So last I checked the devs were decided what direction classes should go etc, and I have some ideas and have noticed some trends that I kinda like but don’t know if they are intended.
So, Current Trend: Intensive vs Extensive.
First how I’m defining them.
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Intensive requires heavy resources or manpower, without needing you to venture far. It takes time and investment.(i.e. Farmer)
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extensive requires little to no resources past an intitial investment, but has fewer returns for an equivalent area of space to an intensive class that does the same thing, requiring you to reach further for the same return.(i.e. Trapper)
I’ve noticed while playing that when you start, most options for development are very extensive in design. Unable to plant trees at the start production of wooden objects requires you to travel further and further to get wood as you (can) quickly and easily gather most trees in the immediate area.
How many people does it to effectively craft wooden tools? Just one.
The trapper is also extensive in design, it only requires one worker and can be fairly productive, but require a wide area a fair bit away from your town to trap animals.
As you get further down the line it gets more intensive, stone creations from a mason require you to mine an area to get enough stone to craft objects, never requiring you to venture far, a mirror to the wood crafter.
The trapper also has a mirror of level 1, the farmer. Requiring a very dedicated farmer to farm a small area, providing a good supply of food, but tying up that hearthling(and many more later) indefinitely.
As it gets further along however the extensive options decrease and the intensive options reign supreme. The cook requires the work of all the farmers to supply, the shepherd the work of a cook and all the things behind that. But it becomes an odd mix.
For example a Herbalist can be either, with a farmer providing flowers and or workers venturing off to collect some, or just bringing them back.
An Engineer requires vast mining projects to provide the resources for the various bits and bobs an engineer needs. Making both intensive, and in a way, extensive.
Gaining some of the useful items and loot drops, or to prevent harder encounters from certain goblin attacks you have to venture out and attack them first. Or for staving off villages diplomatically have focused enough on resources to and intensive development to be able to provide the tribute.
It’s an odd mix but one I think could benefit from focusing on it. Classes like Huntsman could be a mirror to a class like Shepard, returning the same materials if in lesser quantity. There could be a class like Gatherer that picks and area and goes and shakes trees and bushes(or pluck at the grass for wild crops) for vegetables, nuts, and berries, gaining larger inventories and higher level crops, making an extensive mirror to the farmer.
Tweaking and adding to this model adds both variety in play style and gameplay. Will you work hard to get that blacksmith? Or will you be the one to raid the goblins for their metals and weapons to sell to traders?
This off course focuses mostly on resource gain and the effort required.
So thoughts? Am I crazy or do I have something here?
