Game Profession opinions and feedback requested.

[Sakura02]

So in Pumpkin Online we have divided up the different things you can do based on professions.
Keep in mind that the profession you chose enables you specialize in something that only that profession can make, harvest or catch.
However keep in mind everyone is able to fish, mine and farm but at an early level you can no longer advance in professions that aren't your main one.

So a couple of questions

1. If you got bored, or ran out of profession related activities to do (crafting, foraging for items, harvesting). How else would you spend your time on the game?

2. Do you consider other players on this game as competition?

3. Assuming the gap isn't ridiculously, if you realized that your favorite profession may not gain as much money as another profession, Would you still play it granted you can still obtain everything you can but with some extra time. Or would you opt to play the profession that has the fastest return to get what you want faster regardless of what it was.

4. How much does it bother you, if there is a skill cap on something that is not your profession.

[kiwipie]

1. If I ran out of things to do related to my specific profession I think I would probably try to max out any other skill sets where I could still make progress, or if that was already done probably focus on improving my farm/decor or relationships with npcs? I think some of it would really depend on the way the game was set up

2. If there's a ranking for achievements/money/etc then probably a little bit, but that's not usually my main focus in mmos regardless

3. I would probably stick with what was my favorite, but only if it had some other benefit to make up for the lower return rate. Otherwise it would just seem unbalanced and I would probably get impatient and go with whatever the fastest return rate was, unless it was a profession I really hated

4. I think it would depend on how low the skill cap was set and how great of an impact each profession had on my ability to play the game, but there is definitely potential for it to be annoying if everything except my profession cuts out early. If it's really important to have skill caps on other things maybe you could have some sort of compromise, like giving players the ability to choose "hobbies" or something where you could pick two or three skills where you don't progress as far as your profession, but the skill cap is still higher than other non-profession skills? Because aside from the potential for being pretty annoying it just doesn't seem that realistic for someone to only have one thing that they're above average at. But I'm not totally sure how you're planning to set everything up anyway so this could be totally irrelevant, in which case I apologize haha.

[Eiburine]

1. I'd just explore and interact with the world and make my own fun. :) I would follow npcs around and do things that wouldn't really benefit my but are fun. In other games I'd go to a restaurant and eat there or go to a hot spring. I also like to remake my character and change all of their clothes and hair, and redesign the interior of my house.

2. Unless there was some kind of ranking system to track progress, besides skill level, like a reputation rank or something then no. :3

3. I see this game as a really casual and chill game. :3 I wouldn't worry about getting as much money in as little time as possible if I really enjoyed the profession. I don't see the need to, because it's not a fast-paced game.

4. I personally like to do a 100% completion on the games i play. :3 Of course, having a skill cap would prevent completing 100% of the game, but it does make sense to have one that isn't your profession. Maybe later on in the game, there could be someone, like a teacher, who could unlock a level of a skill for a price, and that price grows larger for every skill you unlock? :3 And I'm talking about those who have played the game for a while and are wanting to level up in something else because they would probably have lots of money. I kind of see the problem of grinding or being taken advantage of by microtransactions but just an idea. XD

[Jymaru]

1) If I ran out of stuff related to my profession, no joke, I would romance every character I possibly can and become besties with all the ones I can't. And then help my girlfriend with her farm and stuff. Since I get very busy and games tend to take a back seat at times like that, this is very long term, probably even as long as like five years

2) I see them as friends to be made. Even if there is a ranking system

3) Since I'd be loking for a profession without as many time constraints, I wouldn't care about the income

4) Kiwipie makes a good point about how it cutting out early would be a pain. Have you considered a 2-for-1 levelling system for non-profession skills? Or would that be too difficult to implement?

[TheIronGod]

I replied earlier but the website lost my post. :/

1. If you got bored, or ran out of profession related activities to do (crafting, foraging for items, harvesting). How else would you spend your time on the game?

Just socializing and enjoying the environment. Sitting on a dock or by a fire or some other cozy place with a friend (real or NPC).

2. Do you consider other players on this game as competition?

No! Unless of course there's a prize to be won at a festival/event in which case... Damn skippy! Also, if it's possible to corner a market in the player run economy then that may be the nature of that particular beast. In general, though, definitely not.

3. Assuming the gap isn't ridiculously, if you realized that your favorite profession may not gain as much money as another profession, Would you still play it granted you can still obtain everything you can but with some extra time. Or would you opt to play the profession that has the fastest return to get what you want faster regardless of what it was.

I'm going to choose my "class" based what I enjoy doing and how I want to express myself. Bottom line. The answer really depends on how you set it up. I mean, if carpenters will have furniture, cooks will have loads of food, tailors will have a bunch of clothes, and if everyone can trade those in the player run economy, then money suddenly isn't the sole reflection of wealth. As long as there's sufficient incentive to eat in the game, for example, a fisher-person's catch will always have value.

