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As the Worlds Turn: Gluttons for punishment.
"There you are, brave warrior. Tales of your valorous deeds have spread like wildfire throughout my court and now you stand before me. But as my heart is lifted by your presence, the plight of our people weighs heavily upon my crown. I fear the Borderlands are lost. Ancient enemies hide in the shadows waiting for a mere moment of weakness. But you, you are our light in this darkness. You are the harbinger of peace and better days. The kingdom, the people, needs you to be the hero of which legends are made. But first, I need you to take this bushel of apples to Farmer Poopypants across town. He's going to make me a pie!" Ouch. If you've played MMO's for longer than five minutes, chances are you've run into a quest like this one. If it isn't apples for Poopypants it's the letter for Sir I'm-too-lazy-to-go-into-town-to-get-my-own-damn-mail quest. A good number of quests in MMO's range from the silly to the downright ridiculous. But I'm not here to talk about silly quests. That would be a painful endeavor that my intestines aren't up to taking. What I'd like to talk about is why we as players subject ourselves to preposterous quests and other strange, bizarre, and mildly offensive game notions to play our precious MMOs. So, sit back, pop some ibuprofen, crack open your last bottle of GameFuel and prepare yourself. It's going to get ugly.
Massively's Pirates of the Burning Sea crafting hands-on
Yarr matey! Lift the gunwhales, lay out the plank, and shine yer cutlasses, there be... crafting to do? Sure, crafting and trading might not be the traditional pasttimes of choice for the pirates of lore, but we here at Massively have been sailing the seven seas (well, actually, just one of them) in the Pirates of the Burning Sea beta, and I am fascinated with the crafting system. Flying Labs has mixed some old ideas in with some new innovations, and put together a crafting and trading system that just might rival the fun of more traditional piratical activities.For a short walkthrough on what they've put together (and a look at the economy tutorial quest), hit the link below.%Gallery-11209%
The farming scoop on 2.3 recipes
Although patch 2.3 has not even been live for 24 hours yet, information about many of the new profession recipes is already leaking. Through independent investigation, Kaliope has already dug up the dirt on several of the most anticipated new goodies.For all of you fishermen out there who have been dying to get the brand new fishing book, you'll be pleased to note that it only took Kaliope two pools of wreckage in Zangarmarsh, which gave her four curious crates, before she nabbed it. Unfortunately, due to competition, pool spawns were proving somewhat scarce. If you can't wait a few days for the shores to clear, you can try pool spawns in Azeroth. While they may be less of a commodity, it will also take you longer to fish up your book. If you tried out the new daily cooking quest, then it is possible you found a new recipe in your fishy (or meaty) loot box. While Kaliope had no such luck, I managed to get myself a disappointing Broiled Bloodfin. My guildmate had slightly better luck, and came away with Spicy Hot Talbuk. Being a hunter, I was hoping for Kibler's Bits, but I would have settled for something with a buff other than the standard 20 stamina and spirit.If you're a leatherworker, and have had your eye set on the new 24 slot leatherworking bag, then head up to the Barrier Hills above Shattrath and start killing some ogres. I was expecting an intense farming experience, but Kaliope notes she received it in two kills, her guildmate in eight, and a friend within ten minutes. Unfortunately, not every recipe hunt I went on myself was as charmed as Kaliope's. While attempting to hunt Gan'arg Analyzers for the schematic for the new Field Repair Bot 110G, I noticed a severe lack of such mobs. Also, I ran into an abundance of what appeared to me to be kill-crazy gnomes swooping around in their flying machines. I gave up after about ten kills, because achieving even this took me easily ten minutes. Attempts to acquire the new meta-gem recipe for jewelcrafting reportedly were also met with hefty competition. What have your experiences been so far with the new crafting recipes?
As the Worlds Turn: Hey, mom! Look at what I made!
