88 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
88 lines
5.3 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). **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; a **gig** progression layer may sit beside or above it in data—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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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.). Gigs are **swapped** under rules TBD—not necessarily mid-fight.
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- **Swap constraints** (out of combat only, hub-only, cooldown, consumable, story gate) are a major feel knob: permissive = high flexibility; strict = sharper commitment per outing.
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- **Progression per gig:** separate level/track vs. shared “combat rank” with gig-specific unlocks—**open**; separate tracks support “I main tank but leveled medic for backup” at the cost of more balancing.
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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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## 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** per activity where it helps fun and not exploits.
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- **Runaway mitigation** via diminishing returns, context, soft caps.
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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**; **gigs** may use the same engine or a parallel one—**open**.
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## Seams (gigs ↔ skills)
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| Topic | Question |
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|--------|----------|
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| **Gear** | Can any gig use any weapon, or do gigs restrict weapon classes? |
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| **Crafted combat gear** | Gated by **skill**, by **gig** level, or both? |
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| **Consumables** | Usually shared; a gig might gate *deployment* (e.g. only medic gig applies this stim at full power). |
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| **Rep / story** | Almost always **character-wide**; gigs change how you *express* it in combat. |
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| **Alts** | Hybrid should reduce alt pressure; if gig swap is too free, maining every gig becomes the new problem—tune swap cost or ramp. |
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## Player-facing readability
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- **Combat:** UI shows **active gig**, gig level/track, and combat abilities for that gig.
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- **Non-combat:** **skill** list, XP sources, categories.
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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 vs. non-combat | **Gigs** for combat; **skills** for gather/craft/etc. | Proposed |
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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 | Proposed |
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| Failure XP | Per-activity; watch exploits | Open |
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| Skill caps | Prefer soft; hard only if economy/PvP needs | Proposed |
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| Gig swap rules | — | Open |
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| Shared vs. per-gig combat progression | — | Open |
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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, 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** — requirements: **gig** level vs. **skill** level.
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