Resource collection limits

[SinOfSuns]

One thing that I really want to see implemented is some kind of auto-limiter for collecting crafting materials. Often, while harvesting, I'll have an exact amount of resources in mind, and then even if I'm watching it carefully, it'll 9/10 times go over the limit because of the random amounts of resources that get collected per round.

Personally, I'd like to have a little test-based HUD menu that allows me to set whether or not I want a limit on a specific resource, and how much that limit is if I do. That way, I can start harvesting and actually do something fun with the waiting period, like talking to friends, rather than trying to snipe the exact second I go over my limit so that my tme is being used efficiently. When that final collection goes over the limit, it would automatically stop harvesting and throw away any extra, so that I'm left with a nice, clean amount of resources, and also a clear indicator that I've passed my intended limit.

An additional option would be to set parameters for dealing with the extra ores that are collected. For example, I could set it to auto delete any slate slabs that I harvest accidentally while collecting sandstone, since I don't WANT those at that point anyway. It could also prevent over-burdening issues caused by suddenly getting 10 bonus ore when collecting that final 4 pieces.

So basically, here's the reasons why this system would be beneficial:
- Greater control over resource collection for specific crafting tasks (especially lairshaping)
- Simple to implement
- Players won't have to sit there and stare at their inventory while harvesting
- Less frustration in the rare cases when a player has a full inventory and they accidentally collect too much of one resource on their cargo disk and can't delete it
- If the additional system is included, players won't have to hunt through their inventories to root out spare chunks of unwanted ore
- Additional realism because players won't find themselves randomly collecting more than they want when they could have just left the other stuff on the ground

Heck, I'll even write you guys some algorithms if you want. It's not a hard task, but it would make things SO much nicer to work with...

Also, I know you can usually just stop later on and split the stack then delete extras, but a system like this would be so much more useful and less finnicky and time-consuming.

[Creme]

Sorry, I don't like this idea.

I think players should PLAY and not have the game automatically do everything for them.

[Vaz]

Harvesting is not playing. It's suffering.

[awdz]

one thing i'd love to see implemented (don't know if it's feasible) is a toggle option for allowing bonus resources to be only what you're gathering *cough metal cough*

[Takora Drakan]

Sorry, I don't like this idea.

I think players should PLAY and not have the game automatically do everything for them.

Agreed, also I don't think this would be implented to avoid botting.

[Sigi]

I'm with creme and Takora about this.
I also wonder if splitting and deleting would take much more time (if any) than setting the limit and such in that HUD (?) menu.
And is it really "Simple to implement"?

[Dragonboy]

Well SinOfSuns, it seems I am one of the few who actually agrees with you on the idea you posted.

I agree up to a point with the others, but for example making Tri-cut Gems is just freaking annoying,
First you need to gather each of the 3 gems first, and since I have 12735 total bulk as dragon adult I need 707 uncut of each.
I would really prefere to have:
1. Something that stops once I have the correct amount instead of having to split and delete constantly.
2. Something that stops me from getting an additional 5 bonus to a gem I already have enough for and thus have to split and delete again.

You have any idea how many times I get the message I have to wait a few seconds before I am allowed to split anything because I just split for example T1 gem A to the correct amount and then a bonus resource comes for T1 gem B which already was at the correct amount.

Personally I agree with Xoshara when it is said harvesting is suffering, but we can at least make it al little less like a suffering.

The only reason the +5 bonus resource was usefull anyway was before T6 gems were ingame and since you need 10 of each for ARoP.

Sorry, I don't like this idea.

I think players should PLAY and not have the game automatically do everything for them.

Agreed, also I don't think this would be implented to avoid botting.

I dont get how an idea such as this is not playing nor how it can be botting? It is not as if the character automaticly walks towards a new node once the old one is depleted or automaticly goes to the machine to process the raw material. You still have to personally watch the node and your progress. In other words if you dont watch everything personnaly you would have had a nice chat, but only 1 resource while you might have needed multiple like with Tri-cut gems for example.

I like the idea.

[Takora Drakan]

You are not the only one of the world that does lairshaping and what not, we all know how the mechanics work.

But when you are gathering/crafting/adventuring, you are supposed to do that, and not set an amount in the hud and walk away from the pc and do other things, and then come back and you have the definied amount of ress in your inventory like you put in the hud.

Random gatherings and bonus ress are probably there for that reason, that you pay attention what are you actually doing.

[Dragonboy]

But when you are gathering/crafting/adventuring, you are supposed to do that, and not set an amount in the hud and walk away from the pc and do other things, and then come back and you have the definied amount of ress in your inventory like you put in the hud.

Random gatherings and bonus ress are probably there for that reason, that you pay attention what are you actually doing.

Then I vote for removing ML and Rich nodes, when you have a ML you also dont have to sit behind the computer.

[Takora Drakan]

I could care less if ML and rich nodes where removed, I crafted before they where there and I won't miss them much.

[SinOfSuns]

It seems that a few people don't seem to fully get the concept of my suggestion.

Dragonboy has the right idea with what I'm saying, while a few others seem to think I'm suggesting implementing some kind of auto-harvesting system. That's not true at all. I'm not suggesting that you click a few buttons and your character goes off to collect resources for you. I'm suggesting you set a limit so that you can control the number of resources you get before you stop digging with less frustration.

