Before I begin, I like you man.
Nice LONG post (I do that too, they say, do not believe them, I do not either 
)
Well written!!!
Now, let me read on…
I’ll answer in a few.
Well, logical, some have a deeper point based incremental system.
Inventory is one of these I’ll use as example: 1 point being 8 (I think?) slots, 2 giving 16.
This is used in many a game…
Yes and no.
Imagine you go for hacker.
You have X points over, which you put in combat, as this would help you in the times you do not hack.
Oddly, I am now max, with a few skill points over, not used, as I see no reason to even spend these.
None of the skills -TO ME- have meaning.
Might as well pick up on Survival and go for inventory…
Just to have’m spent
Yes and no: see, the game is NOT!!! MP compatible, and has NOTHING to do with skills, but the MACHINES not scaling!!!
IF they WOULD scale, that point would be obsolete.
Game virtually is meant to play solo…
I addressed this in a different topic, it is though.
You do not HAVE to go for Inventory, might as well go for something else.
Sadly, game went from survival to shoot’n’loot to even HOARDING sim.
THIS desperately needs a fix imho.
Let’s go back to BASE.
Sadly that is true, then… 
Would you be so kind to elaborate on this?
Can’t do this.
Reason: balance (which already does not exist), it would OP us even more.
I will not react to the suggested fixes yet…
Pointing this out first and wait for reaction…
As a solo player I feel like the skill trees could use some re working. I don’t really like that I have to waste skill points on skills that are of no use in single player, get gain access to the skills I do want.
For exemple: I wanted “Heal amount” which makes medkits more effective. But to unlock it i need to get “Healer”, which let me use medkits on other players. Of course useless to me, as there are no other players.
How about putting all multiplayer-skills in their own tree?
3 Likes
Sounds reasonable but how about having to spend so many skill points in total to unlock the next line of skills. Or reach a serten level to unlock the next line of skills to give players more choices and open up more build diversity. It would be emensly helpful to players especially solo players. I also play on my own so I know where you’re coming from.
Same discussion topics merged.
//Mod
I, for one, would also like to see better replacement of skills since i’m also a solo player and i had to unlock MP only skill, just to get the skill i like.
For example: I had to unlock Flanking (MP only skill) to get to Enemy Marking (which is useful in SP and MP).
I wanted to suggest a different approach to how we progress and grow our characters.
Honestly, all it needs is the Fluff stuff removed from the skill tree system it has now. And make the Skill Trees based on Job Paths… Right now in the game you have to grab skills from other trees, which is restrictive as hell and some very basic and odd things feel like a waste of a point that’s in the way of the building what you’re wanting to operate with.
Pick a Job Path upon Character Creation. Each one has everything you need to be effective in solo, and cuts out the chaff and allows you to focus on that specific style of play and makes you earn and progress differently.
Examples
1: SAPPER (Path should focus on explosives, sapper tasks, path denile, mechanical and electrical skills, basically all the gear-head and boomboom stuff.)
2: SERE School Medic (Path should focus on all things medical, response, rescue, combat survival and evasion.)
3: SWAT Marksman (Path should focus on all things long range, stealth, and intel Mark Targets.)
4: DF-Commando (Path should focus on being loud, gaining attention, taking punishment, and being the brick wall who can lay down a ton of hate on hostiles.)
For each Job, the Main Path nodes should unlock as you level up being allowed to fully max it out, with Unlock Branches on the bottom for maxing out on another character in a different job to unlock Perks and CrossTraining Passives. And Bonus Nodes above it for getting good as learned skills over time. Added Perks that can be unlocked could use the Prestige Points from completing Challenges
Passive Skills / Learned Skills
1: XP boost should be unlocked via story progression across all characters. So if you beat the game on one toon and get that sexy 200% Bonus XP, your other 3 chars will reap the benefits.
2: Lockpicking should be Unlocked via as a perk from either the SWAT or SAPPER paths, once that char is maxed, it’s unlocked for all your other chars as a passive bonus.
3: Loot/Ammo % increase should be tied to the progression of how often you loot. Passive Learning skill.
4: Running Speed, Health, Regen, etc should be universal unlocks that improve over time as you run, get hit, heal, etc. Once unlocked they do what the others do, they are unlocked for all characters once you max out on one char.
By doing this, a player can Max Out their specific job, and earn more by maxing out the other jobs for bonuses. On top of that, earning passive unlocks through playing adds more to the enjoyment. This way people will get a lot of game time and after maxing out all four Jobs (as separate characters), they can unlock a 5th Character Slot that can be a Universal Soldier with it’s own path and buffs. Slap in a Nightmare Difficulty or Terminator Difficulty and bam there ya go.
1 Like
Same discussion topics merged.
//Mod
Everybody, if the Skills had no need to be in order, things would be better, even if max level is 31 or in near future 40 or something.
