Did you ever wonder why there aren't titles you can earn, other than by just gaining another circle?


Since I mentioned this in much more detail at Vegas and since it's got some implications that will need to be addressed beforehand, I'll go into more detail on this one (in between sniffling, coughing, and aching)...


Ages ago, someone started a rumour that said something to the effect of "If you gain 50 ranks in all of the available weapon classes, you can be the cool "Weapon Master" title!". Everyone took the bait and for weeks and weeks, you ran into all these older players backtraining in staff sling and light blunt. Well, as most rumours are, this one was quite false, but there's no reason why it HAS to be anymore.

In the not so near future (maybe for HSN...?), DR will welcome the advent of a new Skill Based Title System. There will still be plenty of Guild Specific titles available, but there will also be a plethora of new titles that you will be able to EARN (along with a lot of OLD titles that used to belong to guilds that will become community property).

What will it take to earn some of these titles?

Well...any of these conditions and more:

Total ranks in a specific skill (i.e. Archer, Bowman, Swordsman, Fencer, Escapist, Teacher, Musician)
Total ranks in two or three (and in some cases, more than three) skills (i.e. Weapon Master, Blade Master, Lore Master, Survivalist, Scholar)
A combination of ranks and stats...(no comments on this one yet...)
Reaching a certain level of accomplishment in a "Not-directly-tied-to-EXP System" (i.e. Pit Fighter, Gladiator, etc. gained for reaching certain numbers of victories in a sponsored Arena)
Reaching certain degrees of accomplishment in "interaction" with creatures (no comments on this one yet, either...I'll mention it later though)
A particular amount of money in the bank ;)
Reaching particular levels of devotion or service to a deity (i.e. only getting favors from a specific deity for a significant period of time)
Successfully completing (winning) a quest
etc...etc...etc...

In most cases, once you have earned a title, you can't lose it, but I'm sure there will be some that we can think of that will require some degree of activity to maintain. Those will be the more interesting ones and the ones that people will be able to brag about.

And by the way...when I say 'plethora' of titles, I'm talking on the verge of 1000 or more...as many as we can come up with that make sense.

Now...some guilds will be concerned that they're "losing" a title...you're not really losing one since in all likelihood you'll still be able to get it. On top of that, SOME current "Guild Specific" titles will have a "bias" toward the guild they they now belong to. For example, the Locksmith title might be open to everyone, but it will require equivalent skill (or as close to it) so that anyone in the Not-Commoner Guild that has it, should still be able to get it. This just means more people will be able to get it too and it also means that just because someone's wearing a Locksmith title, it doesn't mean they're a Not-Commoner anymore. ;) And in addition, you'll be GAINING a butt-load of new titles to choose from (as long as you qualify for them). This will be another boon to those Not-Commoners, since on top of their UnSkill that doesn't allow them to take other titles from other specific guilds at a certain circle, they won't have the ability to STILL do that and take others Skill Based ones, too. (Did that sufficiently make no sense?)

Likewise, more titles can and will be added as we come up with them...

This will also be something that will be a "Play And Find Out" feature...we won't tell you how many titles there are, we won't give you a full listing of available titles, and we won't tell you what requirements you have to meet. Plenty of people will figure out lots of them on their own, but there will be a certain air of mystery associated with some of the more difficult (and therefore more desired) titles. We'll tell you about lots, but not all...

Oh...and did I mention that this will also allow Commoners (the REAL Commoners...not the Not-Commoners) to finally have access to lots of titles? There will even probably be some that require you NOT be a member of a guild...so there will be some Commoner specific ones. ;)

At some point, we'll be opening a topic specifically for you to discuss (and suggest) new titles and their requirements, but for now, you're welcome to discuss them in this area, although no one will be taking notes just yet. :)



Solomon

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will there be any concentration on awarding titles for things that arnt neccessarily number-based? RP, reputation, background, etc? BTW, you've got my eyes and ears on this one Sol.

Thats my 82 Cents and i dont care if you dont want a damn Nickel

~Bombmaster Blasword

<<hoping to see Commander, Treasonist, and Shadow Guard someday ;) >>

Yup...don't see why not. ;)


Solomon

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You gonna finally allow titles beyond 15 characters? :P

And allow us to gain favors from all 39 so I can have my Harawepian title? Still no Harawep altar that gives favors.. And yes I did complain to Team-Cleric.

When we're talking 'Master of Lore'.. do we mean (picking numbers) 200 in each skill, or 1000 total? Either one? One title for each?

... What does HSN stand for? Hot Summer Nights?

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- Master Cleric of Harawep

>>This just means more people will be able to get it too and it also means that just because someone's wearing a Locksmith title, it doesn't mean they're a Not-Commoner anymore.<<

Yeah, just try and convince someone that you're a Not-Commoner when you're wearing a Master Burglar or a I-can-steal-your-socks-while-you're-wearing-them or a I-broke-the-pawn-prices-in-two-major-cities title... Ooo.. Master Pawner? <hides>

Heh. Sounds good, though.

Tam
-There are only 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

What about associations with certain vegetables? coughturnipscough

~player of Turnip-Hugger Gulphphunger

I can't wait to use my mage title. :)

<<You gonna finally allow titles beyond 15 characters? :P>>

Oh...forgot this one...

It's POSSIBLE...not sure though...


Solomon

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Pre? Post? Some of each?

