Do you have a Foraging Method?

[BuzWeaver]

As odd as this may sound considering that Forage is totally random this is what I have discovered, please bear in mind that this isn’t in any way purely definitive just what I have noticed.

For example if I want to forage Oak Bark in Kith, I’ll zone in do 5 to 8 forages if I’ve not gotten an Oak Bark I’ll camp out or zone out, then zone back in and resume my 5 to 8 forages until it results in the desired Oak Bark (you may not want to do this after three zones, depends on your patience).

Like I said this could be purely superstition but once I forage an Oak Bark with in that 5 to 8 I’ll remain in the zone and most likely (9 times out of 10) I will continue foraging Oak Bark with in 5/8 rarely more than 10 forages before yielding another Oak Bark.

I’ve been doing this now for over two years and in that two years this method seems to work pretty well. Again I don’t have a logical explanation as to why it seems to work, I just know that it seems to work more times than not.

Once when I was PLing my Bard Songs (Vha Shir) I zoned into Kith and got 5 Oak Barks in a row upon zoning in, I remained there and foraged Oak Bark with in 5/8 forages.

I’ve also noticed that upon zone ins you can sometimes forage that rare item as soon as you zone in. I’ve had this happen with Oak Bark, Druid Epic and most other rare foraged items. I’d like to hear any methods you guys may have.

[Arghargh]

If I don't get any rare forages (which of course are all I'm ever after) in a while, I'll just move a little bit. This appears to help, but I haven't collected any data to verify it.

[Eggborn]

I think they are random, but I never managed to forage plant shoots near the bank. I always got them facing out on the other side of the building.

I seem to get the most tea leaves right after a rain storm in Karana and way more plains pebbles near the hillside.

[Burns]

I definitely agree with zoning / logging until you get on a rare forage "streak". I attribute it to some sort of "seed" number being set for the RNG when you enter a zone, but I have never told anyone about this because I really didn't want to debate it, and saying something to this effect is surely going to bring flames from people who think it is untrue.

I have not done any statistical studies on it, but maybe I will. All I know is that if I don't get a branch of planar oak in the first 2 or 3 forages I log out/in and try again.

If it is purely random, the developers can get a nice chuckle out of this discussion.

[Froni Thunderpaws]

I have never had a rare streak like that - but have noticed that only seem to forage part of the forage table at any particular time. So if I am really after something and I don't get it in 5 to 10 forage cycles (depending on what it is) I will succor or rezone.

And usually I don't forage the thing I want (at skill 200) so I decide to try and forage the other stuff or not to worry about it and I get many more.

[illovich]

Originally posted by Eggborn
I think they are random, but I never managed to forage plant shoots near the bank. I always got them facing out on the other side of the building.

I stand in the bank and forage plant shoots, and get plenty. I've heard all sorts of theories, but I think the one I believe is:

There is a forage table for a zone. When you forage, a random number is generated and it selects what you've foraged. That's it.

I think moving around just makes the numbers being generated different, and only reflects a different point on the cycle (whatever that is) of the random number generator.

Sort of like how you'll get no skillups for 15 minutes and then suddenly 3 in a row.

[Balkin]

Agreed...

I think when you forage, a random number generator takes your skill into account, pops out a number, and compares it to the zone's existing forage table. You get whatever the result is. There's nothing fancy shmancy about it.


And, believing that, I don't do anything weird when I'm foraging...

I simply bound the "Forage" key to my left turn key, and the "Autoinventory" key I made to the right turn key. So, as I run or hunt or whatever, I constantly forage/autoinventory. Most of the time I don't even see what it was I foraged!

[illovich]

Originally posted by Balkin
I simply bound the "Forage" key to my left turn key, and the "Autoinventory" key I made to the right turn key. So, as I run or hunt or whatever, I constantly forage/autoinventory. Most of the time I don't even see what it was I foraged!

Me too, but lately I've been using a macro instead:

/doability 1 (foraging for me)
/pause 20
/autoinventory

Makes it easier, by exactly one keystroke (or, by a 50% reduction in keystrokes).

Yours in laziness

[oerin trubble]

The RNG does seem to get streaky, and resetting it helps.
I've found the same thing in battle. If i'm missing lots i'll turn off attack for a couple secs and turn it back on.

[Demorphina]

Foraging **IS** Dependent on a few certain items in your inventory. If you are foraging in a zone that garners food or drink, and you are completely out of one or the other, you will forage more often of those items. I sat (yes, i bore easily) and foraged for 3 hours in Plane of Justice once while reading, and having my hotkey destroy everything. (they added a /destroy command along with /autoinventory, or shortly thereafter). I was out of drink, but had plenty of food when I started, and had roughly 95% of forages be pods of water.

On any normal forage cycle, (with food and water stocked in my top bag slots) I get about an equal 25% spread of the items there (Justice Fruit, Bread Crumbs, Pod of Water, Cockroach), sometimes more toward 20% for Justice fruit. Roots are foraged there but VERY VERY VERY Rarely, probably like 1/50 - 1/100.

If anyone wants, I could set myself up again and post the data showing this. Its too bad you cant mark certain food items as "do not eat" because this would let you sit there, out of food, and forage a very large percent of Bread Crumbs and Justice Fruit Also would be convenient to avoid eating special quest food items and such.

[Kemie Dreamshadow]

I for one think it's random, as are loot drop tables.

Working on WE cultural stuff drove me crazy, but I often had to do rounds of farming for exc sabertooth hides in LOIO, foraging for oak barks in Kith, and foraging for morning dews in Gfay or Lfay. Some nights spent in any of those zones yielded a decent number of the required item, other nights the drop table seemed to be extraordinarily reluctant to "give up" what I wanted. I don't think zoning out and back in affected the RNG nearly as much as trying another night. On the hides, it seemed to be on a cycle where every third night or so worked best.

I've seen this happen with other zone loot tables. If the mob or drop you're looking for isn't at the correct point in the "cycle" (which evidently is not a 24 hour one) then you're just out of luck. LOL

And I have to disagree with SoE's assertion that if you are low on or out of food or drink the next item you forage will be food or drink. At least, it has NEVER worked that way for me. But then I'm a druid and as someone else pointed out, they HATE ME!

Kemie Dreamshadow
Lanys T'Vyl

[Aalnydara]

Originally posted by Kemie Dreamshadow
And I have to disagree with SoE's assertion that if you are low on or out of food or drink the next item you forage will be food or drink. At least, it has NEVER worked that way for me.

I don't believe they ever stated it was guaranteed the next item you forage will be food or drink....just that you have a higher chance of it.

[Nairn Niteraven]

I think you and the RNG are dancing. It's been my experience, if something isn't working well, whether it be Foraging, Tradeskillks, etc. then stop a bit and do something else.

That's essentially what you're doing when you zone or camp; taking a break. I can't prove it, but my belief is that it's all random. Granted, I've seen streaks as well, but I still believe that's just a "lucky" group in the overall scheme of things; if anybody's got more free time than they need and want to get some data, I'd sure be interested in seeing it.

[Carmaris]

Just being out of food or drink isn't enough to guarantee the forage. You have to be getting the message "You are thirsty/hungry." Once that message pops up, your next forage will ge guaranteed to be edible/drinkable.

I suppose there's away to abuse this using a second account--you can forage while in "trade" mode--but other than the Justice Fruits, I'm not aware of any zones where the edible forage ratio is so small that it would be really worthwhile. Besides, knowing my luck, I'd get nothing but roots and bread crumbs then