IDEA: Introduce Farming Skill

[Pandora_CoD]

We have everything in place to do this already!

Seeds, gardening and tending system, resource production, etc etc. all in game already. I mean we have sheep that give resources already. Just add other animals too: like pigs that give ham/bacon, cows that give milk/ribs, chickens that give eggs/raw chicken, etc. etc. We have apple and pear trees that give fruits, why not add grapevines, oranges, coconuts, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc etc. I'd love to be able to make orange juice with my beverage maker that is also already in game! And use that to add to different types of wines, ales, liquors, etc. that I can make with a distillery.

I'd love to be able to grow vegetables, orchards, and tend a ranch! My guildie has a "farmer" and it got me thinking about this.

Ohhhh and PS. @Mesanna @Kyronix ---- on a totally unrelated matter please give us flushable TOILETS! *grins*

Pandy

 

[TheflY of LS]

I got sidetracked when you mentioned bacon....I love bacon!

 

[Nexus]

Ohhhh and PS. @Mesanna @Kyronix ---- on a totally unrelated matter please give us flushable TOILETS! *grins*

First they need to let us change the 17 year old skives.

 

[Angel of Sonoma]

First they need to give us a reason to grow all that food. I still haven't figured out what to do with the 200,000 fish steaks i have sitting in a chest. If it weren't for the fact they were all cooked I would take them to the trade minister. Why doesn't the trade minister take cooked fish steaks? Why do they have to be uncooked?

 

[Nexus]

First they need to give us a reason to grow all that food. I still haven't figured out what to do with the 200,000 fish steaks i have sitting in a chest. If it weren't for the fact they were all cooked I would take them to the trade minister. Why doesn't the trade minister take cooked fish steaks? Why do they have to be uncooked?

Deadly Poison them and randomly litter Felluca with them?

 

[old gypsy]

I've always loved the idea of being able to play a real farmer in UO. However, until they decide to make it distinctly advantageous for players to eat normal food on a daily basis, there doesn't seem to be any point in farming.

 

[Angel of Sonoma]

Deadly Poison them and randomly litter Felluca with them?

but there's no one in Felucca to eat them!

 

[It Lives]

We have everything in place to do this already!

Seeds, gardening and tending system, resource production, etc etc. all in game already. I mean we have sheep that give resources already. Just add other animals too: like pigs that give ham/bacon, cows that give milk/ribs, chickens that give eggs/raw chicken, etc. etc. We have apple and pear trees that give fruits, why not add grapevines, oranges, coconuts, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc etc. I'd love to be able to make orange juice with my beverage maker that is also already in game! And use that to add to different types of wines, ales, liquors, etc. that I can make with a distillery.

I'd love to be able to grow vegetables, orchards, and tend a ranch! My guildie has a "farmer" and it got me thinking about this.

Ohhhh and PS. @Mesanna @Kyronix ---- on a totally unrelated matter please give us flushable TOILETS! *grins*

Pandy

I am pretty sure you can get milk from cows still and there are grape vines from fishing up sos, they just don't produce anything.
Coconuts are in the game so are dates, lemons, limes, herbs... I get where it could go though.. We have Titans that give full pork platters:]

 

[old gypsy]

I am pretty sure you can get milk from cows still and there are grape vines from fishing up sos, they just don't produce anything... ]

Yes on milk from cows. You just need an empty pitcher in your pack. The grape vines, if connected to each other and locked down, do produce grapes though.

 

[It Lives]

Yes on milk from cows. You just need an empty pitcher in your pack. The grape vines, if connected to each other and locked down, do produce grapes though.

Did not know the vines produced. Looks like more fishing required ;]

 

[Arcanis]

You could replace the skill camping and call it Farming for plants and a Rancher utilizing herding,
You would have to goto the various fields and farms scattered
across the lands and could only gain the skill at those certain existing fields, growing certain items according to your level.

*Could use the plot system and add more rentable plots scattered all over New Mag since it seems to be turning into a market town..or could just add a garden plot option to the type of plot to drop there.
or better yet...
Make a garden plot deed accessible through a garden tool ( a plow)...which lets you place a 7x7, 10x10,14x14 or an 18x18 plot garden according to skill level and $$ amount you have available.

