@Kylotan
That is true, I suppose a question of this sort deserves a little more explanation of gameplay. I don't know if the "usual" is an apt way to describe this, but it works enough for my purpose here. We have broken down our list into 4 sections:
Physical Combat - It is what it says. You're sword and board wielders, your frothing axe swingers, your archers. These are all classified under this section. Weapon skills, armor skills, these are the main traits of these guys.
Magical Combat - Again, the name says it all. These are our healers, our nukers, and our utility casters (buffers). We have a variety of spell types based on different aspects of life (keeping this under wraps for now).
Stealth Combat - Your typical rogue, stealthy, backstabs, etc... Also, some less stealthy but still roguish classes such as Brigands, Raiders. (might need to rename this section) Stealth also includes traps and poisons.
Hybrids/Utility - These are the mixes, Paladins, Witch-Hunters, and any other class that shares major traits with two of the other combat types. Also in here are utility classes (may be changed to professions).
We do have a general idea of how most class types will work, and some will be the usual, whereas others will be a little out of the ordinary. Physical guys are the more up front fighting types, mages use spells to heal and hurt, while rogue types will be sneakier and be very knowledgeable with traps and poisons.
Is that what you were looking for Kylotan? If not, let me know, I would like to address your question, as it is very valid :D
A question of class...
Classes are great for party play (both single and multiplayer) as they establish roles for each character in the party and add a tactical element that is generally more interesting than just clicking on an enemy repeatedly until it's dead.
For game based around solo play however, they are not so great. Not necessarily bad, but you have to be a lot more careful how you balance them against each other as well as how they fit into the context of the game itself. You do not really want to be adding shedloads of 'extra' content for each specific class in order to keep them all interesting - it's hard work for you as the developer, and much of that effort may be wasted as it will only be seen by a subset of the players.
My advice would be to put all the classes you've devised aside for the time being, and try and break down the roles you think are appropriate - bearing in mind that all of those roles should be fun. Then, once you've narrowed it down to a sensible number - say 10 or so, give them all names and call them classes. You'll probably find that most of the classes you've developed already can be treated as specialized builds of one of those core classes. Think fewer classes, bigger (and more interesting) trees.
For game based around solo play however, they are not so great. Not necessarily bad, but you have to be a lot more careful how you balance them against each other as well as how they fit into the context of the game itself. You do not really want to be adding shedloads of 'extra' content for each specific class in order to keep them all interesting - it's hard work for you as the developer, and much of that effort may be wasted as it will only be seen by a subset of the players.
My advice would be to put all the classes you've devised aside for the time being, and try and break down the roles you think are appropriate - bearing in mind that all of those roles should be fun. Then, once you've narrowed it down to a sensible number - say 10 or so, give them all names and call them classes. You'll probably find that most of the classes you've developed already can be treated as specialized builds of one of those core classes. Think fewer classes, bigger (and more interesting) trees.
I agree with what Sandman said. If you want your game to be more party oriented, then classes are the way to go. If you want more solo play, a mix and match system might be better. Personally, I don't care for classes very much, although I do see the need for them in some MMOs. Besides adding an unchangeably clear and spelled out system of tactical group responsibilities in combat, I don't see much need for them. I think that a profession system like there used to be the old Star Wars Galaxies is a much better direction than classes. But, again, just my opinion based on my personal play style orientation.
I'll third that. If you have 5 classes, but can only play one at a time, this means the player has to play the game five different times to enjoy it completely.
Basically, you'll be having a lot of work creating and balancing features the player will never acutally get to play with - that's a bad idea. On the other hand, the idea of 'be whatever you want to be' really appeals the players, but at the same time it will be very hard to balance things out, preventing one class from becaming more powerfull then the other.
This is especially important if you players focus on power-gaming (as most RPGs end up), because even a small imbalance will lead to a lot of people playing the game the "best way possible" (I'm telling you this from my past RPG experience with Neverwinter Nights - that's how I played the game).
Just my 2 cents,
Basically, you'll be having a lot of work creating and balancing features the player will never acutally get to play with - that's a bad idea. On the other hand, the idea of 'be whatever you want to be' really appeals the players, but at the same time it will be very hard to balance things out, preventing one class from becaming more powerfull then the other.
This is especially important if you players focus on power-gaming (as most RPGs end up), because even a small imbalance will lead to a lot of people playing the game the "best way possible" (I'm telling you this from my past RPG experience with Neverwinter Nights - that's how I played the game).
Just my 2 cents,
I giggle everytime I see someone use "EGOD" now.
Here's a tip: If you're working on your classes, don't look at just other classes, but look at other sources for inspiration.
I like classes, too. It's rare, I know.
Take a look at the military. In the US military, you have people trained to be infantry, snipers, weapons experts, trained to make special equipment, trained to use special equiptment, trained to sneak into a building and kill someone without anyone else knowing, people trained for close-quarters-combat, and so on.
Take a look at different warrior classes and martial arts forms over the past few centuries. There are people trained to be swordsman, gladiators who use whatever weapons they can get, samurai, ninjas, viking, archers, horseback archers, lancers, and so on. Maybe do a little research, too. Samurai were originally mounted archers; the swords came later.
If you're going to have priest- and mage-type classes, look into different forms of religion and different forms of magic. If there are different Gods in the game, priests can worship different gods and receive powers based on their patron. Different forms of magic revolve around different concepts, beliefs, in practices. Not all mages have to have the same elemental skills.
Classes for science fiction are different, because we don't know what we'll have in the future. Almost everything in fantasy fiction comes from history, so that's what we use to build upon.
Here's a tip: If you're working on your classes, don't look at just other classes, but look at other sources for inspiration.
I like classes, too. It's rare, I know.
Take a look at the military. In the US military, you have people trained to be infantry, snipers, weapons experts, trained to make special equipment, trained to use special equiptment, trained to sneak into a building and kill someone without anyone else knowing, people trained for close-quarters-combat, and so on.
Take a look at different warrior classes and martial arts forms over the past few centuries. There are people trained to be swordsman, gladiators who use whatever weapons they can get, samurai, ninjas, viking, archers, horseback archers, lancers, and so on. Maybe do a little research, too. Samurai were originally mounted archers; the swords came later.
If you're going to have priest- and mage-type classes, look into different forms of religion and different forms of magic. If there are different Gods in the game, priests can worship different gods and receive powers based on their patron. Different forms of magic revolve around different concepts, beliefs, in practices. Not all mages have to have the same elemental skills.
Classes for science fiction are different, because we don't know what we'll have in the future. Almost everything in fantasy fiction comes from history, so that's what we use to build upon.
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