no, i guess you are right with that...
hm.. maybe if the picks had half the weight and there are "beginner kits" for chars under xx mining points that would not work at adv mining spot and brake harder, so that the start to get points is like novice grounds and after a bit of mining you can go like normal.
or maybe there could be some quests added to improve your mining skills (points) that are only aviable at lower point scores or atleast would give less at higher points.
atleast the idea with the broken picks could be done with a weight of 1~10 or so, just for the style.
