Artisan Archive

Quite frankly, I don't think its possible to be a strict artisan in SWG as it is now. There is such a low demand for our products that, while we can sell things, we just simply can't do it fast enough to make a signifigant enough amount of money to support ourselves purely on items that we sell through the bazaar or through vendors.

I finally had to fall back on my pistol skills which I had taken initally anyway more for defense than for offense, but it didn't make me happy.

Why should I a dedicated artisan be forced to dirty my hands with simple mercenary work when I should be able to do fine by selling goods on an open market?As a tradesman, I shouldn't have to be scrimping for money while my brawler character rolls in it, and even has become a successful wind power supplier. I tried to set up a wind supply side business to help keep my artisan funded, but I couldn't make enough money to really support it too far, and when I did put my energy on the bazaar, it took too long for it to sell.

I'm extremely frusterated with it at the moment, becauseI should not have to be worrying about this type of thing being a tradesman by profession. It is not only ironic, but it is ludicrous and also a perfect example of why SWG has no economy. Artisans need to be given some more desirable items to make - like data pag add-ons, or hand held games, such as a card deck that you can use to play solitare, or poker with other players. We can sell alot of our current items, but we need more so that we really can do what we were meant to be able to do. As it is now, I really don't see how anyone could make a living off of being an artisan.

It is an unfortunate truth, but it is one that needs to be addressed.

Thank you for your post. I personally do not have any combat skills. I had some pistol but recently surrended it. The only skill I have outside of Artisan is Novice medic and I only use it right now if I need to run for a quick heal.

I do not sell enough of my products to keep me funded. I do delivery missions even though they pay less simply beacuse I prefer not to do dystroy missions. I do make a living betwen what I can sell and the deliver missions.

My hope is to see must have consumables in the future that players need to buy from us to keep us in business as well as more crafted related missons and a consignment system where we can take jobs from NPCs to make and deliver items on a scale that matches the pay that combat classes recieve for clearing out mobs and NPC camps. A consignment system is providing a service to the NPC just like the combat class that takes an assignment to kill something so we should be payed the same. Granted there is no risk of death involved but it is still a time sink to travel around.

Who else has thoughts on this? Please post your views

Jaliss Anarawyn

Aren't they adding "crafting missions" in the big patch?

I agree, there should be crafting based missions. When I first started creating my character I was only going to go Artisan, but after playing for a day or two, I realised that I needed to work on other skills aswell just to keep my money coming in. As this is good, I would prefer to do crafting based missions to get money rather than delivery/destroy missions.

just my thoughts...

I played for a week or so and realized the same thing. After I got my first harvesters I migrated stats to a pistoleer setup and worked on my pistol skills slowly by doing destroy missions when I needed quick cash.

I don't regret the choice at all. I'm an apprentice gunfighter and master artisan.. which reminds me I need to change my signature lol. It helps with making that dreadful run from Wayfar to Bestine and back. Early onmy motto was "I want to make guns and be able to use them". I dropped weaponsmithing for the time beingand now my motto is "I want to buy good weapons from someone elseand if I die I at least look cool doing it" since I picked up tailoring.

---

Joshai wrote:

...signifigant enough amount of money to support ourselves

---

What is this number for you?

Me, I've got 3 wind generators and my break even point is .3/wind resource (not counting the 20 minute run from town to my harvestors.) I typically sell for 2.6/windresource. Tha'ts an 866% markup! I haven't done a mission yet, and only fight occasionally because I've got nothing better to do while my generators run.

What do you mean by "support ourselves?" I'm making 20k a day and I'm pretty self sufficient =)

Crafting missions are a MUST have to make the artisan professions work. There needs to be not only a way to stop the low end market glut (which is what the practice mode tried to do), but also a way for starter artid=sans to make at least some of the cash that a combat profession can running missions. Maybe not make as much profit per mission as a combat character, as there needs to be an incentive for crafters to sell to players as well, once they can make a decent product.

I have no idea why this game shipped without artisan missions. Maybe the Empire needs a supplement of cheap rifles (that explains why stormtroopers can't hit anything too... cheap guns!). Maybe Jabba needs a feast prepared. Perhaps a popular musician needs a new dress for her big show and maybe she needs a back up band and backup dancers. There are so many possible missions.

i've pretty given up on the game, the econmony engine of the game really sucks big time....which leads me to belive that if something is not done about it soon, the game will not surive for very long...

Besides pistol skill for defence, im a strictly artisan - and my prospering mining company is running pretty good. I stopped doing delivery missions, and after getting a resouce contract with an architect I have no problem in earning more money than it costs to maintain my mines.

I agree that selling strictly artisan wares at bazaar's is not very giving. Hopefully they will put in more needed items that strictly Artisans can craft.

I started out intending to be an artisan smuggler, and therefore I took Pistol at the beginning, and I am really glad that I did. (Not because I like killing things but because it is practically the only way I make money.)

I have engineering 4 now, and in order to advance I need 21000 (Thats thousand) XP. My standard robe nets me 50 XP per combine at a cost of 25 fiberplast, and we see I need 10500 fiberplast to skill up. Now I am a naturalist, and I would like to be able to do it all myself, but Sampling 10500 Fiberplast. That would take over 48hours of play time (Not macroing, which has been stopped anyway) doing nothing but sampeling.

So I made harvesters. But a chemical harvester requires power, and both the chemical harvester and the wind generator require money 3 - 4000 per day for the pair. So I need to make 3 - 4000 each day to keep them up and running.

I simply cant make 3-4000 per day crafting. So I do destroy missions, and while I have been trying to make 21 000 artisan XP, I have allready made over 70 000 pistol XP.

I have tried the Bazzar, I continue to have my maximum 25 items on the bazaar, and I sell some, but no where near 3-4000 worth per day.

We need to have more consumables.

We need items to wear out faster

We need to have food (Even no stat food) become more meaningfull

I HOPE that there are some good desireable items at the upper levels.

We need to get a better understanding of what the benifits of armor are. You cant PAY people to wear your bone armor right now, let alone get them to pay YOU.

The long and short of it is, Artisans are either not needed all that badly, or there are far too many of them out there allready. Either way, the law of supply and demand ensures that a pure artisan is unplayable in SWG.

It is tough to be a pure artisan but it can be done. The best way to make creds other than missions is by selling resourse. But that is a bit counter productive and not really being an artisan. That is being a miner and not making your income off of what you make. (And if everyone tries to make money by selling resourses that market will crash and no longer support any of us; so the "I do it what's your problem" is just arrogant and ignorant)

I have eng. 4 and can actually support myself with items I crafted (selling off the bazaar) if I could spend several hours in game every day. But I don't have that kind of time . You need to focus on making the highest quality product possible and find something that is in demand. That isn't alway easy, and can take time. But if you work at it you'll find a niche. Just remember each server and reach planet are different. What works at one place may not work in anther. For example I could sell a lot of fireworks in Kor Vella, Corellia. But, in Theed, Naboo they sell very poorly.

Hope that helps!

I'm looking at being a Novice Tailor and knowing there's no possible way I can support myself on clothing sales. Right now I live off of powerups, but I can't craft those for tailoring XP so I guess I'll have to grind and rely on delivery/mining to turn a profit, until of course I can make the coveted Neo Black Duster. However, I think clothing decay would improve things a great deal for tailors. I really don't understand the reasoning for not having implemented it yet...surely the code must already be done? It seems like a pretty major part of the economy.

I make a small fortune selling bulk resources.

But then again, I am probally a better buisnessman than most

Hang in there