Mining, Logging, Gathering should not be skills
Iuri Guilherme
Tool efficiency and mining, logging, gathering benefits should work like Skyrim and other games with the system they use: you should get experience every time you do it, regardless of you choose to be a specialist in that skill. Mining, logging, gathering and hunting actual specialties should be left as crafting skills like any other - or be renamed to match what they do.
We seldom see people mining rocks to sell to those with mining skill star, or chopping trees, gathering crops, hunting fort hat matter. And when people spend the star in such a skill, they would normally prefer to set up the crafting tables and sell the final products they can do instead of basic ingredients (concentrate instead of ore, raw meat instead of carcasses, etc.)
At all times people who do the actual gathering of raw materials (or "farming" as it's commonly named) are the most important for the economy but what end up happening is that each player would only harvest the ingredients related to their profession, not only because people want to skip buying raw ingredients but also because they get an incentive from their specialized skill and talents.
So all those activities (mining rock/ore, chopping trees, hunting animals, harvesting crops) should give points to skills that are not in the star system, or to ones that are given on player creation like the survivalist.
S
Sinjal
Conversely I think they could be homogenized into one single skill that has a lot more levels to it than the usual basic 7-tiers and thus more progression for those basic needs and use the "pick one" skill buffs to let you specialize a bit more into whatever you actually end up doing.
Satsuki Shizuka
Instead of simply "unlocking them all", I motion that a LIMITED sharing of such gathering skills (and their bonus perks from its levels) be made possible via the settlements system. For example, having 1 of a profession would allow up to level 3 (of 7) shared with all other townsfolk when said professional has a level 7. Having two (or three) would unlock it up to 5 or 6. Level 7 Would be star-invested exclusive.
This would (hopefully) increase freedom in players helping others out in other tasks, and would divest from the repetition of being "stuck" in a profession. This would also potentially open up hobbies (such as hunting) as a cultural pursuit.
LongStryder
I think that those skills are just fine being professions, but I am of the opinion that they should be unlocked by default. There is a way to do it using server commands that doesn't steal your first three stars, but it's kind of convoluted. Of every player started the game with the mining/logging/gathering skills unlocked by default, then it would be less of an issue.
Alternatively, if they become a sort of Stat system like you are suggesting, they could make new professions to deal with the initial processing of those materials. Or fold them into existing professions, although I like the idea of essentially adding new low-tech professions that would be useful all the way to the late-game.
Xavier Weber
It will be nice.
Quite similar idea in : https://feedback.play.eco/feature-suggestions/p/logger-miner-skill-rework