Questions for the Fan Faire, June 2005

[Taushar]

I am just glad they even have a session for EQ I tradeskills. If I remember, from all the haze from drinking a lot, last FF in New Orleans did not have any sessions on tradeskills by itself.

Taushar

[Aavar]

c) If I equip a geerlok or similar device, does this no-fail check look at the raw skill or modified skill?

Answer to C no-fail checks look at raw skill

[Niellya]

• When is JC Mastery going to be opened up for all classes?

• In future expansions, when the Features list says "Hundreds of new tradeskill recipes" could it please not mean about 20 new recipes with a dozen variations of each one?
  
  For example, we don't really need elephant steaks, beer battered elephant steaks, beer braised elephant steaks, ale battered elephant steaks, ale braised elephant steaks, buttered elephant steaks, garlic buttered elephant steaks, lemon buttered elephant steaks, red-wine elephant steaks, grilled elephant steak, barbecued elephant steaks, smoked elephant steaks, and spiced elephant steaks. Plus all of those just listed but replacing the word "steaks" with "chops". All of which have +5 HPs.

[Twistagain]

• When is JC Mastery going to be opened up for all classes?

• In future expansions, when the Features list says "Hundreds of new tradeskill recipes" could it please not mean about 20 new recipes with a dozen variations of each one?
  
  For example, we don't really need elephant steaks, beer battered elephant steaks, beer braised elephant steaks, ale battered elephant steaks, ale braised elephant steaks, buttered elephant steaks, garlic buttered elephant steaks, lemon buttered elephant steaks, red-wine elephant steaks, grilled elephant steak, barbecued elephant steaks, smoked elephant steaks, and spiced elephant steaks. Plus all of those just listed but replacing the word "steaks" with "chops". All of which have +5 HPs.

On first point, I support your stance, but have long since given up the arguement. It becomes too heated to discuss.

On your second point...ROFL. I COMPLETELY AGREE!! I haven't been interested in any baking recipes for a long time now. They are all just renamed-rehashed versions of something I wouldn't bake in the first place (usually containing ingredients too rare to use in a "role-playing" aspect.) Look at ice cream, for example. 3200 recipes (hyperbole)...nothing useful...too hard to get the container to make for "fun".

My own question: Is there any sort of **actual in-game** data collecting happening on SOE's behalf to make sure that the new formulas are producing the intended result? I dunno...like a log file with non-trivial combines made at skill level 200 before a skillup...and another at 250, etc. Just to see if the "average" is truly working out to the expected number?

[Neebat]

Are they still thinking about...

Mainly I just want to know the status of Sony's to-do list.
Is Sony ever going to explain to vendors how to junk old inventory instead of new?

Is anyone listening to player suggested recipes? Like http://mboards.eqtraders.com/eq/showthread.php?t=16074

Have stats on bag tokens been abandoned?

To SOE:

In general I would appreciate a lot more finality on issues. Please say "No" when you mean "No" and don't just let issues hang out there. For instance, the next time someone asks why JCM is enchanter only, I want to point to something where Sony says, "JCM will remain enchanter-only." along with some clear reason why. (Even if the reason is lack of resources to design a replacement class AA for chanters. We like honesty.)

It seems like we've got an "issue-submission system" working now, where community leaders can filter through the spam and bring things to your attention, but what we need to go with that is an "issue-tracking system" where we can see that issues are still on your radar or marked "No". Maybe it would help you guys to have a bug-tracking system with a public view and allow submissions by the community relations people?

It's a good thing the skillup formula will be revealed. With so many believing the skill up formula is broken anyway, I don't think anyone is enjoying the search. Getting the formula out there, public, ASAP, is best for everyone.

[KyrosKrane]

Guys, I'd like to clarify that I'm not going to ask Sony to make any radical changes to the game. By the same token, I'm not going to bring up items that are decidedly trivial. Ideally, I'd like to bring up items that need some discussion with the developers -- items that they may not have thought of, or items that require active feedback. This is a rare opportunity for direct interaction with the developers, and I don't want to waste it on trivial items or on arguments that simply cannot be resolved in the time available.

I did review the tradeskill top 10 before selecting some items from it. As an example, I did not select the JCM question because it's a dead horse. Both Sony and the players have stated their position on it, and while I vehemently disagree with Sony, I don't think simply asking at the Fan Faire will convince them to change their minds. That would be a waste of what time we do have available.

[mewkus]

With all the recent nerfs to tradeskills, are there any plans to throw us any kinds of bones?

Does SoE intend to only have a few people on each server with tailoring or smithing skill of 300?

For large races, the only incentive to excel in tailoring is to make DoN cultural for just beastlords of their race. This is likely to lead to a situation where if beastlords want any of the DoN cultured armor, it's most likely they'll have to skill up and make it themselves, then retire their sewing kit as the market for their goods is really limited. Are there any plans to allow large raced tailors to make leather armor that can be worn by any large raced beastlord? Or are there any other plans to provide some kind of reward for large raced characters to learn the art of tailoring?

[Balthozzar]

There are very few Slot 12 augments that fit in the armor locations covered by the new DoN cultural armor. Are there any plans add more slot 12 augments or increase the number of locations where the currently available slot 12 augments can be used?

If there are new augments coming are any of them going to be made with tradeskills?