You've toiled. You've trudged great distances. You've sought out the wisdom of the land's greatest craftsmen in pursuit of perfection in your art. Hours of work have culminated into this precise moment. You have finally done it. You have crafted a hat. Not merely any hat: a red hat. You equip it to your character to see how splendid you look in a finely crafted red hat. You quickly put your helmet back on and sell the hat to the nearest vendor for a paltry handful of copper coins. What was the point? The desire to craft is easy to understand. The millions of MMO players out there have many different goals but there is one goal that they often share: the desire to be special and unique. I'm not referring to a warm and fuzzy after-school kind of special, either. I'm talking about the coolest gear, the most impressive weapon and the super rare mount. Crafting systems often lead players to believe that they can make cool gear and look different. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it sounds.
EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: armor
We have one last link to share with you from EQ2 Traders Corner tonight. Previously, in their blitz on EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskill coverage, we featured their new harvested resources and furniture showcase pages. This final page has to do with pimping out your character's appearance (and undoubtedly stats, though we don't see that just yet) in the expansion, with a large gallery of the different kinds of crafted armor.This gallery has front and back shots of males and females wearing what looks like every kind of new armor. As with the furniture catalogue, it contains items of both the common and rare variety. There is one set of chain armor that has been updated in-game and not yet on their page, but apart from that, you should be able to determine what your avatar will look like once you've been kitted out by your local crafter after RoK hits.Have a browse of the armor shots, and stay tuned to Massively for more Rise of Kunark coverage both leading up to and after the anticipated release.
EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: furniture
Earlier today we linked to EQ2 Traders Corner's article on harvested resources found in EverQuest II's upcoming Rise of Kunark expansion. This wasn't the only hard work that they did to document their creative journeys in Kunark, as we now bring you their tier 8 furniture showcase.There are nearly 60 screenshots in this gallery of brand new crafted furniture, from the expected lighting, bed, table and bookshelf items, to other more unique things such as weighing scales and hourglasses. Some of the paintings that can be made look particularly nice, and will surely be a popular choice for those wanting to shake up the aesthetics of their housing.If you're less concerned with what these items look like, and more with what they can actually do for you, the page also tells us that the common items will reduce rent status by 125, and the rare items by 1100. Have a window shop for things you'd like to buy in the expansion via the related story link, and there is more still to come from EQ2 Traders Corner later on.
Tabula Rasa crafting 101
Over at Stratics, there's a good guide for learning how to craft, modify and disassemble items in Tabula Rasa.Crafting was relatively broken in the Tabula Rasa beta, so I'm looking forward to creating enough paint to drive Dulux out of business. Delicious, delicious paint.Several TR veterans have also recommended you start disassembling weapons for their components immediately -- whilst it loses you some credits in the short term, it'll give you a wider range of modification ingredients when you're a higher level and with a Supersonic Rocket Launcher Flamethrower of Doom that you want to upgrade. Try it out.Be sure to read the end of the guide too, if you've been curious what the numbers next to a weapon attribute mean!EDIT: fixed link, tricksy blogsmith
Behind the Curtain: A look at skills
In their current state, skills in MMOs could be improved. Tell me exactly what kind of 'skill' is involved in clicking a button a few times until the game decides that you're able to make something better? What if your character's skills were a direct result of how good you were at actually performing the task in question? What if an action's level of success was dependent on how well you actually carried out the action and not on how often you had clicked a button?The effects of a system like this would be most apparent in crafting; imagine a game where, in the crafting interface, you had direct control over the creative process, a system where the quality of the item varied according to the level of skill employed by the player during the creative process, and not on how many times you had clicked a button to make the item in the past. The beauty of a system like this is that players who naturally excel in a certain skill would be rewarded for it, regardless of the amount of time spent grinding their skill level up, but at the same time, players who simply created the same item again and again would get better anyway, because after all, practice makes perfect.