Of course you would need the space to make those bigger plots, and i think the majority of the ppl who would even want a garden would want to have one next to their houses if possible.

So either the garden plot would fit on the existing open area around your house , which may conflict with housing plans the game has..or has to be located elsewhere...
but thats what RGB's are for... personal home use.

So for taking the idea to the next level...


Skara Brae is the city that feeds the ppl according to the Ultima Lore.
So maybe focused around there......maybe have Skara Brae annex the brit maze and turn it into farmland.
Plenty of area around there for fields...either that or add a massive featureless farmland area in the moongate option...call it Farmlands?...idk..whatev..

0-40 skill buy at NH just to keep it uniform with the rest of the skill or plant regular seeds at home in pots and tend them from 0-40 skill
( no raised GB's for skill gain purposes, but can use them to churn out deco only plants, with leaves & seeds to harvest to grind into ingredients using (mort & ped or coffee grinder tool) for use to make different flavored beverages like someone mentioned already.

Example of skill gain progression:

40-60 work a wheat field
60-80 work a cotton field
80-100 a veggie field....etc


1 stationary Farmer npc could be in every city that hands out order deeds that a player farmer/rancher has to fill to gain to the next skill level..
( much like the huntmaster Npc in skara does for that hunting system)
(also could thrown in a trophy case for the largest food items grown by a single farmer for display too..)

the farmer Npc would have random orders to be filled on it as well as Governor ordered items to be filled.


Depending how deep the developers would run with it, a whole system could be created to tie into city loyalty. With the aim to really open up and expand player interest with useful goals and more hands on interaction between players, the cities they are loyal to, expanding their governors roles, and to help build a stronger foundation of community.

For just one small example as to Farming and how it could impact community interaction.


At Gm Farming level you could have the option to plant new/graft to, existing permanent trees in the wild and have your name tagged on it for a duration of time, like when the trees resources run out or something, encouraging replanting/regrafting.
or have an Orchard where you concentrate on one type of crop & employ new farmers and get a cut of their yield as they gain in skill. ( say,being employed on a players orchard increases yield ..etc)

Each time a lumberjack gets usable wood from the player tagged tree you would gain in city points to help with those expensive city titles/loyalty ratings etc...
(much better than dropping thousands of mindless ingots in a trade ministers box and getting an instant loyalty rating...such a thoughtless act and bereft of any community involvement as well ...where do all those donated items go anyway? Do they serve a purpose?
Well they should.)

There would also be " zones" of where you can have those trees altered to work for you/ your city...for example
.. since all of moonglow is an island..all the trees there would only spawn loyalty points to those loyal to Moonglow if the tree is player tagged,
so when any random lumberjack hits the tree your name is tagged on, the lumberjack gets his quarry just like normal, but since he hit "your tree" you get loyalty points/love for your town on your personal character level as well as "points" for your town, you would have to check on your tagged trees to make sure it wasnt "cut down/used up/still alive/free of disease" often....the life of a farmer...

These personal (disposable points) can be used by the character to redeem or ..
to buy unique items off of the town city stone or Npc .
While the personal (long term points) which are just simply the running total # of points your character has ever earned while loyal to that city, keep track of loyalty rating,
the higher your rating the higher your title....no more donation for titles..or cash to buy them..
make it to where you have to earn them.

(I mean what Rper wouldnt want a shirt that reads...Minoc Rocks! or Support Minoc Ore Else!...or..
This shirt was made with Yew in mind!...)

"Show your town Pride & Support with these items..) "
...item list can be endless, from vanity items to workable usable items.

When a character buys these items..the points that those items cost goes into the towns coffers.
and there can be many other ways towns can accumulate points thru character interaction.

Town points that are accumulated over time by its citizens actually taking part in this whole system can be used by Governors to get the additions they want for their cities...
These "city projects" can be started by a governor,

As governor you want to make a change and get a dock or whatever building for your town as well as leave yourself a legacy?

Well you better get your ppl to work, no more begging the king or mesanna, to place trash barrels..heh
You need to employ Farmers, Miners, Lumberjacks, Blacksmiths and accrue city points to get your items.
I can see the new player events already..

