Skills levels: High but few? Or low but many?

[CosmicGamer]

Who would fudging Vacc Suit? Mistake or unlucky rolling is more likely.

There are many career specialty tables that do not have Vacc Suit skill. For those that do, like Rogue Pirate or Scout Courier, it's about as easy to get Vacc Suit 4 as any other skill on the table.

I've been generating characters on my computer for 3 weeks now. Thousands. The computer hasn't shown a Vacc Suit 4 yet that I've noticed. I may have seen a Vacc Suit 3 a few times. There is a career event or two that will let you pick any skill you want, but I don't think Vacc-Suit is one of them.

Of these thousands, how many Carouse, Zero-G, Deception, (or other skills not common on multiple tables) have you seen at level 4?

First, a program uses algorithms to produces pseudo-random numbers. Several computational methods for random number generation exist but often fall short of the goal of true randomness.

Second, no offense, but I've never seen a computer program without some errors. Even if that error is as simple as just not being able to properly simulate what a real person would do given the results of all of the previous rolls. For one example, people have a tendency to roll more on the personal development table as their character starts aging. For another example, a player might want a pilot and will roll on the table that gives this skill exclusive of all other tables. Once they are happy with the level of pilot they have they might decide to roll on another table, change careers, or end chargen. Perhaps if you allow human interaction...? But that kinda defeats making a program.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Of these thousands, how many Carouse, Zero-G, Deception, (or other skills not common on multiple tables) have you seen at level 4?

Stealth, Investigate, Streetwise, Deception, Carouse have shown up at level 4. But the character is DOA 90% of the time. I had the age limit turned off for testing just now. The computer works on a character until aged to death or is killed from injuries.

First, a program uses algorithms to produces pseudo-random numbers. Several computational methods for random number generation exist but often fall short of the goal of true randomness.

You're funny.

Second, no offense, but I've never seen a computer program without some errors. Even if that error is as simple as just not being able to properly simulate what a real person would do given the results of all of the previous rolls.

The computer is just picking from random tables for skills. I may give it some "AI" later. But as it is, it's pretty good at generating player and non-player characters. If I don't like the one it makes, I just click for another one. It's doing the world generation first before generating the character. The PDF has the world and character info on one side, and the character backstory on the back side.

ADDED:
Been letting the computer run for awhile. A 54-year-old character was generated just now with Investigate 7. He spent 6 years as an Agent before going into the Entertainer business. He died from failing health, though. That career combo must have boosted his level (Special Agent and Freelance Journalist).

 

[CosmicGamer]

First, a program uses algorithms to produces pseudo-random numbers. Several computational methods for random number generation exist but often fall short of the goal of true randomness.

You're funny.

I wasn't trying to be and I am clueless how you would think so.

Most computer random number generators are judged by being close to the statistical results intended when true randomness is much less predictable. For example, the flip of a coin. If you flip a coin and it's heads will the next flip now be more likely to be tails? No. You could flip heads 5 times in a row and the very next flip still has a 50/50 chance of being heads too. Every individual instance has it's own unique outcome. Most random number generators use a seed and an algorithm such that each individual "flip" is based on what has happened prior to produce a probability distribution.

If you somehow know the algorithm and the seed you would know the entire sequence of "random" numbers generated. That doesn't sound so random to me.

Of course it's been about 15 years since I've dealt with such so those random number generators are probably a heck of a lot better.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

First, a program uses algorithms to produces pseudo-random numbers. Several computational methods for random number generation exist but often fall short of the goal of true randomness.

You're funny.

I wasn't trying to be and I am clueless how you would think so.

Most computer random number generators are judged by being close to the statistical results intended when true randomness is much less predictable. For example, the flip of a coin. If you flip a coin and it's heads will the next flip now be more likely to be tails? No. You could flip heads 5 times in a row and the very next flip still has a 50/50 chance of being heads too. Every individual instance has it's own unique outcome. Most random number generators use a seed and an algorithm such that each individual "flip" is based on what has happened prior to produce a probability distribution.

If you somehow know the algorithm and the seed you would know the entire sequence of "random" numbers generated. That doesn't sound so random to me.

Of course it's been about 15 years since I've dealt with such so those random number generators are probably a heck of a lot better.

Coins have a sequence also. So do dice. Their seed is the position they're in when picked up.

I wouldn't worry much about pseudo random generators.

 

[CosmicGamer]

A 54-year-old character was generated just now with Investigate 7. He spent 6 years as an Agent before going into the Entertainer business. He died from failing health, though. That career combo must have boosted his level (Special Agent and Freelance Journalist).

No Vacc Suit skill in the Agent career, no wonder you don't get a high skill in it! :lol:

Make sure that rank skills are not calculated as +1 to skill level.

Agent and Investigate are an easy combo since it is in all three specialties and the service skills table. A high number of occurrences.

See how many vacc suit levels the characters get if you pick Merchants career. Compare that with Sensors, Gunner and Deception which I believe only occur once in the Merchants tables.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

No Vacc Suit skill in the Agent career, no wonder you don't get a high skill in it! :lol:

3 is the most I've ever seen that skill. And that was awhile about. Zero G comes up with 3 way more often, and even that is rare.

Make sure that rank skills are not calculated as +1 to skill level.

Entertainer does not use "1" for Investigate skill. I'll check the wording again in the events. The author tends to use gain and increase, but sometimes they're find/replaced with each other in a sentence.

Anyway, it doesn't matter much since the character was DOA.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Entertainer does not use "1" for Investigate skill.

My book has the 1 for all entertainer rank skills but my pdf does not.

In my pdf, only entertainers don't have the "1" on rank skills so it's hard to believe it's anything but a typo.

The only Investigate skill event is a roll of 10 and that is also level 1 and not +1.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Entertainer does not use "1" for Investigate skill.

My book has the 1 for all entertainer rank skills but my pdf does not.

In my pdf, only entertainers don't have the "1" on rank skills so it's hard to believe it's anything but a typo.

?? Your PDF has the typo and the book doesn't? Maybe there is an errata I can get for the early printing book I have.

 

[CosmicGamer]

?? Your PDF has the typo and the book doesn't?

Correct

Maybe there is an errata I can get for the early printing book I have.

I believe I have the earlier version of the book and the later version of the pdf. I think they got it right the first time and somehow messed it up when they reformatted the tables to fit in the fancy artwork.

My book has no pictures on the page where the rank and benefit and skill tables are.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

My book has no pictures on the page where the rank and benefit and skill tables are.

That's how my book is. The promotion rank skills have no numbers for the Entertainer. I was just about to edit my software. But if there is no errata, I'll leave it as is.

ADDED:
I'm gonna change it. A skill level of 7 is not good.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I believe I have the earlier version of the book and the later version of the pdf.

Does your PDF, on page 41, show the correct UPP for Alexander Jamison?

 

[CosmicGamer]

I believe I have the earlier version of the book and the later version of the pdf.

Does your PDF, on page 41, show the correct UPP for Alexander Jamison?

Both the book and pdf have Jamison as 677B99.

If you are looking for differences, on page 36 of my book the heading is correct but the values under Ship Share Value are 10% instead of 1%. This is in the errata. This is corrected in the pdf.