Proposal for the new update

[Alytys Lamar]

I did already raise my opinion about the changes, especially the changes for treasure maps.
They are a important tool for RP, income and FUN ! in the game.

Here the proposal for a more balanced outcome:

Skill level is with >60 far to high.
Lower it to atleast 40 to prevent PG and help RP. 20 skill levels are a lot

I think also to take the approach over constitution attribute is the wrong way.
If we want to have versatile characters IG its clearly not good to push that high
A lot of professions do not need high Con. ( Druids, Alchemists, Mages, Cooks )

I know there are other meanings and I am maybe a dieing race of RPer who clearly focus on it.
We are screwed if it changes in this way.

A gemmed tool is expensive ( there are other meanings, too - from players which got gems and money since a long time. ) and socket or unsocking is also expensive.
Its not even worth to consider, cause it will with 48 % gemmed sickle only give a 10 % chance of better odds.
My Characters can't and wont do this. It would be so much less fun RP - but it will also took away a fairly easy way for a income for Characters who focus and like RP.

[Korwin]

Some of the changes seem counter-intuitive to me as well. I understand this is an intermediate step, and further changes are to come, but I can only comment on what I am aware of.

I think there are more than a few players who enjoy the small thrill of finding a treasure map, pure element, magical gem or other 'rare' item while gathering. I'm not sure what end it serves to reduce the frequency of a mechanic that engages players. Alternative methods are great, especially for silk, but I don't think that justifies making gathering duller.

Constitution also seems like the wrong attribute to choose, as it puts a greater share of 'rare' items into the hands of combat based characters, which are already rewarded quite richly.

The small advantage offered by gems doesn't seem substantial enough to justify bothering with them for gathering tools.

[Charlotte-ate-wilbur]

The constitution stat being a base for gathering is not new- this has been so since the vbu.

The higher your constitution the higher your gathering speed is, I don't think that changed. Unless the update changed the formula I don't know.

I assume this choice was made so that 'fighter' chars would be your designated gatherers also having good strength stat to carry and that they would supply crafters with resources to craft the fighter's gear. However two issues arise with this, one rare resources are not worth buying because gatherers expect at least half of market value for them. The market value for rare resources exceeds end products sale value. Second issue arises because crafters gather their own resources anyway because it's the only way they can make money, so the entire system falls in upon itself.

Proposal- Reduce market prices for rare resources and increase market prices for end products that require rare resources. Also-listen to player feedback especially if there's a lot of it leading up to completing your current project. Players will speak up if they think something isn't right- time to stop ignoring that.

I was once against increasing the rates at which npcs buy things however I've come to realize that rare resources cost far too much and crafters get far too little. To make a nice ring to sell you would need to buy 2 merinium for say 50 silvers to a gold, and make a ring which sells for 45 silver.

please note that I understand all devs are volunteer, feedback is not an attack and neither is saying you should take a second to listen to it or read it.

[Gorluss]

I think there are more than a few players who enjoy the small thrill of finding a treasure map, pure element, magical gem or other 'rare' item while gathering.

As a prolific gatherer, I agree with this. What is the intent of removing the magic gem drops from gathering? It takes 243 latent gems to make 1 rank 6 gem. Is anyone really breaking the system by getting 2 latents a week through gathering?

[Yridia Anar]

Constitution also seems like the wrong attribute to choose, as it puts a greater share of 'rare' items into the hands of combat based characters, which are already rewarded quite richly.

This, too. Thanks for pointing it out @Korwin.

[Katharina Brightrim]

I know there are other meanings and I am maybe a dieing race of RPer who clearly focus on it.
We are screwed if it changes in this way.

I don't really see why these changes endanger RP. The people who PG anyway will keep doing that and will get less from it, while the people who play the game for RP-reasons won't be affected by the changes directly.

And then, I think that this is a nice first step to make "jacks of all trades"-chars less lucrative. If you want to be good in the gathering your char is doing for a living, you can focus on it, pump your gems into it and actually get a benefit from it. At the same time, chars who are master lumberjacks, miners, cooks, farmers, warriors and crafters at the same time, would have to split their gems or pay the price of moving gems from tool to tool, which is at least a small burden.

I am absolutely positive about those changes, make rare items _actually_ rare.

[Charlotte-ate-wilbur]

@katharina

Easy to say when you have plenty of these rare items

What you describe has already been a limiting factor for jack of all trades, the problem is the fact that there's economic giants and there's economic ants and now nobody can touch the economic giants.

So all we did was make more economic ants that can't reach the giants. What I find disturbing is that a while ago I described how older chars were becoming impossible to catch up to and instead of working to remedy that, they made rich chars more powerful and unreachable.

Absolutely baffling tbh-I really don't feel heard after a decade of playing.

[Katharina Brightrim]

I don't. Only thing my char has a very big amount of are the Cado gems, which is likely fine after playing her since the VBU was launched and playing without any long downtimes. Though, of course, if you want to get the rare stuff currently, it is way too easy to get big amounts of them.

I feel like pointing out on a side-note that Katharina - a Cadomyrian noble - has around 20 gold coins in her possession, so she is far from being 'rich'. Just saying.

[JacobB]

I propose to completely undo the changes related to gathering and keep it as it is.
The current discussions show, that these changes are really not needed and wanted by the players.

[Brightrim]

The current discussions show, that these changes are really not needed and wanted by the players.

I'd like to point out that generally people who agree with a change will not be as vocal as they are fine with things proceeding as they are, while people who disagree are more likely to be vocal, so we can not take this one discussion as confirmation that this is not wanted by the players.

I for one approve of these changes, and a poll would likely show more people who did not bother voicing their opinion here that are either in favour or against it, ,making it hard to tell which is a majority when we haven't had an official poll on it.

[Estralis Seborian]

A lot has been said and I thank everyone for testing and also the constructive feedback received. Korwin's statement made clear the big picture is not yet visible for all and you need to see each change in a wider context. The big picture might become more visible once work is moving on to the non-gathering scripts that need changes due to e.g. the removal of finding shards.

On elements: It is a spread misunderstanding that the chance to find an element has been reduced. Please do not rely on hearsay, it actually has been increased.