Chef Archive
Thread: is 12pts worth it?
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kujan7
Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:30 pm
#1
i mean i look around the bria server and my stuff is right on par with 12 pt chefs. my canape is only 20 points less than a 12pt. other than that it's the same. i have the same stats on air cake as 12pt chefs. i've gotten my brandy to +431 for 37m with a 21 quantity as a 10pt chef. my citros has 1 less minute duration than 12 pt chefs. my bivoli is +23, 12pt chefs have +25 but the only difference is a whole 20 buff points. so is it worth the millions to be a 12pt?
Saitek
Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:06 pm
#2
kujan7 wrote:
i mean i look around the bria server and my stuff is right on par with 12 pt chefs. my canape is only 20 points less than a 12pt. other than that it's the same. i have the same stats on air cake as 12pt chefs. i've gotten my brandy to +431 for 37m with a 21 quantity as a 10pt chef. my citros has 1 less minute duration than 12 pt chefs. my bivoli is +23, 12pt chefs have +25 but the only difference is a whole 20 buff points. so is it worth the millions to be a 12pt?
Absolutely. Your Brandy could use 2 more points to duration, and what is the quantity on your Bivoli? Good Bivoli is +25 and a quantity of 3, which is where the extra points could be spent. Also what is duration on your canape? Though it may not seem like the 2 points are that big a deal, they REALLY help out with some of the "Details" of cooking.
sciguyCO
Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:49 pm
#3
Well, the points definitely do make a difference (each one can bump Brandy's duration 2 minutes, increase canape's power +20, etc). Whether it's worth the 10-20 million credits (rough estimate) required for the various tapes....it probably depends on how much that difference will make in sales, how much business you plan to do, and how informed your customer base is.
A lot of customers are looking for the absolute best they can find, with cost generally a very small consideration. The 150k spent on a crate of brandy can probably be earned back by a die-hard combat character even before the first stack is used up, leaving him or her with 24 stacks of "profit".
On the other hand, there are people who look at cost/benefit (100k for +400 brandy vs. 200k for +425), so there is money to be made. You can also just do basic customer services to make a name for yourself: "meal" consultation, special orders, advertising (in game and on the forums), etc.
I've been a Master chef since.....geeze, almost a year now (hit it last November). I'm still working just with 10 points (although I did pick up a chef apron, and am on the lookout for another +5 in tapes). I work to make up for it by watching the resource shifts, partnering with BEs offering high-quality additives, and generally trying for a good feel about what power/duration/filling/quantity experimentation work best with different foods.
Some tips for 10 points chefs:
- While OQ counts only 33% towards the maximum for Nutrition and Flavor, it has a larger impact on your starting experimental percentage. 200 OQ / 980 PE resources havethe same max nutrition as 720 OQ / 720 PE, but that second resorce will give you a couple extra points on your starting percentage.
- Watch swgcraft diligently for good spawns (especially berries and fruits).
- Don't worry too much about completely maxing out a category. Spending one experimentation will add 7 with a great success. If you were at 82% and it maxes out at 85%, you're better off spending that point somewhere else. Ignore this tip if you need that little extra to hit a particular benchmark (50 filling vercupti, +25 Bivoli, etc).
- Getting an amazing success while experimenting 7 points at a time essentially get's you a "free" experimentation point (7 point amazing = +56, 8 point great = +56). It's risky, but good tools/station, a research center, and a shot of Bespin port do help.
Of course, if Oddsie or Bliznit decided to go join a Dance troupe, I wouldn't turn down a donation of tapes. 
Message Edited by sciguyCO on 08-25-2004 10:50 PM
Ankor
Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:00 pm
#4
kujan7 wrote:i mean i look around the bria server and my stuff is right on par with 12 pt chefs.
No, no it isn't. It's close, but it is not "on par", and many customers demand the best. Even those who don't will take the better product if they are well informed. Your foods are second best, even if it is a close second.
my canape is only 20 points less than a 12pt.
