COMMUNITY - FORUMS - TRIBES
Major Kypiq Design Flaws (and solutions)

The Major Kypiq Design Problem

Before Reading

Hi all. I would like to start by telling you that this is not a hate post, and the goal is to give a constructive review of the current state the Kypiqs are in since I plan on playing a Kypiq. From a gamer, engineer and ex video-game programmer perspective, I see several major problems with the current Kypiq design pattern that might not be visible at first sight. My goal today is to highlight those problems, the different components of the game they will affect and provide (partial) solutions that will keep the tribe's flavour. I do not want the Kypiqs to be overpowered nor I want them to be underpowered, I want them to be in a state where they are viable with or against other tribes. Finally, excuse my poor grammar or orthography as my main language is French.

My Vision of the Kypiq

Before providing solutions or highlighting flaws that the Kypiqs have, we first need to agree on the vision the community and SBS currently have of the Kypiq. I could be wrong, but this is how I see this tribe:

  • Extremely Defensive: I see the Kypiqs as being extremely strong in their homeland. Using the advantage of the Ironwood trees to navigate around and hide, Kypiqs ferociously defend their land from invaders to keep them away from their Ironwood secrets.

  • Poor Expansionist: Even though their homeland can be strongly guarded, they do not favour pitched battle and can be weak when it comes to defending open and remote lands. For these reasons and the fact that they are not initially aggressive people, they do not favour expansionism and will instead try to support their Neran neighbours when it comes to larger warfare.

  • Curious Explorers: The Kypiqs will always try to explore all corners of their homelands and neighbouring lands to feed their unending curiosity, whether it would be a Neran city or a Hrothi cavern. Finding new resources to create new inventions would probably be one of their main goal for exploring.

  • Wild Inventors: Extremely inventive, the Kypiqs will always try to make the best out of every resource. They would rather try a thousand time and reinvent an apparatus over reading about it and find a solution in their books.

  • Diplomacy First: Instead of going head first into unending wars, the Kypiqs will find a peaceful solution to their problems with other tribes. Knowing that it might cost them their longlasting homeland, they will stay at peace and keep their own part of the world secured, especially since they are not focused on expansion.

  • Nature's Friend: Following the Faedin religion, the Kypiq believe that there is a soul in each and every living being, whether it would be an animal or a plant. They live as one with nature and will always try and keep the cycle of life going forward, as most of their need is filled by the forest.


Problem 1: Woodcutting and Nature's bond

Description

Has highlighted in the latest point (Nature's friend), the Kypiqs believe that there is a soul in each and every living being. This means that even though players might be able to cut down trees when playing as a Kypiq, NPC will regard this has as evil. This point is probably the most impactful of all of the cons the Kypiqs have since they affect every aspect of their gameplay. I will highlight all the problems this creates but also several solutions (that does not include the eradication of all the trees).

Problem 1.1: Food Production

One of the small problem occasioned by the impossibility of cutting down wood and killing animals, is the extremely small food production the Kypiqs have access to. First of all, they can't hunt down animals, which makes their food supplies extremely low knowing that they live in a forest. Second of all, they can't have large fields since they are in the middle of the forest, which forces them to only live off picking small fruits. No major civilisations ever properly lived off for long period of times out of picking fruits.

Solution 1.1: Ironfruit and Metabolism

After centuries of living in the ironwood trees, the Kypiqs successfully developed an immune system capable of eating the initially poisonous Ironfruits, fruits given by the Ironwood trees usually found once they fell off the tree. Furthermore, the Kypiqs do not need to eat as often as other races due to their special metabolism, and eating off the fruits is usually enough.

Problem 1.2: Ineffective Construction

Roads have been the success and the downfall of empires for centuries. Once again, since we can’t cut down trees, roads and walls will need to navigate around the trees. Some will say that zip lines make the roads useless, but taking into account that ziplines might only be available to Kypiq and that it might be impossible to transport a large number of products on those zip lines, this is a very big deal. Furthermore, if we decide to build on the ground due to unknown reasons, building properly around the trees and such will become also extremely complex.

Solution 1.2: None

With all the pros given by the Ironwood trees, I believe that this is a problem that compensates well.

