[Fishing] Ideas for fishing

[Radugast]

The devs have been talking about giving fisherman some love in the near future, so I decided to compile a few ideas. I'm curious to know what other fisherman would like to see in regards to the overall experience. Here are a few thoughts.

Changes and Additions to Fishing/Crabbing

-Stack Fish pies (they are potions) (fixed pub 80) and Crab meat (ingredient just like fish steaks).

-Fish pies need a boost; either increase power or longevity. The demand in the market is pretty low.

-Ingredients for fish pies should be stackable and looted from monsters, merchant ships or SOS chests in addition to the Sea Market purchasing.

-Currently you only get one crab meat bowl per crab regardless of thier weight. Crab are much harder to catch and should atleast be in line with the return rate as rare fish are with steaks.

-Bad animation when fishing with hooded robe. (classic client) Out of body experience..

-Crabbing needs to be more interesting in Trammel/Felucca and Ilshenar by adding Legendary and rare crustacean.

-Crabbing needs to be more rewarding, add a way to get MIBS from crabbing!

-Bait alone seems ineffective and many times even with the fishing suit the results are discouraging.

-Add the last two fish types to the taxidermy list.


Fishmonger Quest

-Change fishmonger quest to point/menu system much like the spring cleaning.

-When completing a quest you will recieve points depending on difficulty and a chance to recieve a powerscroll and/or basic bait. (no books! make them purchasable through menu store)

-Hooks instead of bait cups for fishing is an excellant idea, was listed on Ask & Answer #6 (Bait cups will need to stay in for lobster traps)

-Make Legendarys worth points for turn-in to the fishmonger; based on weight and type?


Possible New items for the quest

-Kreel, a blessed basket that can only hold fish and crustaceans, works much like a quiver and reduces the weight significantly. Could make this a wearable for the half apron or sash slot. Perhaps have some stats added like fishbait enhancement.

-Crabbing Skiff, works very similar to the rowboat but smaller in size and gives a small bonus to catching legendary Fish and crustacean. Its main ability would be; it can be deployed in certain dungeons, Ilshenar, underworld, Labrynth and lakes of Malas excluding Doom. Various areas wouldnt get cluttered with these boats since they go back to the player's pack after they leave the vessel.

-Magical Lobster Trap, Can only have 2 deployed at a time. Will stay in the water for as long as 10 minutes and automatically return to the player unless intentionally removed or player loses connection. A trap that cannot be lost! The regular traps will still be viable because of the limit on how many can be deployed at once.

-Magical Lava Lobster Trap, Can only have 1 deployed at a time. Will stay in the lava for as long as 10 minutes and automatically return to the player unless intentionally removed or player loses connection. The regular lava traps will still be viable because of the limit on how many can be deployed at once.

-Drift Net, Designed to catch fish in bulk excluding Legendary fish. The longer you leave it in (1 hour max) the greater haul you recieve. This item will follow the player on a boat or along the shore, can be commanded to stay put at sea if you wish. This would work like a pet using a context menu. Depending on where its deployed will determine what family of fish is caught. Dungeon, deepsea, and shore fish.

-Deeded Trash Barrel, A one tile Trash barrel that can be placed on the Britannian Ship or in a Home!

 

[popps]

All good ideas, and I like them all. I only have a concern about the Crabbing Skiff.

Don't get me wrong, I would love the ability to have a small boat in dungeon's waters but I am concerned about scripters. Some dungeon waters are void from dangers and giving the ability to place a small boat in there would mean giving to scripters the ability to script fishing in dungeons even more as they may already be doing......

So, while I do want the ability for fishermen t0 place small boats in dungeons' waters, I also think a way should be found to avoid scripters taking advantage of it.

 

[John II SRC]

Very nice ideas.

I personally don't think though, that being able to place any kind of boat in a dungeon area should be possible. It's highly complicated (what, with the then ability to go places where you are normally not able to go or cross where you shouldn't cross, or (as popps rightly said) being able to fish in a dungeon without any danger) and would take the fun out of dungeon fishing. Instead I would definitely want that magic fish pies are bumped up in power (if it's in length of time they work or intensity, or both), so that the rather dangerous dungeon fishing becomes more meaningful and rewarding.

 

[Basara]

I think Rowboats only should be allowed in Dungeons, Ilshenar, Ter Mur and Malas. However, that would take some work to alter the shores to allow placing.

I've never been able to find out just how one gets to the islands in Shame, for example.

 

[The Mule]

I
never een able to find out just how one gets to the islands in Shame, for example.

Teleport


Im not too concerned about scripters. I'd rather an idea be implemented that will assist or make my gameplay more enjoyablea and not be limited by a scripter who will inevitably find the loophole to the system.