My suggestion for this (something they may not have thought of) is for the new type 9 DoN augments they are going to add to be made type 9 or 12. It would be an easy fix.

Of course, if they intended for the type 12 slot on DoN cultural to be filled with only all slot type augs + a couple OoW augs, then they probably wouldn't consider this.

[Justmenow]

When SOE is going to redo a lot of trivials it would be nice of them to send a list of the items and their new trivials to here so that they can be implemented in the database soon instead of vast number of people reporting all the new trivials and the ones that stayed the same.

[Duradam]

1)Any chance of getting type 9 aug slots on DoN cultural?

Adding the aug slot would extend the life of the gear, without increasing the reward for making it- the stats would be no higher, just the potential stats after 680 crystals. This would increase crystal consumption among the higher end range of the spectrum, slow the rate at which crystals devalue.

2)Could no drop arrow recipies, or no drop arrow quests that involve fletching be added? As a way to bring in higher damage arrows and bringing archery dps back in line with melee dps for the GoD+ ranger, without realizing the fears of some that it would be PoP bows all over again.

3)Alchemy and posioncrafting are currently not where near the same difficulty to raise. I found it cheaper to run a rogue from low 80s to 300 than to get a shaman another 10 points. As the reward for raising them is rather similiar, perhaps cheaper alchemy combines are an option?

4) If there is not a gift basket with better stats than the bristlebane partyplatter, perhaps there could be a final DoN banking combine, using all 3 other gift baskets to produce such a feast? We do appreciate Denmom's meal still being the best, but...

5) Is nest dragon meat a raid only drop? On D-Ro, none has been looted yet, it doesn't show up in a /buyer search.

6) Any chance of "food" with right click effects? Eat the Extra Spicy Jalepeno poppers and recive a 10min fire based proc effect, or somesuch? Same rarity as the FD drink would be fine, but something fun to look forward to making ocasioanlly, so so many now only want tormenter stiry frys or mistyies from us now.


None-tradeskill related, but needed-
For Brell's sake, when can we get a Loot All button for looting our own corpse!

[Oldewanderer]

DoN Chest and Leg grandmaster sysmbols are very sweet. BUT, the ft2 on each is a main driving cost for aug. I will need for my druid/Tradeskill toon... but my Warrior has absolutly no use for it and it only drives up the cost. Can a melee only version be added. Maybe instead of using Water of the skeptic, uses a different store bought component while keeping the hard to loot items the same to make a regen 4 (just throwing out junk since regen seems to run x2 more than ft on comprable gear).

/shrug yes its more work.. and i will get for my warr when i can for the AC/Hp. but since you asked and it is tradeskill related.

[Nolrog]

When SOE is going to redo a lot of trivials it would be nice of them to send a list of the items and their new trivials to here so that they can be implemented in the database soon instead of vast number of people reporting all the new trivials and the ones that stayed the same.

Likely coming with today's patch (unless things to held up somewhere.) I haven't seen the patch message yet to confirm though.

[greebmushroome]

Guys, I'd like to clarify that I'm not going to ask Sony to make any radical changes to the game. By the same token, I'm not going to bring up items that are decidedly trivial. Ideally, I'd like to bring up items that need some discussion with the developers -- items that they may not have thought of, or items that require active feedback. This is a rare opportunity for direct interaction with the developers, and I don't want to waste it on trivial items or on arguments that simply cannot be resolved in the time available.

please ask for (insist on?) specific numbers for average-combines-to-skill-up at various skills. stated assumptions about player stats, combine skill-up factor, phase of the moon, and any other factors affecting skill-up chance are fine and encouraged. since success/failure of the combine affect skill-up likelyhood, there may be some secondary and tertiary factors that affect skill-up chance. in the end, i want to hear the following words come definitively from some developers mouth: "players with 355 wis and (some other relevant factors...) and always succeeding on combines should expect to do 23 combines to skill from 200 to 201, 57 combines to skill from 250 to 251 and 133 combines to skill from 299 to 300." not 20% more than this or 15% less than that; concrete numbers!

we will have the formulae after fan fair and can calculate these. however, this question is really intended to address what i see as a crisis of faith within the tradeskill community. in many forms and from many different people, i've seen the question, "do the devs realize how many combines it's taking?" this is a way for the devs to say that they do and to prove it by giving direct numbers.

-greeb

[Fonceur]

Along the lines of the more bank space to store all those no drop patterns and such, what about some new 20 slots bags (or even better: trader satchels) that weight 100 stones?

Still in the space management, I like that tool belt suggestion as well as some new items/quests for some multi-tradeskills trophy and combine container. As it is, I have to carry a bag full of trophies/geerlocks, another of collapsed containers in addition to the other tools taking another 2-3 bags in my bank. At the rate they create new specific tools/containers, this can only get worse. Turning those items in a new type of aug that only fit a new item with 10 to 20 such aug slots would work too...

Having more than 50 buy lines for the /buyers would also be indirectly usefull. With 15 lines taken by the magnetized pieces, 10 by the various skin/blood from OoW and so on, that 50 buy lines limitation comes up fast...

[mewkus]

When the /outputfile command was in the process of test and going live, it was requested that a /outputfile skills option be added to it. At the time, Tanker said it wasn't a bad idea but was too busy with a future expansion to get it in before the /outputfile commands went live (see this post). Can you ask if such a command is still being evaluated at SoE.