Problem 1.3: Poor Substitutes

Even though we might have substitutes for Kypiq constructions, we need to count on SBS to always find reliable substitutes for all new constructions and inventions. For example, let’s say that SBS decides to release several new inventions focused on invasions such as sieges artillery, then they also need to add alternative inventions which are built using substitutes to wood, which might be logically impossible, or at least extremely improbable. In a game such as CoE with a single server, roleplayers are mixed with hardcore PvPers. This means that when every advantage can make the difference between the victory or getting wiped, having inventions with absolutely no substitutes for wood might be the end of the Kypiqs when we factor in mass production from the NPCs.

Solution 1.3: Local Tree Ratio

By cutting old or dead trees, Kypiq can allow the circle of life in the forest to continue. Cutting sappling can still be seen as a terrible act, but there needs to be a way for Kypiqs to cut down mature to dead trees in order to allow them to still be viable in terms of warfare. Furthermore, if they invade an area where their substitutes are not found and where you can only build proper structures out of wood, they can’t thrive or even have a chance to hold their ground. How can you win a war if you can’t even hold enemy positions? Yes, you can count on Neran for those jobs, but it means that Kypiqs are extremely dependant on their relations with other tribes and are at the diplomatic mercy of their allies. A good way of balancing this would be to have major maluses locally if lands owned by Kypiqs doesn't have enough wood. Thus, even though there would be a large amount of woods, it would allow the players to user the trees but forces them to replant early if they don't want to suffer personnal maluses.


Problem 2: Architecture and the Building System

Problem 2.1: Complex system for the few

This problem is extremely straightforward. It's not necessarly a problem that can be easily solved, but a problem that the devs and players need to keep in mind. The Kypiqs have the only building system that includes 3D positioning. This means that SBS needs to build an entirely new building system for a single tribe and a small subset of the player base. So while they will be creating the game, they will need to build two systems that serve the same purposes, but one for seven different tribes and one for a single tribe. Furthermore, the Kypiq system might be even more complex due to its requirements. It will be extremely hard to build a system which is not extremely lacklustre and generic.

Solution 2.1: Lot of work and love

There’s no true solution other than a lot of work. I think the simplest way to tackle this tree construction system would probably be to have a slotted mechanics using premade blueprints for all giant ironwood. Having such a blueprint system while trying to give flexibility for design (such as rope with flags and lanterns) with the possibility to expand your home's tier by expanding it horizontally would be more than enough from my perspective.

Problem 2.2: Region Dependent System

If the Kypiq expands their territories for some reasons, their field of expertise forces them to build in trees and those trees will not be available outside of their forest. All other tribes that build their structure on the ground will be used to expanding and importing their architecture, whereas the Kypiq won't be able to. Even if they find substitutes to build their building in a foreign environment, they won't find trees to build in.

Problem 2.2: Vertical Construction

Even though this would extremely limit the flexibility of the tree construction system, allowing to instead places platforms on the trees and then build on those platforms would allow a 2D building systems (similar to the other races) but based on 3D slot-based platform system. This would mean that the actual buildings could be either placed on the ground or on platforms, which augments the flexibility and removed the tree-dependant building system.


Problem 3: Combat and viability

Problem 3.1: Open World PvP Unviable

The combat is pretty much where the Kypiqs are the weakest at the moment. Not only they don’t have the initial strength or stamina, but they are extremely limited on their reach. If you add above that the malus that SBS gave them the glass jaw problem, which reduces, even more, their viability in combat. In most open world PvP games, the encounters will generally be open world 1v1, and the Kypiq will get beaten most (if not all) the time if we have two opponents of similar skills. In this current state, the Kypiq are absolutely worthless in combat, and if other tribes can easily get access to the treehouses, there is no possible scenario where they can thrive for long.

Solution 3.1: Glass jaw removal, Stamina reduction removal & Fleeing bonuses

With all the current combat malus they already have (strength, stamina, reach), they don’t need glass-jaw on top of that. Also, I don’t see any reason why they would have reduced the stamina the Kypiqs have. With their training in trees and being used to jump around, I think they should have at least the normal. They already have a low amount of life, why reducing it even more. Moreover, giving them the ability to climb trees faster then any other race could furthermore help them escape unfavourable encounters and reinforce this homeland superiority.

Problem 3.2: Limited Equipment

Kypiqs are apparently quite limited in the range of equipment and mount they can use. So that doesn’t only mean that they can’t fight, but chances are they can’t flee properly and don’t even have access to all the weapons, which means they might miss on a few of the best weapons.

