Maxing out a skill?

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:21 am

I know I'm not really new here but where else to ask a question that seems like it should be simple but isn't? Anyways, here it is:

How do you know when a skill is maxed and/or how do you continue increasing a skill that doesn't seem to gain any benefit no matter how hard you train?

I ask because a certain character of mine /seems/ to have maxed out a certain skill (the one used for reading) but still cannot use that skill in every situation (there is one book that he can't read that doesn't say anything about language being the problem). I have tried to continue training the skill and have reached the skill cap in training multiple times (so I assume he is still learning) but, over a month or two of rl training time, has not shown any increase in his experience level. So... WTF...

1d20 · Post by **1d20** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:31 am

In the skills list, if it's completely yellow, it's maxed out.

Athian · Post by **Athian** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:39 am

You probably aren't maxed but rather you're getting closer to it. I hear a lot that people think they have stopped gaining skill but from what I know skills don't stop in the middle (As in it you have any amount of color in the 'bar' of the skill name, it is not maxed). As said above a maxed skill is completely yellow and will have absolutely no excess color or later gain.

The number of actions required to skill up after a certain point becomes exceptionally large. It may take several days to several weeks (depending on how often you work at that specific skill) of constant practice in a certain area in order to increase a skill level. You may not be noticing any increase in skill because its literally going up in slivers.

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:09 am

I had been working on it for over a month by generally working on it as soon as I logged on and just before I logged off. I would have my character read until I got the message about the cap, and then go do other stuff. The skill is yellow but it is so far yellow that I would not be able to notice any other bit of color even if there were some (so it is probably one level from being maxed, if at all). There is absolutely no skill progression at all. Yet, as I mentioned before, I am still hitting the cap and so it seems that something is happening. The character has maxed intelligence and the race is described as having one of the oldest written languages, so that isn't the problem either.

So how do I figure out that this is more than just painfully slow skill progression and has become a glitch that needs to be reported?

Thrym · Post by **Thrym** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:11 am

In the specialty language books that I've read, I didn't see any alerts for language. Are you reading scrolls at the druid house? Those require you to have taken the druid drink before you can learn from them.

Blay · Post by **Blay** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:11 am

David Turner wrote: So how do I figure out that this is more than just painfully slow skill progression and has become a glitch that needs to be reported?

Possibly the skill is maxed but the book is buggy.
I think I heard about some books that are still not readable with yellow skill.
Which book do you mean?

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:24 am

The book is one in the basement of Tol Vanima, something about an old man I think. It is the only book on the entire island that is unreabable.

Also, I continue hitting the skill cap despite reading books at different areas over different subjects (though some do hit that cap more quickly).

Yeah, I'm at my wits end trying to figure it out. Hopefully somebody knows something. Baring that, mabie there is some GM or developer out there who might have some clue what is going on?

Blay · Post by **Blay** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:31 am

Alright, I checked the "old man" - books, they are all written in the ancient language.
If you know the ancient language and your skill is maxed (the book only needs 50% skill), you should be able to read it.

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:45 am

Ok, the problem with that book seems to be that there is no message "this book is written in a language you can't read". This should be obvious to anyone looking at a book (as in "hey, these scribbles look completely different than the 'letters' that I learned in school) but somehow it isn't.

That only leaves the problem of why I keep hitting the cap but never gain any experience in the area, even after more than a month of training? Any clue on that one?

Blay · Post by **Blay** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:51 am

The higher your skill is the longer it takes to level up.
I'm not sure if the skillcap also appears when the skill is maxed, but could be the reason as well.

Velisai · Post by **Velisai** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:02 am

If you max out a skill you still hit the cap using it, but the bar, that shows your progress to the next swirley doesn't show up anymore.
You very probably have reached 100%.

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:15 am

That's odd, shouldn't the skill cap be no longer an issue at 100% since you are no longer actually gaining any skill? Like some craft skill, sawing logs, for instance. Eventually you can saw as many as you like and never have to worry about lowering your learning ability since you gain absolutely nothing for your trouble (besides boards, that is). Meh, that's not really a question just a bit of a gripe at he system (which, I know I know, is probably yet another thing that will be fixed with the VBU, since the entire skill system is supposed to be revamped).

Ok then, thanks for the help everybody.

Velisai · Post by **Velisai** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:26 am

You are right, but that's the way it is for now. What I've written above was tested with library research, so at least that particular skill makes you cap even at 100%.

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:35 am

It may be that others do not, I have heard a number of fighters saying that they no longer hit a cap since they have maxed their skills. They might just not be accumulating experience fast enough to cap at their level, or those skills might actually have no cap. It is difficult to say, though.

Blay · Post by **Blay** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:44 am

All skills behave the same in this matter.

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:49 pm

You are maxed.