So I just read through a writeup I did a while back, and realized I hadn’t posted it.
Basically this is my system for Challenges, Unlocks/Mastery, Skins for items, and a Money system.
These are ideas for an entirely new game… so H4.
Challenges, Unlocks & Money
Challenges would now unlock the ability to buy certain items in an ingame store instead of just unlocking the items. I imagine each item would have a challenge requirement. Maybe the consumable poison would require, for instance, that you complete at least one challenge related to consumable poisons.
XP is replaced with money, which is what you buy the items for in once they’re unlocked in the store.
Completing Challenges would give a fair amount of money, while simply grinding the same level after completing the Challenges would give you small amounts.
I imagine this would be balanced to require at least a small amount of “grinding” in order to get enough money to buy everything.
Upgrades/Perks
Upgrades/Perks are also unlocked through mastery and bought for money. Each item has a set number of upgrade/perk slots… like the Sieger might have three. Uprades/perks can be cosmetic as well as functional, like a silencer, or simply functional, like the ”Marksman” or ”Piercing” -perk.
Only certain categories of weapons would have choosable perks. So for instance only Silver Ballers among pistols and only Siegers among snipers can be upgraded. Other weapons, like the Striker and the Krugermeier comes with their own, locked in, perks. Certain perks would be unique to these weapons, so a Silver Baller with the “Subsonic” perk would not be possible.
Upgrades/perks would simply correspond to the different properties that can already be found in the weapon description
Mastery Tracks
Mastery Tracks are simply a list of unlockable items and their corresponding challenges, and would be split into one Main Track, which is related to the entire game, and Mission Tracks, which are related to the individual missions.
Since these would no longer be as linear as they are in TWOA, the word “track” might not be the best, but I’ll just use the word “track” all the same in this writeup.
Progress towards the Main Track can be gained through all levels/missions and contain ”standard” items, like lockpicks, poisons, etc. This means you don’t have to own/play any one specific mission in order to unlock standard items, removing the need for MkII, MkIII etc items.
I imagine end game items (for instance with more upgrade/perk -slots) would belong to these tracks, but require so many challenges completed that you have to play more than one mission. Like maybe a late game sniper (with 4-5 perks) would be unlocked by multiple sniper-related challenges.
In general this is also how you’d create some sort of “progression” in unlocks… simply require more challenges completed (as well as with higher money costs for intended late game / late mission items).
Progress towards the Mission tracks is gained in the individual missions and would contain mission unique items.
Items & Skins
Instead of having five different Sieger rifles, there’d only be one, and then you’d unlock skins (I imagine there’d be no cost for skins).
This would make the menu where you chose items less cluttered, as you’d only see the Sieger with the skin you’ve selected.
I also believe this would (at least slightly) lessen the criticism IO gets for new weapons ”just being reskins”, as they would now be labeled as such.
Skins are fun, and I don’t want them gone, but when they’re ”sold” as a new weapon it can be kind of annoying. When done this way different versions of the same weapon also clutter up the menu way too much.
Unique Collector’s Items
Some items/weapons, like Rico Delgado’s version of the Striker would not need to be bought (only needs a challenge based unlock). These would be unlocked by a ”retrieval” challenge, which simply means you need to find the item on the map and have it on your person as you leave. This would further encourage exploration of the maps.
The collector’s items come with upgrades/perks and skin already applied, and locked in. Some items might even have unique upgrades/perks.
With my system you’d have to retrieve the ”El Matador” off the map in order to unlock it. It would not cost any in-game money, and the upgrades/perks as well as skin would be fixed in place.
So there it is. My system for unlocks, money, and more… any opinions? Ideas of your own?
Added by Edit:
Upon reading this, it feels as if I don’t have a good enough explanation of Mastery Tracks and levels of Mastery, which would essentially disappear in this system. Of course, unlocking items for the store could still be locked behind Mastery, if you do an XP-system parallell with the money system.
Added by Edit 2: Changed a bit about upgrades/perks.