In the latest installment of our exclusive Rift dev blog series, Senior Systems Lead Cameron McNeil explains how Trion Worlds responded to player feedback to create a unique class system.

While we wait for the fifth Rift closed beta event to kick off in a few hours, check out our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry! Senior Systems Lead Cameron McNeil gives us an in-depth look at how Trion Worlds created Rift's unique class system. He explains how the team responded to feedback to give players the flexibility to choose how they want to play. You can read the entire entry after the jump.

If you'd like to try out Rift this week, we're still giving away VIP beta keys! Grab yours now to participate in the fifth closed beta event, as well as every other beta event until the game's launch on March 1. Also, play around with our new Soul Tree Calculator to see the character flexibility that McNeil talks about in his blog entry.

How Did Trion Create a Unique Class System in Rift?

Iterate, iterate, iterate. The Soul system has changed a lot since it was first implemented. However, each incarnation has shared the same underlying goal: give the player the flexibility to choose how they want to play. Throughout the development process we’re constantly iterating, refining and reacting to feedback. In an MMO especially, this is a process that never finishes. For example, just a few weeks ago players in the beta events were saying that they didn’t really feel like they were able to take advantage of the multi-class flexibility of the Soul system. In response we added an additional 15 points for them to spend. It may not sound like a lot, but it’s actually a fairly significant change.

Below are some other comments we’ve heard during the development process and the types of changes we’ve made in response:

“I like the different classes; I wish I could mix them together.”

Comments like this resulted in adding the ability to have multiple classes “equipped” at the same time.

“I like being a Champion; I wish I could make mine a little different to someone else’s.”

This type of feedback led us to adding the first iteration of the Soul trees themselves and allowed people to choose their own specs.

“Being a Warlock and having to use an Ice attack just doesn’t feel right, why can’t I just be a Warlock?”

These types of comments actually resulted in the Soul trees gaining their Root abilities and turning each Soul into its own self-sufficient class, which was not previously the case.

“I really like how flexible the system is, but I wish I didn’t have to go back to town and respec all the time.”

It was at this point we added the ability to save a spec or “Role” that players can swap into when they’re out adventuring. Right now a character can have up to four Roles saved at any given time. Players can switch Roles any time they’d like, as long as they’re not in combat.

The MMO audience these days is savvier than it was even five years ago. Players have been exposed to more games and more systems, and they have access to more sites, communities and tools than ever before. The vocabulary players use to describe games has grown, allowing them to more easily explain complex ideas to their fellow gamers. I always enjoy hearing conversations like, “It’s kind of like X except you can also do Y.” “Oh… cool!”

This is great for everyone and it means we can give players more interesting choices. We’ve seen this even in our own beta events. At first we were concerned that opening up too many options too quickly would confuse people. Instead we found that players wanted more options opened up much sooner. Even for those who found this overwhelming at first were quickly educated by fellow players because they could relate to it in terms of other games.

Overall I think we’ve managed to create a system that many will feel is familiar, yet has that little something extra to excite them. Considering the Realm of the Fae dungeon I ran the other night had a Rogue tanking, a Mage healing and the Warriors and Cleric DPSing, I’d say we’re living up to our original goal of giving the player the flexibility to choose how they want to play.