Hearth to hygiene with World of Warcraft soap
A World of Warcraft fan has taught herself to make soap. Yes, soap. The amusing thing is that she taught herself to make a specific kind of soap -- soap shaped like WoW's hearthstones!It won't teleport you to the bathtub, but in theory it should at least help you stay hygienically sound. So prove those false stereotypes of MMO players as smelly, pimply slobs wrong! You can buy the soap in pairs for $14.87 at her Etsy shop ... if you're into that sort of thing. The male writers (at least) at Massively will probably pass, because buying special soaps might compromise our masculine credibility. We prefer simpler, more manly soaps (whatever that means).[Via WoW Insider]
Stargate Worlds features crafting tech trees, may see Atlantis expansion
Warcry caught up with Cheyenne Mountain's PR guy, Kevin Balentine, at E for All and drew a few answers out of him about the company's upcoming title Stargate Worlds. Balentine mostly played it close to his chest, but even though he spent some time covering stuff we already knew about the Goa'Uld, we did learn a few things.He talked about the challenges of adapting the Unreal Engine for use in an MMO. He then described crafting, which will apparently have players upgrading their gear with selections from different tech trees that correspond to the major races. Also, Cheyenne hopes to add new gate addresses on a regular basis, and to change the world(s) over time so that playing through from level one might be a very different experience the second or third time around.And the most interesting revelation? The lost city of Atlantis may be part of the first expansion!Real or deep specifics on all this stuff were sparse, but we're still a ways off from launch so that's no surprise. Read the full interview if any of the above piqued your interest. Warcry got a hold of a couple new screenshots as well.
Pirates dev: PvP and crafting are "different parts of the same system"
Female-Gamer keeps up their great Pirates of the Burning Sea coverage with an interview with dev Isildur, aka Kevin Maginn. It's an excellent read, especially if you're excited about the economic possibilities in Pirates. It sounds like they've been through a few iterations of the system, and Maginn seems pretty happy with what they've landed on. It's actually closer to EVE than crafting in games like World of Warcraft, in that player craft are actually necessary in a war-driven economy, and PvP will definitely affect how and where crafting gets done. Maginn goes so far as to say trading and PvP are different parts of the same system, in that to make the best items in the game, you'll have to fight other players to get to them.He also says the beta is currently going through an expansion, so if you haven't been invited yet, your chance may be just around the corner. But even if not, there's only a few months left to wait before we all start shipbuilding and sailing the high seas.
Pocket Guide to Inventions in CoX
Just like Amanda, I have recently returned to CoH/CoV from a long hiatus and I find there is a lot of new and wonderful stuff happening in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. I'm particularly excited about the Invention system and was happy to see that there is an in-game tutorial for learning about crafting.In order to complete the Invention Tutorial, you need to attend a University. Heroes go to the University in Steel Canyon while Villains attend the one in Cap Au Diablo. You get a badge, experience, Influence/Infamy and a nice Invention Enhancement for completing the tutorial, so it is well worth it.The info in the Invention Tutorial is invaluable, but a bit tedious to read through. So I've put together the basics of Inventions in this handy pocket guide. All of the tutorial info is included here, so if you just breezed through it to get the goodies, you won't have missed out on the essentials.What you need to create an Invention: Some Salvage (appropriate for the item you are creating) A Recipe A Workbench Influence or Infamy Enough room in your inventory (if not a Costume Piece)
Pirates of the Burning Sea economy preview