Solution 3.2: Added Specific Equipment

They have everything removed, but nothing added. Adding new weapons that only them can use can balance this lack of tools a bit. For example, small (for kypiq size) ironwood bow which would be extremely light, fire fast but with a low to medium damage could further reinforce their homeland defensive capabilities while ensuring that it is not overpowered.


Summary (TL:DR)

If it was too long for you to read and go through, I will enumerate all the points that I wish to see added and removed.

  • Add Ironfruit as a source of food;
  • Reduce food requirement to stay fed;
  • Allow for trees to be cuts but implement a local tree ratio that would inflict maluses if too many trees would be cut in Kypiq owned areas (maybe city based);
  • 2D vertical constructions on 3D slot-based platforms to allow placement of the kypiqs building on the ground;
  • Remove the glass jaw malus;
  • Remove the stamina reduction;
  • Allow for faster tree climbing due to the fact that they live in trees;
  • Add smaller specific weapons to compensate for the larger weapons they can’t use.

Even with these additions, I still feel that their inherent melee weakness will see people avoid the Kypiqs, and for good reasons. If we would be to take the tribes without any maluses or bonuses, their lack of range would still see them getting destroyed. This is why I feel the Kypiqs don’t need even more maluses and maybe need more bonuses when it comes to combat. Maybe adding some ranged weapons or long-range melee weapons mastery such as spears could help them be more viable when it comes to open world encounters.

Conclusion

To conclude, I don’t want the Kypiq to be overpowered, but I also don’t want to be wiped by an unskilled player because I can’t reach him if he has two meters over me. At the current moment, SBS doesn’t make them powerful enough for justifying them living on the continent for a long time without having been wiped already. I don’t want them to be gods, I want them to be powerful in their region, weak (but viable) outside of it and fun to play. I really hope SBS can make the Kypiqs relevant in one versus one combat and make their construction system interesting. If you agree or disagree, make sure to drop a comment and let me know how I can improve this and tell me why I’m right/wrong.

Take care!

Krieg

[EDIT 1] Redacted the small mount addition since it's already in the dev cycle apparently. Ridding Canis Rabbits sounds absolutely amazing.


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1/21/2019 2:43:49 AM #1

I'm glad someone decided to take a positive approach to some of the Kypiq's glaring weaknesses. I just gave up when thinking about the drawbacks associated with Kypiqs and moved elsewhere.

One thing to note though

Add fleeing options such as the ability to ride smaller animals;

I believe Kypiq can currently ride Canis Rabbits that aren't a viable mount for other races due to the size


1/21/2019 3:11:57 AM #2

Posted By kkillroyv2 at 9:43 PM - Sun Jan 20 2019

I believe Kypiq can currently ride Canis Rabbits that aren't a viable mount for other races due to the size

Was not aware of that. That sounds absolutely amazing.


1/21/2019 3:14:03 AM #3

I do want to point out that the Kypiq are not the only trbe with 3D building concerns. The Waerd, the Hrothi and the Yoru all have the same need, and for that reason all parcels everywhere are now 3D.

I will give your writeup a closer look later, but I did notice that one bit right off the bat.


1/21/2019 3:29:01 AM #4

Good post overall.

When looking at the aspects of transportation/infrastructure one can argue that similar problems may be faced by the toresk [we don't know how deep their wetlands are on a consistent basis]. The Dras may face similar issues as well.... and then look at the hrothi mountainous terrain.

When looking at the vertical building aspect.... Just refer to what bombastus has mentioned.

Regarding combat, I understand the Kypiq being glass jawed. Why should they get a smaller hitbox and equal health etc? However, I do agree with the stamina aspect. I do not see a reason for them having lower stamina than other tribes.

Regarding mounts, Caspian and crew has mentioned biome specific mounts a few different times. Perhaps this is one of the ways to address the Kypiq movement situation.

Regarding food production, Kypiq have a fairly unique opportunity with ironwood trees [if done right, imo] that their produce or w/e can be grown on a vertical scale in addition to what most tribes can do.


