How exactly do skill checks work?

[Tiger's Eye]

It seems like they roll a d100 and add +5 per point the crewmember has in the relevant skill, resulting in a percentage. But what does that percentage do? Is it a binary success/failure chance? Or does it scale the outcome of the skill check, like how many resources you find or how much health a crew member looses? Are there any common break points you can go for when leveling your crew memebers?

[Zago Zur]

As far as I can tell, it works like this:

The computer randomly rolls a percentile check (1% to 100%). 5% is added for every skill point of crew member. A certain number is deducted for difficulty, this is specific to the situation.

The final result is then compared to a scale which is specific to the task. If there are two possible results, then x<50% means Bad Result, x>=50% means Good Result. Some tasks have more possible outcomes, so maybe Bad Result is below 33%, Medium Result is 33% to 66% and Best Result is 67%+.

Exact amount of damage a crew member takes or how much resources you find are usually a little bit randomized, but not by much. Some tasks might give you much greater variety, but that's because those are different entries on the results chart.

[Nobukado]

Is there a difference between 1 crew that has 5 in one skill vs. 5 crew that each have 1 in that skill? Because otherwise having lots of generalists would always gf better than specialists, unless specialists had some kind of advantage?

[archmag]

Originally posted by Nobukado:

Is there a difference between 1 crew that has 5 in one skill vs. 5 crew that each have 1 in that skill? Because otherwise having lots of generalists would always gf better than specialists, unless specialists had some kind of advantage?

1 crew with 5 in one stat is better for exploration events because they use one crew with the highest stat.

5 crew with 1 in the same stat is better for ship maintenance. There is a skill tree related to amount of crew you have with at least 1 in certain stats.

You can talk with a guy on the station for this explanation.

[Nobukado]

Got it, thanks

[Twistedsoul85]

Yes the rolls/Skill checks in this game seem to be weighted way lower. I have tried and recorded all my rolls on different events with higher or lower modifiers and found that I will roll 3 times as many rolls in the 15-30 range than any number over 50............ I've rolled a 1 more times than I have rolled a number over 85. This system just makes you have to save and load until you get what you want, and I settle for anything over 50. Sad sauce

[Leo]

Definitely weighted lower or broken as I've managed to get a 4 and a 7 when I have +20% success

The only thing I can think of is anything sub 10 is a critical fail?

[AliceTheGorgon]

I've gotten about equal high good and bad I believe.

The dice roll seems to be unaffected by your crew skill, but the crew skill seems to get added on top.

There could be particular circumstances which weight the odds, but I'd be very surprised if the dice roll was unfair at all. Really wouldn't make any sense IMO.

[Twistedsoul85]

Originally posted by AliceTheGorgon:

I've gotten about equal high good and bad I believe.

The dice roll seems to be unaffected by your crew skill, but the crew skill seems to get added on top.

There could be particular circumstances which weight the odds, but I'd be very surprised if the dice roll was unfair at all. Really wouldn't make any sense IMO.

I mean I have LEGENDARY bad luck with dice rolls, which is why I hate and loathe anything to do with chance or luck. I found that out way back when WoW first came out and I never won a single roll for gear lol. But all my rolls in this game seem to be rolling horribly so I am forced to save/load and try like 10-20 times to get a roll above 50.

[TheWashableBomb]

Originally posted by Twistedsoul85:

This system just makes you have to save and load until you get what you want

No, it absolutely doesn't do that at all. You're save scumming. You are simply cheating.

Take your Ls like the game is designed to give you and you'll have a better game.

[Twistedsoul85]

Originally posted by TheWashableBomb:

Originally posted by Twistedsoul85:

This system just makes you have to save and load until you get what you want

No, it absolutely doesn't do that at all. You're save scumming. You are simply cheating.

Take your Ls like the game is designed to give you and you'll have a better game.

So when you fail 99% of the rolls in the game I should just be like ok fair enough and leave? I literally had to reload the game 30 times, with a +70 modifyer, to roll above 30 LMFAO. But it is just me though. The rolls aren't weighted in any way shape or form. Literally the only thing failing does it either give you reduced resources with a wounded member or no chance at getting artifacts that you could get but now wont. So it just slows the game down.

[Shork]

Originally posted by TheWashableBomb:

Originally posted by Twistedsoul85:

This system just makes you have to save and load until you get what you want

No, it absolutely doesn't do that at all. You're save scumming. You are simply cheating.

Take your Ls like the game is designed to give you and you'll have a better game.

You're wrong. It does exactly that.
RNG systems like that are dumb and unfun. They have nothing to do with skill, in fact, they completely and utterly discard any and all skill. You're at the mercy of the dice. Whether you're good or bad doesn't matter at all: It's just RNG. Pure chance.
Something like that should not dictate any outcomes. That's lazy, boring. That's no design at all, they just didn't want to think of something better.

At the point where something like this decides whether I progress quickly or slowly, I have every right to call it fair and justified to use GAME GIVEN OPTIONS to right the wrongs that were made.

[Fwiffo]

Originally posted by TheWashableBomb:

No, it absolutely doesn't do that at all. You're save scumming. You are simply cheating.

Take your Ls like the game is designed to give you and you'll have a better game.

I did not save scum, but I wish I did. This game does not handle the lost skill checks well. It doesn't really handle risky exploration well either, and you can see it in both skill checks and research - you're basically not allowed to experiment.
Failing a skill check here can hardly be described as the player's L here because the player doesn't have a way of influencing them in any meaningful way (and that's coming from a long time DnD and pathfinder player and DM), and what are the worst case scenarios?

1. You fail a check and miss some side story. In a story game without real replay value. Yay, great, you're here for the action rather than the stories anyway right?

For instance, I had a "foreboding planet" that I failed a skill check on, and the game never let me explore it again, even though the planet was marked as "to be explored". Is that supposed to add to the enjoyment somehow?

2. You fail a check and get less or no resources. What's the alternative? Ah, yes, trade. Making mind-numbing trips between the same 3-4 planets so you can scrounge up enough Chiralite for that new reactor. Peak fun.

And there are almost never (except boring and time-consuming trading in case of resources) any interesting alternatives to failing skill checks, so yeah, this isn't good RNG.

Honestly, I would suggest anyone playing the game to just go into the save file and pump the main skill for each crew member up to 15 or so to avoid this silliness, unless you somehow enjoy the combat here.

[Twistedsoul85]

I've been "mining" the asteroid fields even with reloading the saves..... I like to grind to get more powerful. But like whats been said before, the skill checks have no real value to the game at all. There is so much stuff locked behind them, artifacts and side missions that you'll miss out on in your play through(s) for no reason. How many times would you have to replay the game to find everything? for me with my bad luck probably a couple hundred times or more.....

[Vardis]

Originally posted by Leo:

Definitely weighted lower or broken as I've managed to get a 4 and a 7 when I have +20% success

The only thing I can think of is anything sub 10 is a critical fail?

Seems like it. It looks like it isn't applying the +% when it's a low roll.

[RaptorSolutions]

Another game I played had an alternate option, where skill checks are either like the current RNG roll system, or literally a skill check where if you are below the skills required you fail, if above succeed. Could be beneficial to add it here.