I'd be interested in testing it, if you'll have me come aboard. I have a sizable amount of game testing and mod designing experience:
---For over a year, the only Alpha tester for
Jedi Academy ForceMod III (did a TON of .ini entries as well for it, oh my bleeding eyes!)
---Contributed a scad of spacecraft/alien/robot/small arms designs for
Star Wars Galaxy at War, a now defunct TC endeavor for Operation Flashpoint
---Assisted in translating from German to English an editing guide for
DAC, a dynamic campaign engine for Operation Flashpoint.
---Created bot speed configs executable with in-game key commands for
Infiltration, a
fantastic hardcore infantry simulator TC for the original Unreal Tournament.
---Created a host of sound effects for
YARM (
Yet
Another
Realism
Mod), a robust tactical mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, as well as a sound effects mod for Combat Mission Shock Force.
---A lot of playtesting for
P2 A Cold Day in Hell mod/campaign for the original Ghost Recon.
---Contributed a carrier spacecraft design (
Phoenix class) for
BSG Fleet Commander for Homeworld 2 and possibly the Crysis Engine. By the way, "BSG"=Battlestar Gallactica. It's still a work in progress, although the mesh is done and scripted turrets/defenses are being added.
---Contributed a carrier/cruiser design of the Republic Era (
The Valiant class) to X-Wing Alliance. The amazingly talented Vince Trageton brought it into virtual reality, and has proven so popular as to be ported over into numerous Star Wars Empire at War mods.
---At one time, I did a ton of playtesting for the excellent STALKER mod
Super Mod Pack. Following someone else's lead, I contributed a mini-mod that allows all "Warsaw Pact" arms to fire tracer rounds that are the
proper hue of
green instead of the NATO tinted rounds of red-orange.
And
more...
A common thread through this list is (1) a strong devotion to mods that endeavor to add
realism to
tactical titles and (2) Star Wars mods.
----------------------------
Now, in regards to your class-based skill advancement system...
I
like the sounds of it, but urge caution in being too rigid with it. I'm a firm believer that anyone can learn anything if they put their mind and heart to it, regardless of where one is at in life.
That said, perhaps choosing a class will allow a select pool of skills to advance at
half the point cost. So let's say that based on a combination of Intelligence and Experience, a Trooper has earned 5 experience points to spend.
Shooting is a skill
within the Trooper class' pool, so dedicating 2 experience points towards that skill will see said skill rise by
4. Now this Trooper would like to increase his First Aid skill, but that's
not within that class' pool, so it increases only by 1 for every 1 experience point dedicated towards it.
I'd also be in favor of boosting attributes with earned experience points, as this would help simulate
strenuous training, but spending points this way is
expensive. Part of the reasoning behind this is that raising an attribute allows for easier advancement in a
host of other skills.
Physical attributes are more easily exercised in an environment where one is constantly moving, so for every 3 experience points spent a person can raise a physical attribute by 1.
Mental attributes, however, are more difficult to elevate because there's far less time to read a book/miniature computer when one is stalking through a jungle. Because of this limitation, it costs 4 experience points to raise a mental attribute by 1. And in my book, camouflage and stealth are more
mental than physical--if one doesn't have the know-how on how to properly execute the above then all of the physical effort in the world won't help said person.
That's my two cents on it. What do you think of it?
----------------------------------
What I would LOVE to see integrated into 7.62 are:
---leaning
---a robust round penetration system; rounds would not only break through walls of various materials/thicknesses, but also other people
---even an anemic ricochet system
---this one's WAY out there, sort of; bear with me please...
Bringing up STALKER got me to thinking, well, what if a science fiction element were added to the game, and even loosely tied to the events of STALKER? Create a campaign that starts out
subtly, such as having to run mysterious packages from a certain couple of dealers to various locales (one could be
VERY subtle about this, such as these exclusive dealers being not only completely random in appearance, but in location as well). Eventually an accident happens at one of these "Mystery Sites," and suddenly STALKER-esque monsters and anomalies and...! Imagine having one of your merc's mind taken over by a telepathic creature; suddenly a merc's intelligence score becomes even more important than usual. Go on, admit it, you
love the sound of it, don't you? I hope so! ;-D
I'd be happy to whip up some concept sketches customized to the region, if you're seriously interested.
Good luck on your new mod! Will it incorporate aspects of the Ecomod?
Yours!
Kyle
