If you DO regen
all changes are applied. original 7 get new specs, new creatures get new specs, etc.
Ok, in theory anyway. But like the guy said, he didn't see the alcohol dependency go away even after world regen. And no one can actually observe the changes made in attribute or skill decay/gain rates. That's the issue that eventually brought me here. It's on the bug tracker, too. Well, sort of. Not the exact same issue but closely related.
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=803(requires log-in)
My own testing solely consisted of experimenting with the original seven dwarves after making changes to the raws (plus the world regens). So that's why I wondered if the original 7 get potentially hard-coded values...
So.. this is just great. First I wanted to run a one dwarf fortress in DF2010. Then I discover that attributes and skills decay over time, after which I immediately attempt to alter this behavior, with no result. So, after a dozen failed attempts I try out the 40d version, which tasted pretty sweet after sucking on the sour DF2010. Urist McChosenOne organizes an unfortunate accident for the other six of his team and gets to work. Several years pass and he kills dozens of creatures while defending his fort. Then one day he notices that he's rather good with his crossbow, and decides he's actually so good that he doesn't have to work anymore. And that's when I learn about the hero status, and that they essentially can't be ordered to work, once a weapon skill has reached a certain level. And all I ever wanted to see was one battle-hardened know-it-all superdwarf. Switching weapons is not a permanent solution either. It -would- be if the skill and attribute gain/decay control worked properly, but alas... It all comes together in oh so wonderfully frustrating way :/