Fallwell: Codename Smithing Loser

[Fallwell]

I'm extremely close to pulling the plug on EQ now. After taking a few months off, I decided to give it another try. So I come back and go to the forge. I fail on 15 straight Fierce Heraldic combines (at 250 skill.) I am sick to my stomach.

Next trip to the forge? I make 2 bracers, and fail on 2. About what I should expect, I suppose.

Next trip to the forge? I fail 5 times and succeed once on arms.

Today, I just managed to fail 6 times, with no successes. Four times on greaves, once on arms and once on boots.

That's 3/28 for those scoring at home.

It's so demoralizing to walk up to the forge praying for a lousy combine and fail time after time after time. Especially since before I quit, I was making around 45% of attempts.

Oh yeah, 1 for 4 on Tae Ew shields too, which I heard somewhere is about a 80% success rate. The one I made was a free combine for a stranger. The other 3 were for me.

Works out to 62 Blue Diamonds and 60 EoS used to make 2 bracers and one vambraces. Whatever you do, DO NOT hire me to do a combine. I suck.

~Fall(oser)

[Reflan]

Sounds like you were bugged.

Took me six hours to go from 201 baking to the next number, working on misty thicket pies -- appropriate skill up item for that level. Everything close at hand, mule next to me holding supplies, 265 wisdom. Another time I failed ALL my subcombines over and over for misty thicket pies, some of which trivial at almost the lowest level possible in baking -- when I was 250 skill. I actually kept doing it dozens of times just because I couldn't believe it.

This kind of thing has happened a few times to me, though those were my most bizarre encounters.

Camping out for about 10 minutes seemed to help when this kind of thing happened. Consider that the chances I would fail EVERY subcombine at 250 baking and that I would take six hours(thousands of combines) to move ONE skill point at 265 wisdom, and then ask yourself if it you believe more in astronomical odds, or that things can get bugged sometimes and you should just try logging ALL the way out and waiting a while and seeing if it helps.

Certainly couldn't be any more painful than what you or I went through.

[Verdandi]

Sounds like you were bugged.

No, it just sounds like the RNG strikes again. This sort of streak will occasionally happen when the results are randomly generated. You just have the dubious distinction of being one of the few to experience it at this extreme. /comfort

[Jessamyn Sunweaver]

Eeeky!

Evil, evil, EVIL RNG!

I tend to zone around a bit between combines if it doesn't give me a success after 3 tries...seems to work, well, least I believe it works.

-pulls out the newbie sacrifices and offers one-

These help too, forges love newbie sacrifices... =)

[Angelsyn]

Question...

Do you use a Geerlok, or an item with a higher +skill%?

The reason I ask is that my friend Gamgan (Troll Smith) noticed that he was failing alot on weapons when he had his Hammer (the +15% skill one) equipped. When he switched it out with his Geerlok, his success rate went up dramatically.

Of course, my friend Fulorian (Human Smith) noticed the opposite when he got his Gloves from VT (the +15% skill gloves).

So all I can say is... try it. (assuming it applies to you. )

[Quinner Sparrowhawk]

Were these combines after the April 8 patch? If so, that might be the problem. I know it does not make you feel any better but at least knowing why might help. I don't plan on making any serious combines until the random DNC issue is resolved.

[Cigarskunk]

The last two patches were bug central - they may have contributed to all of your failures.

Took me six hours to go from 201 baking to the next number, working on misty thicket pies.

Ahh, there was your problem Ref - there are no Misty Thicket Pies in the game right now - you weren't skilling up because you were doing a combine that doesn't exist.

[Lling]

/comfort

Ouch!
Ouch, ouch, ouch.

But please don't give up.

It WILL get better.

You are due for a good streak.

[Fallwell]

I use a geerlok, with a natural skill of 250. The first 15-20 combines were done prior to April 8th, so that might be eliminated as a problem in my case.

My friends are even hesitant to ask me for combines now

I knew I should have never tried that 4th trophy attempt with 'Ole Lucky (my original smithing hammer.) Now he's up in the clouds hanging out with Lord RNG.

'Ole Lucky "You know, Mr. RNG sir. Fallwell used to toss me into his backpack with rat ears, fish rolls and all kinds of flourescent chemicals."

Lord RNG <wiggles fingers>

'Ole Lucky "I developed a rash you know.."

Lord RNG <wiggles fingers>

I miss him

~Fall

[Reflan]

Lol, you're right Cigarskunk. I meant Halas Meat Picnics...er...Halas Meat Pies. HMP when I was trying to get past 201, and MTP when at 250 skill and failing numerous dozens of incredibly trivial subcombines in a row, without variation.

Six hours of DNC's! Whew!

