The Problem With Blackrock

[Cogniac]

Please allow me to present a few thousand words on the subject:

I have witnessed people come on UHall to complain about all the blackrock laying around, and I always considered them unrepentant whiners. Then I decided today to shut them up by just cleaning up the blackrock myself. 2,307 small pieces later, overland Felucca, Atlantic, is now clear of blackrock...and I think I may finally see their point.

Update: Yesterday, on Sunday, slightly less than 24 hours after I had finished my complete cleanup tour, I took a quick 20 minutes and visited just a few of the spots that had been the most egregious the day before. I managed to collect another 97 pieces.

 

[yars]

new game for for UO..connect the dots!!!

 

[PitrGri]

The End is coming... the guardian is getting Armageddon ready!

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

From a functionality standpoint, they REALLY need to turn on decay for small blackrock pieces.

From a fiction standpoint, I'm still rather irked that they turned what in UO was always something that was considered prohibitively rare and to be kept hidden AT ALL TIMES AND COST into something people are now tossing on the ground as worthless garbage.

Finally, while the substance reacts to the Armageddon spell, I'm still of the opinion that it in fact does NOT facilitate the successful casting of said spell. Sure it makes a big BOOM, but end life as we know it... not so much.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

...

From a functionality standpoint, they REALLY need to turn on decay for small blackrock pieces.

From a fiction standpoint, I'm still rather irked that they turned what in UO was always something that was considered prohibitively rare and to be kept hidden AT ALL TIMES AND COST into something people are now tossing on the ground as worthless garbage.

Finally, while the substance reacts to the Armageddon spell, I'm still of the opinion that it in fact does NOT facilitate the successful casting of said spell. Sure it makes a big BOOM, but end life as we know it... not so much.

Ending the blackrock spawn would be a really neat idea for the next quest chain/scenario.

And small pieces of blackrock would make a neat addition to the cleaning they are eventually going to do. They would have to have something that could reasonably assure the characters that whomever was accepting the blackrock it wasn't going to result in a replay of Haven.

-Galen's player

 

[claudia-fjp]

They don't need to end the spawn, just turn on decay for that item as well as all the other crap that doesn't decay but should...

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Blackrock should always spawn, as it was easily mineable in Ultima VII and had several uses.

However, small blackrock NEEDS TO STACK. Absolutely NO excuse for them to be individual pieces.

It ALSO needs uses aside from the stew only a handful of people care about. Blackrock armor and weapons are the obvious additions... Possibly even furniture. Give the finished products one of the god-awful abyssal hues and people will gobble it up.

 

[Pinco]

Blackrock should always spawn, as it was easily mineable in Ultima VII and had several uses.

However, small blackrock NEEDS TO STACK. Absolutely NO excuse for them to be individual pieces.

It ALSO needs uses aside from the stew only a handful of people care about. Blackrock armor and weapons are the obvious additions... Possibly even furniture. Give the finished products one of the god-awful abyssal hues and people will gobble it up.

once stackable the problem is solved... maybe they should put a very light weight (like reagents) so can be easily stockpiled for current and future uses

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

In the world of MMOGs and the internet, there is RARELY any uses for a commonly spawning item that "only a handful know about".

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Blackrock should always spawn, as it was easily mineable in Ultima VII and had several uses.

However, small blackrock NEEDS TO STACK. Absolutely NO excuse for them to be individual pieces.

It ALSO needs uses aside from the stew only a handful of people care about. Blackrock armor and weapons are the obvious additions... Possibly even furniture. Give the finished products one of the god-awful abyssal hues and people will gobble it up.

Ok, then a quest to unlock new uses for Blackrock.

Either way....It is to me a great example of the kinds of things they should be hanging scenarios around now. It isn't necessarily a bad idea to switch to easier-performed and shorter story arcs, but said arcs should not revolve around saving the world....Epic story arcs should, I believe, have epic lengths.

But a month or two at most to find a new way to use Blackrock? Sounds about right to me.

