Tames alternative. How would I rebalance it!

[George Catcher 367]

First I put this message in to my suggestion topic, but the message turned really big and it's very important. So I decided to write one as new thread.

There is huge problem with game balance. And this problem is - there is totally NO ALTERNATIVE to tames.

Before I start - I wanna say, I play PVE. So I'm gonna speak about PVE aspect of game. Building. Adventures. Fight wild life, and damned armies. 

Current situation like that. If I wanna fast and safe travel through island searching bottles, or resources - I ride a bear. I wanna gather some resources - I ride a bear. I wanna build something - I ride gathering tames (elephant, giraffe, bear). I wanna fight damned army. I wanna protect my base from wild animals - I ride a bear.

Some say - that's because bear is too strong. But for me - it's just everything else just too weak.

Here is example. I spend A MONTH building mythic set of armor. I kill more then 400 yetis for mythos. I sail around the world searching different kind of resources. And after I done, I summon damned army lvl-95. Will I be able to tank them in my mythic armor?

No.

They just kills me in few second. And when I lose it? I have to spend one more month, to create new set. More around the world for resources. 400 more yetis. 

Or.

I can spend 20 minutes to tame a bear. Then summon lvl-95 damned army, tank and zerg them within one minute. And that's it! Oh, if I lose my bear, I then in 20 minutes will ride another one.

So the situation is a bit stupid right now here. You use a tames, and you king. You don't use tames and you screwed.

I see just one solution for the whole situation:

Player must not choose: "I use them, and I good. I don't use them - and I bad". INSTEAD Player choose "What way I'm gonna do things in game?" And the only way to achieve it - rebalance all.

How would I do that?

Tames:

1) - I would give ability to tame a horse, ride it, and create simple cargo carriage to everyone. Let it be in this "basic tools" skill in first survival skill-tree. So if players wanna go alternative way without tames, they will be anyway able to do fast travels, and carry some stuff through the island.

Island riding and stuff carrying - is one is most important aspect in a game, and it's bad idea to greatly improve it via some skills. This way this skill became no alternative must have one.

2) - I would cancel all tiers in tames skill-tree. Instead I would do 3 separate section. One - for skills like nature touch or cry. Another one - for resources production and gathering tames, and all skills related to better resource gathering and production. And third - for battle tames, and battle skills there.

This way players can choose - to gather by tames and fight by tools. Fight by tames and gather by tools. Do everything by one of two ways.

3) - I would make tames weak at the moment of taming. And only after leveling, they get damage, defense, effective gathering, etc.

So players have to put some efforts to make their bear gather good amount of fibers, or fight high lvl damned army.

Tools:  

 4) - I would make mythic quality tools to match or even exceed tames. 

It's like that. You can take the weakest bear ever, go to freeport and gather 20k or nameless fiber in just a minute. And no matter how mythic sickle you have - you wont ever gather that much. You can tank damned army any lvl with your bear. And no matter how mythic armor you have - you wont be able to do the same. You can kill damned army with a bear within a minute. And no matter how mythic you have sword, spear, bow, pistol, riffle etc, you wont be able to do it same way.

And that's the alternative I wanna see. I choose - I go tames-skills, I level my bear and gather fibers. Or I ride my basic horse and gather fibers with mythic sickle the same or maybe more efficient way.

Oh. And for p.s. About skills. I'm now on my way to lvl-50 Galley of Damned quest. I picked necessary skills of tools, wooden buildings, ship construction till brig, basic cannons, resources gathering, and put all in tames. After that I had just few points left for captaining, which is also requires to up my ship and fight high lvl SotDs. Right now I'm at 53 lvl, and I need around 10 lvls more to get all I need in captaining (without rally and overdrive I don't think I'll be able to done the quest).

So because of tames ate most of my skills I just can not try everything else. I do treasure maps for gold and exp, and I throw away all blueprints I get (well except common gray ones). Because I don't have any skills to wear even fine quality tolls and I won't have em for a long time.

Edited May 4, 2019 by George Catcher

[Nitex 5]

Well, try to kill hydra or even cyclops with bear... You will fast remember about any type of rifle

[George Catcher 367]

Well, try to kill hydra or even cyclops with bear...

That's good point, but... well. In this state of game - I don't think it's possible to somehow do it solo, or with small company, without using a "game mechanics grey areas". And yet - here if another problem. You do everything effective way by tames, and then you drop all, for riffle. You have to gather resources for ammunition and repairment, and food for crew, just by your feet. Because you picked riffle.

And that's what I was about. I wish to become great rifleman for example, and yet to have some ways (not easy ways maybe, but they must exists) to do all other stuff without tames.

[Nitex 5]

You need to collect powerstones/kill whales or other quests. It is doable even solo, but need much more time. 40 discovery point for 1 powerstone/quest. 34-35 discovery points/lvl now. So you'll fast lvl up-> can pick more skills.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Nitex