Suggestion for begging gains...

[Sindris]

Ok, so after all these years of playing UO, the Devs finally gave me a reason to GM begging. Not a GREAT reason really, truth is I was a little bored and figured what the hell. Ya know?
So I made a new guy with 50 begging and 49 magery. Figured I'd get the newbie mage reward in Haven while I was there.

Distractions aside, I begin begging in earnest. The gains were decent until about 70-75. It slowed down quite a bit after that, but I expected it and was not terribly put off. After 85 I begin to feel that the wait between gains was getting a bit excessive since the overall usefulness of the skill was pretty low. Still, I pressed on. I begged for an hour and got nothing, then 10 minutes into the next hour I got a gain, then another. O' happy day! Sadly, this turned out to be a tease. I got nothing for two hours after that. My wife and I took turns getting one or two points every couple of hours past 90. And then we hit a wall.
I do not condone or endorse AFK macroing, but holy crap was I getting burned out. So I looped a long macro through UO assist that would last 5 or 6 mintues and let it rip, restarting it every few minutes.

Even while macroing this godawful skill off and on all day, I getting maybe one full point a day. I'd be fine with this were it not for the fact that pretty much ANY other skill in game can be worked much faster, even past 100.

I am now at 99.3 and can see the light at the end of the tunnel, as it were, but I couldn't help but think that could be better ways to gain in this skill as well as different and better rewards based on the region you are begging in. For now I'll focus on the gaining aspect of the skill.

Characters should no longer be able to beg from any NPC more than once per day. Its kinda silly that you can stand in one spot and beg from the same people repeatedly. We have a lot of towns in UO, beggars could roam the earth like Cain, begging thier way around the world. Not as convenient as standing in one spot, to be sure, but the upside could be faster skill gains and the possibility of getting interesting items from NPC's they meet.

Since you would only be able to beg each NPC once per day, the gains sould be turned up substantially. Not only because of the extra running around required, but also because with limited NPC's, the amount of gains per day would be limited. Not a bad trade really, who wants to beg more than an hour at a time anyway?

 

[Harlequin]

There's no more anti macro code, however for begging, you only gain skill when you receive gold/items from your "mark".

Now, the tricky part is that after your mark gives you money, there's a cool-down period before he gives you any more (apprx 1-2 mins I think).

During this period, no matter how many times you try, you will not get anything from you rmark and thus, no skill.

So it's not a very good skill to macro. Your suggestion at going around the towns and begging from every NPC you meet would is actually how you are supposed to do it now.

But still, begging is only a little less painful than taming to train. Mainly because you get a success/failure feedback immediately instead of having to walk around with your mark and wait for the message. Also, begging is not difficulty based nor does it go beyond 120.

 

[Xenobia]

I've noticed that those wondering healers near my house on Ice Island are a bit harder to grovel to and I seem to gain everytime I accually succeed on them...Just a suggestion...good luck

 

[Fink]

Since you would only be able to beg each NPC once per day, the gains sould be turned up substantially. Not only because of the extra running around required, but also because with limited NPC's, the amount of gains per day would be limited.

NPCs aren't in limited supply, though. They respawn after they're killed. Some places such as Barrier Isle might be better than others.

 

[Sindris]

Now, the tricky part is that after your mark gives you money, there's a cool-down period before he gives you any more (apprx 1-2 mins I think).

During this period, no matter how many times you try, you will not get anything from you rmark and thus, no skill.

So it's not a very good skill to macro.

The timer for begging is 11 seconds between begs. With 6 or so NPC's in close proximity, you can beg from them non-stop. I would also be for increasing the gold drop cap at high levels of begging from 20 gold to the possibility of receiving a random gem. Obviously this would not a career choice for most players, but they could add variety similar to fishing. Throwing in a random rival beggar spawn that attacks to fight for their begging turf. Lots of funny possibilities.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

Combat beggers? I think you're treading on dangerous territory, suggesting such a thing...

Anyway, this page has some interesting theories on how begging gains work. I'm of the impression a lot of it is balony, but there's probably at least some grains of truth in there.

 

[Phaen Grey]

I started a begger last year and poophed out after a month, never made it past 55, I found it more tedious than poisoning to gain.

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[Lord Drakelord]

Took us forever to make one GM beggar, we had started two last year so the wife and I could run around together but she quit training when the gains got so hard to get, she told me she rather go back to her tamer then ever do beggar again.

I also would like to see the timer betwen marks go away, so hard to beg from NPC in the area when you have to wait for the chance to beg from them.

 

[Sindris]

Combat beggers? I think you're treading on dangerous territory, suggesting such a thing...

Anyway, this page has some interesting theories on how begging gains work. I'm of the impression a lot of it is balony, but there's probably at least some grains of truth in there.

Dangerous territory? Would it be more dangerous that combat fishermen?

 

[Fink]

Combat beggers? I think you're treading on dangerous territory, suggesting such a thing...

Anyway, this page has some interesting theories on how begging gains work. I'm of the impression a lot of it is balony, but there's probably at least some grains of truth in there.

Dangerous territory? Would it be more dangerous that combat fishermen?

Dangerous as in beggars of yore were opposed to anything other than begging. Combat is one of the Ultimate Evils in the beggar's creed, because it leads to killing. Blacksmithy is evil because it contributes to combat. And so on.. for pretty much the rest of the skills list.