Tutoring

[T.L.H.E.]

Firstly, I'm not sure if this has been suggested yet, as I'm not good at keeping up with forum goings on... I scanned the first page but I may have missed something, it being late and all. So don't jump down my throat if that's the case, please and thank you.

Since we have now visible skills, and this new visibility has had a sizable impact in game, (in that people have started paying attention to the effects of skills and their own competence at doing whatever it is, in character and out), I propose we have a more efficient way to increase our skill, for the types who are concerned about it. What I mean is, I'd like to see characters who excel in a particular field being able to teach it to characters with... lacking abilities.

As I said, it a bit late for me, so I can't think of the smoothest way to do it. The best I could think of was a project with a maximum number of two participants. It would work like a normal project of the type, except perhaps take at least twice the time in exchange for the person with the lesser skill improving twice as fast as they normally would? Or more if the "teacher" was significantly more skilled? Or blah blah blah, I don't know, maybe you could only enter into a project with someone two skill levels above or below you to start.

That all sounds very hard to program, and I expect it would completely fall apart when it gets to weapon skills, as those don't have a project... but I felt like suggesting it, do with it what you will. Feel free to rip away now... or two paragraphs ago, if you have magical post editing powers.

[Agar]

Ok, firstly, I can see how this could indeed be hard to program, especially for combat and hunting, which is where my biggest concerns lie. However, this would be a BRILLIANT addition to the skills. I have yet to hear of ANYONE that has seen any improvement since the visible change. A way to speed that up is a GREAT idea.

It opens up a new trade, a new profession, a whole new aspect to the game. It does however mean some 70 yr olds will be hiring newspawns to teach them how to fight, but it'll be a way to get people into the characters they wanted, expected, or had been playing that way for years in real life.

It creates more cooperation between people, which is always a good thing.

Find a way, please please, to get this idea in. It's the best thing since the recent "Often used bodies of a woman in her twenties" change.

[formerly known as hf]

I like this idea a lot - would be such a great way to foster more co-operation in Cantr - and passing down skills through generations of Cantrians etc.

*two thumbs up*

[wichita]

It is a very good idea that has recently been discussed.

This would be a very good mechanism to provide a noticeable increase in skill levels in a shorter amount of time. The thing that concerns me about skill improvement, is that if the improvement rate is set too high, characters will increase too rapidly and the skills population will homogenize.

This way, certain regions will be able to specialize in skills. Seatown Gardens could more readily become a city of good farmers, while Seatown Forest would have better lumberjacks. And this would allow those skills to be passed more easily from generation to generation.

Am I just rambling here?

[Talapus]

Perhaps a person could only train another to 80% of their skill level, which would allow people to gain skills quickly, but would represent all of the experience you need to get personally to become the best, while the training could only bring you a certain ways. This would allow the best fighter in town to make all of the guards into good fighters, but they would have to do much work on their own to become a supreme fighter.

[T.L.H.E.]

Does this... does this mean I suggested something new?! And not awful?! Gasp... a personal first.

Perhaps a person could only train another to 80% of their skill level, which would allow people to gain skills quickly, but would represent all of the experience you need to get personally to become the best, while the training could only bring you a certain ways. This would allow the best fighter in town to make all of the guards into good fighters, but they would have to do much work on their own to become a supreme fighter.

And I agree with that, but I think that would be annoying, since you can't see really where you are inside of your awkward, novice, efficient et cetera skill set. That's why I suggested that you could only be taught by someone two skill sets above you... so awkward people would at least have to find an efficient person, who could only teach them to be a novice. I guess that means you can't be taught if you're skillful, but I think that's reasonable.

[nitefyre]

Pending programming, I think this novel idea would be instrumental in advancing Cantr as a society simulator. I have heard Jos mentioned his disappointment in not seeing schools and the related already in Cantr, and I think this would be a great motivator to put us on that course.

[Anthony Roberts]

It is a very good idea that has recently been discussed.

Yeah, sorry T.L.H.E. SURPRIZE. We thought of it first

Err, I mean, we were actually discussing this exact situation before it was suggested. ...Do you have access to our classified files?!

[T.L.H.E.]

It is a very good idea that has recently been discussed.

Yeah, sorry T.L.H.E. SURPRIZE. We thought of it first

Err, I mean, we were actually discussing this exact situation before it was suggested. ...Do you have access to our classified files?!

I should think that was OBVIOUS! Hell, I figured SOMEONE would say what you did (money was on you in fact.)

It's very hard to have a totally original idea on this forum.

Better luck next time, I guess at least I can say I am on par with all the clever people behind the scenes. So implement it already and let me take credit for it!

[Anthony Roberts]

If you want it done faster, whip me baby, whip me!

[formerly known as hf]

*makes a bee line for his closet*

One cat o' nine tails commmin' up...

[Snake_byte]

As I said, it a bit late for me, so I can't think of the smoothest way to do it. The best I could think of was a project with a maximum number of two participants. It would work like a normal project of the type, except perhaps take at least twice the time in exchange for the person with the lesser skill improving twice as fast as they normally would? Or more if the "teacher" was significantly more skilled? Or blah blah blah, I don't know, maybe you could only enter into a project with someone two skill levels above or below you to start.

I don't really like this idea.
You can already advance your skill by working. Instead of working on a project that'll take twice as long why not just work on two projects one after the other?
This new "project" shouldn't produce anything physical AT ALL but only gave you skill because then everyone will be working on these instead.
What about a "practice" Option on machinery that gives you twice the amount of skill than the "normal project" which once again does not produce anything?

[Okud]

I don' think that skill improvement was meant to be that fast anyway, given the "inheritance" of skills to the newspawns. It should probably take 3-4 generations for a location to improve everyone to a master rice farmer. If you start a novice newspawn, he/she should probably be about "effective" by reaching 40. Or less.

About tutoring, I would like to see knowledge implemented. To bake a pizza, you should either learn it from someone by assisting his projects, or learn it by yourself the hard way: grill alot of meat, then bake alot of bread, and finally be able to bake a pizza. The same for technical stuff or for building.

[kabl00ey]

Yeah, I'd like to see purely learnable skills introduced. Whilst commenting on someone's suggestion of engraving items (so that you can have 'Excalibur', your trusted wooden shield) I thought "hang on, who knows how to engrave?"

So, instead of someone just figuring out how to engrave, perhaps skills that aren't obvious to most untaught 20-something year olds could have to be taught. So perhaps a small random population of current characters could find themselves expert engravers. This would lead to teaching and schools, and also to a demand for particularly skilled people. It's not really realistic to expect most people to attempt some skilled actions and to be able to perform them at all, let alone well! I'm sure most people couldn't just walk up to a forklift and start driving it.

[Neuman]

I would like to bump this 2 year old suggestion.

But instead of new training projects, I would like to be able to join a project as a Participant, Teacher, or Student. Students wouldn't provide any progress to a Project, Teachers would only do half. But students would gain more experiance when a teacher is working on the project. The amount gained would depend on the level of the teacher.