I would like baits t work more effectively

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

I would like baits t work more effectively

Agreed. Even with the Fisher Armor the bait is very ineffective. But, as an avid angler off game as well.... maybe they are just trying to imitate real life hehe

 

[The Mule]

If I wanted life like fishing I'd go to the lake. I want better odds to cach legendary if I have the multipliers on.

 

[popps]

Im not too concerned about scripters. I'd rather an idea be implemented that will assist or make my gameplay more enjoyablea and not be limited by a scripter who will inevitably find the loophole to the system.

I need to disagree here wholeheartedly. Personally, I think that scripters do harm my gameplay and time in the game. How ? Well, by devaluing the worth of my time in the game.

Let's take fishing as a discussion example.

When I do not script, to get all of the fish, crabs and lobsters needed to get, say, a 120 fishing powerscroll, takes forever. A WHOLE LOT of my in game time. Now, say that I would want to sell a 120 fishing powerscroll I finally get as a fishing quest reward, considering the enormous time it took me to get it it would need to be highly priced, accordingly to the time and effort it took to produce it.

Now, when fishing is scripted and a player can get all kinds of quest fish, crabs and lobsters 24/7, clearly obtaining that same 120 fishing powerscroll costs little effort of one's own time in the game. It is the script doing most of the time consuming work. So, the scripter will be able to get many more 120 fishing powerscrolls than the non scripter player and sell them much cheaper because they took almost no effort or one's own time to get them. The worth of the item gets too low and the player not scripting has no use in fishing any longer, because there is no use any longer to spend countless hours to get items which sell way below what that time spent in game not scripting might be worth.

So, the player not scripting basically stops fishing since he or she cannot compete with the player scripting and selling for much much less than what the actual time spent to get the item is worth.

That's the same for selling fish or crabs or lobsters on a vendor. Why bother when scripters can catch them without spending their time in game but using a script and can sell them way much cheaper ?

Scripters, as I see it, basically drive players who do not script out of the market for all those in game activities which can be scripted making them not worth the time spent doing them.

Scipting is a VERY bad thing for tha game, IMHO, and it should have been a number 1 priority for the Developers to be stopped years and years ago. It destroys the game for many many other players who do not want to script and over the years I have had several fellow players tell me that they were leaving the game because they had enough to have to compete with scripters and cheaters.

 

[Radugast]

I would have to agree with the fishpies and bait, they need a boost!

Another thing that would be nice is a deeded trash barrel that could be placed on the brit ship. This would be a great addition for housing as well, especially large places such as castles.
If you save up your sos's and do them all at once, its quite a chore to manage all the garbage and a trash barrel would make the experience better overall. We do like our turn-in points!

As far as scripters go, it all depends on what the persons ambitions are in game. For example; If you want to collect all the legendary fish and constantly beat out your personal record and earn everything you get, then scripters and dupers probably wont impact your experience much; however, if you are trying to sell your goods, then you will have to compete with scripters in a market thats been inflated by dupers. The more gold that floods the market, the less value your gold becomes and goods skyrocket unless you have cheap laborers such as scripters. There is good and bad when it comes to scripters, you live and die by them. It may be hard to compete when selling your goods but when you need a commodity that you dont specialize in and you pick that item up for cheap then you can be thankful. 60k regular ingots in todays market ought to go for around 10m+ gold if you didnt have "cheap labor".. as it is you can buy them for around 500k. Dupers are the ones responsible for creating a greater gap in competing parties; laborers and cheap laborers.

The devs idea to do away with gold/checks and switch to a statement style banking is the first step in getting the market under control and out of the hands of dupers. Well see...

Crab cakes anyone?

 

[popps]

There is good and bad when it comes to scripters, you live and die by them. It may be hard to compete when selling your goods but when you need a commodity that you dont specialize in and you pick that item up for cheap then you can be thankful.

I am afraid I cannot see any whatsoever good coming in Ultima Online from scripters. The cheap items that one can buy because of scripters ? I cannot see this as a good thing, sorry.

The idea, to support Ultima Online, is that players play the game and while doing so they keep paying their monthly subscriptions. Now, if, because of scripting, players do not even get close to areas of the game since they are scripted so, "why bother", reduces the time in game by players, reduces the amount of things that players will do in the game and, can risk having players get bored with the game sooner than they would have been if they had been playing more, varied activities in the game.

For a player who does not script, it makes little sense, efficiency wise, to spend in game time doing activities which other script. Just do something else to earn gold, and then buy those items that are being scripted.
Apparently this might look as cool, but to my opinion it is not because many players who do not script will so stay well away from many activities which are scripted and will not fully experience the game. Eventually, by doing moreless always the same things in the game, they will loose interest and leave UO.

