the same as death penalty) | Open |
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| Skill caps | **Soft**; **progressively more XP** per level (data-driven curves) | Agreed |
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| Gig swap rules | **Hub-only** (city / home base / designated site)—**not** in the field or mid-fight | Agreed |
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| Sub-gig | **FFXI-style** slot **agreed**; sub abilities up to **~½ main gig level** (formula TBD); wide build space | Agreed |
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| Combat progression | **Per gig**—separate level/XP (and mastery) per gig; no shared combat rank | Agreed |
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| Epic 2 doc split | Align modules when gig data model is chosen | TBD |
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## Next artifacts
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- **Gigs** — roster size, main vs. **sub-gig** UX, **hub** definitions & swap UX, party finder tags, PvP ([overview](overview.md)).
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- **Abilities** — **gig-locked** vs. **item-locked** vs. **skill-gated**.
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- **Items** — **equip:** gig rules; **craft:** **skills** (and recipe/rep), never gig level.
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