Massive farmer parties to graft trees. ( trees need to mature)
the following week
Lumberjacks to cut them parties..(special wet wood produced)
following week
Carpenters to craft ( after wood dries out)( special item made from the wood)
..every stage points are accumulated..(more on special items further down, remember it for later)

Miners to the quarries!
a week later
Smiths to smelt
Tinkers & smiths to refine and craft ( again special item produced)

Fishers,Cooks,Alchemist...

Ranch Farmers ( not just plants as farmers but animals as well...vet and herding skills used)
Herders, Tailors,Scribes (to make and inscribe those city supportive items on the stones...etc)


Any of the trade and wild skills combo can be used in this system... all generating points for characters and cities using a cities greatest commodity...its citizens. And every city can have a specialization..
(minoc and mining/ore for example)

In contrast for example New Mag has very little trees to support its own resources..so the Governor there would have to appeal to the King for a grant to lease an area of woodland,or mining rights elsewhere, or make a trade deal with another Governor to lease a portion of their alotted woodlands/mountains.

So interactive real measurable trade deals will be active between cities and any character that claims
any city loyalty to any city will have access to all town bulletin boards to view what going on, as read only in other cites and read and write capabilites on the boards in their loyal town.
(Governors reserve the right to deny write access permission in case of spammers..but no one can block read access unless your exiled from your town..
( heh..more on that idea some other time..so many jails we never use)

Now lets tie it all together, and what better way to do that than with the King.

The King directs Skara Governor to produce X amount of whatever crop.
Minoc to produce X amount of whatever ore....etc something for all cities..

The governors job is to be able to deliver the requested amount of whatever in a certain time frame.
When all the cities present their unique quotas
( remember the special items produced from above?...maybe its a new wood/ore for the storyline...etc)
its assembled or crafted or fed too or raised..whatever it is..then the final event can take place..
To destroy the whatever threat that looms the Kingdom at the time.

ok thats long enough..you get the idea..thx for reading

 

[arkiu]

i'm sorry. i don't mean to sound like a troll here, and i hate knocking other players ideas, but uo already has enough useless, time consuming, repetitive, madly boring skills in the game already. implementing a new skill like farming would take away broadswords already lacking resources from adding new dungeons, spawns, difficult and rewarding quests etc. don't hate me for writing this. just feel there has been a severe lack of new challenging content the past year or so and i'm getting tired of more plants and deco and grind fest skills and events etc, and i feel like farming would be another one of those. i'm not opposed to new skills btw. i'm just getting bored and want some new action. revamping fishing sounded fun, and look how insanely boring and grindy high seas made fishing. i dunno if thats relevant or not but i can see farming being a nightmare. don't hate me. my thoughts could very well be rubbish and poorly thought out. maybe they could pull some magic and make a farming skill fun, but i just don't see it.

 

[Tanivar]

A farming skill could be fun. It would need to not be a grind though and give some benefit to growing plants in pots like less potions needed and more resources grown as your skill grows. Say half the potions to tend and twice the resources.

A nice thing would be, once GM, you could tell which plants need tending to save on all that mousing and clicking plant tending takes. A lot of us are getting old Devs and arthritis is setting in.

 

[Philly]

If ya wanna farm there is always Farmville! LOL sounds like the idea are from FB.

 

[Pandora_CoD]

I totally get folks saying that this takes away from what they consider to be primary goal of dungeons and spawns. But not everyone plays the exact same way and not everyone enjoys the exact same things in UO.

There are a bunch of useless skills that could be reworked to put in this type of system and like I said a lot of this would be utilizing what is already in game. Like adding seeds for vegetables and letting folks use them in the same way we use gardening would be great. Plants have an alchemical and cooking use, vegetables could too. That should not be too difficult to accomplish.

I could also see expanding the idea as folks have mentioned here. Good food created by chefs or new potions created by alchemists could give players temporary buffs for example. That's not a far stretch.

I could also see "farming" tiles added to the house design menus or as drops from champ spawns that facilitate this skill.

