Chapter LIV: Gadgeteer

Well, this is a class from FFTA series that can be very interesting In a MMO…the idea is to have a class that builds arenas during fights. These arenas are the gadget fields.

Gear fields are terrains that cause status changes to anyone in it, but only while in it…step outside and the effect wears off, step inside and you automatically receives the effect again. Also, they will have not only the gadget actions to create fields but also the action Connect, which will allow you to connect the next gadget field action to the already existing one you’re already under effect.

It’s simple…gadget fields cannot overwrite each other so you cannot have 2 fields at same area…so, in short, you cannot use gadget actions while under the effect of a gadget field unless you use Connect first. Each gadget field has its own “turf”, that is the starting radius of it. If you don’t have enough “turf” to create a gadget (by enough turf I mean the gadget you want to create not invading other gadget fields’ turf) you cannot create it.

However, if you don’t have space to create your field, you can always use the Connect action to connect it to an existing field, not only combining their effects but also expanding its radius in 20% per extra connected gadgets. Also, there is no problem in this expanded area invading other gadget fields’ turf, what allows you to create a very strategic field, in special for bosses.

Here an image example to explain it:



At example A we have both gadget fields 1 and 2 respecting each other’s turf. This is perfectly valid. At example B, we have the gadget field 1 invading the gadget field 2’s turf, creating the area 4. This area 4 cannot exist in this situation so it’s an invalid example…their turf cannot ever invade each other.

At example C, though, you see that the field 1 and 2 turfs do respect each other, however the gadget field 1 was expanded by a Connected gadget, generating the additional area 3, which does is invading the turf of field 2 and creating the region 4. This is perfectly valid tough. While you do have an invasion, it wasn’t done by a gadget field, but by a connected gadget expansion.

This is the key of the gadgeteer. You being allowed to, through connected gadget expansions, having multiples field effects in very small areas, which creates tactical positions where you can have much stronger enhancements or much stronger enfeebling effects from fields.

Another restriction is that you cannot connect a gadget to a gadget field that already has that gadget. If you already have a green battery at that field, you cannot connect an extra one.

About costs, each gadget has some minor, perpetual MP cost. Once the gadgeteer runs out of MP his field collapses. If he just connected gadgets to other gadgeteer’s field, then just his gadget will disappear. The MP cost is important to be low so gadgeteers, whose are mainly supporters, can build their fields prior to engaging monsters and keep it there for a while so he can just lure monsters to field and fight there.

Also, it would be very nice, for this class in special, to have a visual help regarding fields, like having them visible and the gadgets floating in some kind of machine (no wonder I didn’t want repeated connects…it would bring visual issues) so by just looking at machine the players will know if it’s a good or bad field to stay inside…if the machine has lots of green gadgets, all good, if it has lots of red gadgets, you getting no bonuses and, if it has loads of blue gadgets, be careful!

But let’s continue. There are 3 types of fields…the allies only (green), the enemies only (red) and the all ones (blue…or maybe yellow). The green fields only affect allies, the red fields only affect enemies and the blue fields affect everyone in it. While green and red ones sound much more interesting, they offer minor enhancements or enfeebling effects if compared to blue fields…so the type of field created is also important...here an example:

Let’s say green battery gives you 10% attack bonus and blue batter gives you 35% attack bonus…the player might find the blue battery way better than green one, forgetting that the green battery affects only allies, while blue battery would affect the enemies too…and 35% attack bonus to enemies might end in tragedy.

Lastly, for gadgets there would be cool having stuff like bulbs, bolts, batteries, springs, coils, cables, gears, cranks, screws, etc…because would be cool seeing these stuff forming some kind of machine in the end…after all you would have only 3 versions of each gadget so it’s not that bad to make funny combinations of them! ^^