Blue Crystals & sick Gypsies : Should have been designed better ?

[popps]

Since it takes many blue crystals to fully heal these sick NPCs in order to receive a robe, some player, given the current way it has been designed, are "jumping in" other players' hard work giving blue crystals to the sick NPC and so getting chances and rights at them receiving the robe, not the actual player who initiated the process or gave the most blue crystals to the sick NPC.

That is, a player can end up sinking a whole lot of blue crystals into the sick NPC but some other player receive a robe for just dropping in a few.

Perhaps it could have been designed better like giving exclusive rights to the player who initiated the process and other players' blue crystals were refused untill the process was ended ? Of course, with a time out timer to avoid sick NPCs sitting waiting on the same one player forever....

On another note, this Halloween event has been designed with a whole lot of things to do but for too much a short span of time.

Too much to do in too little of time.

Perhaps the Event deadline should be postponed of a week or 2 to allow players to more fully enjoy all aspects of it ?

Not all players can play all day long, some only have an hour or 2 a day if at all....

just wondering........

 

[hen]

It's fine and dandy the way it is.

 

[Farsight]

I thought about a lengthy answer, but I'll just say this.

I played for about 2 hours on the new content and have done everything except Trick or Treats.

So not enough time is certainly a bad way of saying it.

 

[Teeshy]

Doesn't affect me since I'm not trying to get one, but basically it's supposed to be about luck and pretty much, you're lucky you get to have a chance to get one still

The original design was that only 12 luck robes would be available per shard.

 

[Chad Sexington]

In Trammel yes, on Siege, no.

 

[jack flash uk]

go armed with 50 blues, your all set, dont go with a few at a time and top up as you are asking for trouble

Alot of players including me did this to begin with, but much has been said about it and only the ill or non advised players continue to top up

so, like i said go with 50 and, like a guild mate you may get very lucky, he was prepared for 1 robe and got 2, with about 7 crystals used each time

 

[R Traveler]

Just in case they deside to make "fair" system for such type of quests. There is already similar system with peerless keys. First person who drop key get exclusive rights for next 5 minutes to place other keys.

 

[Harlequin]

Actually, all valid points raised by popps.

Individual counters for using blue crystals and an extension would be nice.

In my perfect utopian world, everyone would be nice and take turns to cure the gypsies without stealing.

That way, everyone wins without doing it at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world, yet...

Thus certain things (not all though) needs to be designed in ways that prevent such scenarios.

The quests were in overall very well designed. And if Popp's OP had said that it was designed badly, I would have opposed it.

But I do feel it would be even better if the crystal turn ins had individual counters.

 

[NewThunder]

I am pretty sure this is a multiplayer game, there are going to be many times the players are competing for resources; I like this design it makes it random and involves everyone. Don't worry your life will not end if you do not get every item in the game!

 

[Connor_Graham]

I am pretty sure this is a multiplayer game, there are going to be many times the players are competing for resources;

Robes are items, not resources. Resources are consumable.

Just sayin'...

 

[popps]

In my perfect utopian world, everyone would be nice and take turns to cure the gypsies without stealing.

That way, everyone wins without doing it at the expense of others.

The way I see it, this is a game, intended to entertain paying subscribers.
And, it revolves around a virtual world resulting from software code which can customize it to the programmers' will. Of course, saved programming and hardware limitations.

That is, to me, it means that often things can be designed and programmed as wanted to obtain the wanted results.

Now, in regards to blue crystals and the current event, I would imagine that several players might appreciate more having their hard work NOT be stolen rather than otherwise.

This, given that there are players out there who play the game for entertainment and relax.

So, I wonder, if it can be designed and programmed to avoid unnecessary stress and frustration in players why is it instead that we have the current design which makes it that the hard work and time of players can be taken away from them by a bypasser fellow player ?

Was it intended or a mere oversight ?

 

[popps]

I am pretty sure this is a multiplayer game, there are going to be many times the players are competing for resources; I like this design it makes it random and involves everyone. Don't worry your life will not end if you do not get every item in the game!

