Posted by ReDDoT in Blue Milk & Cereal | 18 Comments
Blue Milk & Cereal: Should Other Players Be Able To Inspect Your Build?
No day would be complete without the breakfast of Jedi: Blue Milk & Cereal. Every morning, the team at Ask A Jedi will get Force-induced thoughts coursing through your head with delicious issues from around the galaxy! Join in the discussion below to make your voice heard!
Everyone’s familiar with privacy issues on the Internet, but there’s also an issue of privacy in MMOs. Many people feel that information about their characters, particularly their character’s build or “spec” should remain private if they want it to. There are a few reasons typically cited for this, one being a simple one – people want their specialization to remain unique and to prevent others from copying it. Another reason is a bit more complex – being denied the acceptance to group for a Flashpoint or Warzone due to one’s specialization deviating from the “standard”.
There is another side to this, as some say that the specialization should be known to the whole party to prevent potential issues, or at least to plan accordingly and have appropriate expectations. However in TOR, this will depend on the way BioWare handles this issue, and if every specialization will be viable in its own way.
If you want to see what the community at-large thinks, check out this thread on the official forums. The poll there shows that more than half of the community is against complete transparency in showing the allocated points, with another 12% being for showing only the name of the specialization tree that has the most spent points in it.
What do you think? Do you want others to be able to inspect your character’s skills and other attributes? What are the issues one way or another? Let us know below.
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Of course! It’s ridiculous if anyone actually think that they found such a “secret” built that they must protect like KFC protects its chicken recipe… Everyhting about every character should be available to everyone. There is no privacy.
Yes you should be able to inspect builds outside of PVP, no you shouldn’t be able to inspect inside PVP.
You should have simply the option to make your gear/stats private. I agree: “You should be able to inspect builds outside of PVP, not inside PVP.”
I really don’t understand the “hubbub” on this one. I’m usually a guild leader and I tend to recruit people that I play with randomly, regardless of whether they have extensive experience or not. I just look for people who are friendly, share the same view of the game that I do, and have common goals.
Within this cross-section of folks are inevitable “noobs” who do not go to sites like this and just enjoy the game. I never force anyone to spec a certain way, but in my experience most people ask if there are things they should do differently or ways they can improve. I look at their spec, think about what i’ve seen other players do and how various sites suggest utilizing talents, and help them refine their spec and abilities in any way possible.
If i can’t see their spec, this will be a much larger hassle. Second point, if I’m in a group with someone who is just tearing up the game, I want to see their spec to see if they know something I don’t. Sure there’s the potential for people to use this type of system for elitism, but there is that potential for just about anything in MMOs. The pros for visible specs far outweigh the cons, IMO.
Most of my experience comes from LOTRO’s PvMP system, so it may be slightly different due to the discontinuity between freeps and creeps. Either way, LOTRO allows for someone to label themselves as anonymous if they choose to keep their equipment and builds secret. I’ve noticed this trend with the majority of freeps (actual characters based on the main classes) to keep their builds somewhat secretive to any creeps (characters based off enemy classes, used for PvMP only). Just having the option as a toggle seems to work well, but there are a few circumstances where you see an anonymous person looking for a group (fellowship in LOTRO), and you don’t know what class or level they are. I’m fine with either having the anonymous option or completely throwing it out.
I default to inspecting people all the time, right when I see them. It’s a habit =(. I think you should be able to inspect someone’s build, but I also wouldn’t mind if it was gone.
I think it’s more important that players have ‘bio’ sections where they can leave a message for anyone who inspects them. Yeah, it’s supposed to be for your character’s biography, but people would just use it for whatever they wanted. I think it’s a really important aspect of customization.
What is the value for the individual player? There seems to be more value for other players then the individual so make it opt in.
Some time ago, you know, Wotlk, I wanted to do Blood Furnace with this Death Knight who wanted to be a DPS. He seemed fine, decent gear, even higher level than usual. But then, I had to face a terrible discovery… He was specced in Blood, but I tell you, it was not some ordinary build. That guy was putting points with a brutal regularity. Before he tried some more advanced and useful talent, he had to fill all the talents above it. Level 68 and still no Dancing Rune weapon? And Will of the necropolis 3/3 (understand patch 3.3.5)?