-Galen's player

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Eh, you know if they did a story arc revolving around it they'd feel compelled to add several 50K+ hp, kitchen-sink-specialed uber mobs that you have to kill 20 of to collect their randomly numberd tomes of annoyance

A well-crafted quest utilizing Rudyom from Ultima VII would make the most sense (seing as he'd found a way to manipulate blackrock). Something crafters could complete on their own, or with moderate support from a melee/mage character.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Eh, you know if they did a story arc revolving around it they'd feel compelled to add several 50K+ hp, kitchen-sink-specialed uber mobs that you have to kill 20 of to collect their randomly numberd tomes of annoyance

A well-crafted quest utilizing Rudyom from Ultima VII would make the most sense (seing as he'd found a way to manipulate blackrock). Something crafters could complete on their own, or with moderate support from a melee/mage character.

The point, of course, was not whether you (or me for that matter) would personally like any given scenario they do; the point was to suggest a way wherein new permanent content could be added and a scenario/event cycle/plot-driven or plot-related quest chain could take place, at the same time.

-Galen's player

 

[Sevin0oo0]

before I trashed them all, I had many of the 'small piece' stored in a container. Oddity I saw was there were 7 (maybe more) Different smalls - how does that happen? why did they make so many? or is it just a code screwup?

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

2,307 small pieces later, overland Felucca, Atlantic, is now clear of blackrock

I guess you are ready for spring cleaning then. Coming eventually one spring, summer,fall or winter of one year.... maybe

 

[Wizal the Fox]

I heard someone started a new guild called The Fellowship which collects all those small blackrocks to build a huge black gate. I met their leader, a nice guy called Batlin, he seems to have very good ideas and a high morality, although I wonder why they build that thing...

 

[Larisa]

*eyes glow deeply as her gnarled hands caress the worn leather pouch always seen hanging about her slender waist*

My plan has been set in motion....preperations are being made...my minions are hard at work..*grins and vanishes in a cloud of black smoke..a raspy voice can be heard fading away* Vas...Kal..An..Mani.....

 

[Frarc]

My stone crafter is building a blackrock golem as pet and then he will go mining in Felucca!

 

[soze]

THIS

 

[Warpig Inc]

Bring back the BR Elemental with an area reveal damaging effect at spawn.

End of problem.

 

[sayler04]

Acting under the assumption that these will be part of spring cleaning, I stared to hoard all the blackjack I dug up. Of course since they don't stack I burned through my house storage in a matter of days. Since they don't cay, I've started just leaving them lying about the house.

Now if they would just release a house- bound pet, I'd finally have a way to explain to guests why my home has all these little black pellets all over the floor...

 

[Lady Storm]

I am gunna laugh my tail off if they put those tiny rocks in the turn in for clean up.... how many i have tossed out....... stacking would be lovely but if you ever been lagged and seen the lables for them they come up as gems at first... diamond, ruby etc..

So sence you need for black rock stew .... dragon mount food getting rid of them is not an option..

How about other uses and stackabe even if its like gems and stack accourding to what gem it was modled after. id go for 9 stacks rather then the millions all over the place.

 

[jack flash uk]

They don't need to end the spawn, just turn on decay for that item as well as all the other crap that doesn't decay but should...

LOL all the other crap!

 

[Sevin0oo0]

i was thinking it will be included for TurnIn (if they still have it), but... decay will be turned on a day or so ahead of that, making it all go poof, except what's been script-mined for that day

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

*eyes glow deeply as her gnarled hands caress the worn leather pouch always seen hanging about her slender waist*

My plan has been set in motion....preperations are being made...my minions are hard at work..*grins and vanishes in a cloud of black smoke..a raspy voice can be heard fading away* Vas...Kal..An..Mani.....

Yee hee ya haa Yo ho! Blackrock Larisa's Blackrock >enhanced< Gunpowder
Make yo cannon go KaBadaBOOOM-ah-DOOOOM !!!

The story arc: The search for the great pyromaster Draconi's list of last resort explosives
Aside from the rumors of early experiments associated with the possibility of Gunpowder/cannon
the Brotherhood of Arcane alchemy had long known of the possibility of distilling a liquid form
and ancient hermit wizards >knowing< of its latent cataclysmic power, sought long, oh so long,
to further refine the naturally occurring crystalline metal, to a manageable form to be activated by voice
at a distance, for the breaching of gates or rapid clearing of forests via fire fields grown enormous
never mind the inherent advantage of mastering its application to scrolls and trapped boxes
the ancients of the gargoyles the ones adepte in forming and reforming metals,
the heat from blackrock is the purest fire of all, from legend,
for forging the finest metals, allowing both strength of arm and the vibrations of the mind whether silently focused
or loudly by voice to strike a harmonic shifting of the cutting edge of the blade to carve rare crystals as if common wood
never mind the flesh and bone of mortal creatures.

