This is probably something that would most easily be handled by the community at large than by the Devs, but, may need input from both. New (and, even not-so-new) players need more and better information about Training Points: what they do; what they affect; and, how they help to shape a character.
I can really only speak to the experiences of a young dragon, as Morinare is the only character I've taken very far in Istaria (I do have a Saris alternate, but, haven't the time to do much with him), but, I wouldn't be surprised if new players in the other races have the same problems. (And, by new, I do mean *new*...not an experienced player starting an alternate) Over the last couple of weeks, I've helped several, less experienced characters with quests and things and have found many questions about how to assign Training Points...and, to be honest, I couldn't really give them any answers. When I've asked, in Dragon and New Player channels, about Training Points, the response has varied between total silence and confusing, differing information.
I know that, during initial training, the Tutorials do give a bit of information about Training Points, but, it's quite vague and gives no real guidance; it's also entirely possible to miss it, unless you click on just the right thing and read through everything presented (which, for better or worse, many do *not*). Other than that, there's nothing...
Again, speaking only as a dragon, when I first began playing Istaria, I poured over this forum, as well as the Wiki site (and, once it became available again, the Crimson Dawn site), looking for anything useful; I'll freely admit to being an information geek, as information is one more weapon Morinare can "use" in the game. I found a lot of inferences that made it sound as if there was a major difference between the combat styles of Lunun and Helian dragons...nothing specific or concrete, mind you, but, enough to make it sound like you could have a successful, YOUNG dragon who was strictly a melee fighter OR strictly a spell-caster.
When I began to build Morinare, I placed the majority of my Training Points in areas that, from what I could glean from various sources, aided in spell-casting; i.e., Primal, Power and Focus. Every so often, just to be different, I'd toss some into other areas, as well, primarily into Strength and Dragon Breath. And, since several of these only take 3-points, I'd stuff 1 point into Health.
I was building, I thought, a very good spell-caster. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that very few critters simply stand there and let you toss range spells at 'em; worse, I discovered that they can close on me MUCH faster than I can retreat and cast another spell at 'em. Rude of them, I thought.
But, there's the truism: all combat devolves into melee, and, all dragons (and, this probably works for the biped races, as well) have to be able to fight close-in, or, they will die.
The information that's available to the newer player really doesn't make this clear. And, yes, most players *will* figure it out for themselves, but, by the time they do, they may well have placed so many points in the "wrong" areas that their only real choice is to scrap the character and start over. This isn't conducive to player happiness.
As an example (and, I won't use any names), I was helping a newer player over the last couple of days. He's put most of his Training Points into the various "defensive" areas for his hatchling: Evasion, Dexterity, Magical Evasion. He assumed, from what he'd read, that this would make it difficult for critters to hit him. Well, of course, he's partially correct...they DO have trouble hitting him, but, at the same time, he can't touch them, either, since he's put virtually no points into any of the "offensive" areas. Monster and dragon end up locked in a macabre dance that the dragon will eventually lose.
I was lucky. Through a combination of the Dragon Cheat Sheet, conversations with much more experienced players, and, my own observations, I was able to "fix" Morinare's stats; others won't be so lucky.
There really needs to be a definitive, easy to access set of "guidelines" regarding Training Points. It should, ideally, be available in the Forum and probably in the FAQ. And, it should be something that the community, at large, fully understands (or, at the very least, is aware of, so they can refer questions to it). These shouldn't be (nor, can they be) a step-by-step "how-to" for creating a character, but, more along the lines of the information in the Dragon Cheat Sheet; i.e., a clear, concise description of what each Statistic and Skill does, and how it affects the character. I'd suggest that this description should be a bit more fleshed out than the Dragon Cheat Sheet, as that really is bare-bones.
Again, this is something that is for the *newer* players; while most of this may well be obvious to those of you who've played Istaria for years, it is much less obvious to those of us who've only recently found this game.
And, I'll happily put my money where my mouth is: if I can get or have provided to me the information I'm talking about, I'll be more than willing to cobble something together and submit it to the community and/or developers for their suggestions and approval.
Thanks to anyone who's read through all this mess, and, I'd welcome any comments or suggestions (preferably polite and physically possible suggestions!).