One thing is competing for resources, like getting to a tree or ore vein and find it empty, an entire other thing is dumping 30-40 blue crystals which took time and dedication to find on a sick gypsie only to have someone else come by, drop a few and them get the robe..........

This is not competition, IMHO, this is unnecessary stress and frustration where one might instead look for entertainment.

At least, so i see it.

 

[NewThunder]

One thing is competing for resources, like getting to a tree or ore vein and find it empty, an entire other thing is dumping 30-40 blue crystals which took time and dedication to find on a sick gypsie only to have someone else come by, drop a few and them get the robe..........

This is not competition, IMHO, this is unnecessary stress and frustration where one might instead look for entertainment.

At least, so i see it.

Don't bother with the blue crystals, sell them to others and use the gold to buy the robes. If this quest causes you so much stress perhaps you should try a single player game, the Civ series can provide hours and hours of fun.

 

[Stupid Miner]

Teeshy's post has the link to the thread that answers this question in its entirety. This thread is useless.

...not being rude, just saying.

 

[Prince Caspian]

I am pretty sure this is a multiplayer game

Really?

I thought all the other peeps on the screen were just very, very, very convincing AI Bots.

 

[Yen Sid]

One way to make it better, make it so the Gypsies are there for the next few months but make it so you can no longer get crystals. Everyone will be able to turn them in whenever they want and there will be far less people trying to "rob" you of your robe. I play a low population shard so it matters not to me how this was set up. I am having a good time regardless and its basically a free item. Stop complaing that you are being given things. Last time I checked, free things are good. It still here for 2 more weeks, plenty of time to hold out and get a robe. Peace.

 

[Prince Caspian]

If this quest causes you so much stress perhaps you should try a single player game, the Civ series can provide hours and hours of fun.

I dunno. The civ games can raise your blood pressure too, especially on the harder levels when the AI cheats. Or try Colonization, where the other colonies inexplicably get the Star Lineup of Founding Fathers with two toothless rednecks in their Town Hall, whereas your Town Halls are stuffed to bursting and only the fat-kid-on-the-sidelines-picked-to-even-the-teams cretins send YOU their resume.

But I digress.

The funny thing about this is, if I get this robe, I'll probably put it on my mage who has abysmal luck and max mana regen, and who I never play anyway. If I get another I'll throw it in a chest and leave it there like so many Transformers in the attic at my parents house.

 

[legendsguy]

One thing is competing for resources, like getting to a tree or ore vein and find it empty, an entire other thing is dumping 30-40 blue crystals which took time and dedication to find on a sick gypsie only to have someone else come by, drop a few and them get the robe..........

This is not competition, IMHO, this is unnecessary stress and frustration where one might instead look for entertainment.

At least, so i see it.

qft. and newthunder, you own like 10 houses in luna, i'd rather not get a lesson on competing for resources from someone who hordes the prime luna spots.

 

[popps]

Don't bother with the blue crystals, sell them to others and use the gold to buy the robes. If this quest causes you so much stress perhaps you should try a single player game, the Civ series can provide hours and hours of fun.

One thing I often have a hard time understanding is why, whenever an argument is raised, readers of a post assume that the poster raised the argument for a personal agenda.

Well, I have no clue about others but personally, I often discuss arguments not because I may have personal reasons but simply because I think that some changes could be better for the game, overall.

On the topic of blue crystals and sick gypsies, it does not stress me, personally, simply because I did not bother with it. Not had the time and am not sure whether I will given all things I have to deal with in my ordinary day....

That said, I was arguing that the current status of things may be stressing to some players and was arguing that, perhaps, things could have been designed differently to ease what I think might be an unnecessary stress to paying subscribers who, supposedly, pay a service for entertainment, not to get stressed......

At least, that is my opinion about it.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Popps you missed the "in world idea" of the sick gypsies.

The point in game was that an unknown amount of cure was needed... so everyone rallies to cure by collecting crystals.