Ah! but only rumors, musings of the mind, combining musings of legendary figures and the dangers they might have dared
and a known danger such as blackrock as has been reminded of late through wars and stories,
its power to cause formless voices to be heard, or its simple possession to enrage distant and passing beasties,
or to strike a piece beneath the ground and summon elementals of near paragon abilities
to Slaying with a properly timed utterance a Shadowlord from another dimension
or to cause a quickening of acquiring skill by merely being in its presence

recently in the memories of living creatures, all these things seen

Set fire the musings of one mind, and spreading like dust to all creatures of mind
Dragon masters and their ancient lizards, weavers of arcane cloth and smithies and dragon scales and
elves with rapidly growing trees of frost wood
(rumored to be a misremembered name of "Ash of bloodwood" treated with or grown in blackrock)

all walks of life, touched by the dust of rumors, and musings of what if
Draconi and blackrock
all creatures of mind
Orcs and terathans and ophidians and elves, Gargoyles and humans and wisps, Savages and ogre lords and all things using magic
Blackrock and Draconi ...
shimmers darkly in their minds
if only, if there were, if there might be found, if only the first clue could be recognized ...
Where would Draconi hide such a terrible scrap of knowledge? in a dusty crypt neath a royal power?
Blackthorn? British? Zhah? a Lich lord guarding ancient tumbled ruins?
An elder race of incorruptible grace such as the pixies, the centaur, the meer? Their Elder champions?
Safely as a favor with a Queen of the ants?

As a slowly forming memory in a young lass,
that carries a pouch of the curious baubles
that seem to sing mutely at night in her dreams?

There are rumors of more and more blackrock being found ... what if ...

 

[Larisa]

Yee hee ya haa Yo ho! Blackrock Larisa's Blackrock >enhanced< Gunpowder
Make yo cannon go KaBadaBOOOM-ah-DOOOOM !!!

The story arc: The search for the great pyromaster Draconi's list of last resort explosives
Aside from the rumors of early experiments associated with the possibility of Gunpowder/cannon
the Brotherhood of Arcane alchemy had long known of the possibility of distilling a liquid form
and ancient hermit wizards >knowing< of its latent cataclysmic power, sought long, oh so long,
to further refine the naturally occurring crystalline metal, to a manageable form to be activated by voice
at a distance, for the breaching of gates or rapid clearing of forests via fire fields grown enormous
never mind the inherent advantage of mastering its application to scrolls and trapped boxes
the ancients of the gargoyles the ones adepte in forming and reforming metals,
the heat from blackrock is the purest fire of all, from legend,
for forging the finest metals, allowing both strength of arm and the vibrations of the mind whether silently focused
or loudly by voice to strike a harmonic shifting of the cutting edge of the blade to carve rare crystals as if common wood
never mind the flesh and bone of mortal creatures.

Ah! but only rumors, musings of the mind, combining musings of legendary figures and the dangers they might have dared
and a known danger such as blackrock as has been reminded of late through wars and stories,
its power to cause formless voices to be heard, or its simple possession to enrage distant and passing beasties,
or to strike a piece beneath the ground and summon elementals of near paragon abilities
to Slaying with a properly timed utterance a Shadowlord from another dimension
or to cause a quickening of acquiring skill by merely being in its presence

recently in the memories of living creatures, all these things seen

Set fire the musings of one mind, and spreading like dust to all creatures of mind
Dragon masters and their ancient lizards, weavers of arcane cloth and smithies and dragon scales and
elves with rapidly growing trees of frost wood
(rumored to be a misremembered name of "Ash of bloodwood" treated with or grown in blackrock)

all walks of life, touched by the dust of rumors, and musings of what if
Draconi and blackrock
all creatures of mind
Orcs and terathans and ophidians and elves, Gargoyles and humans and wisps, Savages and ogre lords and all things using magic
Blackrock and Draconi ...
shimmers darkly in their minds
if only, if there were, if there might be found, if only the first clue could be recognized ...
Where would Draconi hide such a terrible scrap of knowledge? in a dusty crypt neath a royal power?
Blackthorn? British? Zhah? a Lich lord guarding ancient tumbled ruins?
An elder race of incorruptible grace such as the pixies, the centaur, the meer? Their Elder champions?
Safely as a favor with a Queen of the ants?

