OMG! How do you all do it???

[Balkin]

:D

I just did my first run at Halas 10 lb. Meat Pies.

It took me 3 hours to get together enough materials for 67 combines!!!

And, I was so tired, I haven't even made the pies yet, all I've done is get ready for the last combines!

I'm at 191, and hope 67 combines will get me to 194 or 195 with 237 WIS. Already tried 40 pixie power cinnie sticks, with no skill up. :cry: :(

Carpal tunnel, time sink, and ARGH that's some serious clickin. :shock: ;) :D People actually do a LOT of these to make PP???

[Lilosh]

They key is routine.

Find out the most efficient order to do things in, and then ALWAYS, do it that way.

And yes, Halas Pies are a demon. But Misty Picnics are THE DEVIL.



-Lilosh

[Danae]

[list]~Plan your inventory space ahead. Only have ingredients going for one end product at a time (Halas Meat Pies, Truffles, Misty Thickets, etc). The more partial stacks and half done stuff you have sitting around the less space you have to work with.

~Be efficient. For HMPs, fillet an entire stack of Bear Meat. Then fillet an entire stack of Lion Meat. Then get a stack of Filleted Wolf and Mammoth. Then make just enough Cream to yield 80 Creamy Fennel Sauce. Then do all 80 of the combines. Then make exactly 160 clumps of dough. Then go buy exactly 80 Sage Leaves.

~Use the new UI so you can have multiple bags open at a time.

~Particularly if you're a caster, take those stacks of un-filleted meat and do them while medding. Collapsible spits and mixing bowls are your friend.[/list:u]

[Autumnwyld]

Its all about figuring out a system. The first time I did pies it took forever to get going, but then I found a way it worked for me. Also I was very happy making them in Halas, everything was right there. Its always been my favorite tradeskill area, don't ask me why since I play elves. In my later days I take advantage of the fact I have a second account and I have a baker mule. It made my life so much easier since she holds all my tradeskill supplies when I am not working, however and understandbly, everyone does not have that luxery. ;)

~ Autty

[Naeron]

I have a REALLY hard time figuring out how people can possibly think that doing misty picnics are even remotely as tedious or labor intensive as making halas pies...

Considering that prep work for 20 picnic baskets involves 19 combines (making everything assuming no fails, including the baskets) - whereas the pies take 140 combines... it's absurd the amount of work halas pies take before you can even start making them. I'm at 192 skill, and I'm about ready to give up on making pies and just spam picnics at 10x the rate and hope for roughly the same skillups in the same period of time.

[Ortrillian]

I also make all of one item (fennel sauce whatever) then move on to the next thing. I troll vendors at least 2 times a day (yes I'm sick) looking for stuff that I need for one of my tradeskills. Often when checking vendors I'll find stacks of, for example, bear fillets, cream or what have you. I buy those up fast, it saves me time and wrist pain. ;)

[Balkin]

Yeah, I know part of my problem was NOT being prepared. I Merchant Mine a LOT, and had like 53 wolf meats which I fillet'd (BIG mistake, that's 2.5 10 slot bags!) I also had 7 mammoth meat from mining, and Fillet's all of those!!!

So, Mistake no 1, filleting WAY to much wolf.

Mistake no 2, NOT knowning where to find the alchemy supplies and having to find them.

I do have a VERY old second computer that's almost permanently sitting at EQTraders, so that wasn't to bad. Travel time was minimized by using PoK.

Mistake no 3, NOT paying attention to YIELD!!!

I had the recipe information, but... One cream combine gives me 8??? One Creamy Fennel sauce gives me 6??? OMG!!! :D One PIE combine gives me 6!!!??? :shock: :D

So, I fillet'd a LOT of extra wolf, which I'm going to make into Fillet in cream and sell in the bazaar. I also still have 8 stacks of cheese I'm trying to sell in the bazaar from making Patty melts from 157 to 191. AND I have about 12 stacks of Halas 10lb. Meat Pies to sell as well. I'm keeping some of course. :) My success rate was actually quite good! So I was pleased about that.