Real life turned it into this.

Cures occur at 10 20 30 40 50 60 crystals
your best bet to get a robe is to collect 60 crystals
Now find sick gypsy and use stealth if you have it.
Dump them as fast as you can to get robe.

It is not unfair if you focus on the game premise. Sadly we boil the game away and always get to the bones of mechanics and ease to get the reward.

 

[northwoodschopper]

i'm thinking the devs should've just stuck with an abyssmally low % chance to get the robe per crystal, just to keep it a true lottery in the sense. there would be a lot less griping, that's for sure.

 

[slaveone]

Individual counters for using blue crystals and an extension would be nice.
In my perfect utopian world, everyone would be nice and take turns to cure the gypsies without stealing.

Individual counter = UMMMM. NO this was a halloween event not a freebie robe event!

Extension on Halloween = UMMM. NO Halloween is over it should be done already!

Claiming people are stealing = UMMM. NO just because someone decides to unload their lot of blue crystals does in no way shape or form make that gypsy theirs for the taking. This is an MMO anyone is entitled to do anything in the game that they want obviously within reason (not breaking TOS rules etc..). If someone comes up and starts dropping on "your" (lol) gypsy thats your tough luck you should have invised or hid so it wasn't so obvious. I'm getting real tired of people who fail to understand this. If the robes were meant for everyone to have they would have been given out as gifts in your pack when you logged in on halloween. They weren't! If you don't like the system don't participate and sell your blue crystals for gold and buy yourself a darn robe. Quit complaining its real noob!

 

[slaveone]

I was arguing that the current status of things may be stressing to some players and was arguing that, perhaps, things could have been designed differently to ease what I think might be an unnecessary stress to paying subscribers who, supposedly, pay a service for entertainment, not to get stressed.

No one has a gun to their head forcing them to run countless crystal quests. Therefore any stress would be self induced and has absolutely nothing to do with any game mechanics. Just because we all pay for UO access does not mean we are entitled to everything in game we want i don't see what being a paying subscriber has to do with anything what so ever. I've been a paying UO subsriber for going on 11 years now. Last I checked i didn't have a Fire Cu Sidhe. Last you checked you didn't have a 140 luck conjurer's robe. I fail to see the differance.

 

[Aboo]

Don't bother with the blue crystals, sell them to others and use the gold to buy the robes. If this quest causes you so much stress perhaps you should try a single player game, the Civ series can provide hours and hours of fun.

I don't know about the blue crystals but I tried using a red crystal on a char that did not obtain it and was told when I tried to use it that it belonged to someone else.

If we can sell/give/trade the blue crystals I would love to do that since all I seem to be getting are blue crystals and no where near enough to do me any good.

 

[Prince Caspian]

I don't know about the blue crystals but I tried using a red crystal on a char that did not obtain it and was told when I tried to use it that it belonged to someone else.

Complete the quest with that character (up to the point of dropping off the murky potion to the Hag) and then you can use any of the crystals.

 

[Gheed]

This thread is proof that there is no middle ground in this mmo. I have received 4 robes through doing the quest normally, another two for trading my red crystals for blue. 8 yellow crystals +4 from trading. So 6 luck robes and potentially 6 non luck-robes. I have not been hitting this event hard either. At best a couple hours/night. There are nearly two full weeks of the event left and I could easily triple or quadrouple what I have already done. If all you want from this event is the item then there are plenty of ways to gauruntee you will get one. If all you want to do is heal NPC's then who really cares of you dropped the last crystal or not.

There is absolutely no-way any player that invests a solid 4 hrs (on a production shard) over the span of this event could not get a robe. But it absolutely MUST be a 140 luck robe... cause 140 luck really means something. I am beggining to think Sak was right in her thoughts about changing the initial plan. Sounds like folks are going to complain no matter what.

 

[NewThunder]

qft. and newthunder, you own like 10 houses in luna, i'd rather not get a lesson on competing for resources from someone who hordes the prime luna spots.

