Factoids and Statistics on Skill Gaining

[J. M. Pescado]

Same, unless you get the variational version from Crammyboy.

[cwykes]

How do the skill gains from  the following things compare with the objects in your list?
cooking meals
cleaning things
unclogging toilets
repairing anything
doing the crossword

If I want a sim to learn cleaning, I tend to have them don the helmet and set them to clean every counter, cooker and bathroom in the house finishing with reading a book from the bookcase.  Am I better off heading straight for the bookcase and hiring a maid?

Your list says write a novel is always 150 - it seems a little odd that it isn't faster on the more expensive computer - Maxis normally set it up that way.

I also noticed something amusing with tutors on career objects - if Sim A has 3 skill points say, they can tutor SimB with 2 points and the session keeps going even if SimB progresses above 3 points.  Then you can turn it round and have Sim B tutor Sim A! 

[J. M. Pescado]

How do the skill gains from  the following things compare with the objects in your list?
cooking meals
cleaning things
unclogging toilets
repairing anything

Hands-on material appears to be basic rate, 100.

doing the crossword

I have not looked at the crossword, but I know it isn't high, certainly not above 200, and the crossword is completed so quickly that you'll be lucky if you manage to actually gain a point from it. Since there is not an unlimited source of readily-available newspapers one can do crosswords out of, this tends to be an extremely limited-use interaction.

If I want a sim to learn cleaning, I tend to have them don the helmet and set them to clean every counter, cooker and bathroom in the house finishing with reading a book from the bookcase.  Am I better off heading straight for the bookcase and hiring a maid?

Yes. Cleaning tends to be a high waste of thinking cap time because a lot of the time you spend on "cleaning" is not even cleaning time, it's handshaking time. PLUS, the rate for cleaning is poor, at only 100, the base rate..

Your list says write a novel is always 150 - it seems a little odd that it isn't faster on the more expensive computer - Maxis normally set it up that way.

The computer is primarily seen to be a "Fun" object and all other functions appear to be secondary. As such, the code for all of it is contained in the semiglobals and does not vary from computer to computer.

I also noticed something amusing with tutors on career objects - if Sim A has 3 skill points say, they can tutor SimB with 2 points and the session keeps going even if SimB progresses above 3 points.  Then you can turn it round and have Sim B tutor Sim A! 

That has a lot to do with the granularity of the checking: Some objects will check every skillpoint, others will only check at the initiation of the teaching and does not recheck until the interaction ends.

[cwykes]

When sims are broke, the crossword is about the only way to gain logic points, so I use it. As you say it takes a few days to get a logic point from it even with a helmet, but it fills in a short gap while a visitor arrives or the bus/taxi comes.  If you ever look at it, you might as well add the stats for completeness..

Thanks for the info -  It seems kind of backward to me that reading about something helps them learn better than actually doing it - we're talking cleaning here not nuclear physics.  My sims obviously need to head straight for the learning objects and hire the help!  I have to say I like to make them do chores and really earn that skill the hard way!  I guess I also avoid hiring NPCs because the memory of NPC slowdown bug lives on!

[RainbowTigress]

I don't use the maid or gardener anymore because with Macrotastics Clean and Garden, my sims run around cleaning everything in record time.  Wish I had something like that in real life!  Now with TJ's Always Perfect Plants hack, I don't have to worry about gardening either, or having to have my flowers and shrubs positioned just the right way so the gardener or my sims can care for them.

[J. M. Pescado]

I don't use the maid or gardener anymore because with Macrotastics Clean and Garden, my sims run around cleaning everything in record time.  Wish I had something like that in real life!

You DO. Go. Run around. And clean and garden everything.

[RainbowTigress]

Somehow it just doesn't work the same. 

[J. M. Pescado]

Somehow it just doesn't work the same. 

You're probably a lazy sim and thus insist on walking everywhere at a stately plod. That, or you need a commandant that will lock you in a room with no doors, drop you into a ladderless pool, or light your ass on fire if you don't comply with orders.

[Trubble]

That, or you need a commandant that will lock you in a room with no doors, drop you into a ladderless pool, or light your ass on fire if you don't comply with orders.

Or both at the same time...

[Database]

LOL!!!

[Kyna]

I realise the Awesome Ones are busy updating stuff for Seasons, but has anyone checked out the learning rate on the new Education career bookcase reward (which reminds me of a hack I had in TS1).

It's autumn in the household where I tried it out and I had the Ottomas kids reading up on charisma and body.  I know that their learning rates are faster in autumn, and I'd made them smarter, but they zipped through those skills at a surprisingly fast rate.

The two disadvantages that I can see - training body from a book doesn't improve fitness, and parents can't help kids skill using this object.

[J. M. Pescado]

I realise the Awesome Ones are busy updating stuff for Seasons, but has anyone checked out the learning rate on the new Education career bookcase reward (which reminds me of a hack I had in TS1).