Mistake no 4, NOT realizing that the pies are GIANT size. WHAT a pain in the buttocks! :D :shock: :o Good thing I use Deluxe Toolboxes in my bank eh? They hold giant size...

Anyway, that was TOUGH work, took a long time, and I only got to 193... So, just 2 skill ups. I found another mammoth meat, so the total was actually 75 attempts with 237 WIS. Guess I need to pick up a few more points of WIS eh? I think the next time.... If I can force myself to even consider making these again... I'll be MUCH better prepared.

[TinyDru]

Step 1. Build another computer and get another EQ account
Step 2. Create at least two new characters (I prefer a couple of husky barbarian warrior fellows named something like Hans and Frans)
Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? :)) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.
Step 4. Repeat step three until Hans's and Frans's inventories and banks are full of Deluxe toolboxes.
Step 5. Plop Hans and Frans next to whatever cooking device you need and make Halas Pie or MTP components until the sun explodes. Your new mule buddies will happily hold all they can handle leaving plenty of room in your inventory for sane things... :)

I know this doesn't really help the amount of clicking you have to do to make either of these items, but it sure as hell helps with component storage when you want to do a run of these things!

-Tiny

[Lilosh]

Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? :)) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.


Perhaps he could check the 3 vendors in PoK who sell them as well?

He mentioned having PoP. :)


-Lilosh

[sir0die]

Step 2. Create at least two new characters (I prefer a couple of husky barbarian warrior fellows named something like Hans and Frans)
Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? :)) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.
Step 4. Repeat step three until Hans's and Frans's inventories and banks are full of Deluxe toolboxes.
-Tiny


why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

[Raolinx]

why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

Since when? I think you mean 8 slot.

[Masklinn_MT]

i usually prepare everything for 80 HMP combines (i make 90 of each fillet, then hundreds of creams and i cream the fillet, , etc) I usually need 3 10 slots bags (1 bag of the tinkerers, 1 giant toolbox and 1 10 slot bag) plus some more slots (the sewing kit) to handle everything at the same time.

[Allbus]

After reaching 250, you'll want to take a break from both picnics and pies. hehe. My hands still hurt from 4 months of constant clicking.

4hrs a day, 4months, to get from 143 to 250. Grandmasters spoon at 250 on first try.

143 to 188 with tioler meat. easy.

188 up with halas pies.

At 205, i switched nonstop to picnics. Pies hurt too much.

[Ariene]

why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

Since when? I think you mean 8 slot.

They used to sell 10 slot sewing kits but they now sell 8 slot. Those were changed close to two years ago. I have two leftoever deluxe kits from my newbie days but they can't be bought anymore. :)

[Cinaed]

Eh, to me, this is no contest. I've made both items already, and find the Picnics to be a much bigger hassle, the Devil indeed, to make. Even as a Wood Elf Druid (the best race/class combo for baking imho) it still takes a long time just to accumulate the raw ingredients, before you start any of the combines.

One thing I'm missing seeing here though are the Jagged Pine recipes. I've had a relatively (or not-so-relatively) easy time getting to my current level of 186 using griffon stirfries or patty melts, and both are cheap and easy to make. Soloing in JP is great for any druid above level 40 or so, and you can forage the Plant Shoots there, Veggies can be foraged just about anywhere, and you're hunting the griffons already. Smithing isn't hard to get up high enough to make your own non-stick pans, and it helps you make friends (or pp) to make them for others who don't want to bother.

Just my 2 copper :)

[TinyDru]

Ummmmm, I KNEW about the 3 vendors in PoK that sell them, but, I, ummm, I LIKE the SCENERY in Ice Clad... Yea! That's it! And all those gnomes seem so lonely and cold...

