Here is my new and old list of ?????'s...

[AxiamInc]

Let me beging by stating that I am not a 10+ yr vet. I have been playing for a bit over 6 yrs so I do believe that I have found a fair understanding of the game. Yet there are some things that completely baffle me after so many days enjoying this wonderful game.

I began my quest in Ultima Online with dreams of becoming the crafter of crafters. I moved onto pvm, then a bit of pvp...but I have always come back to crafting as it gives me a rewarding factor that killing so and so under so and so circumstances never did. I still enjoy the fight, but I must say that burning a val hammer brings much more enjoyment to my personal game than hunting anything..even you!.. lol

I have some points of interest, and or more questions for the crafter type like myself that I would like to see some type of answers to. Please forgive me if they have been answered before, I certainly have looked long and hard for them.

1. Lets start with something simple.. Why the heck don't "skeletons" give bones when you kill them?? Hellooo? Do I destroy the quality of them as I smack them? This is something that I have never understood..

2. Why can I not smelt shovels, picks, and prospector tools? Seems to me they would have a higher metal content than a dagger? No? Please alter this.. I enjoy BOD's, but for me, the useless rewards (for those that mine, which I do periodically, they are wonderful, but I think we should have the option) shouldn't they be worth at least couple ingots?

3. Tinkering should require some sort of work bench. When I do mine it is nice to be able to tinker shovels on the fly, but how realistic is that? Does my tink kit have a mini nuclear reactor in it for melting the ingots into a shovel? This could possibly curb the scripters to some small level also. Yes they would work around it, I know, but if it slows them..all the better for us right?

Now onto more general questions about current and future changes in the game..

4. How is it when I use a val hammer to make some weapons do I end up with a ssi bonus of 20? My understanding is that it should have a minimum of 85% of possible, right? Now my calculator could be incorrect, but 85% of 30 is what?...25.5 right? Even if it rounds down shouldn't that be 25? Just something that puzzles me..srry..

5. This one I am open for many different views on. I would like to see the balanced property on wooden weapons of all sorts..across the board. I have not thought about all of the negative effects of this but I have certainly dreamed of the positive ones. Would you like to see this or should it be left alone? Not that they aren't now, but I think it could bring a new rejuvenated life to macing, among other things..

6. As for the future of imbuing.. I have read every word that I have been able to find in regards to the subject. I understand property adjustments, unraveling, and what not. Yet I haven't seen any definition on slayer weapons. Will we be able to choose the slayer we want for an extra count of special materials or will it still be a random selection? Shall I have to continuously imbue a wep over and over until I get the slayer I want? Good question I think..hahah

7. Just a point.. I truly hope that imbuing takes an INSANE amount of special resources to work ( you want 30 ssi?.. gimme 50 taint and a couple dozen dread horn mane!! . Do I really want to see every player in the game with the most incredible armor, weapons, and more importantly jewels? This would completlely kill the crafter im my eyes, please don't do this to those of us that enjoy the craft that EVERYONE in the game relies on.

Yea, you may wear 2-5 arties, but what about the rest? Those other pieces come from us, the little guy.. I just hope that they find the balance that makes crafting viable as it has been in the past...to some effect.

I thank those of you that took the time to read this, seriously.

Ax

 

[Bomb Bloke]

2. Why can I not smelt shovels, picks, and prospector tools? Seems to me they would have a higher metal content than a dagger? No? Please alter this.. I enjoy BOD's, but for me, the useless rewards (for those that mine, which I do periodically, they are wonderful, but I think we should have the option) shouldn't they be worth at least couple ingots?

The "reason" is because only items made via Blacksmithy are smeltable. Dunno what the "excuse" is.

This could possibly curb the scripters to some small level also. Yes they would work around it, I know, but if it slows them..all the better for us right?

No. While it's true that the scripters are slowed while waiting for a script update, once that's done, any extra steps are slowing down regular players more then the scripters. Hence the scripters gain the advantage (yet again), and since bots have unlimited patience they won't complain around the boards about the "extra steps" they now have to repeat over and over. And over.

 

[Lord Drakelord]

why is it one log makes one arrow shaft? It reminds me of that old cartoon where they chop down the tree to make a toothpick.

 

[Maplestone]

1. Lets start with something simple.. Why the heck don't "skeletons" give bones when you kill them?? Hellooo? Do I destroy the quality of them as I smack them?
Yes. The foul magic that animates a skeleton can only be broken by shattering the bones - no good could come of attempting to salvage such corrupted material.

2. Why can I not smelt shovels, picks, and prospector tools?
One always batters swords to ploughshares, the guilds would never stand for turn tools the other way around. Now prospector's hammers, well, those are such a closely guarded secret that nobody is sure what they are even made from.

