I know you guys worked hard on the perk system, but I really don't like it. I gave it some good play thru's since the release, but I feels very NOT 7 days to die. It is a very limiting and very awkward and forces you in to only a few ways of advancing. And when you do finally get to the end of the perk tree you chose the improvement is not the equivalent to the old system. It feels like a dumming down of the game. This does very little to add to the game, if anything as it is currently implemented it detracts from what was a good start to the skill trees. Of the things you added in A17, this is by far the worst addition, I MUCH prefer the book system and earning individual skills thru use.
Evilest Overlord gives Perk system a 2 out of 10.
What I think you should do to improve the game:
I do think that books should be changed from they automatically give you levels in a skill to they give you like 30 minutes of improved learning of a skill. Some skills should be locked behind finding and reading a book, then additional finds of the same book should act as a 30 minutes bonus. This gives books a continuing purpose in the game instead of paper bait or sell bait. The player SHOULD have to go into POI's to get certain skill books. Like for instance if you want a high chance of getting a "mini bike for dummies" book you should have to go into a minibike or motorcycle shop. You can even have a much higher chance of getting it in the garage, where their are 20 zombie mechanics. The Point is to give the player incentive to go into certain POI's if they want to go down a certain path. All skills should have a reasonable level minimum, but only the most powerful and ultra rare skills should be above say level 60.
I think that stats and perks do make sense for improving skills. Say you learn skills faster with certain stats and you get a bonus from purchasing perks to complement skills in a certain category. You can even keep the point system the same. This will make it a more strategic decision on what to add, and instead of a perk tree being a dead end it is a complement to the skill system. I do not think anything should be unlocked by perks.
You should get some basic books in the air drop, nothing exciting at first, but necessary things. As the game progresses, there should be a mechanism to get higher level skill books. Say creating a radio to "inform" the airdrop crews what you need. Each time you request it, you get a slightly higher chance of getting it.
The point is to make the game more interesting, not dumb it down. More complicated is good in this regard, this is a puzzle solving game after all.
Thank you for all your efforts TFP, it is appreciated.
hope that helps