I actually own 5 Luna houses on legends (yes at one point I did Own 10), I do also have one on Chessy and one on catskills.

 

[[LGND]]

I disagree with Popps.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

This thread is proof that there is no middle ground in this mmo. I have received 4 robes through doing the quest normally, another two for trading my red crystals for blue. 8 yellow crystals +4 from trading. So 6 luck robes and potentially 6 non luck-robes. I have not been hitting this event hard either. At best a couple hours/night. There are nearly two full weeks of the event left and I could easily triple or quadrouple what I have already done. If all you want from this event is the item then there are plenty of ways to gauruntee you will get one. If all you want to do is heal NPC's then who really cares of you dropped the last crystal or not.

There is absolutely no-way any player that invests a solid 4 hrs (on a production shard) over the span of this event could not get a robe. But it absolutely MUST be a 140 luck robe... cause 140 luck really means something. I am beggining to think Sak was right in her thoughts about changing the initial plan. Sounds like folks are going to complain no matter what.

People always complain and it can be boiled down to this.

They have something I want and I want it now. Make it easy.

 

[onthefifty]

well if it was a gamble they should have stated that in the beginning. i dont want to say griefing but if someone is sitting there stealthed and watches you put 49 crystals on the thing and puts the last one on.... if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

that being said. i dropped my 44 on the npc primetime on chessy and got a robe so, given what you now know precautions should be taken.


can't please all the people. - jiminy cricket.

 

[northwoodschopper]

this robe should've just been the robe of the eclipse with the scarlet hue and the conjurer name.

 

[Aboo]

Complete the quest with that character (up to the point of dropping off the murky potion to the Hag) and then you can use any of the crystals.

Thank you. Can you also then trade blue potions?

 

[Aboo]

People always complain and it can be boiled down to this.

They have something I want and I want it now. Make it easy.

Sorry but I have to respectfully disagree with you here. I think the original poster has a valid complaint.

I have a very limited amount of time to play anymore. I have managed to get 10 blue crystals. I seriously doubt I will be able to get the approximate 50 crystals people say I will need to finish that quest PROVIDED someone doesn't do to me what others have complained about people doing thereby requiring me to obtain even more crystals.

Why is it that whenever someone complains about something not being fair, even if it's a legitimate complaint, someone has to belittle them by saying they just want it easy and want it now? *shakes head*

 

[phantus]

The reward mechanism of this quest is horse crap. The devs(dev) knew it was horse crap when they put it in and did it anyway.

The quest and story were fine.

That is all...

 

[Gheed]

People always complain and it can be boiled down to this.

They have something I want and I want it now. Make it easy.

Sorry but I have to respectfully disagree with you here. I think the original poster has a valid complaint.

I have a very limited amount of time to play anymore. I have managed to get 10 blue crystals. I seriously doubt I will be able to get the approximate 50 crystals people say I will need to finish that quest PROVIDED someone doesn't do to me what others have complained about people doing thereby requiring me to obtain even more crystals.

Why is it that whenever someone complains about something not being fair, even if it's a legitimate complaint, someone has to belittle them by saying they just want it easy and want it now? *shakes head*

It more like people who don't use their head. You dont have to heal the npc to get the robe. I have seen a couple folks at the hag shouting trades of 50+ blues + yellows (one offering reds too) for a luck robe of their own. And they didnt stand there long. Both were taken up on their offer by someone else before I got to them. Mainly cause I want lots of yellows now. The ability to summon a bad ass mob anytime/where you want seems pretty handy.

 

[Aboo]

It more like people who don't use their head. You dont have to heal the npc to get the robe. I have seen a couple folks at the hag shouting trades of 50+ blues + yellows (one offering reds too) for a luck robe of their own. And they didnt stand there long. Both were taken up on their offer by someone else before I got to them. Mainly cause I want lots of yellows now. The ability to summon a bad ass mob anytime/where you want seems pretty handy.