Just as an example since we are in the fishing forum, let's imagine a player who does not script but loves fishing in UO. This player would love to spend his time fishing in UO and then sell the fished up items, the rewards, to earn the gold to support the needs for other gameplay, such as items for PvP and so forth, but sees hardly any point in doing it because of scripters devaluing the worth of whatever he or she could earn from his or her time invested in playing the game fishing. This player, because of scripters fishing 24/7, will not be able to make up enough gold through playing fishing that he or she enjoys so much because the items needed for other aspects of game play, like the slither, the lavalier, the tangle and so forth cost too high since they cannot be scripted and because through fishing and the time it takes to earn items through fishing without scripting, depending on how much time a players can spend in the game, there simply might not remain much time left to play other styles.

So, this player not scripting would have loved playing fishing to earn gold to support other UO needs but finds out that, because of scripters, this is not much of a viable way to spend one's own time playing the game. Much more efficient to spend one's own time playing in those activities which cannot be scripted and which therefore yield high value items like the slither, the lavaliere, the tangle and so forth and then sell those items for lots of gold to then use to buy scripted items for cheap. More efficient, but unfortunately the player would have more enjoyed playing fishing rather than doing else, but because of scripting and scripters in the game, this fun was ruined for him or her. The player might end up with a bitter taste for the game.....

So, it is my opinion, even if scripters provide cheap items to the game this is still a very bad thing for the game because it eventually, is my fear, looses players and so subscriptions to the game. Over the years that I have played UO, I have met several fellow players telling me that the reason they were leaving was because of scripting and cheating ruining the game for them.

 

[Padre Dante]

I think the gold, reagants, and gems from the SOSs are good and fair...but I would like to see a loot system that more resembles the new dungeon loot system. It could be a combination of Chest level (i.e. 1, 2, or 3) + luck (I'm no fan of luck, but it needs more uses, I guess, right?). Currently, I ignore all the loot in the SOS chests, except for an occasional peak at a ring or bracelet (which I ultimately throw away anyway).

Also, I liked the kreel idea, though instead of it being a belt slot, I'd like to see maybe in the talisman slot? Or maybe the sash spot, where it could be an over-the-shoulder basket (a la fly fishing).

The rewards to the quests need improved, a bit. Some magical fishing poles (i.e. spell channeling, "faster [fish] casting", +20% bait effectiveness, etc. etc.) would be cool. And obviously, any rare/magical/named pirate/fisherman clothes (tricorne caps, skull caps, boots, etc. etc.) would be nice. Often, fisherman builds don't need uber suits, so even a 20% LRC skullcap would be nice.

How about some rare ethereals? a sea horse ethereal for use on water, only?

 

[MsCC]

One of the "big, important" things I would like to see is a passage way to Tokuno as we now have to Papua. Other than that I feel that for many of us, as we age, our hands and fingers become stiffer and less quick thus making our reaction time less quick. Therefore, I do not agree that scripters selling fish detracts from my UO play time or lessens my ability to enjoy the game experience as I have no desire to go fight monsters or PVP to get items or gold. Each player has their own likes and dislikes which relate to their particular game play style and I don't think others should dictate the manner in which we play the game. I have fishers on my 15 year accounts and true in years past I liked to hunt and fight but as age creeps up on me, in order to continue to enjoy the game I have turned to mainly crafting and fishing but I still need to be able to obtain the necessary materials somehow.

 

[Basara]

One thing I have suggested in the past would be to have all chest loot count as Exceptional for imbuing, but without the exceptional bonus resists or DI.

 

[Warpig Inc]

Not that I dislike the fish being named after caught. Just might be a good thing if it was an option like crafting goods to have name on it. Might been better if the fish was DCed and that characters name and no date added. That way a true catch would have a date and one bought for deco didn't have a name on it. Maybe a plaque plate tool that puts a dateless name on a mounted fish.

I think there should be spots in the game that 50% of the catches should be one fish type. Sweetspot in the deep that the Bonefish school. Bend in a stream that the Pumpkinseed like to sit. Puddle in Destard where the OrcBass have dominated. The Quest demands go through cycles hammering away at one type over and over. Being forced to buy scripted vendor fish to move to next quest is bad. Most know if a quest has a fish request unfilled that is the hardest fish to get at that time. Later when new fish is constant demand, fisher catches nothing but the old needs. Fishers should be building their guarded runebook full of fishing hotspots for types of fish and not for vendor houses.

Had issue with the Zombie fish. Thing was I needed Walleye also. After the bait ran out I changed back into normal suit for fisher and returned for more Walleye. No bait or suit and four cast in on return got a Zombie. Let kid across the street play my fisher with it being all he can handle. He's fishing and yells across the house "what to do with fish that don't stack?" Thought he left the shore and caught Big Fish from the boat. Turns out in about 20 min of gravewater lake fishing he had a Zombie and didn't realize another fell to the ground at his feet. In UO Dumb Luck is like the Force, some are just born with it. Rare drops, like the lotto, can't win if you don't try.

