before I get to the issue I entered as the main subject....what does the general setting option "use wacoom plugin" actually do?

and now to my main question: is there a trick to entering the tones with the pen? I more often than not know the right tone and draw the according line but somehow skritter doesn't recognise it and marks it wrong. This is particularly true for first tones (which it often reads as fourth tones) and second tones which it often things are third tones.
Although I could of course use either tonal buttons at the bottom or the num pad, I would definitely be more comfortable to just draw them....

Any tips?

I use a wacom tablet and pen, prefer to draw the tones rather than use the buttons and end up with misrecognized tones from time to time. It is invariably my fault.

It is important to line up your tablet in proper relationship with your arm, not necessarily aligned with your desk, so that the line you naturally draw as straight horizontal is indeed parallel to the tablet edge. Otherwise when you draw what feels like a horizontal (first) tone line, it may actually be slightly rising (recognized as second) or falling (recognized as fourth). The first recognized as fourth means that your tablet ought to be rotated clockwise if you're right-handed, I believe.

Similarly, sometimes I get false third tones - I believe this happens when I have wiggled a bit at the start of a stroke which I intend to be straight. It seems that the algorithm is fairly sensitive to what (to me) seems like a tiny deviation from the ruler-straight line I think I have drawn and most any wobbly line is identified as a third tone.

hope this helps

Hey sarac

will try that (am at work right now:). I've also found that the algorithm seems to be really sensitive to the small wriggles at the beginning of the line.
Guess I will just have to get used to it.

The tone drawing is particularly touchy. For instance, I never even attempt to draw neutral tones, I always use the tone buttons for that.

You're actually right about the wiggles in the strokes 百发没中, the way the handwriting recognition works is to detect vectors and points of inflection. Sadly, this often means that if you wiggle or angle the end of a stroke too much Skritter mis-recognizes the intended stroke.

The tone strokes are also less tuned as they were added later and didn't have the benefit of the hand-tuning that Nick did for other character-specific strokes.

Have you considered adding a circle or something for neutral tone? I also head for the button there...

I do draw a small circle for neutral tone, and it works fine, I can't remember ever using the tone buttons...

Amazing, I had never noticed!

I've found tones really touchy with my wacom as well.

I also found them really touchy, they could do with some improving.

Yes, I will do some more work on them next time I do tuning. By the way, you can make neutral tones out of any curve that ends near where it starts--small circles, big circles, triangles, 3D cubes, whatever. Small circles are the intention.