Gray Pawn
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Posted - 2010.04.25 05:26:00 -
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When figuring out what to do with the learning skills, the points of contention seem to arise from the skills being kept as is - simply to raise stats. Those who already have invested 1.6 mil points into learning don't like the idea of losing their training time. Similarly, veteran players probably also dislike the idea of giving newbies an advantage which was not present when they, the veterans, started. Not to mention the fact that skill point reimbursement is a tricky subject...
Why not turn the skills into something useful instead? If the skills were still useful, the veterans wouldn't end up with useless skills and CCP wouldn't have to figure out a way to refund skill points. The bonus that new players would get over the old (if the skills were kept as is) would be negated by using this plan:
1. Learning skills would no longer boost stats - learning skills will instead boost skills and allow the use of higher grade implants.
2. For example, an extremely well learned player, i.e. 5/4 in both perc and will, would have an innate grasp on all skills goverened by perc/will.
3. The "innate grasp" would essentially function as automatic skill levels. Continuting the perc/will example, a charcter with 5/4s in both perc and will would behave has if he/she had level 3 in all perc/will governed skills.
4. The exact formula will be as follows: (For calculating innate levels in Gunnery, for example)
(Iron Will Levels + Spatial Awareness Levels + Focus Levels + Clarity Levels)/6 = Innate Levels
Using the aforementioned formula, players would top out at an innate level of 3 with learning skills at 5/4.
5. Players would still have to formally train through all skill levels in order to get to level 5. The idea being that even with "innate" abilities, people still need to go through formal school to learn the building blocks necessary to achieve even higher levels of expertise. This would also ensure that the veteran players did not waste time training skills from level 1 to 3.
6. Additionally, as was already mentioned in this thread, the learning skills could also be a prerequisite for the use of higher level implants. This will still make the learning skills valuable for the veteran players who already have high levels in most learning skills.
7. The level of implant usable would be equal to the level of advanced skill training. In other words, at level 5 Focus the character would be able to use the +5 perception implant. The idea is that newer characters cannot use implants becaue their brains can't handle them. Only after sufficient training and development can their minds be sufficiently conditioned to accept mental implants.
8. The actual "Learning" skill can continue to function as it does currently. I doubt anyone will complain about the rather small amount of time it takes to get the skill to level 5.
Using this system, learning skills would have a role in the EVE universe and not be completely useless. Likewise, there'd be no need to refund skills points to those who have trained the learning skills. New players would train learning skills to gain innate levels (allowing them to jump into the game faster) and use implants. Older players would continue being able to use the highest level implants and also benefit from having most (if not all) skills at innate level 3.
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