1/21/2019 3:35:52 AM #5

Posted By Bombastus at 10:14 PM - Sun Jan 20 2019

I do want to point out that the Kypiq are not the only tribe with 3D building concerns. The Waerd, the Hrothi and the Yoru all have the same need, and for that reason, all parcels everywhere are now 3D.

The problem isn't the 3D specificity, it's the fact that it is closely related to the trees and that it might be extremely more difficult to place/orient, especially using a procedural algorithm.

I'm not sure I understand how the 3D required by the Hrothi or the Waerd requires an entirely new building system by itself. I thought the Hrothi used regular buildings and tunnel system (which will be required with or without the Hrothi).

Depending on how they want to tackle the city construction, the fact that it is on a tree might require new construction mechanics, such as a slot based system, in order to maximise the efficiency of the building disposition. Either way, I still think it might be a problem without a real solution, but I tried my best to provide a possible path that minimises the amount of work that the devs will have to do if they allow Kypiqs to put the buildings on the ground.


1/21/2019 3:41:05 AM #6

Food In regards to food: I'm not sure why everyone thinks this will be a problem. There was enough food for the proto nerans to survive; that much is clear, else there would be no kypiqs, so why would there not be ample fruit amongst the trees to feed most settlements?

The kypiq can also farm atop the mushrooms, and, if needed, the forrest floor, but availability of land is far less problematic than the moral questions of farming for kypiq. We have to farm plants which are not harmed by the tribe harvesting them, so certain plants are ruled out, but aside from that food really shouldn't be an issue unless you grow to the point of over population, but anywhere will have an issue with that (albiet the population max will vary from town to town).

Combat Combat. We 100% will be screwed in the case of combat. I feel like fleeing should be more of an option, but at the same time I get it- we're witty and clever by necessity, not simply 'culture;' when attacked those of us who survived were those who could say "wait if I duck under/above/through this area/tree/bush/crevice my persuers won't be able to get me!"

Speed wasn't a factor in those moments, it would he like trying to outrun a cheetah. To me it's like riding a motorcycle- at all times you should know where your safest "escape route" is, esle if something goes wrong you'll have no plan and rely purely on luck.

This is offest by our homes being insanely defensible, and our tribe being an economic power house. Essentially the idea is we will need to be protected, but those who protect us will have a decent advantage in that we can help ensure their economic success, while those who oppose us will suffer economically from our lack of help as long as anyone else is getting help from us. If we do this long enough our tech will be advanced enough that having our favor in a war will be like garnering the gods favor in legends. No, we won't fight your battle, but our blessing- and the gifts we give you- will almost garuntee you're victorious.

conclusion if we survive the begining of the game, we will quickly become a force to be reckoned with, and if any of the Bigs recognize the potential advantages our technology will ultimately provide they will ensure we live long enough to do so. We have managed to survive via wit and invention, and come launch that won't change.


kypiq

1/21/2019 3:42:34 AM #7

Posted By ZorTir at 10:29 PM - Sun Jan 20 2019

When looking at the vertical building aspect.... Just refer to what bombastus has mentioned.

I'm still not convinced they require entirely new construction systems. I've had a difficult time understanding their building and didn't find any relevant information on the subject. I'll try and educate myself a bit more!

Regarding combat, I understand the Kypiq being glass jawed. Why should they get a smaller hitbox and equal health etc? However, I do agree with the stamina aspect. I do not see a reason for them having lower stamina than other tribes.

I don't want them to have equal health. I want them to have a lower health pool (which makes sense) and remove the glass jaw.

Regarding food production, Kypiq have a fairly unique opportunity with ironwood trees [if done right, imo] that their produce or w/e can be grown on a vertical scale in addition to what most tribes can do.

You're right, I really hope they nail this one out of the park and that they maximise those trees usability.

Again, I'll make sure to read more and more about the 3D construction.


1/21/2019 3:43:54 AM #8

Is the Alpha launched and I wasn't told???

How can there be a problem without a 'game' to test the mechanics?

Are you implying the devs are too daft to make the mechanics of being a small race compatible in combat to taller ones but still maintain their racial traits?

Not trying to come off as obtuse,I'm really not ( it was a well constructed post, just jumping the gun way too early), but I don't see how there is a "problem with Kypiq that needs fixed", as per your post, when we're not even in pre-alpha yet.

This post comes off as a "I'm in love with Kypiq, but not the balancing factors" of their race.

Solution: Play Neran. Hope this helps.


