Slow skills?

Ralin · Post by **Ralin** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:23 pm

I was wondering, how does the code decide when to increase someone's skill level?
Is it just use?
Or is it the location you use it? (mining, for example)
Is it luck?
Is it your current skill level?
Is it how much success?
Is it how often you fail?
Is it the level of the opponent?(Kick, backstab, et. all)

Perhaps it is a mixture or something else entirely, but I have heard of
a player who trains rarely getting half a dozen improves when another
was working for a long time and got nothing. I am not trying to flame,
it is mostly curiosity as there has been debates in the past over skills
taking forever to increase.

Kelemvor · Post by **Kelemvor** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:58 pm

All skills (and I include in that term spells as well as weapon and non-weapon skills) improve based upon usage. However, the speed at which they improve depends on a number of other factors.

- Some skills are automatically used, some skills require command words to be input
- A successful usage gives a greater advance than an unsuccessful one
- High scores in the primary stats associated with a skill increase the likelihood of success rather than failure.
- A greater intelligence will generally reduces the number of advances required to improve.
- Different skills will possibly have different 'distances' between improvements - that is, more usage or more successes may be required to go from apprentice to journeyman in one skill compared to another
- Some skills will improve relative to an opponents level - that is, the higher the level of an opponent the greater the advance from a successful use of a skill against them

Hope that all helps

Ralin · Post by **Ralin** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:08 pm

Thanks it helps a lot.

Paskry · Post by **Paskry** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:15 pm

Is there a difference in combat versus non combat spells/skills?
How do trades fit in?

Paskry

Kelemvor · Post by **Kelemvor** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:42 pm

As noted above, the general comments I gave relate to all skills (combat-related, non-combat and trades alike) and spells.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:01 am

how can you tell the relative opponent's level compared to yours...

it would be easy for a fighter to slash down a bunch of higher level mobs then a wizard would...

so the wizard would have to fight harder, and less often due to the availability of a party

this does not seem all that fair

Jaenoic · Post by **Jaenoic** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:23 am

it would be easy for a fighter to slash down a bunch of higher level mobs then a wizard would...

That's completely not true. It used to be so, but ever since the big code update wizards have become very powerful and fighters have become rather stagnant, even digressing some. Fighters die much much more easily to higher level groups of mobs because A) higher level mobs have been made MUCH more powerful than they used to be with inclusion of combat skills/spells/ect. B) they can't heal like a priest and C) they can't fly and drop fireballs like a wizard.

But that's why we group. =)

You can also tell the relative level of the mob with the consider command.

Kelemvor · Post by **Kelemvor** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:10 am

...That and the fact that spells do not so far as I know improve based upon opponents level

Dalvyn · Post by **Dalvyn** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:18 am

That seems kind of fine, considering that the number of spells on a wizard's list is so much bigger than the number of skills on a non-caster's list.

Guess what?

Yesterday, we had another session of a long roleplay... and during this session, there were something like 3 skills going up that I was told of (meaning that there might be more than that, either not noticed in the spam or not reported). Were those people focusing on skill improvement? No... They were just grouped and exploring and roleplaying, and the skill increase came as a very nice surprise (considering the reactions). And that includes skills like spellcraft, that can only be increased when you actually interact with others.

Sure, if you spend 40 hours with your level 50 character killing lowly goblins and hobgoblins, your skills won't increase... why should they? What would a level 50 character realistically learn from fighting such lowly opponents? You want to really increase your skills? Then try this: don't focus on it, group up with others, and go explore a higher level area.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:24 pm

Jaenoic wrote:C) they can't fly and drop fireballs like a wizard.

A wizard shouldn't be able to just fly around and drop fireballs from a distance. The mobs should become aggressive and come into the room that the caster is in... just like any other spell....

Once you attack a mob with a spell... they will start attacking you...

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:40 pm

Fly being the keyword there.. Of course they're aggressive. But can they reach the wizard? Unlikely. That's not an unfair advantage. That's just one advantage of being a wizard.

(Mind you, I do NOT play wizards, they're painful to me. So that's a completely unbiased statement.)

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:42 pm

Yes they can fly over mobs that are aggressive... but not if there is a fight in the room that you or your group is involved

Harroghty · Post by **Harroghty** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:43 am

To tack on to what Dalyvn said... I've often found that when it comes to skills the old adage "a watched pot never boils" applies. My skills only ever seem to go up when I'm in the middle of a scene or out grouping with some others. They almost never go up when I'm out on my own. Now, that's not to say I think there's some magical coincidence.. but it's more fun to focus on something else and be pleasantly surprised. Good question though Paskry, it's something I've heard differing responses on and was curious about.