[Fishing] The thing with Crab Fishing ...

[Umfufu]

I started to notice I am getting a growing dislike for crab fishing.
Initailly I thought I was a really nice idea, something totally different.

Now doing these Monger Quests and the amounts of crabs/lobsters needed for these make me start to realize what I find disturbing about crab fishing.

Now to be clear .. I don't mind putting time in to achieve something in game, it is not like I wish it the easy way.
And if the amouts needed for the quests were lesser, I think I wouldn't feel the way I do now.

But this crab fishing atm feels like I am staring myself blind to my screen, trying not to miss a *bob*.
Literally ...
It gives me the feeling I cannot look away for even one second.
I lost the feeling of relaxation during game play.

When crab fishing I have hardly time to roll a smoke or reply in ally/clan chat, icq, eat potato chips ... etc etc, because this fishing system is setup in this fashion you have to pay attention ALL the time, and on top of that have to click alot.

With alot of active activities like hunting, I can run to a spot and invis, just stop chopping wood to do the little things I do when playing.
When scribing with make max option, and fishing on repeat, alchemey I can be laid back, chat and even mend some clothes or catch up reading bits of forums.
I have time to chat with my man, look at his screen when he wants to show me something, pet the cat or whatever.

Sometimes I had orders which had 3 lines with crabs in which an amout of 20 is not uncommon., and they occur in many orders.
It often takes me 1-2 hours with 10 traps to just get a 20 done.
In this time I am totally absorbed and sucked into my monitor.
Even running 1-3 quests a day you risk some kind of crab/lobster in your order.

I could do it with maybe 4 traps, but then I double the time I need to fill an order, but I notcied the intensety between 4-6-8-10 tramps in staring at the screen doesn't differ much.
And tbh for the types of rewards 4-6 hours for one quest I think is a wee bit overdone, it is not like I am getting some arti or such.
I have had happen after spending 4 hours on a 5er-6er quest to end up with a book.

Again I do not mind working for what I want ingame, but I guess it is the "intensety" combined with the frequecy that this activity asks for that is starting to bother me.

What would already help enormously would be if a trap has content it flashes or something, till you take it out or it sinks, not for the 3 secs you get a warning now.

So in short what I am basicly saying, is I find crab fishing pretty intense for to often.

Is it just me ?

 

[Luke Carjacker]

I totally agree, once you have traps in the water, it's like you're stuck staring at the screen. Crab/lobster fishing is kind of like those puzzles in the underworld where you have to run around constantly to get a prize.

Here's how I put it in a post on Uhall (most people didn't care I guess). People enjoy fishing, both in game an RL, because it is relaxing. Crab fishing, however, is totally frenetic. You're constantly on heightened awareness and you're running around crazy, not to mention you're terrified that you'll miss something and the trap & catch will fall to the bottom of the sea. Totally different psychology from fishing in game. If you cast out a line and get nothing, then that's just your luck. But if you put out a trap, it bobs then sinks before you can get to it (sometimes it just sinks instantly), it feels like you lost something, which just makes you feel bad.

I do almost everything in game. I've killed everything there is in the game (solo'd most), I'm a pretty good PvPer and enjoy that too, and I've gm'd every crafting skill. But I've always enjoyed fishing because it's relaxing. But now, if you want to do the fish monger quests, you have no choice you must fish for crab and lobster. I really don't enjoy it, and it's being forced on me if I want to do the fishing quests to become a legendary fisherman. Yuck.

 

[anna anomalous]

hey guys, just wanted to let you know i posted a reply to this issue as a new thread to catch peoples eyes when they're scrolling through. here's the link, tell me what you think!

http://vboards.stratics.com/uo-fish...225579-annas-method-lobster-crab-fishing.html

 

[Petra Fyde]

I'm doing it a slightly more relaxed way. I drop traps whether I have a crab order or not, building up a small stock. I drop 4 traps, then fish with a rod 5 times. Then I look for the traps bobbing. It's a lot less intense than sitting watching the things from the second you set them.

 

[B_Barracuda]

i also find this actually easy. i usually place 10-15 traps at a time, all around my boat. by the time i finished placing the last trap the first begins to *bob* and I start pulling them out, emptying them (if they caught anything), and immediately putting them back in again (or a replacement, if the trap was lost). this way i constantly place and empty traps and can catch a good amount of crustacean in a reasonable time. it almost works as fast as fishing. but it only works because places aren't fished empty anymore since the booster came out.

it took a while before i figured this out. what annoys me more is that traps are lost so damn often.

 

[Gunga_Din]

They should just be removed from the game entirely. Its caused a ton of people to quit the fishmonger quests, including myself. Most who wanted to try fishing for the first time, stopped after 5 or so quests. Sending me ICQ's asking me if there was a trick to the traps. I tell them no and then they move onto to something else in UO.

End of the day its gonna be about 20 people that can stand doing these quests. I don't think anyone has put in as much effort as the OP. I quit at about 70.

 

[Umfufu]

I really do enjoy this booster, and always have really enjoyed fishing.

Ofcourse my endgoal of the Monger Quests for now is getting the prized 120 scroll, but even after I would like to enjoy these quests.

I think Luke managed to put in shorter words how I feel:

Crab fishing, however, is totally frenetic. You're constantly on heightened awareness and you're running around crazy, not to mention you're terrified that you'll miss something and the trap & catch will fall to the bottom of the sea. Totally different psychology from fishing in game. If you cast out a line and get nothing, then that's just your luck. But if you put out a trap, it bobs then sinks before you can get to it (sometimes it just sinks instantly), it feels like you lost something, which just makes you feel bad.

I cannot help it, am aware of this and still the moment I toss in a trap this is kinda what happens.

I will try what Petra suggested and also Anna's Method see how they both work out.
I mean if I am going be intense Anna I may best do it in your massive way and get it over and done with.
Or just try to be laid back about it like Petra and incorperate it as a "side effect" of my normal fishing.

But it is really really hard for me atm to "ignore" the *bob*

 

[B_Barracuda]

End of the day its gonna be about 20 people that can stand doing these quests. I don't think anyone has put in as much effort as the OP. I quit at about 70.

i think that the developers are working right now on some tweaks about fishing. i am sure they are aware of the issues, as well as the lack of powerscrolls. this is why i fish the ocean empty like a madman and store all the fish away for the time being. i won't do more quests before any of this has been fixed. but when everything is resolved, i'll be ready