You're still the one moving to the resource nodes. You're still responsible for moving on once that node is depleted or you've reached your limit. The only difference is that you don't have to watch those tiny numbers going up and can relax and do stuff like engage in roleplaying on the chat channels while you wait. It's not like this somehow makes things faster or easier on players in terms of levelling up or the like.

Yes, it would be faster to set a limit than it would be to split stacks, because you set a limit ONCE before you dig, whereas you have to split stacks every freaking time you get a new load. Yes it IS simple to implement, because all of the base systems are already in place. All you're doing is adding code for a new HUD and various other functions that deal with resource management. It's not the simplest, most easy task in the world, but it's probably easier than most of the other suggestions on here by a magnitude of around 10.

The point is, harvesting makes you WAIT anyway. You might as well go and get a drink while you're digging through a motherlode, because all you can do is sit there and watch your character dig. At least in this case, people don't have to sit there and stare at the tiny little numbers going up, they can engage in communication with other people and not have to worry about collecting too much while they do so. As Xoshara aptly put,

Harvesting is not playing. It's suffering.

I personally think the good outweighs the possible bad here. People who use bots are going to do it anyway, I don't see why the rest of us have to get punished for it.

Oh, by the way, HUD = Heads Up Display. Pretty much the same thing as a GUI (Graphical User Interface :P). In other words, a menu.

[Vaz]

Indeed, my post is in support of the suggestion. Forcing people to wait around watching the little numbers while they harvest is cruel and unusual punishment.

[Guaran]

Anything involving "auto-delete" could go just so horribly wrong that I would never want something like it implemented.

I do have a suggestion for your lairshaping quantity woes. Build some silos. Then you can pull out exactly how much you need of each resource. Instead of trying gather 200 of this 400 of that 800 of the other, you just fill disk and inventory with single resource type and deliver it to the silo, then move on to the next resource type do the same. During that gathering time you can chat away if you so desire.

Crafting isn't completely meant to be mindless or super easy since thats why many resources are guarded.

[The Traveller]

well i would have to go with "thumbs down" on this idea, the reasons already given are good enough not to do this.

one thought though..... maybe the bonus could be scaled back, say based on (insert gethering skill) level. the more skilled you are the less you get bonus resources being grabbed, unless there is a reason that the bonus material need to be there.

[Knossos]

As a player who is primarioy a crafter, I was most relieved when capacity crystals were introduced in the game. For my schools which are high enough to use a capacity crystal having capacity as high as the "overburden" I install it in the processing tool and when overburdened I simply change tools and become unencumberd for the journey to the shop. In that I have never saved "bonus resources" (which I consider to be nuisance slag), if I have accumulated these as part of an overburden, I simply delete them and gather resources again till full or overburdened before changing tools. Perhaps this procedure will relieve some of the crafting drudgery "pain" for other crafters. After reaching high level in a crafting school one can carry more with this procedure by aving a large capacity crystal in the processing tool and a smaller one in the gatherning tool.

Knossos

[Dragonboy]

It is a pity so many people don't like this idea.
Could be quite an improvement to crafting.

[Tcei]

I rather like it myself. Not all feilds have silos within reasonable distances of them, which makes having a set amount much more reasonable than just harvesting untill you're full and spliting and deleting all the excess.
I'd also love to see the removal of bonuses of reasource you are not harvesting or a toggleable option, its a pain the in tail scales.

When Im gathering Im doing one of two things, either watching the numbers when making somehting spacific. Or tabbed out and browsing the web/getting food/going to the bathroom/doing anything but pay attention to the game, for when Im grinding. Unless there happens to be chatter on one of the channels there's no reason for me to pay attention to the game until I hear the gather sound stop.

I fail to see how this could be exploited as far as botting, isnt the idea of botting to make as much of x item as possible for exp/whatever? Having an option to set a limit of x resource would be kinda counter-intuitive to that I'd think. Even on items that require multiple reasources, it'd be much wiser to set up a bot to gather as much as possible of item x and store it away before gathering item y, then do the crafting, rather than collect 50 of x and 80 of y, craft, then repeat.

[Favoran]

I'm a rather hardcore crafter myself, finding it a far preferable way to pass the time over combat. However, while I do find myself harvesting those annoying bonus resources from time to time or going over what I need to harvest, I don't believe a system needs to be implemented to change it. You might as well set something up that automatically tosses loot you can't use.

Bonus resources and all that other stuff is just part of what crafting is. Sure, it can be annoying. Sure, it can take a bit of time. But, in all honesty, is it a life-changing amount? When you're crafting, you don't have to STARE at the resources in your inventory until the exact moment they reach the number you want, then hurriedly mash the spacebar in the hopes of not going over. All it takes is a glance every few moments. Maybe even every minute. What's the worst that can happen? You have to toss a few extra resources. Heaven forbid.

[Deth]

I would rather see them do what they talked about long long ago and change bonus resources to bonus items. I.E. Finding buried treases such as formulas, or tech componet.

[SinOfSuns]

Seems that this kind of boils down to two schools of thought. I could be wrong, but basically it looks to me like the older players are all saying "Well we're used to it so you should just deal with it too", while the newer players are saying "Actually we'd prefer an improvement."

Then of course there's the few alterative replies I'm seeing that are quite interesting to read
I'm not sure finding treasures while harvesting resources would be such a good idea though...