research rant

[Treesong]

I am going to say it again: I think Spell Research has taken a big dive in fun with all these new recipes that use the parchments and stuff.

What is it with all these subcombines? Inks, waters, you name it, it all needs subcombines. Was the intent of all this newfangled stuff to make money- and timesinks? It sure worked. I must say, I lost all incentive to try to skill up Research just by the sheer amount of buying, hauling around and moving stuff in my Inv just to make the subcombines.
This apart from the fact that I think the whole tiered, level-linked Parchment/Hide/Pelt/whatever stuff is cheesy and a bit of a copout but I guess this is the way to go from now on with tradeskills since the new Cultural follows the same rules.

I also do not understand how all this new stuff makes it easier for Ngreth, new players and the Database guys. Just seems there is a lot more stuff to combine and stock and keep track off, it's just a lot more boring (and expensive).

I guess I'll just move over my Enc from the Antonius Bayle server who got her skill with the old system. None of this subcombine nonsense, just looting your own Words, with some fun vendormining and bazaar-browsing now and then, and voila, you could make a few combines again.

[Neebat]

You might look at the Binding powder combines. There's a lot less to combine if you're just trying to skill up. You might also think about doing Parchment Solutions until you get well over 200. I didn't, but I'm cheap that way. I like making money on tradeskills, not losing it.

There's a few posts about inventory management on the new research that might help too. Or just ask what you should keep and what you should make on demand.

I really hated the amount of my bank space, money and time I wasted with the old research system. Some of that stuff looked exactly like junk, and the good stuff was long tedious camps in zones you wouldn't hunt in normally. I went from 16 bags of research junk, with 8 more on each of my casters, down to just 8 total.

With the new system, I rarely even have to look up a recipe. I look at the spell description, cross-reference the ink descriptions, and put together a combine... Most of the time, it just works! That ROCKS. No more trying to remember if it's pg. 73 right or pg. 73 left that I needed.

Yeah, the number of subcombines bites. But it's possible to bypass a lot of them by buying the aqua regia and muriatic acid.

I'm still hoping Ngreth can give us some bulk combines for the common inks. I'd love to mix a few beakers full of Tunare, Pain, Eagle and Tribunal. As it is, I usually end up making 20 vials at a time anyway.

[Konjure]

What is it with all these subcombines? Inks, waters, you name it, it all needs subcombines.

I found annoying too, especially quills/inks/solutions/etc not stacking to 50-100. Sometimes getting asked to do a spell for an alt and happy to get some use of my 300 skill... and they send me a tell wondering if I forgot about it after 20 min of me running around doing parchment solution, subcombines etc.

If you only want to skill up it's trivial nowdays using appropriate Binding Powders and a lot cheaper. No need to make spells.

[Sharrien]

I like that the combines are complex. Makes me really feel like I'm making something. The ingredient system it also very consistent and makes sense.

Yeah, I have two bank bags devoted to research paraphernalia, but have you ever seen fantasy laboratory in the movies that didn't look like an overstuffed closet?

[Maevenniia]

I like that the combines are complex. Makes me really feel like I'm making something. The ingredient system it also very consistent and makes sense.

I like it too. Before it felt like I was tossing a bunch of random stuff into a box and hoping it would make sense, NOW it actually feels more like research, since you base the recipes on the properties of the spells

[Konjure]

Before it felt like I was tossing a bunch of random stuff into a box and hoping it would make sense

But, I liked tossing random stuff in a box and see what was going to pop! The most fun when doing research (all over again), on enchanter alt... was to see what the collected Faded pages actually was.

But I do admit that the new system is very neat and logical in comparison and I like it too. Just wish it was less subcombines, like premade ink. Stuff like Vial of pure water could be replaced with Barrel of Pure Water usable for 200 combines before fading (aka pattern book style). Solutions stacking like there is no tomorrow.... ah... the dreams I have...

[Zacatac]

I currently have 5 bags for research (including the combine container) in my bank. This is much less than the 16 bags of random components that I have on a mule from the older research system.