No matter how you try to spin it, if you actually wanted to participate in the quest YOURSELF and obtain the robe YOURSELF, the way it is set up makes it very difficult and leaves LOTS of room for unscrupulous people to misuse the system. That is just how it is.

 

[popps]

Why is it that whenever someone complains about something not being fair, even if it's a legitimate complaint, someone has to belittle them by saying they just want it easy and want it now? *shakes head*

I do not understand it either and yet, I have find that often dissenting voices are ridiculed and emarginated.

Too much often I see that criticizing is confused for whining and much too soon entire threads attempting at discussing the improvement of game aspects which, according to the original poster of the given thread, have room to be improved, are dismissed.

I think that real life has all challenges, harshness and competition one may ever want to face, and perhaps even some more. Personally, I see entertainment and leisure time as an entire different thing.

 

[popps]

No matter how you try to spin it, if you actually wanted to participate in the quest YOURSELF and obtain the robe YOURSELF, the way it is set up makes it very difficult and leaves LOTS of room for unscrupulous people to misuse the system. That is just how it is.

Thanks.
This was the point I was trying to bring up.

What is still unclear to me, is whether the Designers actually wanted it to work like this, or whether the current design in regards to blue crystals and sick gypsies and the stress and frustration if may bring to participating players has been an oversight.

Should it be an oversight, I wished then, that when planning and designing Events like this such aspects and consequences upon participating players could be more foreseen and addressed before, and not after they hit players.

I also disagreed with, for example, placing the shadowlords in a small room which got packed with Greater Dragons and players had trouble even targeting their foes.....

Or, just to mention another example, the choice of having that one monster in the Abyss give a unique robe AND a needed key for a champion spawn.
Farmers for the robe ended up blocking access to the key for many other players.

What I am trying to say, is that I personally think that one thing is NPCs artificial intelligence and difficulty of a task, an entire other is a task resulting annoying, frustrating and stressing for participating players.

Perhaps players could favour not having to run into unnecessary stress or frustration when playing the game because it was foreseen.

I favour difficulty, but I cannot avoid criticizing what I see as annoying, frustrating and stressing activities in a game which customers play for entertainment.

At least so I think.

 

[Alezi]

1)Enter Felucca
2)??
3)Get robe

 

[The Fallout]

It's not that big of a deal, considering they were only considering 12 robes a shard. I am slowly collecting blues and I play about an hour a day and have 50 blue, I also hunt for jack o lanterns and trick or treat during this time, when I get to one hundred I'll be able to try toget my robe WITHOUT grinding. If I fail and someone sneaks me twice... I'll still have about a week to get another hundred. People are making it a grind for themselves and then complaining...

 

[the 4th man]

I agree with popps, regardless of what others may think. Their opinions mean squat to me.

Popps is professing his opinion, not asking to be bashed and ridiculed, but saddly, (and I'm just as guilty) people come on here and insult. In this case he's correct.

One guy on here took shots at the words "stole" and "yours"......another tried saying you can get 60 blue ctrystals in 4 hours, (yeah right, prove it pal)

Either way popps, some of us agree with you and the ones who want to bash and call names need to grow up.

later

 

[The Fallout]

another tried saying you can get 60 blue ctrystals in 4 hours, (yeah right, prove it pal)

Are you referring to me? getting 50 (I said 50 not 60) is very easy in four hours.

First of all collect about 8-12 corporal essences, then play on off hours and use them in a row. Trade most (not all) of your reds for blues. It is very easy, just think a little.

EDIT: Wait, when did the Halloween event start? An hour a day from then.... didn't it start before Halloween making it more than four hours....?

 

[Obsidian]

I work a full time job and play UO about 2 hours per night when my kids are in bed. I consider myself an average UO player based on my items and with a bank box usually sitting at less than 1M gold. So far I've been able to obtain 3 garbs. In my opinion, this quest is quite reasonable in its current design. It takes a little bit of effort to get into a groove and find the best tactics, but it is very doable even for the average player. As for having my healing attempts stolen, I've been smart about it. I go at odd times, thoroughly reveal the area, and I scout out the best gypsy location (Tram or Fel) first. It has worked very well for me with minimal extra effort.