Various games have skills tree where you put your points wherever you want them…
That could be one of the solutions.
A reset or respec of points is also necessary.
Well…
Since level caps are linked with skill:
I think, that to make the game more fun for EVERYONE, would be to fix all skills, in such fashion, they will now mean anything.
No, please, do not shoot me, let me finish.
Right now, those with somewhat deeper understanding into the game mechanics, will all say this:
Pick the Tank tree.
Yes, Vanguard is SO OP, it becomes totally ridiculous.
Many enjoy just slaying machines without having to fear anything.
But…
Let’s pick Medic.
It’s somewhat useless, up to just disappointing.
I mean… when I hear Medic, I think of… well… a MEDIC…
This then is not what it is, is it?
Or, let’s take Hacker (or any other for that matter that isn’t Vanguard), and you will see… it is not what you thought it was.
And that is something, I would like to see fixed.
For one, that brings new gameplay to the GZ universe.
A Medic will not likely get in close and whack-a-mole, right?
But he would be able to fix up a (fallen) comrade.
He would be able to support the team while they get damage, helping them to survive.
Same for a hacker, if this has been addressed, then a hacker could be quite VERY pleasing to be played.
In short, For the time being, I would personally not add more Exp or levels, but address the skill(trees).
Only then, I would begin to think about a new level cap.
Well no, I would not, unless the game’s mechanic would force me to.
The game works really well with the cap, thus it needs not be fixed.
But either way:
If it would be increased… if that is the idea…
Then please, do try to balance out the skill(trees).
Remove a bit of the OP’ness from Vanguard, and balance the other ones out, even revamp them, to become more useful.
Think about this:
Vanguard, Marksman and Hacker looking for Medic…
Hell, I could surely see that one…
Thoughts?
I have only to say, that besides Vanguard, I also choose the Engineer skill and it´s useless.
I want to change that, and for now it´s not possible.
1 Like
Yes, sir, that is why I brought this up
It’s not just Engineer, too, sir.
And while not on topic, it is VERY on topic, as one = the other and vica versa…
I have Vanguard on one of my characters, never use it. I much prefer Hacker, even in its current, next to useless implementation, because on the rare occasion it works, it’s a fun skill. Vanguard is overrated imho.
And yes I agree, a complete skill revamp is something I would much rather see before raising any caps. Skill revamp, and skill respec.
3 Likes
Tbh I use the survivalist specialist and it does fine 
1 Like
Discussion moved to proper topic.
//Mod
I believe the skill tree does need a major overhaul. Some perks could be moved around or combined to create more useful character builds. If the devs do add new mechanics (IE: Motorized vehicles, base building, faction NPC’s & skirmish areas) new perks would also have to be introduced to keep the gameplay from going stagnant. I could imagine perks like (auto mechanic: faster repair speed for damaged engines 1;10% 2;20% 3;30%) (PostGuard: 1 unlocks ability to setup stationary defenses and reload them; 2 unlocks ability to craft tier one defenses and increases amount of ammo reserves when setup; 3 unlocks ability to craft tier two defenses and grants the ability to reinforce existing defenses)
(Raider: 1 gain “x” amount of XP & loot from defeated enemies in skirmish zones. 2 increase reward rarity from survivors in skirmish zones)
I could keep going with fantasy perks, so this is all I am going to say for now. I’ll drop a variation of what the devs Could do with the skills tab later.
Off the bat I’d say:
- remove " +xp " skills. They are useless and SP waste in the long run. With objectives and rivals, getting 31 lvl is a matter of grinding.
- merge “hacker” specialization with “remote hacking” skill with actual machine hijacking being 2nd or 3rd tier. This way we can bring this skill in current state closer in it’s value “cost - effectiveness”.
- “tech” branch should be reworked first and we need more “crafter” skills now. If we count point #2, we get free specialization “slot”, which we we can fill it with “Frugal Crafter” (example name) speciality. It has any of this or combination of: more output with same resources, cheaper crafting with same output, more resources from scrap/less items for same amount of resources
So after some time passed things have changed and I’d like to resume this talk with hope of imprvement for games comfort and quality.
I’ve been pondering about this for a while and some recent talks on forum inspired to write this post about skill tree overhaul. I’ll start slowly with shuffling thing around on the existing system and leaving numbers as is in most cases. So my suggestion of skill tree:
Combat branches - mostly unchanged, due being straightfroward and GZ’s gunplay itself is good enough.
Marksman - single shot bias, skills tailored for better gun handling.
Specialization is redundant to existing skill in same brach, though. Suggestions: 1) crit hit chance; 2) increased effects of ammo by % and/or decreased penalties of ammo type (HP/SP ammo gets increased multiplier for component damage, FMJ gets better penetration and so on).
Vanguard - good as is, since can’t add more, and DR skills/specs wouldn’t fit elsewhere.
Support branches - First major shuffle, that eliminates XP skills. Listed skills aren’t organized in sequence.