If ethics are poor at the top, that behavior is copied down through the organization. -Robert Noyce

1/21/2019 3:46:53 AM #9

A clarification and a suggestion: According to multiple comments from Caspian search discord "from: Caspian#3850 climb" Kypiqs don't actually climb trees, they use ladders and other constructed technology.

Now, I think that's rubbish. 1, it even further hinders them from expanding, making it incredibly difficult to set up new settlements even in the broadleaf forest. 2, smaller size does not equate to worse climbing. They are less strong, yes, but they are also significantly less heavy because they are so small. What matters is their strength relative to their weight.


Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him.

1/21/2019 3:53:24 AM #10

I enjoyed your post a lot Chloet, but there's a few things I disagree.

Posted By Chloet at 10:41 PM - Sun Jan 20 2019

Food In regards to food: I'm not sure why everyone thinks this will be a problem. There was enough food for the proto nerans to survive; that much is clear, else there would be no kypiqs, so why would there not be ample fruit amongst the trees to feed most settlements?

I don't think we can compare lore decisions to actual in-game mechanics. The main problem is that we have excessively fewer options and possibilities when it comes to food. We might be alright and have no problems, but If there is ever a problem with our only source of food, we're screwed. I understand this is not a major problem, but something to think about. If we need to expand locally for some reason, food might be our bottleneck.

I absolutely loved your part on the ethical side of cultivating. I think it is another thing we need to keep an eye out for.

Combat Combat. We 100% will be screwed in the case of combat. I feel like fleeing should be more of an option, but at the same time I get it- we're witty and clever by necessity, not simply 'culture;' when attacked those of us who survived were those who could say "wait if I duck under/above/through this area/tree/bush/crevice my persuers won't be able to get me!"

Speed wasn't a factor in those moments, it would he like trying to outrun a cheetah.

I think this is the major point you got wrong though. Speed is everything in an open-world PvP game. Even if you're slightly faster then you're opponent, you will be able to outrun him if you're screwed or get him if he tries to flee. Speed is arguably one of the most important skills in a game like CoE or Conan Exiles when it comes to fighting.

Furthermore, I doubt there will always be a place to hide which will be mechanically unaccessible by NPCs or players.

Aside from that, I agreed with most of your post.


1/21/2019 3:56:41 AM #11

Posted By Lord_Greystoke at 10:43 PM - Sun Jan 20 2019

Is the Alpha launched and I wasn't told???

How can there be a problem without a 'game' to test the mechanics?

Are you implying the devs are too daft to make the mechanics of being a small race compatible in combat to taller ones but still maintain their racial traits?

Not trying to come off as obtuse,I'm really not ( it was a well constructed post, just jumping the gun way too early), but I don't see how there is a "problem with Kypiq that needs fixed", as per your post, when we're not even in pre-alpha yet.

This post comes off as a "I'm in love with Kypiq, but not the balancing factors" of their race.

Solution: Play Neran. Hope this helps.

I enjoyed reading this! You're right Lord_Greystoke. But as of now, the only thing I can build my vision on is what the devs give us in terms of general tribes design, and I do think there is something inherently wrong/bad with the tribe design at the moment in terms of balance.

Just though I'd let my opinion out!


1/21/2019 4:50:04 AM #12

I want to create a Mokshin clan. The most appealing thing about the Kypiq for me is the promise of being a sneaky ninja. I don't have much to say about the construction side but I really liked your points about their combat abilities.

-"Remove the glass jaw malus;" So this makes us more susceptible to stuns and heavy impacts, which makes sense because our high agility makes us the fastest tribe in the game. So we're harder to hit but we can't take many hits. Here's a quote from Snipe in discord: - "Agility? It plays mostly into physical things: running, jumping, parkour, dodging, fighting, fishing, sewing, smithing, stealth, lockpicking, etc. Basically anywhere where fine motor control is necessary. It's not a damage stat in CoE, and it's not really aligned with specific skills (Well, except maybe slight of hand and acrobatics), but it plays into a lot of the stuff you might take for granted in an MMO, like the speed and ways you move." That being said it's all theory at the moment and there's no way of knowing if the effect of the stun is in proportion to our actual abilities affected by our unrivalled agility.