As far as the footwear. They just need to slip in one those 1 in 25,000 chances of a random generated piece of "fished up" titled armor. Clean of mods with 600 imbue cap. This like the shoes should no longer be a pack drop. Honest fisher needs shoes they can pick them up. Scripters will leave some "fished up leather gloves" in a pile of shoes. Already wasting a bait charge so why still make us clean our packs of shoes. Even a 1 in 25,000 chance at a unique art deco item (set of say 5 ) titled "Throne Blackthorn Rejected" Something that can be sneeked in and fit current storyline.

Lets say the fishpies are in the same area as potions. Just cost hell of a lot more to make then they sell for. Stacking fishpies would not be able to be insured. If youi need to suck down 20 potions in a PVP fight fine. I take fishpies with me for that bump when the boss is there and the fighting gets real. The catching time and cost to cook makes the pies something you don't want looted. And the ammount of times you die in PVP vs PVE makes the pies worth not insuring.

We need new piers in the dungeons and other lands. More then the boats. Just have the ability to bread and butter another player that is there fishing. They fail to respond correctly you get to push them in the water. They will need help stuck to get out and will learn to keep there eyes on their game toons and not the cartoons.

There needs to be a way to test another player ingame of their active activity. Buy rotten food from vendor and any number of random food and type appear. Throw it at someone and random rotten food is generated in there pack. They throw it back. If timer on there pack generated rotten food runs out. Your linked to that player like a guildmate and can 100% snoop and steal from them no matter what land your in. Recalling with rotten food in your pack when the timer runs out locks your character into a puking mode and will require a help stuck clear. 10 minute timer should do. Bathroom breaks take longer need to recall to safe area or go see a doctor. So come across a miner and say "Hi, think it is going to rain?" "Using shovels or picks?" "Your beetle looks hungry, need food?" If the miner not responding open trade window with rotten food. Two random one same type of rotten food are pack generated and they need to return the one that matches the one in the trade window. They fail at timeout and any player can open that players pack and take things out and put things in like an open container. Let them drive on with a bag with 100+ sashes. Instead of timer. Generated rotten food they got could have charges that lower with skill use and spells cast. Drop the rotten hot potato on the ground before charges reach 0 or have your feet cemeted to the ground and pack locked. GM must fix. And they check your log to make sure your not griefed so you don't get ride to a special place. That rotten hot potato has a -1173 count due to failed recalls. Snatch their runebook and runes and do some house checking. Game needs more flaming rubble plots. For the banksitters have a made gorgon lense like item. Wear the item of rotten food protection and your safe and can't cast or use skills. Some players needs a casting block when trying to speak at the bank or typing for chat. We have all seen those casters that sttttttttttttttuuutttttttttttttttererer.

Gold coin counting fix is half the battle.

 

[startle]

..... The rewards to the quests need improved, a bit. Some magical fishing poles (i.e. spell channeling, "faster [fish] casting", +20% bait effectiveness, etc. etc.) would be cool.

Considering how much fishing effort goes into each "typical" quest, the rewards are just puny! Filling an order for Dungeon, Deep Sea, Shore and Crustacea and receiving a "bait" with 20 uses (when it can easily take literally hundreds of bait uses to actually catch certain fish) is just ridiculous.. And if any of you Dev's don't believe me, just go out and do a few quests and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Radugast]

Considering how much fishing effort goes into each "typical" quest, the rewards are just puny! Filling an order for Dungeon, Deep Sea, Shore and Crustacea and receiving a "bait" with 20 uses (when it can easily take literally hundreds of bait uses to actually catch certain fish) is just ridiculous.. And if any of you Dev's don't believe me, just go out and do a few quests and you'll see what I mean.

And this is why I wanted to compile this list, in hopes that a dev might take note. I have been updating the list at the top as I read through some folks comments. Fishing has been a tryed and true activity in UO for many years, but it needs more meaningful rewards; more specifically the Fishing Quest and SOS's. The crabbing concept is fairly new and needs much more tweaking and rewards. There is very little reason to go crabbing unless you need to fill orders for the quest or you want a legendary. Crustacean pies are rediculously difficult to justify considering the hours it takes to get one and then to only get one pie out of a single crustacean regardless of its weight! Poodoo!

 

[startle]

Yes, yes, yes and yes... It's obvious none of the Dev's actually "lived" what they "designed".... And I'm not here to criticize Devs at all. The concept was/is great! It's the numbers that need a bit of adjustment....

Please make some adjustments as soon as possible. We sailors would REALLY appreciate it!