Medic: staight heal self or others - Healer, Heal Amount, Revive Speed, Last Man Standing (+DR on low health).
Specialization being same. “Throwing distance” skill is “floating” - it may stay as (1 tier med) or could be moved to the neighbour branch, that is…
Tactician (working title) - revolves around “marking” and throwables.
Throwing accuracy (let’s keep it, I guess), Enemy Marking, Designated Target, Explosive Damage (moved from Tech). “CBRN training” - similar to Last Man Standing, but about elements (fire, toxic, gas etc resistances).
Specialization: “Commander” changed and moved to Tech, instead “(untitled)” - straight buff of throwables in that order - duration, AoE radius, effect strength, probably damage). Flares/smokes burn longer and affect a bit wider, 'nades get better AoE, radios are louder (longer reach) etc.
Survival branches - also got rid of XP skills. Mostly unchanged.
Swap “Health amound” and “Running Speed”, which make more logical and distinct branches of “Endurance branch” and “Mobility branch”.
“Commando” Specialization could be more rewarding. Like “high skill = high damage” - doubled damage when not “in combat” state or in other word “in combat” voids the buff. This includes traps placed by Commando, “first shot” on unsuspecting machine or even damaging (flanking) machine, that skirmishing with other player, as long Commando isn’t “in combat”. This should encourage stealth playstyle and offset limitations on “weaker” guns like hunting rifles and silencers. Preceding skills in branch will be a great help.
Tech braches - or I’d call “filler branches”. Utility, both in and out of combat.
Hacker: revolving around knowing your enemy and hitting where it hurt most.
Tech View, Component Damage, EMP AoE/Power (duration);
Remote Hacking: 30s, but tiers increase chances and/or decrease cooldown. Stun/confuse machine, effectively temporary removal from combat.
“Malware”: injecting malware interferes with machines’ algorithms and routines. Malwared machine loose effectiveness due to interferences until effect wear off. T1 - hacked machine acts as lure/distraction by randomly shooting/shouting (basically free flare/firework) that attract nearby machines to gather robots in vicinity or divert fire from players (hacking Seekers now making sence). T2 - hacked machine starts actively targeting nearby machines, unlike “semi-randomly” with firework it’ll target anything but players withing targeting range.
Specialization: “Rewire” - interact (around 3-5s) with unsuspecting (white light) or disabled machine (emp/melee) to permamently gain control over affected machine. Process greatly stresses and overloads robot’s internal systems both hardware and firmware. Effect: machine becomes ally, operational at full capacity, however load will damage internals (only “component” type hitboxes) at random, but at constant rate 2% of total structural health per second (50s if machine was intact). This way machine will inevitably expire and constantly loose it’s health and components, the longer it lives.
Scavenger: self-explainatory, about getting more resorces.
Lock Picking, Ammo salvage, Component Salvage,
“Frugal supplier” - buff the deployables, similar to “Commander”, but buff is less and more items affected: +1 charge to Ammo Pack (making max potential ammo weight equal to 1 kg, a weight of AP’s one unit; currently it’s 0.75 kg), PRP (heal amount should be buffed by Medic), Spawner Radio. Longer and wider attracting power for Boombox and Horns, probably some aoe/dmg buff for mines/cannisters.
+1 free slot (salvage more other items?..)
Specialization: same, it just needs QoL buff - ticks are “throwable” (size and weight should allow that), there are different types, based on who you gutting (apoc machined get “stingers”, FNIX likely to have on 'em strong explody ones etc) and 1-3 per one looted machines.
So let’s talk about it.
One, simple solution, would be removing the prerequisite skill requirement and make all skills free to pick. And for specializations, you can’t unlock it until you’ve unlocked 5 skills in the same segment.
For example: Survival segment
If you want to have specialization, you’ll need 5 skills unlocked beforehand. Lets say you pick: Movement Noise, Covert Movement, Visibility, Running Speed and Carry Capacity.
Once you’ve unlocked 5 skills, you are free to pick a specialization, either Commander or Survivor. If you pick e.g Survivor and want Commander as well, you have to unlock the remaining 5 skills in this segment.
This free pick allows players to pick the skills they need while not wasting skill points on skills they don’t want, due to the current prerequisite skill requirement.
4 Likes
That sounds like a good suggestion. Let the player choose the perks they find useful.
Everytime I start a fresh char I’m scratching my head because of the placement of the gas resistance skill. Since Lockpicking is right below it, the gas resistance is usually my first spent skill point. But I wonder how the char knows there will be lethal gas and how she/he got the knowledge to reduce the damage by ten percent without any practical learning.
A good suggestion. All skills ain’t that powerful to be “level-gated”, but to specialize - please fill the column.
I’d still insist on single vertical column, rather than “enough skills within branch”, but we’ll again stuck with “unwanted skills to pick” problem, just slightly different flavor.