Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Ishtar]

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Ok blacksmiths, tailors and carpenters got some questions i'm throwing out to all of you, this is for a stratics story:

1. What is the hardest part about these professions?

2. What would you like to see changed/improved?

3. What are the pros/cons of these professions?

4. Did the randomization of ore/wood spawn impact you and how?

Your answers may be quoted. If you do not wish to be quoted please let me know.

Thanks for any and all help here.
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"Knowledge is not information, it's transformation."
-Osho-
Atlantic Shard News Reporter

[Samon Triest]

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1. What is the hardest part about these professions?

To me, and by me, I mean Jim Dowden (Boom, sir), it would be that to make the higher end items, first I have to invest time (Large amounts) and resources (Large amounts) into just getting a recipe. Then I have to log on my warrior or magic man and go around collecting resources that fall once in a great while off of the body of a monster. I am not complaining, I am just saying it is the hardest part to me.

2. What would you like to see changed/improved?

The BOD/Heartwood reward system could use a little tweak. I am not complaining that I don't GET good bods or rewards, but at the moment, the only way for sure to get them is to either script making the items (As with the Heartwood system) or with BODs, having like four accounts, each with a GM or above smith/trailor. It really takes the motivation out of you don't invest 22 hours of your day to collecting BODs.

3. What are the pros/cons of these professions?

The pros are, if you invest the time, or you don't have a problem scripting, you can make a bundle of gold. Plus, I can repair my own armor, which rocks the house. As far as cons, the BOD/Heartwood system, as I explained it above. Another con is the lack of trust and interaction these days. It used to be I could sit in Britian at the smithshop and repair armor all day long. Now, everything costs to much, on top of that, for every Honest Joe or Jane out and about, there are fifteen Steal Your rubbish or Try and Hack You Over ICQ Johnson. It is more a reflection of how the people on UO as a whole are, but it really shows in the crafting world.


4. Did the randomization of ore/wood spawn impact you and how?

Honestly, it did not. I had built up a pretty good amount of ingots and boards before the changes. I used to go to Delucia on the Felucca side, because I knew of a few spots where I could get Valorite, Verite, and Agapite ore for sure. Plus, with a few friends quitting here or there, I had mounted a pretty good numbers. So in the end, it hasn't hurt me, but I am sure if I had to run out and start mining or chopping down trees, I would end up pulling my hair out.
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Through all else, let Honesty lead you!

[Greyskull]

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1. Most mule characters really cant defend themselves. I trained my pack beetle up enough to be able to defend itself against the occasional ettin or troll or the occasional orc. So actually gathering the mats in hard to reach places can be a pain.

2. BOD system removed. Honestly it was the dumbest thing ever. I'd get so many crap BODs that I stopped getting them I mean seriously, how many exceptional axes BODs does a guy need to get before actually getting something worth a damn.

The Ores should go back to old school, to where it was just the color being the difference and not the property of the metal after its constructed.

3. Pros... well carpentry and stoneworking can help in decorations. alchemists and poison makers can probably always find work.

Cons... many moons ago when they hosed up the blacksmiths all we were good for now are repair deeds. Make the blacksmiths able to make armor worth using. I dont mean gear that you get +70 in all resistances off a pair of chain mail gloves, but atleast make it somewhat comparable to something you may get out of Doom or a champ spawn.

They could make it so people would need different ores to produce different results such as smithing dull copper with gold to make a shield for example that would have some magical properties. make it random so it would be worth smithing again.

4. Randomization of ore should have been done years ago. People with runebooks would recall to a spot, mine up the color they wanted/needed and scrapped the regular iron. This would go back to #2 where if they make the color of the metal back to just that... color... there wouldnt be so much waste of ore just laying around.

[Morier]

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1. The constant female attention, of course. I'm a man, and sometimes I need time to myself. Time I will use to fill hundreds of iron BODs that I can later turn in for a pittance, with a chance to receive more orders that I might possibly turn in for an even greater pittance! Sometimes they even give me things I can use!

2. I don't understand why I can't use stoneworking to make statues. Really nice statues, that is. Big, and maybe a little customizable, too. What's the deal with these vases and these cute little itty bitty figurines? Feh. They're nothing more than paperweights. My talent is wasted. Wasted!

Oh, and I guess it would be nice if the BOD system were, you know, fun and reasonably consistent and rewarding for people who don't have an account full of grandmaster craftsmen. But it's not like I'm complaining about it.

3. Um, I get to have my name on the stuff I make. But I don't get to put my name on clocks or sextants or stone items. That's not fair and it doesn't make any sense. How will folk know when they've lain eyes upon an Ond clock? They might attribute these marvelous creations to some two-bit basement Britannian tinker! I am Killian Ond, Grandmaster Clockmaker, and I demand recognition!

Oh, and sometimes I get these really nice hammers and sewing kits, and I can use them to make really powerful magical items! Um, sometimes. Most of the time, I just make a bunch of weapons that hit—and anger—lots of things at once and that only do slightly more damage than weapons I could have made without a runic hammer. A little bit of influence on this whole process would be nice. I mean, I am a great craftsman and a great mage! I ought to have some control.

4. It kept me from having to make a resource location library. Boy, that would have been tedious. I'm sure glad I didn't go through all that trouble before the change. I would have been quite vexed if I had. Hah! Those poor bastards.
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[Ishtar]

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Thanks for all the feedback, if anyone has more to add please do so. I should be wrapping up this soon.
_________________
"Knowledge is not information, it's transformation."
-Osho-
Atlantic Shard News Reporter

[Thomas Hunter]

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1. What is the hardest part about these professions? Simple, skill gain at GM Plus levels is too resource costly. At least for smithing. Tailoring is not so bad. With the template needed for an UBER Mule, I took mining off of my smith. He has Smithing/tailor/Carp/Fletch/Magery/and Tinkering and armslore.

To mine, I use a chiv pally, and all he does is mine.

2. What would you like to see changed/improved? Better bods. I gave up. And when I did I gave away about 7k bods. I think i even gave them to you if i remember correctly. Or at least some to you. I think that the upcoming changes to Runics are a good thing, and look forward to them being implemented. I would like to see runic tink kits, as they would allow you to make uber knives and cleavers. And like the bod system, heartwood quests need an overhaul. In a weeks time, I got 0 runic fletch kits, not even oak from 4 hours a day in heartwood.

3. What are the pros/cons of these professions? Pros, you can make and repair your armor and weps. Cons, well, there are too many cons out there so Deeds had to be created. Another con, is that why make weps and armor when you get as good if not better as loot. I think the most serious con is the probability of breaking something when you enhance. Lets not forget that not all repair deeds actually work to repair some items. Some of the head pieces still require the mule to repair them. And Tink Repair Deeds do not work on Golems.


4. Did the randomization of ore/wood spawn impact you and how? Well, the cost of Stone furniture is going to go up alot. Now if someone wants colored stone furniture, it could take a week of mining to get enough to do the job, but then you still have high failure rates at the colored stones.

[Ishtar]

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That should do it! The article will be up in a bit.
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"Knowledge is not information, it's transformation."
-Osho-
Atlantic Shard News Reporter

[Thomas Hunter]

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I would like to say that I read your article on stratics. I liked it. I would like to think that it might improve some things.
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"Always speak the Truth even if it leads to your death." - Lord Godfrey