Be gentle with me...

[Zzirf]

...because the RNG sure isn't!

First time I've posted in Primal Scream, but I'm to the point of screaming!

/sigh

Trying to GM baking on MTPs and the RNG is treating me like I kicked its dog or something. This is going to be my 3rd tradeskill to GM, but man I'm having the worst luck. I've trolled these boards a lot and pay special attention to those fine individuals that post their stats for combines per skill up from 200-250. It always seems like there's a 'hell level' from about 190-210 or so where the number of combines goes up quite a bit and then it settles down to about 30 or so the rest of the way to 250.

For you detail-oriented folks out there, my INT is at 280 and I'm not using a geerlok while doing combines (I don't really care about successes right now, just skill ups). I usually do MTPs in runs of 100, and then go exp or do something else.

I'm still grinding away at it (skill 233), but at this point I'm still AVERAGING about 90 combines per skill up. I guess I can be optimistic and look at it as only needing 1530 more combines to GM...

Ah well, thanks for listening

Snoopp Froggyfrog
Arcanist of Prexus

Brewing (250) + Trophy
Jewelcraft (250) + Trophy
Baking (233)
Fletching (200)
Smithing (200)
Tailoring (200)
Pottery (200)
Fishing (200)

[Sanna]

For what it's worth....

Baking chugged along quite nicely for my druid, who had anywhere from 155 to 210 wis for skills 0-177.

Right about 175, 176, 177, I noticed a massive slowdown in skillups. I put serious effort into getting wisdom to 220+, and just kept clicking... eating my creations, giving them to groupies or guildies, or selling the occasional stack of Pinemyer Pasta. But I digress.

190-205 was "U - G - L - Y, you ain't got no alibi." The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was 1 of 2 sellers of Halas 10.

Suddenly.... 206.... 207.... 208 ! All the way to 220, I was averaging One Skillup Per 20 Combines. I was floored. I was ecstatic. I kept upping my wis (I think I maxxed it to 255 with food and no kei by... 215?), and kept clicking.


And right up to 235, I was still getting at least a skillup per 20 to 30 combines. Then my guildleader "permaloaned" me his geerlok (since he used to be the highest baker at 200 raw skill... but I passed him and he realized that he had exactly ZERO will to keep baking)... And oddly enough, I haven't gotten a skillup since. I think I'm on 5th or 6th stack of MTP combines.


Now, don't take that last part as anything "definate". The RNG has it's days, and some points will just be worse than others, just through luck of the draw.

I have heard, tho, that the last 10-15 points (IE, 235 or so all the way to 250) are indeed PITAs to get.

If you're averaging 5.5 stacks of combines with 280 int... To me, I read this as saying that you've measured this over about 8 skillpoints. The only thing I can think of to say is, try skilling at different times of the day... try maybe finding a low-lag zone like Freeport or something.... Get a group to fight with you into the backside of Droga, try skilling there... (Lord only knows WHY there is an oven in Droga... the first time I saw it, my guildies ribbed me about baking in it... and I kept looking at it all night, realizing it was calling my name.... hehehehhe.)


From here on out it's not gonna be easy, no.... but with that Int and that average per skillup... ugh. /comfort. Maybe something really does hate you >_<. I like to blame the demon with the knobby bat.

Grats on getting the skill so high, tho ^_^ and gl with future skillups!

-- Sanna

[Phabos]

For some reason, I seem to recall the law 230s being difficult to skill up on (I also did picnics). Like you, I did them in sets of 100, and there were times I would attempt a full set with no skillups. Yes, it hurts, but you're not alone. And it does get better when you hit roughly 240. Just keep clicking away.


Phabos Aphsion
Drunken Paladin of Brell
Tarew Marr

[kiztent]

My shaman is my primary bakers (cats being finicky eaters and all) and I did PoP combines from merchant mining from HMP triv to about 235ish when I did another set of MTP runs and got some skll ups. I'd just bag a lot of meats until it got annoying, then bake them all, then sell the results in stack lots (and bank sub-stack lots for the next time I felt like baking).

I noticed that MTP were terrible for skill ups below 230 (did 2 runs once at ~195 for a solstice ear, once at ~220 because I felt like it), and I swore them off. Don't remember any hell levels (well I remember getting a annoyed at ~30-40 combines with no skill up then I'd get a quick double) except for my 2 MTP runs.

[Chenier]

Ditto Phabos....I did MTP's in runs of 100...and I remember many runs where I'd only see one (or sometimes no) skill up...

[Thicket Tundrabog]

If you are getting only one skill in 90 combines over a long stretch then you have a similar problem to a few other people. 90 combines per skillup over a few skillups is not statistically significant. It is significant if you are averaging 90 combines when skilling up from 200 to 230.

Most people have not had such a long streak of poor skillups, so they will attribute skillup problems to a bad streak on the RNG. They will talk about hell levels, but will still have reasonable skillup rates over the long haul. Your case sounds different. There are enough similar cases of individuals with statistically significant long streaks of poor skillups to suggest there is another problem.

Although the post is probably far down the board there was one player who was averaging 160 combines per skillup in smithing at 355 wisdom. There are other posts about similar poor skillups.

There have been a few theories about what causes these bad skillups for a small number of players. All of them are just theories.

(Note: Yes, I know that Sony checked the RNG over millions/billions of combines and found it to be consistent over long runs. I believe them, but I also know that testing a RNG is very dependent on the parameters and test method used.)

My suggestion is to change your wisdom/intelligence, whichever is determining. If you are at 280, but your actual is higher and is capped at 280, take off some wisdom/intelligence gear.

I had a similar long bad streak in Fletching, and this worked for me. I had previously skilled up to 250 in tailoring, brewing, baking and jewelcraft with no abnormal skillup problems.

Thicket