Topic

Better Learning confusion

I'm sure I've seen this mentioned somewhere but I can't find it.

My question in a nutshell:

If you start learning any of the better learning skills AFTER you've learned 20 other skills (20 non better learning skills), does the extra skill (in my case better learning 4) decrease, increase, or make no difference on the skill you learn next?

Posted 15 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I just finished BLIII beyond the 20 skill threshold, and it knocked a solid day off of the Mining IV I'm learning now.
    Posted 15 months ago by BeatFreq Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Were the other two BL skills included in your 20 skill count?  
    Posted 15 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That I couldn't say for sure.  Didn't make a note of exactly when times started ratcheting up.
    Posted 15 months ago by BeatFreq Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Decrease.

    ETA: Well, increase first after the 20 mark and then decrease once you've learned the other BLs.
    Posted 15 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I noticed that the descriptions for the BL skills now mention the fact that they extend the "no time penalty" learning threshold. I'm pretty sure they never used to mention that.

    If you've, say, learnt 30 skills already and then learn BL4, I would expect the next skill you learn to benefit from the reduction.

    There was talk a couple of days back about how starting to learn a skill "locks in" the time that skill will take - in which case returning to a skill you'd part-learnt earlier wouldn't see a benefit. However there was also talk about people using that technique to side-step the time penalties on later skills & a suggestion that maybe it had been changed to prevent abuse.
    Posted 15 months ago by Snazzlefrazz Subscriber! | Permalink
  • and there was a suggestion that it WAS changed...somehow.  I didn't quite follow that conversation.

    I didn't realize that the BL descriptions had been updated.  Thanks.
    Posted 15 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • From what I understand, the one skill that I started and switched from when we first reset - that one is included in the 20 threshhold even though I only have a few minutes on it.  
    Posted 15 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When learning penalties were first introduced, the penalty was calculated based on the number of skills you had finished learning.

    People gamed that by starting a lot of skills and then pausing them just before they were finished.  Then, one by one, they would finish them.  As each one finished, a penalty was applied to all the remaining skills.  But, many of them only had a few minutes or seconds left, so the penalty wasn't very noticeable. 

    TS changed the penalties so that penalties applied to all the remaining skills as soon as you started learning a skill.  Now pausing them didn't help.  The penalty had already been applied to your remaining skills. 
    Posted 15 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • wait...

    can somebody talking slowly with short words explain this penalty thing for me?
    Posted 15 months ago by flask Subscriber! | Permalink
  • flask, let me try

    It takes a certain amount of time to learn a skill.  Call that the "base time".  The "base time" can be affected by several things:

    a) how many other skills you have already learn (the more skills you know, the more extra time is added to the "base time").
    b) how many Better Learning skills you know (each BL level lowers the amount of extra time that is added).
    c) spending favor at the Giant shrine for that skill (spending favor speeds up the learning, so that it takes less time). 

    Each of these things will cause the total time to learn the skill to change.
    Posted 15 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • wait!

    explain that again...

    *munches on yellow crumb flower while waiting*
    Posted 15 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @WindBorn, that makes perfect sense to me. Now that I've been through having to do the whole skill thing once before, even before really knowing how to shorten my skills' time, I figured that all of what you mention would probably help. I have noticed a big difference this time around.

    -C.J,
    Posted 15 months ago by Carnivale Justice Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My skill times are increasing DURING the learning of Mining IV. I have 15 other skills fully learned, and time is increasing every so often for other non-learned skills.

    There needs to be some EXACT guidance given on how Skill learning works.
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You have either paused enough skills to put you over the penalty limit (from what I hear) or found a bug.
    Posted 15 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My time for TP4 went up. By 25%.
    I am not even at my BL-amplified limit of skills yet.

    I think they must have changed the skill times again, because a 1-day skill shouldn't be gaining nine hours by adding one extra skill.
    Posted 15 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When things like this change, there should be something noted SOMEWHERE. All we're asking for is clear communication and explanation on exactly how things work. That's fair, right?
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I read about it somewhere, so word was out somehow.  Finish your paused skills next to minimize the damage.  I'll have to do that with Mining 4. X-(
    Posted 15 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There needs to be better way to communicate changes to players than the forums. Either make an "Update Hut" or something where all the latest changes and things are noted, or perhaps even make a MOTD. 

    I don't know...
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink