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FAQ Proposal: Skill-up formula
The information in this FAQ was provided by Bill James (Tanker), one of the programmers working on EverQuest, at the tradeskill panels of the 5th anniversary EverQuest Fan Faire, held in Las Vegas on April 1-4, 2004. Additionally, some extra materials and ideas were discussed with the developers at other points in the Fan Faire and by email afterwards.
The skill-up formula has two checks. You must pass both checks to get a skill-up. If either check fails, you do not get a skill-up for that combine.
First Skill Check
CV = (PS x 10) / (DF x SF)
Where:
CV is the first check value that results from the calculation.
PS is your primary stat for that tradeskill. All tradeskills can use WIS or INT for this check. Three tradeskills have a secondary stat that can be used. Smithing can use STR, and fletching and poison-making can use DEX. No other tradeskill has an alternate stat.
Formulaically:
If the tradeskill has an alternate stat, set PS = max(INT, WIS, alt).
If the tradeskill does not have an alternate stat, set PS = max(INT, WIS) - 15.
Descriptively:
For smithing, PS is the highest of your STR, WIS, or INT.
For fletching or poison-making, PS is highest of your DEX, WIS, or INT.
For any other tradeskill, PS is the highest of your WIS or INT minus 15.
DF is the difficulty factor. The higher this number, the harder it is to get skill-ups. For tradeskills, it can be 2, 3, or 4. Tailoring has DF = 3. The other tradeskills have an unknown DF.
SF is your success factor. On a success, SF is 1. On a fail, SF is 2.
Once CV is calculated, the game calculates a random number R1 between 1 and 1000.
If R1 < CV, you pass this check. Otherwise, you fail this check.
If you pass this check, proceed to the second skill check. If you fail the check, then you don't get a skill-up.
Second Skill Check
The second skill check works off your current skill. If your skill is 15 or less, you automatically succeed this check and no calculations are done. If your current skill is 16 or higher, the game calculates your effective skill:
ES = min(190, Skill)
In other words, your effective skill for this check is always between 16 and 190. ES is capped at 190, so if your skill is higher, ES is still 190. ES uses your raw skill; it does not take into account geerloks or other skill modifiers.
Once ES is calculated, the game calculates a new random number R2 from 1 to 200.
If R2 > ES, you pass this check and get a skill-up. Otherwise, you fail the check and do not get a skill-up.
Additional info
When Tanker provided us with the formula that calculates skill-ups, he flatly stated that he has no clue why the formula was done this way. Apparently, it was much simpler when first coded, but the developers then decided they wanted something harder and more complicated so players wouldn't guess it right away.
Tanker said he was puzzled at why the formula subtracts 15 from PS for tradeskills without an alternate stat, but it does.
Note that your chance of passing the first skill check is reduced in half when you fail the combine. Your chance of succeeding the second check decreases as your skill goes up, but your chance with the second check will never drop below 5%. This accounts for why it is much easier to get skill-ups at lower skill levels than at higher ones.
The same formula is used for any skill that can go up, including languages, melee skills, abilities like foraging, and so on. One non-tradeskill example Tanker mentioned is Feign Death, which has a difficulty of 28 (this is from memory, so I could have the number off by a bit). He also told us that one skill has a difficulty of over 50, but he didn't name it.
The skill-up formula has two checks. You must pass both checks to get a skill-up. If either check fails, you do not get a skill-up for that combine.
First Skill Check
CV = (PS x 10) / (DF x SF)
Where:
CV is the first check value that results from the calculation.
PS is your primary stat for that tradeskill. All tradeskills can use WIS or INT for this check. Three tradeskills have a secondary stat that can be used. Smithing can use STR, and fletching and poison-making can use DEX. No other tradeskill has an alternate stat.
Formulaically:
If the tradeskill has an alternate stat, set PS = max(INT, WIS, alt).
If the tradeskill does not have an alternate stat, set PS = max(INT, WIS) - 15.
Descriptively:
For smithing, PS is the highest of your STR, WIS, or INT.
For fletching or poison-making, PS is highest of your DEX, WIS, or INT.
For any other tradeskill, PS is the highest of your WIS or INT minus 15.
DF is the difficulty factor. The higher this number, the harder it is to get skill-ups. For tradeskills, it can be 2, 3, or 4. Tailoring has DF = 3. The other tradeskills have an unknown DF.
SF is your success factor. On a success, SF is 1. On a fail, SF is 2.
Once CV is calculated, the game calculates a random number R1 between 1 and 1000.
If R1 < CV, you pass this check. Otherwise, you fail this check.
If you pass this check, proceed to the second skill check. If you fail the check, then you don't get a skill-up.
Second Skill Check
The second skill check works off your current skill. If your skill is 15 or less, you automatically succeed this check and no calculations are done. If your current skill is 16 or higher, the game calculates your effective skill:
ES = min(190, Skill)
In other words, your effective skill for this check is always between 16 and 190. ES is capped at 190, so if your skill is higher, ES is still 190. ES uses your raw skill; it does not take into account geerloks or other skill modifiers.
Once ES is calculated, the game calculates a new random number R2 from 1 to 200.
If R2 > ES, you pass this check and get a skill-up. Otherwise, you fail the check and do not get a skill-up.
Additional info
When Tanker provided us with the formula that calculates skill-ups, he flatly stated that he has no clue why the formula was done this way. Apparently, it was much simpler when first coded, but the developers then decided they wanted something harder and more complicated so players wouldn't guess it right away.
Tanker said he was puzzled at why the formula subtracts 15 from PS for tradeskills without an alternate stat, but it does.
Note that your chance of passing the first skill check is reduced in half when you fail the combine. Your chance of succeeding the second check decreases as your skill goes up, but your chance with the second check will never drop below 5%. This accounts for why it is much easier to get skill-ups at lower skill levels than at higher ones.
The same formula is used for any skill that can go up, including languages, melee skills, abilities like foraging, and so on. One non-tradeskill example Tanker mentioned is Feign Death, which has a difficulty of 28 (this is from memory, so I could have the number off by a bit). He also told us that one skill has a difficulty of over 50, but he didn't name it.
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