3. Tinkering should require some sort of work bench.
MacGyver?

4. How is it when I use a val hammer to make some weapons do I end up with a ssi bonus of 20?
Ah! You have to make sure you get a genuine valorite ruinc - not one with a thin electroplated layer on top.

5. I would like to see the balanced property on wooden weapons of all sorts..across the board.
I believe the consensus is that it would be unbalancing, which, by definition is not balanced. But, more seriously, an archer has no one-handed weapons and so were shut out of potions (without a messy unequip/drink/equip macro).

6. Will we be able to choose the slayer we want for an extra count of special materials or will it still be a random selection?
"My boy, to combat the dragon that has plagued our villages and burned our crops, I have labored long and hard with reagents from the furthest corners of the land to craft you this lance of ice elemental slaying!"

7. Just a point.. I truly hope that imbuing takes an INSANE amount of special resources to work
Um ... there are some of us who still see any peerless reagents as insane.

 

[Maplestone]

why is it one log makes one arrow shaft?

When in doubt, blame taxes.

 

[Black Sun]

why is it one log makes one arrow shaft? It reminds me of that old cartoon where they chop down the tree to make a toothpick.

I cut down saplings to use for shafts. You're just wasteful I guess.

 

[gunneroforgin]

All of your points are pet peives of mine too. really things like shovels and pick axes should be made by a blacksmith since it seems logical that they would need a forge and anvil to make. And really, if I can make it in game there ought be be an NPC somewhere that will buy what I make.

 

[AxiamInc]

1. Lets start with something simple.. Why the heck don't "skeletons" give bones when you kill them?? Hellooo? Do I destroy the quality of them as I smack them?
Yes. The foul magic that animates a skeleton can only be broken by shattering the bones - no good could come of attempting to salvage such corrupted material.

2. Why can I not smelt shovels, picks, and prospector tools?
One always batters swords to ploughshares, the guilds would never stand for turn tools the other way around. Now prospector's hammers, well, those are such a closely guarded secret that nobody is sure what they are even made from.

3. Tinkering should require some sort of work bench.
MacGyver?

4. How is it when I use a val hammer to make some weapons do I end up with a ssi bonus of 20?
Ah! You have to make sure you get a genuine valorite ruinc - not one with a thin electroplated layer on top.

5. I would like to see the balanced property on wooden weapons of all sorts..across the board.
I believe the consensus is that it would be unbalancing, which, by definition is not balanced. But, more seriously, an archer has no one-handed weapons and so were shut out of potions (without a messy unequip/drink/equip macro).

6. Will we be able to choose the slayer we want for an extra count of special materials or will it still be a random selection?
"My boy, to combat the dragon that has plagued our villages and burned our crops, I have labored long and hard with reagents from the furthest corners of the land to craft you this lance of ice elemental slaying!"

7. Just a point.. I truly hope that imbuing takes an INSANE amount of special resources to work
Um ... there are some of us who still see any peerless reagents as insane.

Ahh Maplestone...I believe someone has been diving into the drink today.. Great post though, I can't deny that it brought a great chuckle out of me. MacGyver?? LoL .. And thx for the ice elemental slayer, however I think I might have "one" of these laying around somewhere.??.

Peerless Regs are not all that hard to come by, either buy them or get a few people together and go kill a boss...seems simple to me.

My question on wooden weapons well answered, I really had or have no idea of what 'balancing' issues this could cause, simply thought it would be cool on my macer.

Tx..Ax

 

[AxiamInc]

I cut down saplings to use for shafts. You're just wasteful I guess.

As for you my friend.. Did someone wake up on the smart a** side of the bed? Best of luck getting more than 4 swings off a lonely sapling.. I believe that I am on 'board' with the more arrows per log idea.

Ax

 

[AxiamInc]

All of your points are pet peives of mine too. really things like shovels and pick axes should be made by a blacksmith since it seems logical that they would need a forge and anvil to make. And really, if I can make it in game there ought be be an NPC somewhere that will buy what I make.

What are you refering to? I sell my shovels etc to the tinker.. I personally can't think of an item that you can't sell to some NPC. Takes a few runes to get rid of it all yes, but I can seemingly sell everything that "I" make.

 

[Maplestone]

I believe someone has been diving into the drink today..

People keep saying that ... very odd given that I'm actually an old fashioned teetotaler who has never touched a drop in my life

 

[Black Sun]

As for you my friend.. Did someone wake up on the smart a** side of the bed? Best of luck getting more than 4 swings off a lonely sapling.. I believe that I am on 'board' with the more arrows per log idea.

Ax

Every side of my bed is the smartass side of the bed in my room.

 

[Pfloyd]

Every side of my bed is the smartass side of the bed in my room.

some sides are more smartassy than others...or maybe you have a round bed?

