Elements the Game Forum - Free Online Fantasy Card Game

Other Topics => Forum Archive => World of Elements => Topic started by: Scaredgirl on October 20, 2011, 12:06:30 pm

Title: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: Scaredgirl on October 20, 2011, 12:06:30 pm
My goal is to make everything look less "weekly spreadsheet report" and more "real fantasy game". New Google Docs feature, the ability to merge cells vertically, gives us many more options in terms of layout design, which is why I redesigned the skill trees. Take a look:

>> CLICK HERE << (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AgB8fZX7y8kydHBtU0RNOC1yeFk2cTRIRzhCaDFyekE&single=true&gid=55&output=html)

It's still unfinished but you'll get the general idea. I think that this skill tree both looks better and is easier to read.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know. Thanks.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: UTAlan on October 20, 2011, 03:11:17 pm
This is awesome. Much better than the previous version of skill trees.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: bored_ninja777 on October 20, 2011, 04:52:03 pm
very nice. definitely gets rid of that spreadsheet vibe.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: YoungSot on October 20, 2011, 05:53:42 pm
Having pictures for each of the two paths is great too. Adds a lot of flavor.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: ZephyrPhantom on October 20, 2011, 08:26:32 pm
The pictures are a nice touch - a title for each 'side' of the path would also be kind of cool to go along with the already-placed lore spots.

(I'd really like to a see an 'extra' skill tree representing skills gained from certain guilds, 'acheivements', and quests, too :) )
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: ralouf on October 20, 2011, 08:37:33 pm
I really like this new spread sheet good job SG.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: YoungSot on October 20, 2011, 09:03:02 pm
Hooray, that silly 'Bane of' Skill was moved to a really obscure spot! Now players don't have to worry about mastering two tier 1 skills before they can move on to tier 2's.
I don't think that has changed. The bane skills and the requirement to get two lower-tier skills first before getting a higher skill are still there as far as I can see.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: ZephyrPhantom on October 20, 2011, 09:05:40 pm
Hooray, that silly 'Bane of' Skill was moved to a really obscure spot! Now players don't have to worry about mastering two tier 1 skills before they can move on to tier 2's.
I don't think that has changed. The bane skills and the requirement to get two lower-tier skills first before getting a higher skill are still there as far as I can see.
My bad, I was looking at the table in reverse at the time.

EDIT : Are we just using random images for the trees? Some of those seem suspiciously copyrightish.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: furballdn on October 21, 2011, 01:41:49 am
Having pictures for each of the two paths is great too. Adds a lot of flavor.
This.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: Scaredgirl on October 21, 2011, 01:13:27 pm
(I'd really like to a see an 'extra' skill tree representing skills gained from certain guilds, 'acheivements', and quests, too :) )
This was definitely a good idea. I added the title, which both looks cool and now I can put the name of the ability in the box, instead of using the old weird system where the name was the path, and the name of the ability was in the description.

(I'd really like to a see an 'extra' skill tree representing skills gained from certain guilds, 'acheivements', and quests, too :) )
I've been thinking about the "bonus" skill tree a bit, but I still haven't figured out what is the best way to do it. I guess the main choices are:

A) Use skill points to access those skills
B) Gain those skill by other means, like joining a guild, finishing a quest, etc.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: Zaealix on October 21, 2011, 01:32:36 pm
Looks neato, and the emblems that show skill type should be useful for clarifying what each skill does.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: Kuroaitou on October 21, 2011, 02:36:33 pm
Love the new trees. :) They're absolutely wonderful now that they're vertically aligned/merged versus the horizontal spreadsheet.

Just a sidenote... where would the 'relic' icon go? ^^; There doesn't seem to be a space to put the 'This skill uses a relic' symbol, unless I'm missing something. Other than that, the little details about what each skill does (Movement, Special, Crafting, etc - note that 'Buff'/'Target' are the same one though >.>) is a HUGE plus for readability.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: Scaredgirl on October 21, 2011, 03:46:09 pm
Love the new trees. :) They're absolutely wonderful now that they're vertically aligned/merged versus the horizontal spreadsheet.

Just a sidenote... where would the 'relic' icon go? ^^; There doesn't seem to be a space to put the 'This skill uses a relic' symbol, unless I'm missing something. Other than that, the little details about what each skill does (Movement, Special, Crafting, etc - note that 'Buff'/'Target' are the same one though >.>) is a HUGE plus for readability.
I tried to find a good place for the relic icon but didn't really find any that I was happy about. I decided to just skip it, and use:

A) Cost underlined to show a Relic is needed
B) "Consume a Relic.." added to description

It's not optimal but too many icons might make things too confusing, plus there is the space issue.
Title: Re: Visual improvements to skill trees
Post by: YoungSot on October 21, 2011, 04:34:29 pm
(I'd really like to a see an 'extra' skill tree representing skills gained from certain guilds, 'acheivements', and quests, too :) )
This was definitely a good idea. I added the title, which both looks cool and now I can put the name of the ability in the box, instead of using the old weird system where the name was the path, and the name of the ability was in the description.

(I'd really like to a see an 'extra' skill tree representing skills gained from certain guilds, 'acheivements', and quests, too :) )
I've been thinking about the "bonus" skill tree a bit, but I still haven't figured out what is the best way to do it. I guess the main choices are:

A) Use skill points to access those skills
B) Gain those skill by other means, like joining a guild, finishing a quest, etc.
Achievements in particular would be great fun! I think it would be neat to have a list of achievements (accumulate 5000 electrum in a bank, Die at least 6 times, etc) with specific (though minor) skill-like benefits that you get when you complete them. So getting a ton of electrum might give you the "moneybags" skill, where city banks give you slightly better interest rates. Or dying a lot might give you "Frequent Die-er Miles", which would give you an electrum reward when you died.

It would simply be treated like a new skill tree in most ways, though without the tree style progression.
blarg: