Bio Engineer Archive

Thread: My evening of sampling Rancors.

UniqueHandle86
Sat Jan 24, 2004 3:35 am
#1


So I finally hit Master BE two days ago. I was excited to finally be able to make some really good pets. And I was making some, too. Made a couple of cl40-46 Razor cats with 11k ham, armor, 60% kinetic resist, 450 damage, kd/dizzy or stun/strong poison. All's well in my world.


Then I get the dreaded message as I head out to Dathomir to sample some rancors. "Hi, how much for a cl70 kimo?" Sigh. After repeatedly warning that it would be prohibitively expensive, and that CL70 is VERY hard to hit right on the nose, and I can make a pet almost as good at cl60 or so, I was offered a price I couldn't refuse.


Knowing that pretty much the only way to hit 70 was to use Mutant Rancor DNA (thanks BE message boards) I head off to find some mutants. Lo and behold, at the Sarlacc Pit I find 3 groups of 5 mutants, and 2 groups of 2. Jackpot! With my trusty +25 maskscent clothes and almost master scout skills, I head over to make some friends, 3 foot long needle in hand.


I spent the first hour trying to get close enough to sample. I tried running. I tried riding my speeder. I tried walking. I even crawled from 120m out. Nothing doing. PERIOD. I finally got one to aggro on me, and he chased me a fair ways. After he un-aggroed and started shambling back to his buddies to continue talking about ripping the arms off stormtroopers or whatever it is that Rancors talk about, I start sampling. First try, fail. Second try, fail. Third try, fail and aggro. Running running running, aw crap. One hit incap. Then he ambles on back to his lair. But wait! He's not finished! He wanders back over to where I'm at about 45 seconds later, and just as my incap timer hits 2 seconds left, he deathblows me. Hooray.


So I re-insure. Get out my speeder again. Go to the Sarlacc. Find a group of 2 this time. Still cant get within 45m without mask breaking. Manage to get one to aggro me and follow me, then start sampling as he wanders back after losing me. 8 failures in a row. By then we're close enough that his friend notices me, breaks my mask, and they both aggro me again. So I lead them into a pack of 5 out of spite, and sat and watched the carnage ensue for about 15 minutes. Aha!One left standing, almost no health left! I can do this!


So I creep up. Gee, what do you know, mask breaks again. He aggro's. I lead him on a merry chase, threading myself and my new best friend through several spawns of Rancor Youths and regular Rancors. He loses me, I mask, I begin sampling. 7 more failures. Aggro. One hit incap due to low mind, deathblow.


I decide to take a break from Mutants for a few minutes, and move on to normal Rancors. Mask actually works for once! I get close enough to sample, start sampling, and hop on my trusty speeder. Fail. Aggro. One hit incap. Then, because the gods hate me, he hits my speeder and blows it up. Then deathblows me.

So now I'm pissed. I'm bound and determined to get at least ONE sample before I leave the planet in shame and humiliation. So I run to the Sarlacc. I find a group of mutants. I sneak in close, mask breaks, one aggro's, I run for my life, he loses me, I start sampling. 6 failures in a row, and by that time we're close enough his buddies see me and aggro me. I lose them, and before I can mask, an entire lair of normal Rancors aggro me. I get chased for a full 1.5k before losing everyone and finding a place to mask.


So I go back. Why? My best guess is I'm stupid. You make your own conjectures here. I find my group of mutants. I sneak in. I get detected, yadda yadda yadda, I start sampling as the one that aggro's me is heading back. 5 more failures, another aggro. Run run run, he loses me, I start sampling. 7 More failures. Then muon fades. Then he aggro's. Then I get 1 hit incapped. Wanna take a guess what happened next?


So now I'm starting to recognize the NPC's in the Dath outpost by name. I think they recognize me too, I can hear them laughing behind my back. I figure, hell, my luck can only be so bad, right? RIGHT? I'll give it one more shot. So I run. And run. And run. And I finally reach the Sarlacc. I mask. I get detected. I run. It chases. It loses me. I sample. I fail. 4 times. As I'm sampling the 5th time, it aggro's. I run. It chases. I lose it. I start sampling. As the first sample sequnce is just about to finish, it poofs. Dissapears into the ether. I curse. A lot. My wife begins to wonder about my sanity.


I go back to my mutants. Still there, down one compadre, who seems to have vanished. I mask. I get detected at 70m. I back off. I mask. I get detected. I run. I get chased. As I'm running, a kindly spider of some sort, didnt really catch the name, decides I'd make a good target. HE one hit incaps me. Then the mutant wanders over, and deathblows me.


So, in summary. 6 hours spent. Cloned 4 times. Lost a speeder. Samples gained? 1 average quality Rancor Youth sample that I took out of spite. Although, without armor, its pretty useless to me. I spent a month mastering BE for this? Going through the chatlog afterwards, I failed on 42 consecutive samples. 42. Mask scent broke 65 times. I got aggro'd 5 times when mask didn't even break. I'm fed up with this planet, and the game in general, so I decide to throw a Kimo together with some leftover Rancor samples I had from the day before. I have 7 left. I throw 5 in. I crit fail. With a +14 tool and +41.8 station. Not only do I have nothing to show for today, but I've actually LOST ground since I logged on.


I've had it. This is abso-**edit**ing-lutely ridiculous. 6 hours down the tube, and I'm worse off then when I started. Give me a break. SOE needs to stop adding in new features and FIX THE GODDAMN THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY WRONG WITH THE GAME. I could really give a **edit** about someone custom coloring my vehicle. How about fixing it so that when I park on a hill, I can actually remount the **edit** thing, instead of being told that I'm too far away because I picked a short character model? How about making it so that we can actually sample the creatures we need to sample to make the pets people want? We are entirely different than other crafting professions. We are the ONLY profession that I know of that has to get ALL of their resources by hand. So throw us a fricken bone here, and make it a LITTLE easier for us to do so. Hell, I'd settle for possible at all at this point.


For those of you brave enough to still be reading this, I thank you. And I want you to understand. I really, really, REALLY want to like this game. I'm trying so **edit** hard it's not even funny. All I'm asking is for SOE to meet me halfway. If I have one more night like this, thats it. I'm canceling. Most of you probably won't care, and SOE probably won't either. But I can't take anymore. It's like someone has taken my dream game, **edit** on it, put it in a blender, and then set it on fire. And they're forcing me to watch. And I have to pay them to do so. And that's not right.


Stormkahn
Sat Jan 24, 2004 4:09 am
#2

/sympathy mode to max


/gulp


I was going to head out this weekend and try it out for the 1st time but not looking forward to it.


Last night I was having some terrible problems, crit fails where running at 3/5 and I'd lost the DNA I was using to make a CL10 for a customer, so I think to myself, there's some Vir Virs out in the back garden....


Out I plod to within 70m, down goes the MS, hey hoe says I..... 5 MS fails later I'm getting annoyed and a little suspicous. There I am with 96 MS stalking Vir Virs and I can't get with 66m without MS dropping? There was a baby in there so I thought, lets break out Ajax and clear them down a little to reduce the problem. So due to a little extra aggro only the baby survives, I leg it to unaggro the baby and wander back with a view to taming the little blighter........MS goes down at 66m **edit**, tried it 3 more times and thought BUG!!!!! I went to bed....found the same this morning.


Trip to Dath posponed, GL.
Chaice
Sat Jan 24, 2004 4:39 am
#3

I successfully sampled lesser bols... thats about it...
Savvon
Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:07 am
#4

/feels your pain


BE was my first proffesion and still is my main proffesion.I have been through it ALL and truely feel your aggrovation and pain.I do not even go to Dathmir anymore.9/10 times the customer doesnt like what you have for sell anyways.