TinyDru <-- moron... :oops:

Thanks for the PoK tool box tip - that'll save me a little porting :)

[kiztent]

Sorry, but MTP are the devil.

HMP does not require as many DIFFERENT subcombines as HMP and as many different bought components. You need to have:

(tools)
File
Cake Round
Dairy Spoon

(storebought)
Mandrake Roots
Small Brick of Ore
Loaf of Bread
Frosting
Barley
Hops
Spices
Water
Bottle
Jumjum Stalk
Lettuce
Fennel
Eucalyptus
Frosting
Rennet
Milk

(farmed/foraged)
Brownie Parts
Fruit
Clump of Dough
Vegetables

Compare the HMP:

(tools)
Dairy spoon
filleting knife

(bought)
benzoin
fennel
bear meat
lion meat
milk
flour

(farmed/foraged)
mammoth meat
wolf meat
clump of dough

Plus MTP are really really really bad about yielding skillups. I've done on the order of 300 and seen maybe 1 or 2 MTP skillups.

[Calabar]

Halas Pies are, without a doubt, a pain to make. I’ve gotten better at organizing things, which really only comes with experience, but there is still one thing that always slows me down. I keep failing on enough of the small combines that I always end up running back and fourth to places I’ve already been to get one or two more of this or that. It really eats into my time. I’ve even tried to buy extra to cover the failures. And of course I end up failing even more and still need to do more running around. *sigh* I’m so looking forward to a better video card so I can go hunting in Jaggedpine.

[Kialya]

Go to the Bazaar and purchase 10 trader satchels to put in your bank. They hold giant items (halas pie anyone?) they are 10 slot AND they are cheap !
All of my characters have them in the bank.

Cant get much better then that :)

[Cigarskunk]

I just did my first run at Halas 10 lb. Meat Pies.

It took me 3 hours to get together enough materials for 67 combines!!!

And, I was so tired, I haven't even made the pies yet, all I've done is get ready for the last combines!

LOL - you think that's fun, then try doing MTPs.

[Garulf]

Go to the Bazaar and purchase 10 trader satchels to put in your bank. They hold giant items (halas pie anyone?) they are 10 slot AND they are cheap !
All of my characters have them in the bank.

Cant get much better then that :)

While I'd normally agree, Trader's Satchels have one really large drawback, the darn things are NO DROP. An example of why this is bad:

My baking mule (full of various meat, mushrooms, herbs, cream, roots, veggies, etc.) has about 8 satchels in his bank storage, if the components I want to use are in those satchels, I have to xfer them a stack at a time into a tradable container (or hand them to my main 8 at a time in trade window). This is so annoying (and time consuming), I'm seriously considering trashing the trader's satchels on all my characters except my bazaar mule and replacing them with deluxe tool boxes or hand made backpacks.

[TinyDru]

I actually ran in to the same problem (aside from the fact that the satchels weigh 25lb a piece... - I do all my tradeskilling outside the Bazaar). The toolboxes have made transfers a lot more efficient.

On the subject of Halas pies vs. MTPs - I might be a couple bricks shy of a load here, but I actually find making the MTPs a lot faster than the pies. With a couple of empty mules standing there, I can whip enough components for about 800 attempts in a very short amount of time (hmmm - maybe a couple hours) and then just whip thru the creation of the Picnics. Whenever I have down time I make the annoying things like Steel Bonings for future mass-component producing sessions. Also - since one brownie part = 200 cake slices, it takes very little time in LFay at the brownie camp to farm enough parts for about a billion slices... :)

-Tiny

[Idana Phoenixfyre]

I have to agree with the mule factor. I have Cupboard, Tailoringvault, etc. They hold nothing but the supplies for whatever madness I'm currently experiencing. When I work on skillups, I take my tradeskiller to a quiet spot and make up enough of each component to fill up one mule backpack of finished pre-last-combine items (ie. one backpack full of marmalade sandwiches, one full of mature cheese, one full of picnic baskets, etc.) THEN I clear the odds and sods off my tradeskiller (that's what her own bank is for) and I proceed to take one stack of each item needed for the final combine for each backpack so that I have eight backpacks full of everything I need to do combines. It takes a bit to organize but it is so much better in the end to just have everything you need to do your final combines in order and in the proper proportions. Plus, you just have to sit there and make each component until a backpack is full, then you stop and fill up the next backpack with the next item, and so on and so on.

