Learn

[nauta]

So, this is probably a dumb suggestion, but hey!

The 'learn' command (toggle-able in terms of nosave learn) allows you to turn off skill gains / language gains (or turn them on).  Defaults to on.  Perhaps there's a hit to stun while learning.

Motivation: I've had a couple characters become really good at something not part of their concept pretty quickly because of how skill gains work codedly.  Also, languages: I learn them too quick.  I like that in between period where you kind of know the other language.

Anyway.  I know it's a big code change.  Just thought I'd toss it out there.

ETA: You could also maybe have different settings: learn normal|easy|hard.  Then people that love that grind can choose hard, or allow people to chargen with learn set to easy for 1 CGP or something.

[Pale Horse]

Selective learning?  A way for you to play out your character being ignorant of a skill despite the IG reality?  A way to make your "dumb" character remain dumb despite their wisdom stat and long life?

..I like this idea.

[Culinary Critic]

+1

Love it.

[Barsook]

I dig this!

[Hauwke]

I think this has other uses if the staff wanted to take it further if at all. I mean why just make it have negative effects on learning?
In that maybe im trying to learn: Bashing nerds with stuff. And boy howdy am I going ti figure it out because I devote my attention to it.
Obviously making it focused for a positive thing would have negatives too, eg perhaps you just cannot learn anything else while you have this set, and can only have it changed every so often. Perhaps even set by staff idk im spitballing.
Anyway now that the derail is over.

Ive never had the issue of learning things I dont want to learn. Even languages or accents.

[RogueGunslinger]

This is a cool idea.

I think a better idea would be to have the ability to reduce the level of a skill.

>set kick 0

And now you fail kick 100% of the time.

[manipura]

It's an interesting idea, and I'm not saying it's a bad one, but can't your character's ignorance just be roleplayed?

And I'm not sure I know what you mean by:

allows you to turn off skill gains / language gains (or turn them on).  Defaults to on.  Perhaps there's a hit to stun while learning.

If it defaults to on and you're actively learning, as things are now, are you saying that while it's 'on' your stun should take a hit?  That's kind of like suggesting, the way things are now, everyone should have a constant hit to stun, because they are potentially always learning.  Maybe I'm misunderstanding this part though.

Also, languages.  Ugh.  I find them so frustrating.  They're so random, whether you learn them or not.
I've had characters and have known other characters who have been regularly exposed to another language and never learned a word of it, and by contrast those same characters popped some other language that they heard far less frequently and with little regularity.  I think you've been lucky with learning languages maybe?? 

I would love if you could actually put in the time to roleplay teaching languages to people, submit logs of it, and have staff decide whether enough work has been put in for the other person to realistically have a grasp of the language.  That is not a thought for this thread though.  Heh.

[nauta]

It's an interesting idea, and I'm not saying it's a bad one, but can't your character's ignorance just be roleplayed?

True.  But there are some skills you can't roleplay around (without the jar) -- in particular, combat skills and languages.

And I'm not sure I know what you mean by:

allows you to turn off skill gains / language gains (or turn them on).  Defaults to on.  Perhaps there's a hit to stun while learning.

Right, the "Perhaps there's a hit to stun while learning" is an addition to the proposal.  In fact, though, thinking about it... what if...

1. We implement a toggle command 'learn'.  Defaults to on.  While on, you get those skill gains / language gains.

2. Stun drain while learning?  What if we got rid of the whole 'no waying while crafting' thing, but instead just had a stun hit across the board when 'learn' is on -- much as listen / scan drop your stun.  This would capture that 'realism' aspect of concentrating, but give us the 'playability' thing with our crafters: we can interact with people while crafting, although there's still a hit.  As well, as a combat character, you could decide: should I learn from this (and thus risk that extra hit to stun and so maybe passing out if the creature is that sort of thing) or just go in and clobber the thing...

3. Various levels.  Easy|hard|normal.  Maybe allow people to purchase with CGP easy learning, or to get a free CGP if they choose hard learning...

[Delirium]

Honestly, I think this sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Languages = If your PC has spent enough time around others to pick it up, then that's an IC progression that makes sense. That doesn't mean they have to admit they know it.

Combat = even easier. Don't want to get good at combat? Don't fight.

You have control over your character, and in the situations in which they don't have control, it makes sense if they pick up a few things by exposure.

[Jihelu]

Just because I didn't want to learn arabic didn't mean I didn't pick up parts of it when I lived in Kuwait for two years.
Did I know it fluently?
Fuck no I barely knew jack shit.
Could I read money/letters/say hi to people without being majorly taught? Fuck yeah.

[manipura]

Code Select Expand

say (brows knitting in concentration) O thoik lajgoagu oo end of lhe easunrr fhimss tt grepwmd uui sit'w fnuu.
(I think language is one of the easiest things to pretend you don't know.)  


And like Delerium said, same with combat.  Turn whatever it is on...nosave combat?  Whatever it is that makes you not fight back, then emote away.

I think I don't like the idea of your stun taking a hit for 'learning' because there are so many ways your character learns through just being exposed to something, not because they are actually focusing all their attention on learning and processing some tidbit of knowledge.
What if I'm in a bar and there's someone speaking a different language near me and there is someone with a different accent as well, and someone is hiding too, which my scan is potentially 'learning'?  Do I take a bigger stun hit because I'm potentially learning from all three things?  Even though I'm really just hanging out at the bar with a couple friends.

[Case]

I will do the thing where I chime in and say our language code makes no sense and you don't learn languages as they are portrayed and that the language code becomes hugely useless because of it when the Way is already sans language.

[najdorf]

learn off;bash scrab;learn on;fight fight fight --> twinking
mount beetle;learn off;kill scrab;learn on;fight fight fight --> twinking

[IAmJacksOpinion]

learn off;bash scrab;learn on;fight fight fight --> twinking
mount beetle;learn off;kill scrab;learn on;fight fight fight --> twinking

I have a hard time buying the idea that a twink would forego simple, life-saving skills like ride and bash just to fight on their ass. If they really wanted to, they could still use sit...