Suggestion: Class Achievements

[marrakoosh]

PROBLEM/ISSUE/QQ:

After seeing this thread in the MMO-C blue tracker (http://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/1...formance-based), I started thinking about ways in which we could help judge a players performance with their class.

And trying to avoid the idea of gearscore, where it was simply a number on which to judge a player.


MY SUGGESTION:

I certainly thought about role-based solutions, but instead opted for class-based solutions. I come from the school of thinking that the WoW classes are being slowly homogenised, in a lazy attempt at balancing from the WoW dev's. I'm not calling them lazy, just that they're no SC devs when it comes to balancing. But this is another discussion entirely.

After delving into bringing back class quests and potentially class factions, I instead came up with class achievements.

If anyone here has or plays Team Fortress 2, then that was my inspiration. If you haven't, let me explain.

In TF2, there are a few different classes; the usual suspects. Heavy, Medic, Spy, Sniper, Soldier, Engineer, etc. And each perform unique actions (aside from the similar ethos of 'KILL'). For example, a Soldier has a rocket launcher, a shotgun and a spade. A Pyro has a flamethrower, shotgun and axe. And so it goes on.

However there are things that each class can do, which others can't. For example, the soldier can use the RL to rocket jump; the pyro can use the alternate fire feature of the flamethrower to 'blow' or 'reflect' back rockets, arrows or other missiles (not bullets) to defend themselves and hurt others.

There are achievements for doing these sorts of things for each class, and they are unique to that class. Like, kill 50 enemies using the 'reflect' feature of the flamethrower. They're a bit more classic-style achievements.

I propose bringing something like this into WoW and the achievement system.

Some example have been outlined below...

Rogue
- 'block' 100k worth of incoming damage using the 'Feint' ability in dungeon encounters.
- using the 'Vanish' ability, remove aggro from 50 creatures during dungeon encounters.

Hunter
- remove aggro from 50 creatures using the 'Feign Death' ability during dungeon encounters.

Druid
- replenish 150k worth of other players' mana using your 'Innervate' ability.

Warrior
- cause 100k worth of damage to creatures using your 'Spell Reflect' ability.

Shaman
- after dropping below 35% mana, use your 'Mana tide totem' 5 times during dungeon encounters.

These are only a few I have thought up off the top of my head, and I'm sure there can be many more. I also really only know Rogues and Warriors in a raid/hc dungeon environment, so my other class ones might be well off the right lines.


CONCLUSION:

But as you can see, they are not too difficult to achieve, especially for someone who knows what they are doing; but for others, it may help people learn better how to use their classes skills, especially utility skills.

There could obviously be some really difficult ones in there, as there always should be in achievements (hell whoever came up with the achievements to get 'Salty' should be shot), and perhaps even keep them separate from the normal achievements because of their very nature.

As I said, I don't want to go near gearscore because I loathed the idea of a single number telling everyone else just how good that person was as a player. Whilst this simplifies things a bit, it gives some freedom and shows you a player can actually think about what they are doing; i.e. the achievements come from the player actively doing something beneficial and useful in a dungeon. None of these are passive that you will just get if you're rubbish.

What do people think of this idea? Any suggestions for further achievements are welcome.

---------- Post added 2011-01-05 at 04:48 PM ----------

Reserved for further suggestions.

[Deleted]

I quite like the idea. I think it could be a good way to determine if someone knows their class well enough. One suggestion for DPS specs to avoid X amount of avoidable damage in a dungeon.

[marrakoosh]

I posted a more draft version of this over at Wowhead earlier today, and someone came up with a very good point.

We don't want to give tutorials to players in order to learn their class, and so passive things like this, that will not typically be achieved simply by leveling could really help.

---------- Post added 2011-01-05 at 05:19 PM ----------

Could some mods move this to the achievements board please?

[Worlds Apart]

Not a bad idea at all. There could be achievements for each role/talent tree a class plays as well (for example, dps vs. tank achievements for warriors, pallys, and DKs---plus heal for pallys).

People keep trying to find ideas for making the dungeon finder weed out morons and nothing I've read sounds even remotely reasonable. This might have a slight chance.

[unholytestament]

I like it so long as it is used to get people to learn their class.

They would probably have to update or phase out old achievements when classes change so that certain accomplishments become unattainable.