Your Canape is only 20 pts. less than a 12 point Chef, I'll believe. Than all of us, no frigging way. Being a good Chef who pays attention to the math and tracks resources, etc. may allow you to comete with less dedicated crafters, but with those extra 2 points you'd be blowing them away. Don't pretend it's not a difference... if your Canape is only 20 points smaller than mine, then I also have an advantage on duration, filling, or stack size... those extra two points simply do not disappear into the ether.
i've gotten my brandy to +431 for 37m with a 21 quantity as a 10pt chef.
imagine how much better it'd be if it was "only" +425, but had a 45 minute duration.
my bivoli is +23, 12pt chefs have +25 but the only difference is a whole 20 buff points.
For some reason most doctors seem to think +25 is a pretty big deal. If your +23 and another Chef's +25 are priced the same, who do you think will move more product? Even if yours is cheaper, the +25 will see more sales.
Personally, I can understand not wanting to spend the money and go to the annoyance of becoming a 12 point Chef, but I simply cannot figure out why any serious Chef would drop the 3 million necessary to become an 11 point Chef. Get an apron, buy 5 +1 tapes (shouldn't cost more than 500k each) and compare your 11 point food to your existing 10-point stats. That'll put you in a pretty good position to see exactly what one more experimentation point does for you.
kujan7
Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:18 pm
#5
Saitek wrote:
Absolutely. Your Brandy could use 2 more points to duration, and what is the quantity on your Bivoli? Good Bivoli is +25 and a quantity of 3, which is where the extra points could be spent. Also what is duration on your canape? Though it may not seem like the 2 points are that big a deal, they REALLY help out with some of the "Details" of cooking.
quantity on bivoli is 3. duration on canape is 9m 36s, which is low(i can get +650 33fill, 10m canape with some berries and fruits i just harvested). but how can i justify spending millions to get 12pts when i only sell a few crates per week? i have a very small clientele so i don't make much money. the fact of the matter is i'm not a power chef compared to other people. if somebody wants a crate of something, i'll do a factory run of it and sell it to them exclusively. i do have the apron and have been on the lookout for chef experimentation tapes so i'll probably get the 11th pt. but 10 more points after that...
capzyL
Thu Aug 26, 2004 1:11 am
#6
dont know about you but imo a chef that markets himself well is very capable of beating any AS in the credit race, therefor any Chef with dedication and skill should be able to get those points quite easy. Since my experience as a chef (about 4months) one could make an easy 10mil profit each day when the BE was doing his job right and the factorys where runing good.
And i must say i disagree with some of the chefs saying your 20 points less canape will make a difference to the people who know a little bit more about food, because the ONLY time i bother about 20-50points is when i need it for hardcore PvP, for PvE the lesser brandy/ahrisa is no biggi at all, infact it dosent mater, and its the same for everyone.
And yeah i might add, i focused on making money, i did mainly brandy/canape/ahrsia and from time to time some other custom food for guildies, made it easier for me tracking resources and less time crafting, because imo its in those 3 the big money is.
Message Edited by capzyL on 08-26-2004 01:14 AM
MeciniaLua
Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:17 am
#7
I am an 11 point chef at the moment. I use a 15.0 food and chemical tool, a 43.something food and chemical crafting station, and craft in a Research Center. When I have it I use bespin port to make my schematics. Using this I can make stuff as good as 12point chefs sometimes, sometimes it takes patience and making a couple of schematics to get the results I want.
Resources I've found is one of the biggest problems. If you are a 12 point chef and your resources are crap...you're going to make crap.
You should constantly look for good spawns of stuff to make foods. At 10 points with good resources I was making stuff that was competitive. ( It was slightly below what a 12 point chef could get but I sold it for much cheaper. )
Anyway my 2 cents.