Not taking you thunder away....BUT:

I made a level 29 Razor cat 45% kenetic 60% on the rest,hits for up to 350 max/strong poison and dizzy.with 10.2k/8.6k/8.4/ HAM and said it wasnt good enough.


Anyways...your sense of humor is halarious.We all have VERY bad days.I hope it gets better for you...for all of us that are not HOLO BE's.I am sticking with it,but my holo said to master swordsman and am REALLY thinking about it if BE doesnt pan out with the samples.


I hope they fix these little things before they turn my into a holo grinding zombie.
Ordlander
Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:24 am
#5

Sorry to hear your bad night

I been there done, done that, wrote a book that never sold a copy. I read on boards of people geting sample after sample of muntant DNA like it a walk in the park. What you say is common, more so among so many muntant that can detect you. Only thing I can say is I went up some into ranger line to get better masked scent type skill and I can walk (or last time I even bothered) upto them and play cards with them. Tried over a span of 3 nights with well over 100 attemps and got zero sample. I could try 6 times before I would even get agro. Sometimes more.

Me now? I have not made a pet since the invald thing came into play. The thing I liked so much to do in game got to be such a pain. people wanting more out of pets then I care to get. So they can go to other BE's and get what they want. Dosn't matter to me no more. Will see if they fix there fixed fix with creiiters being valad and what the heck it is we can really make.

Least I still have my rancor and gureck from pre patch to remind me the HAM and Damage I used to be able to get a CL50 pet
TeufelhundSoldat
Sat Jan 24, 2004 6:22 am
#6

I sure do feel for you. But it does get better. I was out in Rancor Valley sampling a group of 5 Mutant Rancors and I managed to get 2 samples from each of them before killing themfor a total of ten in an hours worth of time. I dont think that has ever happened to me before, and I dont expect it to ever happen again.



Teufelhund
Intrepid
Synister Yet Noble Guild Leader
SYN City Dantooine
DataOutlaw
Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:28 am
#7

Thats a pretty typical experience for hunting the mutant rancors. I went out hunting them on 5 separate occasionn in which i came back with zero samples, or up to three samples to show for my 5 or 6 hours of sampling efforts. It takes time and practice to get a good method for for sampling rancors. Your mask scent nreak points are 65m and 41m. Be very carefull at those transition point andd make sure you are going prone and crawling up to the beasts. If they are waliking away from you after an aggro then you can walk after them with mask scent on up to the last 30m or so and usuallybe ok (but not always). I have had the best success hunting at the rancor cave and even came home with 7 samples after a 4 hour rancor cave session Thursday evening.
KelvinKlien
Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:47 pm
#8

1. get buffs

2. have lots of muon

3. have lots of fishak

4. have lots of correlian ice cream


Only way I was able to sample muntants was to have my friend (who was buffed) on speeder aggro some and lead them away. I would be strategically placed 60-100m away from spawn. When muntant un aggros, I would sample immedietly. If they aggroed and killed, I have my friend res me and rebuff. I spent 10 hours one night for just 10 samples. Evil thing is, when used em in a craft they all criticalled lol. Dath is the worse planet in game for breaking maks scent. I can sample all day long on endor with few deaths, while Dath on the other hand is just insane!


Yes, my friends rag on me now. Good ol zoj, rancors think I taste good. 9/10 will agree, bio Es taste better.
Samaritan001
Sun Jan 25, 2004 12:26 am
#9

Personally , and this is from a ch view point, if someone orders a special cl 70 pet, there A-stupid, b-stupid or c-stupid when you can do the same with cl 50 stuff. You guys should really charge for expenses, ie: cloning, bikes, travel costs, moun crates. If i was ordering something like this id pay it no probs.(mind you i played a BE so i know your pain)



Ir'khaan-Master Doc
Rayth Bane-Commando Rifleman
ArthurDentOnBria
Sun Jan 25, 2004 12:49 am
#10

ROFL, oh man, that's really horrible. Thanks for sharing that. I've never gone to Dath for sampling (I stick to Endor and Dant, but do love hunting on Dath), and never attempted a CL 70 critter, but at least now I'm mentally prepared for the experience when I eventually get around to it. But in the mean time I continue to refuse every order for a CL 70 critter that I have gotten so far. It helps that generally these requests come from rude little l33t speaking punks who seem to figure I can pull a few minerals and floras out of my pack and "whip one up" for them for real cheap. Makes it easy to turn such people down. But I'm still bracing myself for a time when a reasonable, appreciative, patient customer requests such a thing from me.



