Every point you spend does give a direct benefit. It pays the required cost for Miner69 and Motherlode.
1 point for tier 1
3 points more for tier 2
4 points more for tier 3
etc
It’s the direct cost for the benefit you want. Instead of the level 2 perk itself costing 3 points, you pay two for strength plus 1 for Miner69 tier 2.
I disagree and the facts disagree with you. You said every point have direct benefits, but it is only true if you use the weapon governed by the tree in question.
To reach Mother Lode 5 I need Strenght 7, it will cost 8 skill points to me, 8 player levels, if I dont use clubs, sldgehammers and shotguns, I dont will have any benefit from these points. You said these points are part of the cost of the ability, but if that is true, why my friend playing with shotgun and clubs is more powerfull than me?
The truth is: TFP created pre-character builds, they admitted it themselves, they said they wanted to give every atribute branch, some independence from the others.
But that independence is based on the use of pre-determined weapons who are linked to skills what are inside a tree. If you dont like the pre-made kit, then that "independence" falls by apart. The logic of independent attribute branch only work if the player want to follow it, if you dont want, you dont will see any independence. And if you dont follow the branch, every point spent in that attribute is a wasted point in comparison to the player who follow the schedule.
If TFP want work with something like that, it will better if they introduce class system to the game, like Darkness Falls has.
If they still want work with this system, then better they add some direct benefits to every single attribute point like A-17 has. And on top of that, I suggest weapons have its own branch, so you can play as a smart guy with pistols or with a strong guy with sniper rifle.
Let me guess, the perk you're interested in is Lucky Looter.
Lucky Looter's not as powerful as it used to be in the early game. It adds between 5% and 25% to the current gamestage, which doesn't have much effect at the beginning of the game. A gamestage of 10 becomes a loot gamestage of 10.5 with one point in Lucky Looter and 12.5 with Lucky Looter maxed out. Only when you are higher in the gamestage the effect of Lucky Looter becomes noticeable. Then a gamestage of 100 becomes a loot gamestage of 125 with Lucky Looter maxed out.
At the beginning the Eye Candy and the Lucky Looter Goggles are much more powerful since they add directly to the gamestage. The Eye Candy adds 5 to the gamestage so a gamestage of 10 becomes a loot gamestage of 15 and the Lucky Looter Goggles can also give up to 5 gamestages which means if you use the Eye Candy and the Lucky Looter Goggles then you will have a loot gamestage of up to 20.
Dude, the point here is not what skills we want, it is about combos. I dont want the combo: mining + shotgun, I want configure my own combo and hotpoon same as me. We dont want have to use jevelins, just because they are in the same tree as Lucky Looter and Scavenger.