( How did I get to be an 11 point chef you might ask.......guildmates helped me a lot, and even former guildmates did. I bought the apron for 100k...a good deal, I bought 1 +1 food experimentation tape for 10k ( woot ) and the other 4 were gifts from my friends in WE or LICK. )
As my vendors are off the beaten trail I mostly do business with WE, LICK, former members of Ronin, RGU and others that just happen to stop in Wrixonia.
Okin_Sin
Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:47 am
#8
Im also a Chef on Bria (12 Point), and I will say you don't need 12 points to make a good deal of credits. You do need 12 points to make the BEST food you can. If I were you I would at least get 11 points, with a crafters apron and 5 +1's it is not all that expensive.
Let me be the first to admit Bria has some pretty crappy 12 point Chefs on it, but we also have the 12 pointers that watch EVERY spawn of resources and have millions of old resources to make great stuff with. Your Brandy you mentioned is not bad at all honestly I think it could sell pretty well. For comparison though the last Brandy I made last night was 427 for 45m30s 50Fill 18 Uses, and that was just messing around to see what I could get with some new fruit and berries, I always wait till I get amazings to make my factory schematics with.
The point is you can do great with 10,11 or 12 points, but if your 10 points you have to closely watch resource auctions and spawns, and count on amazing succeses to compete. Remember though that you will also have to compete with 12 point chefs that watch every spawn and also get all amazings etc. You will ALWAYS be behind the 12 point chefs that have the same resources as you.
MozzerKing
Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:51 am
#9
It's been my experience that the vast majority of players don't pay attention to the secondary food stats which is really where the extra two points comes into play. Getting those points is more about bragging rights and being able to completely match your competitors. I've done a lot of experimenting on my customers and I can truthfully say that my sales stay exactly the same regardless of whether or not I make 33 filling Canape, 50 filling Vercupti or 45 minute Brandy. People care more about finding a vendor that's stocked than anything else.
If you can afford it and feel the need to make the absolute best foods possible, get the extra points. If you can't afford it don't stress about not having the points. If you keep your vendors stocked and treat your customers well you'll succeed!
Mayor_Woosh
Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:44 am
#10
I would say resources should be your number one concern for now. The former is greatly more important then CAs. Once you have a good stock of resources and good regular sales then start the adventure for CAs. If your resources and marketing of your product are sub par you could be a +5000 chef and it wont matter.
Build your business first...then try and get fancy.
Good luck !
M-Oldie
Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:45 am
#11
I started as a 10-pointer, and am now 11. Working slowly getting tapes to get the 12th point, but it really is expensive. The 11th was worth every penny, the 12th? I'm not so sure.
Even when I had only 10points, I was able to make +24 3-use Bivoli, +400 40m brandy, 40% 30-attack synthsteak, etc. It's all about the resources.
I sold well at that level, especially since my prices have always been below most. I typically charge 50k for anything that uses light additive (syntsteak - i harvested my own hide forthat one, Bria justhad a great rancor hide spawn), 75k for mediums and 100k for heavies. The only exceptions to that rule are things like Brandy and Bivoli that either need tons moreresources (casks), or harder to get resources (meat). Being a BE also helps in that I make my own additives.
I would suggest getting and sticking to 11 points until you have the extra money to spend on the tapes. I have an extra apron if you need one 
Numen
Thu Aug 26, 2004 8:06 am
#12
As others have stated as well, I think its more of a personal choice. I decided I wanted to be able to make the best food. I would say it matters very little in sales although it definatly doesn't hurt. If I only had 10 points, no matter how hard I tried to look for the best resources, get all amazings, I could never be the best.
Looking back I don't regret buying them though. If your always having a hard timetrying to get enough credits to buy supplies I wouldn't buy the tapes. Right now the many millions I spent are a drop in the bucket compared with what I have to spend on meat each week.
If you don't have a huge need to make the absolute best, 10 point will be perfectly fine. I also agree with a few of the others that a well stocked vendor I believe will get more customers than better stats.
DarksideCalls
Thu Aug 26, 2004 8:33 am
#13
fully and regularly stocked vendor will always bring peeps back over slightly better quality product
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