 

[Tanivar]

If ya wanna farm there is always Farmville! LOL sounds like the idea are from FB.

My play from day one back in the fall of 2000 has been foraging and crafting, little serious hunting involved. My characters live fairly regular lives in this land we play in and are some of the crowd the mighty heroes who can solo the ML & SA dungeons walk among. My characters are part of the crowd that gathers the resources to make mighty armor and weapons for those mighty heroes, among the crowd that makes the mighty armor and weapons for those mighty heroes, and part of the crowd that makes the potions, arrows, and other supplies those mighty heroes use doing their heroic deeds in deadly places where Bad Things Play. We are those who help those mighty heroes be heroes. Without us the mighty heroes would be a lot less mighty.

 

[virtualhabitat]

Farming skill- Plants planted by a farmer require half as many potions for maintenance.


Aside from magic foods like pies, green apples, etc, regular food should be a part of uo life. Not eating and drinking should have an effect on peak performance. Hit points, stamina, and mana should all be subject to eating a regular diet of food and water.

GM made foods should be part of the UO economy.

Also, it would be nice if regular use of oil cloth on armor and weapons would slow down durability loss.

 

[Uvtha]

You could replace the skill camping and call it Farming

OT I know, but I always wanted them to roll Tracking, and Camping together rename it Survival, and give it traps, and the ability to forage (to find regs, or food or other random items) and the ability to pitch tents with Chests of sending.

I'd use that skill for sure.

Along the same id combine LP and remove trap into one skills (Burglary), and Snooping and detect hidden into one skill (Searching or something). Then add in more traps and hidden stuff just our and about in the world. Dungeons with alternate routes that require those kind of skills etc.

I really feel like none of those skills justify 100 skill points, and combining some might breath some new life into some old templates.

I'd like to see a Plant Lore skill added for farming, and let Animal lore deal with ranching type stuff, raising giant spiders for spidersilk etc.

 

[Lord Viro]

We could Farm for reagents such as ginseng, garlic, mandrake root, nightshade, bloodmoss. Raise spiders for silk, clams for black pearl, fire ants for sulfuras ash. etc.
i'm sure even the necro reagents and such could be implemented.

 

[Keith of Sonoma]

Yes on milk from cows. You just need an empty pitcher in your pack. The grape vines, if connected to each other and locked down, do produce grapes though.

Thank you, I learned something today!!!

 

[azmodanb]

Would the nice To expand om what we have already....@Kirthag i hope this is ok.

 

[Promathia]

There are way too many consumables in the game that already don't get used. You would IMO, need to revamp the whole system of consumables + make a worthwhile fun gameplay system that provides something meaningful to the player.

The whole "Eat to keep your stats up" thing isn't fun, that's a chore. UO needs to get more casual friendly, not more hardcore (which would just turn more people off). You could just follow WoW and have food give you bonus stats, but with UO's depth surely something more exciting could be thought of?

IMO for anything you wish to add to UO, you need the following:
1. Strong base system
2. A system that is fun and not a "chore" to the majority of players
3. Meaningful results


For example, I think VvV hits 1 + 2 but not 3. Sure the base system is good, the battles are quick and easy to understand....But whats the point of it all? Is anything meaningful to the playerbase for winning? The rewards were too basic, the results of battle had no impact on you. This is a major problem with content in UO, and why there are vastly more concerns the Devs should have, than introducing a farming system (Which quite frankly, would probably miss the mark and end up unused anyway)

 

[Pandora_CoD]

My play from day one back in the fall of 2000 has been foraging and crafting, little serious hunting involved. My characters live fairly regular lives in this land we play in and are some of the crowd the mighty heroes who can solo the ML & SA dungeons walk among. My characters are part of the crowd that gathers the resources to make mighty armor and weapons for those mighty heroes, among the crowd that makes the mighty armor and weapons for those mighty heroes, and part of the crowd that makes the potions, arrows, and other supplies those mighty heroes use doing their heroic deeds in deadly places where Bad Things Play. We are those who help those mighty heroes be heroes. Without us the mighty heroes would be a lot less mighty.

Exactly and we cannot discount the many folks that play this game exactly for this reason.