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### Topic

#### Work for skills rather than sitting and waiting?

In my opinion, acquiring skills is far too easy, and, dare I say it, boring.
I think it would be better if skills went up with the amount you do whatever it is you are working towards. It would mean the speed at which you learn it would change depending on how much you actually want to practise the skill. I still like the idea of needing to have particular skills to get other ones, and favour from the giants speeding it up though.
I don't know, just an idea :)
(sorry if this has been posted before...)

Posted 23 months ago by Citizen Erased | Permalink

### Replies

- Actually that's what they used to do. They were changed to this system a while ago.
  Posted 23 months ago by Aldaris | Permalink
- they were changed I think in large part because the "practicing" felt far too much like grinding in practice. not saying hat we have now is perfect, but I think it is better and puts the gaming focus on something besides acquiring skills. (projects, friends, working on other goals)
  if you want to be more proactive (a) find/make/collect stuff to donate to shrines which will allow you to speed up learning or (b) grind for other achievements like unlocking recipes that unlock only with practice and not with level.
  Posted 23 months ago by Another Chris | Permalink
- Using the shrines to increase your learning speed is sufficient. This game should not be about acquiring skills through grinding, it should be about helping to build up the game while learning how to play.
  Posted 23 months ago by Johnny | Permalink
- I think I liked the original usage better too. It seemed kind of pointless to just sit there and learn stuff when you could be actively engaging in the skill before. I know the new quest system kind of picks up on that, but I think maybe a better connection might be needed between the two.
  Posted 23 months ago by Thursday | Permalink
- ^ +1
  Posted 23 months ago by Hburger | Permalink
- +1 At the moment cheffery, gardening and mining it is all a little bit Joe 90.
  Posted 23 months ago by bluto | Permalink
- the original system was terrible. you had to get a level to earn a skill point to spend on a skill, and the levels are progressively more difficult to get.
  so past level 12 or so, picking up additional skills became incredibly frustrating.
  you'd spend a few hours grinding just to pick up cooking 1. that sort of thing.
  I like the current system. I like that I don't have to be in the game all the time to feel like I'm making progress, and I like that the giant favor learning speed boost rewards me for being in the game.
  this has been discussed in a few other topics already, and now the forums gave a search so a little surprised i am posting this comment again, but here is my ideal skill system:
  rock unlocks skills via timer as now.
  once the base skill is unlocked, fewer recipes are available. the others would be visible but greyed out. hovering or clicking each would show the amount of "practice" needed to unlock each.
  for skills without recipes to unlock, practice would instead increase efficiency.
  logic:
  you don't want to force people to grind in order to unlock gameplay, since that pushes away players who are bored and looking for something new to try, as well as players who are new and just experimenting.
  but when players do find a game play mechanic they enjoy, let them practice to get good at it, and differentiate themselves from other players through skill and effort that expands their capabilities within that mechanic.
  Posted 23 months ago by striatic | Permalink
- Skill quests could involve each skill more, like making every fruit. If we had to make a few little piles of each one, it's a bit grindy, but we will need them eventually for future skill quests.
  Posted 23 months ago by Tingly Claus | Permalink
- actually to be honest, some achievements (like making 11 meals with a grill) are needed to unlock the certain skill, which is sort of what this topic is about
  Posted 23 months ago by Hburger | Permalink
- Hburger
  yes, and some achievements and quests are also needed to unlock additional recipes.
  my suggestion is pretty much how things already work .. but i think it should be much more obvious that is how things work.
  more pronounced, with obvious visual indicators like greyed out recipes instead of a line of text here and there in the skill pre-reqs.
  what is important is less the "practicing" itself [which already is happening] and more that players "feel" like they're practicing. i mean, right now we already do that, to an extent, on certain skills, but it doesn't feel like "honing a craft" so much as satisfying a pre-req in order to move along to the next thing.
  Posted 23 months ago by striatic | Permalink
- The skill system they have now is definitely the best for an alpha test. When the game actually comes out, I'd like to see them do maybe a combination of skills. You would still be able to train skills while not playing, but maybe leveling up could also give you a skill point, because right now there isn't much of a point to leveling up.
  Posted 23 months ago by Aldaris | Permalink
- +1 for greyed out recipe/crafting boxes to make it more apparent that recipes can be unlocked, not only by skills but also achievements.
  Posted 23 months ago by Hburger | Permalink
- ^ +1
  Currently there's a bit of guess work involved when some recipes ask for items e.g. sauces and you don't see it on your list. Do you need to make more sauces to unlock the recipe? Or do you need a higher level skill?
  Posted 23 months ago by nightning | Permalink
- "right now there isn't much of a point to leveling up."
  that is fine by me.
  does there really have to be a point to leveling up?
  tho you do currently get additional energy storage each time you level, which can be useful.
  Posted 23 months ago by striatic | Permalink
- You get more quests when you level up too... (early level upping that is).
  Posted 23 months ago by Hburger | Permalink
- you get a higher energy cap when you level up... making mining, crafting things, grinding for street projects, etc. much easier
  Posted 23 months ago by Another Chris | Permalink
- Right now, stuff doing with one level of a skill almost always gives you the favor points which are most useful for accelerating the learning of the next higher skill (via both achievements and quests, mostly the former). The suggestion that this is made clearer, and there are also more explicit mechanisms for advancing through skills via practice is a good one and one which we plan to address in the future (though it is not high priority right now). And, as pointed out, this *is* much better than the old system.
  Posted 23 months ago by stoot barfield | Permalink