ArthurDent - former Bio Engineer, Tailor, and Droid Engineer
Account cancelled 7/8/05 due to game breaking bugs in these professions that have been neglected for FAR too long. Last day July 27 2005
custom tailoring and droid orders welcome. "making Evil products since July 2003"
Achiever: 80%, Explorer: 60%, Socializer: 46%, Killa 13%


ThePuck
Sun Jan 25, 2004 1:00 am
#11


Togashi's Mutant Rancor Sampling Tips

First off, find a Master Doctor and pay 6-8k to get a full stat buff. Also, get into a group with a Master Musician and Master Dance and /watch and /listen to them for 8 minutes, then /stopwatch and /stoplisten -- that gets you a Mind (Dancer) and Focus/Willpower (Musician) buff for about an hour (more if they're using more Flourishes -- I've had mine last up to 2.5 hours). TIP YOUR ENTERTAINERS so they'll love you and do it more for you. Entertainer buffs mean you don't have to use Muon Gold, which has that annoying downer effect that seems to happen at the worst possible time.


Walk (good) or crawl (better) from 64m towards the Mutant Rancor. If your maskscent breaks, STOP MOVING.


Usually they won't aggro you if you're not moving. It's very hard to get used to not running away when your maskscent breaks near a huge lumbering CL75 monstrosity, but don't do it unless you actually get aggroed.


When you do get aggroed, run back to your vehicle, get on it and drive away fast, hitting Peace. Wait until the Mutants stop fighting, then head back and repeat.


At about 34m or so, go prone and start crawling. Eventually you'll get to 15m or less. Stop moving, /stand and start sampling. If the Mutant moves, WALK so you're within 15m.


That's about all you need to know.



Togashi | GoonSquad
Master BioEngineer
UniqueHandle86
Sun Jan 25, 2004 6:13 am
#12

Thank you all for your kind words in my darkest hour. I've decided to take a break from Mutants for a while, and I contacted the person who wanted the CL70 pet cancelled the order. I am out of the business of making CL70's for the near future.


However, tonight my faith has been somewhat restored, as I seem to have stumbled upon a recipe for pretty consistent cl 30-36 pets with 60% kinetic, light armor, 300ish damage, and good specials. I made myself a pair first, as I'm still a MCH, that had those stats, plus 10k9k/8k HAM and Strong Poison/Strong Disease on one and KD/Dizzy on the other.


Now I just need to get out and collect more samples so I can mass produce them and start to get back some of the money I've lost over the last several days. I've had the most demand for a pair of matched 35's, so it shouldnt take long. After I fine tune the recipe a bit I'll post some more details if anyone is interested.

GreenStok
Sun Jan 25, 2004 7:15 am
#13

I feel your pain, but read on.


When you try to do a once in a life time pet, you fail a lot. Admittedly too much.


Having said that... dont get obsessed. Do what you do well. You will enjoy do those things. Then when you having too much fun, go back.


People often ask me for a CL 70 pet. I usually reply, how about 2 pets that can whoop any CL 70 pet.


You can pull out all stops and build a CL 55 pet.


Do what is fun and what is not, in this case, is arguable not worth doing.





______________________________
______________________________
GreenStok, Master Bio Engineer, proprieter of Green Acres
Shop on Lowca server, Naboo, Theed
/waypoint -5430 3417
Also on Dantooine -595 2891
Page 1 of 3
Previous Next