Oddities in levelling skills

[Array]

I'm a bit confused by once aspect of levelling skills that I have experienced. Several times I have found I have 'filled' the bar for a skill but it hasn't shown me a plus symbol to choose a new one - sometime I have assumed that its not quite full by a hair. However next time I continue that character and it appears the level up option is available and I can select a new skill. Im pretty sure I have 'levelled up' in game without this happening but I have noticed this several times and been confused by it.

Occasionally when continuing I seem to have gained experience that I'm not sure I had earned and dont really understand the rules when making new characters that seem to sometimes retain the experience profiles of my other characters.

 

[Madoc]

That would be the global experience system. 1/4 of all XP you earn becomes global, you can use this to give new characters starting skills and it is also retroactively applied to any existing characters in the continue screen. Every time you enter the continue screen you will have new XP awarded (unless you already maxed it out), hence that little bit you were missing was filled.

 

[Array]

This is a little curious from a design point of view. I suppose on the one hand it reduces frustration for long term playing - you get the pleasure of the slow build of skills in early play but then on replays you are sped up a bit by starting with an already adept character and can pull off all the fancy fighting you have learnt as a player without your new avatars ineptitude spoiling the feel and fluidity you had grown used to.

On the other hand while the full skill set options aren't all there yet it does feel like I could max characters with all skills regularly rather than having to pick a certain path to focus on to the detriment of others. Particularly with the armour encumbrance reductions I worry that this could eclipse a pretty cool mechanic (protection vs agility) too much and I could start a Thaum character on a second playthrough and take the ability to wear armour or fight for granted.

I suppose I need to consider the scale of exanima and the difference between approaching it as a complete game versus the current situation where we replay existing bits a lot and then again when more is added. Were I starting it for the first time as complete I might well go through the entire game without having accumulated so much global or maxing a characters entire skill range.

I think also in the back of mind it is the thought that one day I load Sui Generis and the game begins at the exit to a dungeon in a village with my character squinting at the sun for the first time in many days - how would the skill system scale across that. Even without this outcome (which I suppose is probably not what you have planned) to make the system scale across a much bigger game might need a much slower accumulation and/or many more side skills though I'm not sure how many more combat type skills there could be (more unarmed martial arts type stuff? hint hint)

 

[Saetheer]

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From a design point of view I view this as excellent. The way Madoc describes it, it sounds to me there will not be much grinding of XP. Also there will be a global skill cap (last I heard about it, though) which limits the total of active skills, with this global XP, you can easily forget and start testing out new skills.

That's right. You say you feel like you could max the characters potential with global skill. Although this is true, Exanima is the prelude to Sui Generis. Both in development terms and lore (Exanima is 20 years before Sui Generis). So unfinished content are one side of the coin and the reason we're currently play the game. I'm sure Bare Mettle has a grand plan to restrict exploiting. For now we can enable all skills, but it next update, we may have to start choose selectively - who knows.

 

[PipesOfMadness]

That would be the global experience system. 1/4 of all XP you earn becomes global, you can use this to give new characters starting skills and it is also retroactively applied to any existing characters in the continue screen. Every time you enter the continue screen you will have new XP awarded (unless you already maxed it out), hence that little bit you were missing was filled.

Oooh, so that is why I get free XP when I make a new character. I always thought that was some kind of bug that appears occasionally.