Merchant mining is your friend. Always check near brew barrels for folks who are skilling up on jumjum spiced beer. I have one mule full of beer. With any luck I will never have to make it myself. If my luck runs out I'll be taking my mule to the Betty Ford clinic. Any time you find a pre-last-combine component that someone was foolish enough to sell, BUY IT! Clumps of dough are easy to make but what's easier than spending a gold or two for it already made up and not having to farm a newbie area for supplies? The same goes for Halas pie components. I can't tell you how much mammoth meat I have purchased off of vendors. I always feel kinda guilty whacking mammoth calves myself.

Learn how to do chuck wagon cooking. Get your ingredients and while you are medding from chasing different game meat down, fillet up what you have. Take every opportunity to get in a few combines. You're waiting for your guild to gather for a raid. Make some dough. You're waiting for something to spawn make some cream. Believe me, you'll never realize how much time you waste on EQ just sitting around until you start filling it up with tradeskills in the field.

There are as many ways to save time as there are folks like us doing tradeskills. Saving steps and time is key. Just find out what works best for you and make the most of this craziness we call skilling!

Idana :mrgreen:

[Naeron]

Wow, it seems people have a REALLY hard time getting brownie parts, because everything else listed that has to be gathered for MTPs (that can't be store bought) is readily, and cheaply available in the bazaar. In the amount of time it takes me to farm mammoth meat in sufficient quantities to make any substantial quantities of pies, I can have three times that many brownie parts, and be combining like a mad fiend at an oven in PoK.

Considering that I can easily gather all the components for MTPs as fast or faster than I can for HMPs, and that MTPs take roughly 1/5 of the subcombines (regardless of whether or not you have to spend a half an hour to get a couple other skills to a menial <100 level), I still think that HMPs are the devil, and MTPs are a walk in the park in comparison. :)

[Tenidina]

Picnics are the devil, Pies are the devil, glad I got to 250 already in baking, now I am more picky in what I make. Lately, mainly stick tot he POP baking stuff, but I will do other things on request from my friends.

As for picnics, I am not making them anymore unless someone else does all those annoying inital combines, my clicky finger hurts!

[tatanka7th]

"It took me 3 hours to get together enough materials for 67 combines!!!"

LOL, don't ever try tailoring ;)

Materials for 67 combines in 3 hours would be a world record, hands down!

Tat

[Sebilrazen]

I couldn't agree more with those of you that said MTP are the Devil, incarnate even. I was at 203 doing HMP (from 191 to 203) ran out of mammoth meat, and had some whiny enchanter complain that a lvl 34 druid shouldn't be hunting mammoths in everlost, so I decided to go crazy and go all the way and started making Picnics, at the time my base wis was only 208 :?: but i did get all the way to skill 230 without caving for kei for combines, between shots of kei I made my artisan seal with the help of a Chanter that I was keeping very well funded with my mind candy addiction so when i finally saw the 'You have increased your skill in baking(250)' I popped the spoon and seal in the oven and cried when my cursor stayed empty, but I got it on the second try a day later so it's all good

[kiztent]

Halas Pies are, without a doubt, a pain to make. I’ve gotten better at organizing things, which really only comes with experience, but there is still one thing that always slows me down. I keep failing on enough of the small combines that I always end up running back and fourth to places I’ve already been to get one or two more of this or that.

So do one or two less combines.

