Tradeskill User Interface idea

[Kinsen]

Would it be possible to make it so that if you click on a component (like one you are missing) that it would bring up that recipe if you know it? It just seems that it would make doing subcombines easier if you had all of the ingredients on you.

If for some reason it already does this forgive me I am at work and have never thought to try it when I'm doing tradeskills.

K.

[Neebat]

It doesn't do what you're asking, and it would be a code change in EQ to make it happen. Coding time is very precious right now.

The recipe information on the server isn't stored in a way that let's you search by results, and if you did, you wouldn't get just one recipe. In some cases, there are dozens of ways to produce just one result. Do you really want to see 400 different ways to make Celestial Essence?

Nah, you probably want to see the one or two you normally use.

So if I were implementing your suggestion, I'd make it a private favorites list for each item:
1. Bring up a recipe to make an item, like Celestial Essence (as a common example)
2. Pick up the Celestial Essence. (Many of the recipes produce some by-product or tool. Holding the product on your cursor lets you avoid adding a dozen recipes for making a Round Cut Tool.)
3. While holding the Celestial Essence, click the "Add" button.

This would put into into a result-specific favorites list on your machine, something like:
9650: Celestial Essence (Scent of Marr),Celestial Essence x3 (Scent of Marr)

(Those are the two most common ways to make celestial essence. I assume the file would actually list them by number, but I don't know EQ's internal numbers for recipes.)

So then you could do this:
4. Bring up some other recipe that uses Celestial Essence.
5. In the ingredients, click the Celestial Essence.
6. See the recipe(s) you stored in step 3.

This would be a useful feature by itself that would be like having many little favorites lists. It would also be handy if they ever did decide to allow subcombines to be automated.

[Kinsen]

Yeah with code time the way it is right now this would be an item for the wish list.

What if there were multiple recipe's that you know they would show where your favorite list is and the top one would be the one that would show the combines first. I like your mini favorite list idea though. Also while difficult I'm sure if it defaulted to a recipe you had the ingredients for at that time it would be nice.

You would have to put a delay into the request just like the search feature. I'm not sure what the reason for that is but I'm sure the delay is for a good reason.

An alternate idea would just to have the name of the item show up in the search window when you clicked on it. This might be an easier change that could be an interim option.

K.

[Neebat]

An alternate idea would just to have the name of the item show up in the search window when you clicked on it. This might be an easier change that could be an interim option.

It would really frustrate me if I kept having to retype what I had in the search window. This would be really useful:
1. Search "Fine Vellum"
2. Click recipe... oh look, I need the solution...
3. Click the solution recipe... Oh, I need Muriatic Acid
4. Click the muriatic acid. Oh, I need oil of vitriol
5. Click the oil of vitriol.
6. Click combine, then autoinventory.
7. Hit the search button to start from 2, without having to retype a thing.

I do something like that now, but I have to hunt around on my favorites list every time I see a subcombine that I need to make.

It would be even nicer if there were a back button to go with the clicking on subcombines. Just to return you to the last list of recipes you were displaying, and to select the same one you had selected.

I'd like to challenge someone to make 200 Aqua Regia without buying Muriatic Acid, Oil of Vitriol or Aqua Fortis.
I'll make 1000 Misty Thicket Picnics while you do. (The difference: Misty Thickets are good to eat and give skillups.)

[Aldier]

This would work only if the subcombine was made in the same container as the completed recipe.

Or you throw out the RP aspect of containers and make 1 new "Super uber OMG can combine anything" container.

Many subcombines are made in other containers (brewed tempers or the celestial essence).

[Ngreth Thergn]

I do like the idea of having it do an "autosearch" on the name of the item clicked (if red... so it does not make you do it if you accidentally click on a green)

this would be by it putting in the name of the item automatically, since it would just go by name.

This of course would not help you if you do not know the recipe, but the blank search should be helpful.

One issue is the few cases where the recipe name differs from the item name enough that the search would not work. This can of course be solved by changing the recipe names.

It also would not work well on the few recipes where there are two useful results as I can only have one RECIPE name. There may be compromise names that would work, but sometimes there may not be. And example is the fish boning recipes where the bones have a use and the fish meat has a use.

This idea of course is for a "smaller" change. A larger change would have it search on the item number, and have it search on the 4 possible results, and then show the recipes for all recipe numbers you have learned that is found through that. Though also very possible for our coders, it is more of a core change to the system, and thus more time.

[Neebat]

This would work only if the subcombine was made in the same container as the completed recipe.

Or you throw out the RP aspect of containers and make 1 new "Super uber OMG can combine anything" container.

Many subcombines are made in other containers (brewed tempers or the celestial essence).

That's true!

I tend to forget because I spend so much time in tradeskills with no outside dependencies. Research has exactly one component which is made with another tradeskill: Filtered Highland Sludge. I also do Alchemy, and the only recipes which uses components from another tradeskill are the nearly useless throwing potions.

I did a ton of combines recently in brewing, and that celestial essence was the only cross-tradeskill combine. (And it would make more sense as a brewing, alchemy, or poison combine.) It's got a bulk combine already though, so it doesn't seem like such a troublesome thing. If research had bulk combines, I wouldn't be complaining.

[Kinsen]

If the larger changes waited until the next expansion it would be fine with me. I would love the smaller change if time allows for it to be done sooner. (clicked item being auto searched) On the items that it doesn't work on we could always do it the old way.

You might be able to add in a message that comes up in the window if the search doesn't work. This would keep people from complaining about the lack of all items being clickable. Like:

That item is made in a different container

That item has multiple recipe's

You don't know a recipe for that item.

Just some thoughts

K.

[Neebat]

The auto-search thing would be handy, ESPECIALLY if it did it internally WITHOUT changing the text I've typed into the search box.