-"Remove the stamina reduction;" I completely agree, I've argued with people in the Kypiq discord before that just because we're not super beefy doesn't mean we shouldn't be able to sustain our movements for long periods of time. I think that with our small bodies, a small amount of strength (to a neran) should be more than enough for a tiny kypiq to be running around, dancing, climbing, sneaking or fighting without getting exhausted every 5 minutes because we "tire easily". This is tedious. -I suggest, if we can't have a normal stamina overall; at least give us normal stamina for our movement and limit the low stamina to the amount of hard melee swings or something.

-"Add fleeing options such as the ability to ride smaller animals;" Totally agree, Would love to see the ability to ride deer, wolves or goats. Personally hope there will be options like climbing rope with hook or other inventions we can create to manoeuvre our small nimble bodies in various directions.

-"Allow for faster tree climbing due to the fact that they live in trees;" Quote from caspian - "CaspianToday at 17:59 RE:The Kypiq. The earliest Kypiq were bigger than the modern ones. They were proto-nerans that sought refuge in the trees. They were bigger and taller than the Kypiq today, and likely climbed the trees. Over time, they have gotten smaller, weaker, and have come to rely on technology and their elevation into the trees as a natural form of defense.

Modern Kypiqs do not generally climb trees. That's more of a Janoa thing. They do use ladders, pulleys and other things to help them climb." This completely goes against the idea some parts of the kypiq design puts into your head; we're this amazingly agile, fast, stealthy tribe that can't even climb the trees we have uniquely evolved to live in. We "needn't much strength to scurry up a tree trunk" is stated in the tribe page so I have to say Im confused about the intended design of the kypiq in this regard. If we can't climb anything then my dreams of sneaking around on rooftops are done :/

-"Add smaller specific weapons to compensate for the larger weapons they can’t use." There are things like the opening shield and ironwood bark armour we have that we start with being tribe specific (unless we trade them or something) but hopefully we can invent some cool weapons too. However I think these could eventually be adapted to fit a Big unfortunately. I guess a remedy to that misbalance of Bigs having access to equipment and mounts we can NEVER access is to make our designs too complicated for Bigs to use well. For example; the mechanical Kypiq shield, can be opperated quickly and easily by an agile Kypiq but a clumsy Big might malfunction the shield too regularly to rely on it in battle and would be much more likely to opt for a (boring) shield for clumsy Bigs. The question of tribe specific weaponry is more potent for the Kypiq as we have the most unique fighting style (I presume). Our strengths; stealth, speed, parkour ect, but our glass jaw weakness ect prevent us from sustaining direct combat. Allot of our advertised skills are in alchemy and tinkering which would make me presume our weaponry would utilise chemicals and mechanics to compensate for our short comings. I would hypothesise that the weapons we create for ourselves would be too small for Bigs to use and hopefully Kypiq crafters won't sell all their inventions to Bigs but who knows?

Great post, I wrote this way too late so there's probably a bunch of errors but I need to sleep so I'll post this as is x


disc: curzman#7965

1/21/2019 4:50:14 AM #13

I was pretty sure the Wood that was sacred was the iron wood trees. Not all trees. If I am wrong, that would be very sad, that would mean that they would need to hire, or let neran or waerd do the tree cutting.

1/21/2019 5:02:08 AM #14

I've been saying there are these issues for the last few weeks, nice to see I am not alone. Now more than ever, we need this stuff addressed because this is our last chance to decide to play Kypiq at start/launch or not.


1/21/2019 6:32:39 AM #15

It sounds like the people applauding these ideas don't care about game balance. They just want to take the challenging parts of playing a Kypiq and completely remove them so there are no negatives to playing them. Every tribe has pluses and minuses to playing them. Ironwood trees grow extremely slowly - to the point that you can't harvest them and get mature trees back for centuries (from what I recall). So cutting them down all willy-nilly for your greedy purposes goes against what being a Kypiq is. If this doesn't suit you, don't play them.

I've said it in other threads... things that you see as issues aren't necessarily issues. We haven't even started alpha testing yet to see how things work in-engine. It's all theorycrafting at this point. That's fine and all - it helps keep the forums active - but being critical to the point of saying things must change before trying out the original ideas is not warranted, in my opinion. If you've just started paying attention to the game for the last few years and think you know more about the tribes and how they balance each other than the man who has been designing this for over a decade, maybe rethink things.

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