As a slowly forming memory in a young lass,
that carries a pouch of the curious baubles
that seem to sing mutely at night in her dreams?

There are rumors of more and more blackrock being found ... what if ...

"Blast that Fayled..always muddling where he doesn't belong" Her grating voice echoing off the stone walls which entomb her dwelling as she putters about, always holding that worn leather pouch.

Looking at her trusted familiar, she coos softly "Eldrich, my trusted feathered friend..I must do something before our secrets are found." *Puttering about, she picks up vials and potions, squinting at labels..shaking her head..."It has to be here..."

Eldrich squawked and the old lady reached out a gnarled hand to soothe him,, "there there..things will be alright soon enough." Her eyes glowing softly, she pulls a dusty lead container from behind several others and smiles. "Ahhh Eldrich I found it..." Pulling out the stopper, a foul odor eminated from within, making Eldrich coo and fly to the other side of the cavern.

The woman smiled, or as close to a smile as her lips could manage. "Ah dear friend it won't harm you...do not worry, 'tis merely an ingredient..."

Shuffling over to the large black caldron, she sets the vial carefully beside it. "preperations are being made...my minions are hard at work...the time is almost upon us"

L

 

[Odin of LS]

Just make them a decent amount of point turn in for spring/fall cleanup. I'm sure they will be picked up quick enough then.

 

[Trebr Drab]

*eyes glow deeply as her gnarled hands caress the worn leather pouch always seen hanging about her slender waist*

My plan has been set in motion....preperations are being made...my minions are hard at work..*grins and vanishes in a cloud of black smoke..a raspy voice can be heard fading away* Vas...Kal..An..Mani.....

Yee hee ya haa Yo ho! Blackrock Larisa's Blackrock >enhanced< Gunpowder
Make yo cannon go KaBadaBOOOM-ah-DOOOOM !!!

The story arc: The search for the great pyromaster Draconi's list of last resort explosives
Aside from the rumors of early experiments associated with the possibility of Gunpowder/cannon
the Brotherhood of Arcane alchemy had long known of the possibility of distilling a liquid form
and ancient hermit wizards >knowing< of its latent cataclysmic power, sought long, oh so long,
to further refine the naturally occurring crystalline metal, to a manageable form to be activated by voice
at a distance, for the breaching of gates or rapid clearing of forests via fire fields grown enormous
never mind the inherent advantage of mastering its application to scrolls and trapped boxes
the ancients of the gargoyles the ones adepte in forming and reforming metals,
the heat from blackrock is the purest fire of all, from legend,
for forging the finest metals, allowing both strength of arm and the vibrations of the mind whether silently focused
or loudly by voice to strike a harmonic shifting of the cutting edge of the blade to carve rare crystals as if common wood
never mind the flesh and bone of mortal creatures.

Ah! but only rumors, musings of the mind, combining musings of legendary figures and the dangers they might have dared
and a known danger such as blackrock as has been reminded of late through wars and stories,
its power to cause formless voices to be heard, or its simple possession to enrage distant and passing beasties,
or to strike a piece beneath the ground and summon elementals of near paragon abilities
to Slaying with a properly timed utterance a Shadowlord from another dimension
or to cause a quickening of acquiring skill by merely being in its presence

recently in the memories of living creatures, all these things seen

Set fire the musings of one mind, and spreading like dust to all creatures of mind
Dragon masters and their ancient lizards, weavers of arcane cloth and smithies and dragon scales and
elves with rapidly growing trees of frost wood
(rumored to be a misremembered name of "Ash of bloodwood" treated with or grown in blackrock)

all walks of life, touched by the dust of rumors, and musings of what if
Draconi and blackrock
all creatures of mind
Orcs and terathans and ophidians and elves, Gargoyles and humans and wisps, Savages and ogre lords and all things using magic
Blackrock and Draconi ...
shimmers darkly in their minds
if only, if there were, if there might be found, if only the first clue could be recognized ...
Where would Draconi hide such a terrible scrap of knowledge? in a dusty crypt neath a royal power?
Blackthorn? British? Zhah? a Lich lord guarding ancient tumbled ruins?
An elder race of incorruptible grace such as the pixies, the centaur, the meer? Their Elder champions?
Safely as a favor with a Queen of the ants?