Female Gamer has posted an Flying Lab Software-approved look at the "player driven economy" in Pirates of the Burning Sea. It's got a number of different innovations, starting with the fact that players don't just craft items-- they actually create their own logging camps, mines, shipyards, or plantations, and those "structures" have to be put in a certain area (where the enemies aren't) on the map.Crafting with those structures is different, too-- instead of simply collecting mats and hitting craft, there's an ingredient of "stored labor" in those recipes, and that labor is generated by the player-created structures. So instead of clicking the button to craft something and then waiting, you must wait first, build up "stored labor," and then you can click at will to create whatever you want. There's also a charge in doubloons to create each item, and those charges can be raised or lowered depending on what you're creating and where.FLS also chose a blind bidding system (similar to FFXI apparently, which I haven't played), in which bidders guess at the minimum price rather than aim for the highest bid (as in WoW). Just like EVE, you've got to be where an item is to receive it. That's annoying, but it fits with the setting, since there aren't exactly magic mail systems around. And finally, an auction house only shows trades in the same region of the game, so there are "trader" possibilities, where players will be able to take goods from one section to another and try to buy low and sell high.All in all, it sounds really interesting-- a combination of new innovations in MMO trading, and a number of compromises made based on the setting. Pirates, we're told is scheduled to release around January 2008.[ via VW ]
Insider Trader: Tools of the trade
Insider Trader is your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products. It takes it to make it – and let's face it, craftspeople love goodies and gadgets. Addons for professions are some of the most satisfying, relieving the drudgery of tasks such as repetitive combines and character-hopping to verify inventories. Today's installment of Insider Trader is a reminder to revisit your favorite addons site and take a peek at what's fresh for craftspeople. New addons come out every week, and if you haven't surveyed what's out there recently, you just might be in for a pleasant surprise.Read on for a sampling of today's most downloaded addons for craftspeople – no profession-specific addons this time (we'll save those for a later installment), but rather a taste of some of the sweet little tools that make life easier for every profession. Don't forget to stop by to post a comment and share your own favorites.
Decorative WoW soap bars
Manaprincess is at it again with the WoW crafts. I recently received my Horde ribbon magnet in the mail (and even though I had to sell my car because my new apartment doesn't have parking, I proudly display it on my fridge right next to the Warcraft magnets I got from BlizzCon), but she's opened up into a whole new realm of WoW crafting-- handmade decorative soaps.In all fairness, I can't say this stuff appeals to me near as much-- it's hard to seem Horde-ly when you get excited about decorative soaps. But I can admire her dedication-- these are all homemade, and while Hearthstone keychains are nice, Hearthstone (and Soulstone and Healthstone) soaps are pretty cool, too. I can't get a hold on the scale, though-- are these tiny, or are they "life" sized?And MP is enterprising as always-- she's got these on sale on her site for about $10 for two. If you really, really like decorative soaps (or just need a gift for a dirty WoW player), there you go.
Insider Trader: When good patterns go green
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.Nothing interrupts a peaceful night of crafting like a lunatic guildmate ranting about learning a coveted new pattern, only to find that it's already green in skill level – nothing, that is, except that sickening feeling in your stomach as you consider what you'll do when your favorite patterns go green. Skilling up a profession can be a rollercoaster ride, if you don't hit the right patterns at the right time. (Of course, all the professions have those infamous "dead zones," when skilling up seems to be based on either unfathomable luck or unfathomable finances – or maybe both. But we'll cover dead zones in another installment.)Skilling up in a profession can happen when you create an item that's listed in green, yellow or orange in your tradeskill window. Items listed in grey will not give you any skill points for creating them; red listings anywhere means you don't have the required skill level. Just as it does with creatures you fight, pattern color indicates difficulty and skill-up potential. Green items raise your skill occasionally, yellows about half the time and oranges every single time. (The exception to orange skill-ups occurs in skinning, in which successfully skinning an orange creature does not guarantee a skill-up.) As a burgeoning crafter, your goal is to find patterns that are relatively easy to get the materials to make while providing a solid shot at skilling up. While orange patterns offer a guaranteed chance of gaining a skill point, the best bang for the buck is often a yellow pattern.And that's where things start getting murky ...