 

[Pfloyd]

As for imbuing...aren't the items non pof-able afterwards? Weapons will get destroyed very fast... Even at 255 durability i think will not last too long.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

When you repair, the chance of degrading max durability is dependant on your skill (or the skill of the repair deed), and the amount of damage you need to repair.

So long as you never let the item get too damaged (10% by memory?), it's possible to NEVER lose max durability on an item.

 

[AxiamInc]

As for imbuing...aren't the items non pof-able afterwards? Weapons will get destroyed very fast... Even at 255 durability i think will not last too long.

From what I have read, you may repair an item, but the POF will not work on an item that has been imbued.

I see the price on POF going into skyrocket mode here very soon...people fortifying an item before they imbue it..ya dig..

 

[Pfloyd]

When you repair, the chance of degrading max durability is dependant on your skill (or the skill of the repair deed), and the amount of damage you need to repair.

So long as you never let the item get too damaged (10% by memory?), it's possible to NEVER lose max durability on an item.

26 durability? that is nothing on a weapon...if people are worried about slayer props then i would assume they will use these in the Doom Gauntlet...thats not going to work hehe

 

[Bara]

7. Just a point.. I truly hope that imbuing takes an INSANE amount of special resources to work ( you want 30 ssi?.. gimme 50 taint and a couple dozen dread horn mane!! . Do I really want to see every player in the game with the most incredible armor, weapons, and more importantly jewels? This would completlely kill the crafter im my eyes, please don't do this to those of us that enjoy the craft that EVERYONE in the game relies on.

I agree with everything but this. Imbued items can't be touched with powder of fortification, so no matter how much you pour into making the ultimate weapon; it will break. Then you have to go back and make more.

My friends and I recently restarted the game, and we can't even touch peerless yet.

I know know if long time vets realize how daunting some of this crap is.

 

[Jhym]

1. You get lovely bone armor from them. That isn't enough? Bah.

2. Because the Britannian Royal Tinkers ensure that all metal items are made with Love, which is not smeltable.

3. No... why would you need a tinker bench to attach a piece of pointy metal to a stick and call it a pickaxe? I -DO- think, however, that any high-end jewelry SHOULD be made with a jeweler's tool. That is expensive. And made by Scribes.

4. The rounding on properties is not always sensible. I seem to recall that it is 5-30, it is probable that their routine is rounding it down to 10/20/30 instead of what we'd expect. If you get any 5's that would blow my theory out of the water, but I have never had a valorite runic except on test. Wow, perhaps someone should test it.

5. As MapleTree said, archery had no single hand weaponry, so it got the balanced property. As a consequence, archers do not get to use the UBWS property on other weapons. The Archer union and Pretty Pointed Stick unions agreed to that long ago.

6. I suspect you'd unravel it and remake it over and over. Which would cost you lots of time or money or items. Which means nobody will do it.

7. No... since the unravelling and embuing will require serious skill investment and likely expensive tools, I think that will be enough expense. It would be nice if all possible properties could be attached though, instead of just some subset. However, that would mean some of us will be sad since we have wanted control of our crafted properties since runics were added.


I only have four artifacts that I actually got from fighting. Only one of which is actually usable by me. But I don't care one wit what others have or don't have. If I really want artifacts, I'll learn how to go into doom or something and get them.

 

[Harlequin]

1. They occasionally give you a bone or ribcage to loot. Though what you say have merit, one should be able to salvage more bones from their corpse seeing that they are made of bones...

2. Smelting works on player made and looted items. They do not work on items bought from NPCs. IIRC, this was to prevent abuse from players buying cheap weapons from NPCs and smelting them...However, some items are not smeltable, namely those made from tinkering. Even some blacksmithy items can't be smelted, eg pitchfork.

Erm..seeing that I am a cheapo that picks up discarded shovels, garg pickaxes and prospecter tools from the floor, I am against making them smeltable hehehe.

3. I am not against the idea of a workbench add on, but instead of making it a requirement, maybe let it give a +5 tinkering bonus when you are within 2 tiles? A sawmill that does the same thing for carpentry would be nice too. Plus it works like a container for logs/planks. More importantly, an ability to turn all logs you store in it into planks (the +5 skill factors into the difficulty).

4. Probably calculation error. I never realized that. Then again, I don't have a val hammer. Yet.

5. I was thinking it'd be nice for all double handed weapons too...but maybe a tad unbalancing.

6. I'd always thought that I can choose which slayer property that I want, really hopes it's not random.

7. This I hope not. I hunt my own peerless regs, but it really takes a long time to get them. My scorecard on runics is also terrible. I don't have 10 val runics, in fact, I don't even have 1. Not even a verite. So I am hoping this this gives me an chance over the people that seem to have an endless supply of high end runics...