Starting skills based on age

[MeTekillot]

Make starting skill levels be influenced by age. A typical 16 year old should start at typical novice levels, while a 35-40 year old would be saltier and experienced and start around journeyman and advanced in most everything.

[RogueGunslinger]

Eh? Journey-man and Advanced in everything sounds like we would never again see characters under 35. And just because you're older doesn't suddenly make you more skilled.

[Dresan]

I agree with RGS.

I think if skill boosts were changed to 2 skill bumps per CGP, it would be enough to ensure that someone wanting to invest in skill bumps instead of a extended sub-guild could start off feeling pretty experience. They would probably still have four or more RL months of training to be the best of the best but they could probably still do some really cool stuff right out of the box.  

Skill bump restrictions would still apply though.

[Rokal]

Eh? Journey-man and Advanced in everything sounds like we would never again see characters under 35. And just because you're older doesn't suddenly make you more skilled.

Agreed.

[MeTekillot]

It makes you more experienced, which generally means better skilled. It doesn't need to be advanced. I was just thinking that you're out of the box 35 year old shouldn't be of the same competence level as your out of the box teenager.

[slvrmoontiger]

It makes you more experienced, which generally means better skilled. It doesn't need to be advanced. I was just thinking that you're out of the box 35 year old shouldn't be of the same competence level as your out of the box teenager.

The Good:

This does make sense in a realism sort of way. A 35 year old on Zalanthas isn't just going to:
think (unsatisfied with life) Hmm, maybe I should become a hunter and do something with my life. I mean I've spent the last 35 years sitting around in a hole not really doing anything.

No Zalanthas is a eat or be eaten type of world so you would have to expect that a 35 year old would know how to at least fend for themselves and have actually DONE something or they wouldn't still be alive.

The Bad:

This means most players that care about skills and not really roleplaying would start out with a 35 year old character. Oh well. I'll still play my teen every so often like I do. Personally, I don't think I've ever nor ever would start out a character over the age of 25, regardless of the race.

The Ugly:

This would mean a LOT more work on the part of staff. Staff are already very busy and volunteer a LOT of time so that we can enjoy the BEST MUD there is. We should think of this when we ask or put front ideas that would cause more a workload on staff.

[Majikal]

Skill bumps solved this problem no?

[wizturbo]

Skill bumps solved this problem no?

I think they did.  Everyone can get 3 skill bumps on an app, even at zero karma, and most veteran players will get significantly more than that.

[Saellyn]

Fuck that. my 35 year old lives in a hole for life. Want to have a life changing decision? Start at age 13 scrubs. Play Armageddon HARD MODE BABY.

Even better, start at age 60 and REALLY play the game.


In all honesty if the age regions (30-50, 51-60) gave you some small coded boosts that would be alright, but nothing to turn you into Zalanthamos, God of <Guild>.

[Sephiroto]

Kind of an old thread here, but I had some thoughts.  I would think that the opposite should be done; skills should be limited based on age.  I would think wisdom-based or social based skills like magick, haggle, psionics and many crafting abilities would take many many years to master.  Language skills, reading/writing, riding, and many athletic skills would probably manifest and be highly skillable at younger ages, while advanced martial and hunting skills would require at least mid-age unless the character was a pure prodigy.

[HavokBlue]

I think that absolutely anything that involves making skills more difficult to learn should get right out of town.

[Dakota]

One of the reasons I started arm was that the gap between the top and bottom was narrowed in terms of grinding due to permanent death.

As long as theirs perma death, I don't think anything needs to be changed w. starting skill levels or they're learning save for maybe a few skills being easier to come by.

You can already boost skill levels with CGP as well.