4. How much does it bother you, if there is a skill cap on something that is not your profession.

It doesn't. Eventually, everything has to max out. Making choices that actually matter and make your experience different is the heart of any game. If everyone can be good at everything, the choice of class doesn't really matter. If I wanna be able to do everything that other character can do, I guess I better make another character! I think that, when people see one skill with higher points, they see the others as limited instead of seeing the higher one as having bonus points. Kind of seeing the glass as half empty ("Aww, all the other skills have a lower cap!") instead of half full ("Sweet! This one skill can go even higher!"). For some reason people see edges that others have as limits forced on themselves. So you have to use a psychological work-around. There are multiple approaches for that. One is to make the bonus appear more unique to the class instead of tacking it onto a skill that everyone else also has... Give each class a Profession Affinity ability allowing them to proceed in their own skill faster (maybe earning 1.5 times the experience in that skill) but then also have a Profession Mastery Skill (a whole new skill with all your class unique content) that unlocks when you max the other out. That's essentially the same system but makes each class FEEL special without making the others feel cheated, and your choice of profession is a pretty big deal!

[Splair]

1. Probably exploring and finding easter eggs or whatever :^) If not I'd redecorate or maybe aim for some rare item, maybe

2. Nope because this seems to be a laid-back kinda game. But if there was some competition for something then yes

3. I would still do my favourite profession since my aim isn't really to make money, its more what I can do with the profession itself! Buut if money is a problem all the time then I would think about it (though I don't think so)

4. Depends. If it's something that I end up enjoying or is sorta useful I would probably find it annoying. I think as long as the skill cap isn't really low or anything there wouldn't be much up a problem... I really like TheIronGod's suggestion though. Having a Profession Mastery Skill would make it feel less like a limit and more like 'oh, I just don't have the mastery skill cause I'm not in that profession'

[Morcai]

1. If you got bored, or ran out of profession related activities to do (crafting, foraging for items, harvesting). How else would you spend your time on the game?

I'd probably wander around the world, make some new friends, romance everyone I can. I might redecorate, or get fancier items to decorate with. Or I could try helping out newbies? Not sure. If I ran out of stuff to do I might log in a little less, but i like to think i'd stick around.

2. Do you consider other players on this game as competition?

Nah. It's too much effort for a game I'm planning on playing to relax and have fun.

3. Assuming the gap isn't ridiculously, if you realized that your favorite profession may not gain as much money as another profession, Would you still play it granted you can still obtain everything you can but with some extra time. Or would you opt to play the profession that has the fastest return to get what you want faster regardless of what it was.

I'd definitely play with my favorite profession. It'd be more rewarding to me in the long run to go with my fave profession and just work a little harder to obtain everything. As long as the gap isn't ridiculous, I'd be completely happy playing a profession with a slower return.

4. How much does it bother you, if there is a skill cap on something that is not your profession.

Not that much, really. I mean, as long as the skill cap isn't ridiculously low. I think it would add to the community if there's a cap on things that aren't your profession, because then if there was something you couldn't obtain because of the level cap, you could talk to somebody else to maybe help them out with your profession?

Just a thought

[Kasran]

The fourth question has me thinking a bit.

I'm the type who gets irritated at having to start all over in order to do something different with a game, and being interested in a lot of different things is how I am in real life, so I'd enjoy some capacity to branch out.
Here's a thought: Maybe players who achieve mastery in their career of choice could be given the option to "prestige" and start over in a new career with the same character, just with their skills reset so they can choose a different profession this time around. I... haven't really been keeping up on updates (sorry!), so I'm not sure what has and hasn't been decided or how this all will work on a technical level, but I figured I'd at least put ideas out there to keep the discussion going.

[TheIronGod]

The fourth question has me thinking a bit.

I'm the type who gets irritated at having to start all over in order to do something different with a game, and being interested in a lot of different things is how I am in real life, so I'd enjoy some capacity to branch out.
Here's a thought: Maybe players who achieve mastery in their career of choice could be given the option to "prestige" and start over in a new career with the same character, just with their skills reset so they can choose a different profession this time around. I... haven't really been keeping up on updates (sorry!), so I'm not sure what has and hasn't been decided or how this all will work on a technical level, but I figured I'd at least put ideas out there to keep the discussion going.

Getting to keep your farm, items, and relationships, but sacrificing all your skills to change your profession isn't a bad idea. I'd even give the player a title for it! Like, "Born Again Miner", "Reinvented Tailor", or... uh... other ones I can't think of right now.

[Kasran]

Getting to keep your farm, items, and relationships, but sacrificing all your skills to change your profession isn't a bad idea. I'd even give the player a title for it! Like, "Born Again Miner", "Reinvented Tailor", or... uh... other ones I can't think of right now.

Yeah, this is exactly the type of thing I meant: being able to try something totally new while still holding your possessions and - most importantly - your character. I, at least, wouldn't necessarily want to completely relinquish my existing character if I wanted to start over again, so being able to press the reset button for the character you already have would be a nice option.

As far as competition in the game: I think the best way to handle this would be to include optional competitive components that you can participate in or ignore if you wish. That way, those who want it can have it, and it becomes another one of the ways you can enjoy the game. Options are always best!