I first stock up on enough dough to cover my forseeable needs (say, stack of basalisk eggs, refresh when I get below 2 stacks of dough). I fillet my mammoth and wolf meat, pull spare cream and creamy fennel sauce out of the bank, make enough creamy fennel sauce to cover all the fillets with about a quarter overage for failures (well, I try to end up with less than a stack when I'm done), then make all the creamy fennel fillets. Buy sage to cover the lowest common denominator, combine. Bank extra creamy fennel sauce, cream and one of wolf or mammoth fillets until next run. Of course, I work in thurg where the meat vendor is next to the oven.

[Alyen]

The reasons hat MTPs are better than HMPs are simple

1) Both take 3 ingredients that you can't buy from a vendor BUT, big but, veggies are available in large quantities in the bazaar AND, big and, you only need a few brownie parts to get you thru tons of combines. One brownie part = 20 cakes = 400 slices @ 2 slices per combine = 200 combines. Eggs yeild the same amount of dough for both, but MTPs require far far less dough because the yield for cakes is so high.

2) None of the subcombines for MTPs end up with a yield of one item. Getting one each from the lion/bear meat just stinks.

Basically to make MTPs all you need to do is run to lfay for 5, maybe 10, minutes, the bazaar for a few minutes, hit RV to buy a few stacks of jumjum stalks and then do combines in PoK until you hit 250.

[Mad Baker Hobbitt]

Alyen...

I may be wrong, cuz I am at work.... JumJum cakes have a yield of 10 slices each. Making 50 combines per brownie part.

Not trying to nitpick, I am just thinking about this at work.

Hopperr

[Cendorly]

Basically to make MTPs all you need to do is run to lfay for 5, maybe 10, minutes, the bazaar for a few minutes, hit RV to buy a few stacks of jumjum stalks and then do combines in PoK until you hit 250

Then spend the rest of your life selling MTP's in the bazaar or giving them away to guildmates, friends, beggars, and twinks :D

I've skilled up from 200 to 224 on a combo of MTP's, Justice Fruit Pies and Griffon/Anaconda melts. While everything other then MTP's, is less subcombines, MTP's are definitely more fun. I will agree that MTP's are definitely a LOT of prep work, but, as others have posted, it is by far, the easiest item to skillup on in terms of getting the items for the combines (no farming, most everything easily obtainable in the bazaar/vendors, etc). The advantage to MTP's over Halas Meat Pies, and other items, is the ease of getting the components. Plus, once you have the components, you can easily make 200 (10 stacks) of each item in preparation for 200 attempts. It may take some preparation and organization, but it is not as tedious as farming wolves/griffons/anacondas, or filletting/creaming meat and the yield of 10+ on each subcombine is quite nice.

The key to skilling up on MTP's is organization. I have a mule parked in POK soley for baking components, with bagfuls of jumjum stalks, lettuce, fennel, veggies, etc. who holds my subcombines while I'm prepping for a large run.

In the end, whether you skillup on MTP's, Halas Meat Pies, Griffon/Anaconda Melts, Justice Fruit Pies, it's all about what is the most FUN for you to skill up on. Personally, I like doing a combination of many different recipes. It's fun sitting down looking at the bags of baking components on my mule wondering "What shall I bake today?" or having the decision made for you when you get lucky and find a large amoutn of baking stuff on a vendor :D

[Sadara]

MTP are easy in my opinion. I have a mule that keeps around 80 to 100 each of Jumjum spiced bear, picnic baskets and mature cheese. All I have to do is make the sub combines for the others, which is easy and then go make the picnics. The subcombines for the Mints, the Salad and the Marmalade Sandwhich are easy.

Oh, I also keep lots of marmalade on that mule. Don't want to do those subcombines everytime either.

If I did the subcombines every time I wanted to make picnics... I would have given up on baking long, long ago.

Sadara Spiritslammer
<Scent of an Ogre>
Brell Serilis

[Chaid]

MTP > HMP for two reasons.

