theotherjohn
12-05-2003, 06:43 AM
One of the more confusing aspects of the change between GS3 and GS4, it seems, are the Training Points (TPs) which players are granted when they gain a level.
Due to our new "intra-level training system" all TPs that a player earns in a level are awarded to them throughout that level (rather than in one lump sum when the next level is gained.) However, many players will notice that they will also often gain some TPs when they obtain their next level ... often these TPs will be all mental TPs or all physical TPs.
These TPs are granted to each player due to a process called "skill optimization" that occurs whenever a level is gained. This process does two things:
First, it determines if skills were efficiently purchased from level to level. (If you got two ranks of a skill a level 1 and, 0 ranks of that skill at level 2, that would be inefficient, as the cost would be cheaper if you purchased one rank a both level 1 and 2.) If it finds inefficiencies in training in skills such as those, it retrains your character more appropriately, and gives you back the TPs.
Second, it determines if TP conversions were handled efficiently. (For example, you have a bunch of extra Mental TPs, and decide to convert them to Physical TPs, and buy a Physical skill. Then a couple days later, you realize you want a new spell, and end up converting a couple Physical TPs to get it. This is inefficient.) If the optimizer finds situations where TPs were converted (and spent) inefficiently, it untangles that mess for you and gives you back those UNCONVERTED TPs. (By the way ... this is the PRIMARY reason that people tend to get HUGE blocks of one type of TP at level over the other type of TP.)
When a player gains a level, they are granted one last "pulse" of TPs due to intra-level training. Additionally, any TPs not given previously due to rounding off fractions are given at this time. In general, comparatively few TPs will be granted in this manner compared to optimization. It *IS* possible that the optimization process may run and find no more efficient ways of spending TPs.
We hope this helps clarify some of the confusion.
Due to our new "intra-level training system" all TPs that a player earns in a level are awarded to them throughout that level (rather than in one lump sum when the next level is gained.) However, many players will notice that they will also often gain some TPs when they obtain their next level ... often these TPs will be all mental TPs or all physical TPs.
These TPs are granted to each player due to a process called "skill optimization" that occurs whenever a level is gained. This process does two things:
First, it determines if skills were efficiently purchased from level to level. (If you got two ranks of a skill a level 1 and, 0 ranks of that skill at level 2, that would be inefficient, as the cost would be cheaper if you purchased one rank a both level 1 and 2.) If it finds inefficiencies in training in skills such as those, it retrains your character more appropriately, and gives you back the TPs.
Second, it determines if TP conversions were handled efficiently. (For example, you have a bunch of extra Mental TPs, and decide to convert them to Physical TPs, and buy a Physical skill. Then a couple days later, you realize you want a new spell, and end up converting a couple Physical TPs to get it. This is inefficient.) If the optimizer finds situations where TPs were converted (and spent) inefficiently, it untangles that mess for you and gives you back those UNCONVERTED TPs. (By the way ... this is the PRIMARY reason that people tend to get HUGE blocks of one type of TP at level over the other type of TP.)
When a player gains a level, they are granted one last "pulse" of TPs due to intra-level training. Additionally, any TPs not given previously due to rounding off fractions are given at this time. In general, comparatively few TPs will be granted in this manner compared to optimization. It *IS* possible that the optimization process may run and find no more efficient ways of spending TPs.
We hope this helps clarify some of the confusion.