As a slowly forming memory in a young lass,
that carries a pouch of the curious baubles
that seem to sing mutely at night in her dreams?

There are rumors of more and more blackrock being found ... what if ...

"Blast that Fayled..always muddling where he doesn't belong" Her grating voice echoing off the stone walls which entomb her dwelling as she putters about, always holding that worn leather pouch.

Looking at her trusted familiar, she coos softly "Eldrich, my trusted feathered friend..I must do something before our secrets are found." *Puttering about, she picks up vials and potions, squinting at labels..shaking her head..."It has to be here..."

Eldrich squawked and the old lady reached out a gnarled hand to soothe him,, "there there..things will be alright soon enough." Her eyes glowing softly, she pulls a dusty lead container from behind several others and smiles. "Ahhh Eldrich I found it..." Pulling out the stopper, a foul odor eminated from within, making Eldrich coo and fly to the other side of the cavern.

The woman smiled, or as close to a smile as her lips could manage. "Ah dear friend it won't harm you...do not worry, 'tis merely an ingredient..."

Shuffling over to the large black caldron, she sets the vial carefully beside it. "preperations are being made...my minions are hard at work...the time is almost upon us"

L

The mysteries of Sosaria keep drawing me back to her. Damn this cursed land. There are too many problems, yet too many mysteries. Are they nothing more than a story being played out? Or is there actually something hidden deeply in her history to justify the bonds she always tries to tie me to?

I simply don't know the answer to that. Even as it seems that surely, there must be something. Yet whatever tentacles reach out to me seem to dissolve into the wisp of dreams.

Once again I must return to her. Likely to yet again fail and draw the inevitable conclusion that there is nothing but the ghostly apparition of something not there, yet always haunting somewhere in my deepest thoughts.

"What if?" I have asked that question too many times over too many years. From the first day that a new generation wandered the lands, through the years, to this day.
And still I do not have an answer.

 

[yars]

could also make them a regeant, armageddon was a cool spell, maybe add to mystic or necro, necro could use another spell or two

 

[MalagAste]

Ra'Vendal examines the small dark stones. Perhaps, he wonders, there is a way to harness the raw energy of this material... Perhaps one could power a golem with it if there were some way to refine it, maybe crystallize it. If some stable crystal could be formed perhaps it could replace the power crystal of the golems...

Hum.... a more powerful golem, one that could enhance training, but better yet.... one that could be fueled with more blackrock so the golem could perhaps be stronger, more powerful, perhaps even used in mining for gathering more ore more quickly...

A smiled formed on the crafters face... such fantastic thoughts...

No perhaps it has other uses... what if it were incorporated into say.... grapeshot! Why the targets wouldn't know what hit them.... imagine the devastation they would cause... certainly with a few pieces of blackrock one could make an extremely powerful charge to destroy enemies...

On second thought it would destroy the vessel too badly and there would be nothing left to salvage... No... bad idea...

But against a monster such as Scalis.... Hum...

What about refining it to power the soulforge??? Perhaps then one could make stronger augmentation to things? Perhaps one could forge more powerful weapons... maybe even be able to enhance weapons and armor with blackrock..... making them stronger and able to hold more magical properties...

Ra'Vendal set the small black stone down on the workbench. Maybe one day... Perhaps I'll invent such wonders and become the most famous craftsman of my time... He smiled. Yes... perhaps someday.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Dermott picks up a small black stone.

"Hmm... wonder what this thing does"

After spending some time turning it over in his hand and thinking, he decides that the stone is no different than any other and pitches it over his shoulder.

...

...

...

 

[Trebr Drab]

...

Dermott picks up a small black stone.

"Hmm... wonder what this thing does"

After spending some time turning it over in his hand and thinking, he decides that the stone is no different than any other and pitches it over his shoulder.

...

...

...

You know that place in Ilshenar, near the dimensional portal to the place of Virtue caskets, where the trees are dead and black.....

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

I have gave you the answers over and out...

it's too earth shattering, thats it ?

Wait until you meet a Djiŷnn face to face...

How many times this thread ? 30 ?