by Ungkor » Sun Mar 05, 2006 3:22 am
Summary:
1. Most alchemy effects are not powerful enough to warrant dropped/foraged items.
2. Smoother progression routes is a good thing.
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I disagree in some ways and agree in others.
I do not like how every single level X potion requires dropped/foraged items. The power of most alchemy products does not warrant, in any way, shape, or form, the requirement of dropped items.
Was a 32 point DS really that powerful that it needed to both be halved and now require dropped items?
If you want alchemy X potions to require drops, they better be for effects that are so profound that all players sell the dropped items. For a perfect example, look at metallic drake scales. 20k selling price, reasonable drop rate, good experience, and a final product that sells for 50k-100k.
Who in there right mind would believe that the EQ player base is gonna save and sell alchemy items for 25p-150p for minor effects? That means that if I want a 2min recast 36 disease counter cure, I'll have to PERSONALLY farm drop after drop to stockpile a 20 pack of potions. I certainly won't find enough of the dropped items in the bazaar to make any potions consistently. It just isn't worth a traders time to sell a handful of reagents a week.
You know what that means? It'll never happen.
In order for a tradeskill to actually be a viable economic force, it needs to be able to create items that are A) valued, and B) consistently producible.
The less "A" you have, the more "B" you need and vice versa. Take Sow potions. Sow Level X potions are NOT valued enough (with runspeed aa's) for folks to actually want to save and sell the components required to make them. Any alchemist seeking to make large batches of sow potions is going to have to farm the parts. It is, plain and simple, a failed model.
Now look at the other end of things. Oow augments for example. Highly valued, but not in any way consistently producible. The drop rate of discordant s. is so low, that they never really became a significant part of the market. The value was there, but the reproducible level wasn't high enough to actually capitolize on the value.
What alchemy needs is effects that are in line with the time required to produce them. The new system is a big, BIG step back from the previous system in this regard.
So what type of effects are worthy of having dropped components? Well, imo, major ones. Rez, DA, overhaste, etc.. Put some of those type of potion effects in the game and I'll be happy to farm for hours to make 1-2 of them. And, of course, sell them for 50-100k apiece.
Curing 36 disease counters every 2 minutes shouldn't require a dropped component. The player base at large isn't going to save them and sell them, and the effect isn't worth my time to actually farm the parts myself.
Now, what I really like about the new revamp, is that the skillup route is very systematic and smooth. It doesn't benefit 99% of the hardcore alchemists, but still, it was a good move overall for future potion makers.
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