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skill points confusion

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited March 2010 in The Academy
I'm new to the game and am a bit confused about skill points. In most RPG games I've played, increasing a skill either makes an existing action (such as a spell or weapon strike) more powerful or gives you a new one. That does not seem to be the case here. The skill descriptions all state that they improve related skills/features (such as beam weapons or mines) but it's not clear how. Also, increasing the skills does not seem to give my character new abilities. So, what I'm asking is, how does this work exactly? :confused:
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Most of the skills do increase the power of either your abilities or your Bridge Officers abilities. Others directly increase your weapons damage or the performance of your ship. None of them give you new abilities (although some allow you to train your Bridge Officers on new abilities if you max out the skill).

    I'd recommend reading BigBadB's Character Basics article. In fact, when you have time, I'd recommend reading all the articles at his The Engines Cannae' Take It! Blog.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I find I don't really notice the difference until I rank up and am flying a new ship with some more exotic weapons no skills in the ship or the new weapons, and the difficulty goes up until I skill up.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    your tier 1 skills are very general, very cheap, and have very low bonuses. tier 2 is slightly more specific and a little more expensive and have medium bonuses. teir 3-5 have the highest bonuses, are the most specific and of course most expensive (but 5 is more expensive than 4 is more expensive than 3 of course).

    now if you look at high yield torpedoes II it will always launch 2 extra torpedoes (except plasma). how it really gets improved is if you have 9 ranks in projectile weapons, 9 ranks in torpedoes and 9 ranks in the appropriate type then that adds up to 100 and so the actual damage calculation for the weapon is done by taking the base Mk0 damage. multiplying that by (1+bonus/100) and then multiplying that by (1+.1*Mk). that then increases damage of the ability and torpedoes in general. (energy weapons are further affected by range and energy level).

    if you were to look at mask energy signal that is affected in magnitude by your bridge officers skills in it (only ability i know of that does that). starship engineering, auxiliary maintenance and auxiliary performance. now i don't know exactly how this works but it just increases the magnitude of you hiding ability.

    now if you are a science officer and you max out the hazard skill that means you can train your bridge officers in hazard emitters III. if you are an engineer and max out hazard skill that just means hazard emitters I and II will do better but you can't teach it to a bridge officer.

    hopefully that properly portrays the three main areas that it affects.
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