One thing I like about the current quest is that you don't need an ultra elite character to complete the quest. For instance, with a starter necro-mage (100 necro, 100 SS and 80 magery) you can easily do the quest.

-OBSIDIAN-

 

[Gheed]

another tried saying you can get 60 blue ctrystals in 4 hours, (yeah right, prove it pal)
later

I get 6+ crystals/per essence (10 min) easy. If half were blue thats 18/hour. More than enough in three hours. An hour to farm the corporeal = 4 hours. Not to metion the tons of folks I have traded reds for blues because they really want the shadow wyrm costume. But those folks realize UO isn't a single player mmo and maybe working with others to achieve goals is faster than doing it YOURSELF.

 

[Harlequin]

Was it intended or a mere oversight ?

It is intended. See Sak's post in another thread that says the original intention was to give only 12 robes per shard.

 

[Harlequin]

Individual counter = UMMMM. NO this was a halloween event not a freebie robe event!

Extension on Halloween = UMMM. NO Halloween is over it should be done already!

Claiming people are stealing = UMMM. NO just because someone decides to unload their lot of blue crystals does in no way shape or form make that gypsy theirs for the taking. This is an MMO anyone is entitled to do anything in the game that they want obviously within reason (not breaking TOS rules etc..). If someone comes up and starts dropping on "your" (lol) gypsy thats your tough luck you should have invised or hid so it wasn't so obvious. I'm getting real tired of people who fail to understand this. If the robes were meant for everyone to have they would have been given out as gifts in your pack when you logged in on halloween. They weren't! If you don't like the system don't participate and sell your blue crystals for gold and buy yourself a darn robe. Quit complaining its real noob!

Perhaps stealing is too harsh a word.

This may be hard to believe, but I made the indivudual counter suggestion not because I can't get a robe, but because I don't want to get my robe at other player's expense...this is not based on any selfless desire either. It is purely selfish. I want UO to continue to be great for many years to come so that I can continue playing.



My main is a stealth mage. I tag team with my wife. Both of us would dump the crystals simultaneouesly on the same gypsy to cure him/her. This reduces our exposure to only half the time. Both times we did this, we got our robes using less than 50 crystals...

Also, if we find someone already there curing the gypsy, we would go look for another.

The thing is, we don't want to ruin someone else's enjoyment in order to get a robe. There is no reason that this cannot be a win win situation for all.



Note: however, if instead of needing to use 50 crystals (which could be very well be speculation on our part), the design was you had a 1 in 50 chance of curing the gypsies, then I have no problems with it.

 

[G.v.P]

12 options, 6 in tram, 6 in fel. Pretty easy.

 

[Teeshy]

Was it intended or a mere oversight ?

It is intended. See Sak's post in another thread that says the original intention was to give only 12 robes per shard.

^ this - I linked in my earlier post in this thread

 

[Ivorythorn]

I really hate this quest now. I thought that maybe I have enough blue crystals, so I tried to find a gypsy. I find Carl, and as far as I can tell I am the only one there. He is still 'human' so I wait. Eventually he turns into a Orc, "Cool I think...' I try to drop a blue crystal on him, and I get the, ...not interested in this... I thought WTF? I earned these crystals, I did the stupid quest! Along come a few people and sure enough less than one minute later, Carl turns back into human. This quest bites the big one. THE BIG ONE!

 

[The Fallout]

I really hate this quest now. I thought that maybe I have enough blue crystals, so I tried to find a gypsy. I find Carl, and as far as I can tell I am the only one there. He is still 'human' so I wait. Eventually he turns into a Orc, "Cool I think...' I try to drop a blue crystal on him, and I get the, ...not interested in this... I thought WTF? I earned these crystals, I did the stupid quest! Along come a few people and sure enough less than one minute later, Carl turns back into human. This quest bites the big one. THE BIG ONE!

Double click the crystal then target him.... I think that's how it works.