Seems like with only 3 storeable Post titles.. it's not too doable.

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- Master Cleric of Harawep

<<Another Skral-Zab thing, but I would not see why not. Someone who's particularly knowledgable about all religions and willing to work at maintaining that would deserve some sort of lofty title option(s)...I'm sure there's a word for someone who's a Religious Scholar...or maybe that would be one of the options right there. :)

On this line... how about alternate religions that are in game but not particularly defined like the religious beliefs of the Prydaens?? Would love to have a 'Eru devotee' title : )


- player of a few and disturbed by the voices in my head because of it :)

< That would be the best part, so yes. :) This is going to be one of those "suspension of disbelief" things, since you can't TELL someone's a "Servant of Drogor" just from looking at them or LOOKing in the room, but neither can you tell what someone's name is, so I am not gonna worry with all that. ;)>

will something like this apply to both clerics and paladins?

Thats my 82 Cents and i dont care if you dont want a damn Nickel

~Bombmaster Blasword

>>A particular amount of money in the bank ;)

I suggest the titles penny-pinching and money-grubber. Also tight-fisted.

~Katrenos :D

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When in danger or in doubt,
Run in circles; Scream and shout

Unofficial Dragonrealms Player Motto

<<Pre? Post? Some of each?>>

IDEALLY it will be something that will let you choose.

Lemme 'splain a little, since I'm in the mood to jabber...

Say your name is Bob. Say you're a citizen of Zoluren (one title option). Say you have access to the Bowman title because you have X number of ranks in bow skill (another title option). Say you're a Warrior Mage and have the Elementalist that you like using (another title option).


Now...ideally, and I do mean ideally here since I don't even know if we'll be able to do this with the system upgrades that the on-site techs will be putting into DR, the options I see you being able to choose from (and what someone would see when LOOKing at you, not just when they LOOK in the room) are:


Bob
Elementalist Bob
Bowman Bob
Bob, of Zoluren
Elementalist Bob, of Zoluren
Bowman Bob, of Zoluren
Bowman Bob, Elementalist of Zoluren
Elementalist Bob, Bowman of Zoluren
Bowman Bob, Elementalist
Elementalist Bob, Bowman


So...each title option would be one of (at least) three "blocks" that you would be able to arrange and rearrange however you liked: A Guild Title block, a Skill-based Title block, and a Citizenship Title block.


So effectively, with as many options as there would be for the skill-based and Guild titles, everyone would have the ability to have a totally unique title combination...

<<Seems like with only 3 storeable Post titles.. it's not too doable.>>

That would be likely to change. Someone with enough skill(s) should have hundreds of titles to choose from...



Solomon

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<<will something like this apply to both clerics and paladins?>>

Anyone that wanted to meet the criteria would be able to access any title that was available.


Solomon

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<<C'mon Sol. You and I both know that getting a favor isn't showing devotion. It's showing you spent the 30 seconds it takes to not have your character deleted :P.>>

But I never said that this would be the way we determined who got that title. :)

That's something that Zabari and Skralthaen are going to be intimately involved in discussing/determining.


Solomon

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Another thought came to mind. I know this might sound kind of plain, but might there also be predecent for being able to use your race as a title? With a combination of pre and post titles, could actually be interesting:

You see Dwarf Katrenos Tot of the Short Brigade.

(Yes, I do realize that your race is currently included in that line of description)

The added benefit of this is to enlighten your friends who don't actually know what race you are. Because they're unobservant.

~Katrenos

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When in danger or in doubt,
Run in circles; Scream and shout

Unofficial Dragonrealms Player Motto

THANK YOU!

About a year back I had a second account that I used to play Modus. I absolutely ADORED their title system. I always liked it when my male character got his bouncer title and my female character got her exotic dancer title ::snickers::

~Vip

> About a year back I had a second account that I used to play Modus

I was playing Modus about a year ago too, and the title system was one of my favorite aspects of the game. I'm quite thrilled to see it coming to DR...definitely a positive move in my opinion.


Dash & the gang

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>Some of us spent a lot more time than that. Do you know how long it takes to fill a favor orb after 10 favors? How about after 20? 30?

Yes. It is very easy. Combat trains so many skills at a time... I gained 15 favors in a 2 hour period. Favors are -far- too easy to gain, I just don't see it being an adequite measure of how devoted you are.

>I don't see favor beads as being a viable option. My paladin character has spent a lot of time gaining favors from her deity. She has spent a lot of time RPing out devotion to her deity also. She has never carved a prayer bead, nor do I see her ever doing so.

Isn't that just bias in the other direction? 'I haven't done it, therefore it shouldn't count'. The prayer bead system is open to everyone, and something easily trackable. Seems like a logical choice in my opinion.

Dead issue for me though since this isn't out, and Sol pretty much said it won't be based solely upon favors. We'll see how it all works out, I'm sure there will be complaints no matter how it's done <shrugs> I'll keep my mouth shut, as long as words such as 'Minion', 'Fanatic' and other such incredibly high circle Cleric titles don't show up until you've got 500+ favors <snickers>

Still waiting on my Spider-Man title..

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- Master Cleric of Harawep

well, up until now Pawn Broker has been a 50th plus Trader title, tam.



Pawn Broker Bagsodoks


<you steal it, I pawn it, we both make money,eh?>


This doesn't look like a good place to finger-waggle.