Please stop tipping me
I recently took some time off from leveling my pally to get some rare jewelcrafting recipes. As a result of skillful AH playing, I can now make some of the best blue gems for melee DPS, magic DPS, and healers. (Sorry, tanks, there aren't enough of you out there to make those recipes worthwhile.) As such, my little pally alt has become one of the primary gemcrafters for my guild. And I really, really enjoy cutting the gems that go into my guildmates' armor. It makes me feel happy to know that my rogue's elixirs and my pally's gems can help out the raid, even when I'm not playing at the time. But recently, some of my guildmates have begun tipping me for my cuts, which is kind of awkward. Especially since I charge strangers 4g for cuts, and my guildmates have been giving me 5. The following conversation usually ensues: Me: I cut gems for guildmates for free.Guildmate: No, I know how expensive those recipes are.Me: Really, I know you're saving for your epic mount.Guildmate: So are you.Me: No, dude, it's okay.Guildmate: Just take the damn money! I feel especially guilty because I've always considered guilds to be a shared resource of skills. Therefore, I get my Mongoose enchanted for free if I provide mats, and in return, I cut any gem someone needs. We have some amazingly generous enchanters who always end up contributing half the mats because "I have enough money", and meanwhile, people are paying for my lousy one-click jewelcrafting. Do you tip guildmates for crafting services?
Jumping up and down
Are you a jumper? I am.Some people just do it all the time. The easiest simple move in the game-- every character can do it at almost any time-- is to hit the space bar and jump. And some people do it constantly.Of course it drives some others nuts. 9 times out of 10, there's probably something better you could be doing than jumping-- even in an instance, you could be crafting, or summoning, or drinking for mana, or organizing the groups, or getting food and water ready, or organizing your bags. Why are you jumping? Stop it, you're giving me a headache!Then again, I jump all the time. Usually, it's actually to signal impatience-- if I'm ready for a pull and we're not pulling, I'll start with the jumping. And if I ever feel helpless-- I've been spell interrupted, or I'm silenced, or in PvP, where there's nothing for me to do while I'm sitting stealthed defending by a flag. Some times when I'm surrounded and getting murdered in PvP, I'll jump just for the heck of it, like a last laugh against death (sometimes I even do the /laugh emote at the Paladin that's tearing me apart). Or sometimes I'm raidleading and I want to get the raid's attention. There are lots of good reasons for jumping around.But many times, there's not, and I do it anyway. Are you a jumper?
Taking the production out of itemcrafting
Here's an interesting suggestion from Mystic Worlds: take the production process out of crafting.When I used to play Dark Age of Camelot, the crafting setup was my least favorite part of the game-- it seemed like crafting materials were expensive, the crafting process took way too much time (I having long conversations with others standing around the crafting area), and the stuff you made (at the early levels anyway) just wasn't that great. So WoW's system may not be perfect, but it seemed like a breath of fresh air after that-- materials come from actually playing the game, and putting things together is something you can generally do as an afterthought rather than as, well, a profession. The gathering is the important part.So Mystic Worlds says, why not make the gathering the whole thing? You still go out and get mats from the world, crafters turn those raw mats into usable mats, and then you'd actually take the bolts and gems and tanned leather that crafters made to NPC crafters, who would turn them into items. That way, if you want a Robe of the Void but you aren't a tailor, you just take the mats to an NPC tailor who can hammer one out for you.
Insider Trader: What the ! -- In-game trade product searches
Each week, Lisa Poisso brings us Insider Trader, your inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.How can you pimp that hawt new epic if you don't know what gems and enchants exist to put in it? And once you find out what's available, how can you find a craftsperson who can do it? What used to be an excruciating hunt-and-peck process is easing up, thanks to several mods growing in popularity among crafters. These mods allow customers to whisper a tradesperson and run direct searches for specific types of products -- a direct peek into what that crafter can do for you and your gear.First popularized by jewelcrafters and enchanters, these handy mods are now available for other trades as well. If you like to ponder the possibilities without feeling like you're tying up a crafter's time and attention, you'll love the power of running your own searches. It's all handled via /whisper, so there's no public spam and you won't bother a soul. Rifle through what's available by stats, gem color, enchanting reagents required, gem rarity and more, all via the tradesperson's mod -- you install nothing to be able to use it. It really is that simple!