On that day I came to see that human stupidity is nothing but eternal. That is why I want to be able to inspect people’s builds.
(Mock me, this was an irony. That guy might be just some regular noob, but I hope you see my point.)
from an RP point of view you shouldn’t, IRL if you ran up to someone you can’t really see what skills they know, only really what they are wearing.
Inspection is a good tool for group building. Unfortunately those who do not know how to play the game only hinder the group within itself. Even allowing private can cause issues.
Of course being a Guild Leader, this shouldn’t matter. Unless this game doesn’t endorse guilds like WoW began to in Wrath.
i really think inspecting someone gear is fine but talents is pointless since you have people coping someone’s talents or the standard but still suck.
I’d have no problem with someone being able to see you’re primary talent tree but i don’t think they should be able to see where you put every point you spent, it leads to to much bitching from other players and comments on how they belive you should play your character. Maybe a toggle button allowing you to turn off full inspect would be best.
I am going to say that I think there should be no inspecting of other people’s talents. What I don’t want to see happen with SWTOR, that happened with WoW, is the whole Gearscore/Min-Max thing for the average player. Hardcore players will always be seeking an advantage in the “numbers game”, but for the rest of us who care about the game becoming homogenized and stale, I would say that it would be a bad idea to pick up with SWTOR, where WoW left off. There’s a reason why so many people quit WoW and look forward to playing a fresh and new game.
Well, I’m against being able to inspect the builds. In WoW I never copied the most popular builds. I’ld rather use my brain and think of my own build for my DK. Then test it out – if it sucked / my DPS was lower than usual, or I simply didn’t enjoy playing it – think of next one, repeat.
Back then (around the time Ulduar was released) almost everyone thought Unholy was the only correct way to play DK. I went Frost, easily topping DPS in boss fights. Doing 4 to 6 times more than they on fights with multiple mobs.
It sucked that people could inspect me just like that, since creating that one perfect build (perfect for my playstyle, there probably were better builds out there) took tremendous amout of time and effort on my part. Like KFC chicken recipe.
On the other hand, being able to inspect someone is very convenient if you’re helping someone with their build.
I think the best solution would be to allow inspecting, while adding option to make your spec/gear private.
I’m a PvE and why would I want anyone to know anything about anything? And For PVP I can see it but Not PvE.
I think its violating and unnatural to be able to know everything about another player just like that. I would be like everyone having acces to my personal information, education, jobs and hobbies. If i want to share I will, but you have no right to look into my life without permission. And like so for mmo’s especially if you rp, whether alot or just a little.
I dont understand people and the need to control everyone, labeling them and judgeing them without seing what they can do
Yes getting a healer specced class trying to heal because he joined as a tank is annoying, but thats how it works.
Whats next, you get a sign over you head for whether or not youre specced after certain standards, like a david star? I hate control, and I will play TOR as someone who values freedom and privacy, how can I do that if you know everything about, Without my concent?
I voted ‘Other’ and here’s why.
In general, I have no issue with people seeing my gear/stats or whatever, but saying that, I would like to have the opportunity to hide aspects of my character at certain times.
We know that in TOR the look of gear isn’t going to necessarily reflect the quality or tier as this is going to be largely down to mod slots, so the only way people will be able to judge you is by inspection. Now, as I say, for most of the time, this won’t be a problem, but as a player that doesn’t always have massive amounts of time to play, it would be great if i could just hit a simple privacy key and it hides my gear and stats. This would stop the usual influx of random unsolicited invites to groups to go tank something. Also, on one or two occasions in wow I’ve had people target me and then make comments about how I should or shouldn’t be gearing. I didn’t ask for their opinion and just having a simple privacy key would stop that sort of thing.
Now, I hear a lot of people saying that such thing shouldn’t be needed if I have nothing to hide and I won’t get invited to PUG’s. Well guess what, if I have privacy on, I don’t want to get invited to PUG’s and people can make all the judgments they like.
So there you go, part Yes and No for me.
i think you should have the option to allow or deny someone access to your skill points. if your joining a pug raid the raid leader might want to know if your spec’d like you know what you’re doing or if you just clicked abilities cause you thought the picture for it was cool.
therefore, you should have to ask for permission – giving the player the ability to approve or deny access to see their talent tree.