MTPs have fewer overall subcombines. When you're putting enough together to do 200 combines at a time, 200 lion and 200 bear fillets and then the creamy fillet combines gets tiresome fast.

On Drinal, MTPs sell for 10p while HMP only sell for 5p.

[Annywyn Picnicmaker]

MTP's are definately the way to go in my opinion - for several reasons :

1. They have better resell value - People are more willing to buy a stack of something weighing 0.1 vs 7.2 lbs (and im speaking of the people who buy stacks cause they have money to spend and don't worry about accidently eating their stat food)

2. The three components that are crafted/brewed/smithed :
Brewing - very easy to get to the skill lvl to make jumjum beer
Smithing - steel boning trivials very low
Tailoring - get someone to make your baskets for you in trade for
Thickets.

3. Brownie parts are relatively inexpensive in the bazaar.

4. Waaay less combines :D

Sale of Thickets have funded my Smithing to above 100 and Tailoring to 120. If you are going to do multiple tradeskills - i highly suggest baking first :D

[Balkin]

Been a while since I checked this thread. :) I was so bug eyed after my last baking run, that I haven't done a single combine in ANY trade since! :D

Anyway, I've been thinking about trying some MTP's to get me to 200 baking.

I guess probably the BEST thing I could do to help myself in tradeskilling, is get a second account to hold trade gear/ subcombines, etc... :roll: That way space would basically be no big deal. That was the worst part when I did my HMP's.

Thanks for the advice all. :)

<----------------- still eating HMP's, and expects to for about another year! :D

[sir0die]

well, i did another 100 combines of these **** meat pies, still 191.
:evil:

[Hobbun]

I have to agree with some of the others on here, MTP's are the easiest way to go. What you can't buy off vendors can be pretty easily found in the bazaar. I started MTP's at 189, bought 30 brownie parts and had 11 left over at the end.

Hobbun

[Cigarskunk]

How do we do it?

Simple - we're @#$%in crazy - that's the only explanation since no sane person would do what we do to ourselves for fun. ;)

[Ariene]

well, i did another 100 combines of these darn meat pies, still 191.
:evil:

Do truffles to 202! So many less combines. For variety, do a few pixie cinesticks. I can't forage but I managed to find lots of ingrediants by merchant mining. Hitting all the newbie vendors in g'fay and felwithe should get you enough cin sticks and pixie dust for a baking session and mushrooms are only 1s from vendors and can be found often in ShadowHaven and on vendors on the moon since they are foraged there.

I've still never made picnics but I'm SO thankful I'm almost done with pie! I only have one account so I end up having to make fourty combines max at a time until I can give away the inventory to have room to bake again. :)

[Rebecca Cabbageleaf]

The truffles are an excellent method of learning,
The fearsome beast Ohabah's treats you're earning.
Foragement of mushrooms is a piece of cake,
Ask your Ssra-raiding guilds for them, they'll help you bake!

Thought not much in demand of late,
Ended has the Fungus Grove exping spate,
Buy and save the wizardly Lotus part,
They'll help raise this most noble art.

My picnics you should leave 'til the end, and Halas Pies,
Are oft too big to suit your eyes!
Learn on the easier recipes first,
Lest your mule's bag-seams you shall burst.

^_))


Toodlepip,

[tatanka7th]

OMG Lotusfly, you're everywhere!

When do you find time to play?

LOL,

Tat

[wired203]

Am I the only one to notice something is wrong with alyens math 20 cakes = 400 slices at 2 per attempt making 200 attempts per brownie part, last time I checked my math you get 10 slices of cake per cake, 20 X 10 = 200 and 200 / 2 = 100 combines :D just didn't see anyone that noticed that.

[quyrean]

I have been skilling up on hobgoblin surprise. Its one combine to make the gravy (all storebought) then one more to make the surprise :) The only thing you need to farm is hobgoblin meat, which is pretty good exp.

Quy...

[Nairn Niteraven]

Beautifully written as always Rebecca! Nice to see you :)