Those who doubt you can be bugged, ask yourself -- how many stacks of valued consumables would you honestly go through to prove how much you believe it is impossible to be bugged? I have a feeling actions speak would speak much, much louder than words.

Personally, on the big uninterrupted run of sub-combine failures of super-trivial Misty Thicket Picnics subcombines at 250 baking with geerlok and 265 wisdom, it took me many stacks to stop being so stubborn. I can be as stubborn as the next guy, if not more so. But the rubber started meeting the road when I finally went through, among other things, a couple of stacks of chocolate and another stack of brownie parts.

Your mileage may vary -- but I bet virtually no people would decide to throw, say, 30 or 50 blue diamonds in a row into a bottomless pit.

I would prefer to believe the comforting thing too -- that tradeskills alone among all things in EQ never have been and could never be bugged, regardless of the astounding unlikelihood of that. There are a lot of things like that which it's much more comforting to believe than not.

[Gorgin]

I've had a similar experience, am 0/42 on my last Underfoot combines, 17 BPs, 20 leggings(12 in a row even) and 5 bracers. I haven't succeeded a combine in about a month. I'm a 250 smith with my trophy so don't know why I'm having so much trouble, none of my other tradeskills are doing this(am a 1750 so do alot of other stuff) and the elemental plate/chain I've been trying has been almost all successes, but my Underfoot has been abyssmal.

[Cendorly]

I make heraldic armor quite often - about once a week or so, and have made just about every piece available at one point or another I have noticed a few trends, and I have come up with a few "rules" I live by personally.

1. I will never, ever, ever, no matter what, do any BD Heraldic combines if I'm feeling unlucky, or have had a bad run-in with the RNG earlier in the day.

2. When I gather all my stuff and head to Qeynos to do the combines, I ONLY have enough for 3 attempts of each piece of armor I'm attempting. My belief is "third time's a charm" and that's it. I will never, ever, ever, no matter what, do more then 3 attempts at a specific piece of armor.

3. I will ALWAYS no matter what, equip my Smithing Trophy in my off hand, even though I'm 250 smith and know that I don't gain any skill mod from it. I have noticed more often then not, that equipping the trophy has helped with successes (probably coincidence).

IMO it's not worth the cost of losing components challenging the RNG to give you a success when obviously the RNG is against you at that time. I always say, "three strikes you're out", or "third's time a charm" and hope for the best. At least, if the worst happens (3/3 failures) then I'm not too disappointed, since I kind of "prepared" for 3 failures.

If I happen to attempt 3 tries at a specific piece of armor, and fail on all three tries, then that's it. I say to myself my chance is gone, I tried and failed, and I move onto the next piece of armor, or I start preparing for my next run which will always be the next day (RL Day, as in I log off, go to bed, and log back on) LOL not next game day or next play session. Any leftover components from my 3 attempts (should I happen to make pieces on my first attempt, which I do from time to time) gets put back into my "stock inventory" for the next time I combine heraldic.

When friends ask me to do smithing (or any combines) for them, I tell them "bring me enough for 3 attempts, if possible, and if I can't do it in 3 attempts, I'm not doing any more at that time). It's a rule I live by when doing tradeskill combines at the high end.

Also, what I have noticed after making Fierce Heraldic, Luminent, and other "heraldic" armor, is that the Fierce Heraldic seems to be the hardest of all the heraldic armor made and I"m guessing the trivial for Fierce Heraldic much higher then the others. I've noticed a higher success rate on Luminent, Hateful, Radiant, and Thunderous Heraldic then Fierce Heraldic after approximately 100+ combines on various heraldic armors over a period of several months.

Don't be too discouraged by this run of bad luck. I know it's hard, and hurts, but consider it a costly learning experience, and continue your career as a smith. You will have good days when you make BP's on your first attempt, and full sets with minimal failures. It just takes some fine-tuning to find what works best and how to "baby" the RNG.

Cend

[burnttoastv]

I USED to joke with guildies that my combines work best when people bring me material to do a combine for a gift they want for someone else, that if it's for themselves or myself it's more likely to fail.

I must have made 10 nightmare bows for people in guild with a fletching skill of 229 from the efforts of one member who dual boxes and farmed the hard to get silks and some gear parts, just to upgrade the guild. When I finally made one for him (always insisted he be last) must have taken five combines to make his, the rest were almost always a good combine on the first.

Now this same person is starting to farm tae ew blood for shields or chain to outfit guild members who need it. At 236 smithing I'm doing good on shields, I shudder to think what will happen when I try one for him.

Course I failed at my highest failure rate (usually 1 success out of four attempts) for armor when I made my artkeepers chain cowl (unimbued) just so I could wear something on my smith that she made with her own hands.