It's autumn in the household where I tried it out and I had the Ottomas kids reading up on charisma and body.  I know that their learning rates are faster in autumn, and I'd made them smarter, but they zipped through those skills at a surprisingly fast rate.

The two disadvantages that I can see - training body from a book doesn't improve fitness, and parents can't help kids skill using this object.

I have added some more analysis about the interaction between base rate (BR) and IQ (as displayed by Lot Debugger, Semi 0x1C + 0x64).

The base rate of all skills on the Edumacation Book is 500. This means that, for a 100 IQ sim, it is equivalent to receiving instruction(+100 IQ) on a 250 BR object. For sims with higher IQs (stuck smart milk, stuck multinuke smart milk), due to the way BR compounds with IQ, the Edumacational Book used Solo will outperform 250 BR objects, but will not outperform the 313 BR career punch bag.

For base figure of 200 IQ (TC), your learn rate is 1000% base on the EB, whereas receiving instruction on the punch bag will be 939%.
For a base figure of 300 IQ, your learn rate is 1500% base (300*500/100)  on the EB, whereas receiving instruction on a Punching Bag is (313*400/100) = 1252%.
For a base figure of 500 IQ, learn rate is 2500% on EB, instructioned punch bag is 1878%. Clearly, as you can see, the gap widens with increasing IQ.

[Kyna]

Can we expect an update to the skillinator to take into account the new career rewards? 

The numbers for the Music reward guitar you've provided don't look too bad either.  I haven't placed that on a lot in my game yet, but I assume it's also a reward that parents can't help kids with and would use similar calculations to the bookcase (so isn't as good as the Criminal reward on a smart kid + instructor, but is better than not using a career reward).

[J. M. Pescado]

Can we expect an update to the skillinator to take into account the new career rewards?

Too slow. It's already out. Go get it.

[Vren Lyet]

Stupid question: what's this Edumacation Book you're talking about?
Another stupid question: how can you increase the IQ of sims? Mine always have 100 (as shown on FFS LotDebugger).

[J. M. Pescado]

Stupid question: what's this Edumacation Book you're talking about?

The Edumacation Book is the book you get from the bookshelf that is the Edumacation career reward.

Another stupid question: how can you increase the IQ of sims? Mine always have 100 (as shown on FFS LotDebugger).

Feeding a sim smart milk as a toddler, which becomes "stuck" until a sim resets or reinstances, will raise it, as will wearing a thinking cap. Receiving instruction on a career reward gives a temporary +100 while doing so.

[Vren Lyet]

Ah, I see. Thanx!

[Karen]

How much is the autumn "skill boost" worth?  Is it really true that skills are learned faster in autumn, or is that just more lies & propaganda?  Just wondering....

[dizzy]

I don't know the precise scores, but studying is boosted by the Fall season (and is indicated by swirling leaves around their skill meter). Skillinator should also look for a Apple-stocked juicer and use that for study bonus (if it doesn't already).

[pioupiou]

I was thinking that apple juice was only for homework ? Does it work for other learning ? And if it does, what does the veggie cocktail do then ?

[dizzy]

Oh, right. 

Apple juice = faster homework, Veggie cocktail = skill boost.

EDIT: Looks like VC gives you 5 hours of 50 or 100 points boost, depending on the intensity of the juice.

[kutto]

Do all of these boni stack?

[J. M. Pescado]

How much is the autumn "skill boost" worth?  Is it really true that skills are learned faster in autumn, or is that just more lies & propaganda?  Just wondering....

The autumn skill boost is about a 33% to modified base rate, as it reduces the tick cost for skills by 25%.

I don't know the precise scores, but studying is boosted by the Fall season (and is indicated by swirling leaves around their skill meter). Skillinator should also look for a Apple-stocked juicer and use that for study bonus (if it doesn't already).

It will be looked into.

Apple juice = faster homework, Veggie cocktail = skill boost.

EDIT: Looks like VC gives you 5 hours of 50 or 100 points boost, depending on the intensity of the juice.

Where is this boost applied? Does it stack? Will using it reverse stuck smart milk?

[dizzy]

The Global "Get in Temp 0 - Skill Gain Speed" applies the effect of VC (so I have no idea).

* dizzy looks further into this

EDIT: Probably has no effect on the Smart/Stupid attribute.

[jsalemi]

How much is the autumn "skill boost" worth?  Is it really true that skills are learned faster in autumn, or is that just more lies & propaganda?  Just wondering....

I've found it makes an enormous difference in Uni.  With the autumn boost, one term paper and 2 assignments or one class fill up the grade meter completely.  I've been able to send sims to finals with almost 60 hours left in the semester.  With this boost I can get a student through a year of uni in less than an hour playing time without using 'rampage' at all.