Chef Archive
Thread: Chef Correspondent Report #2 7/29/03
So how would you prefer to see the balance between the items modified?
Between the items being discussed, yes - that being scout foraged items, smugglers' spices, chef foods (And apparently medicines, though I wasn't aware of those until now.)
I was given to believe that the current view of your profession is that it's not producing what people need, because that function is filled by scouts, smugglers and apparently medic-types as well. So how would you see these three sets of buffs adjusted in relation to those produced by the chefs?
I can say for sure if chef is turned into a long-term weak buffing profession I'm going to surrender all my chef skills, and take up a more useful crafting profession, and when doing combat stuff get my health, constitution, action and stamina buffed by 1000-1500 for half an hour to one and a half hours by a doctor. Then, if I'm still not strong enough, I'll grab some smuggler spices, and use that. To hell with a few minutes downtime from waiting for negative effects if it is the only way to get some more proper increases.If chef becomes a long term weak stat buff profession why bother? It'll be completely wasted by doctor's since you use the stuff once at beginning of expedition, and then you're done with it. Exact same as doctors except the doctor does four stats for 1000-1500.
"1. Usefulness of Buffs. Right now, we make the weakest buffs in the game. Scouts, Smugglers and Doctors can outsell us because their buffs are so much better than ours. We have trouble making money because our food is not worth the resources put into them. The only thing our food is presently good for is pet food. I realize you have to try to balance the professions, but as AlexanderBlake pointed out, buffs are the only thing that chefs can do. Doctors can heal people and create medicine for lower level medics, smugglers can splice weapons and open up containers. Chefs, well, we just make buffs. Please keep this in mind when trying to balance our schematics with others. There is a lot of discussion on the boards about how to increase the buffs. Some of us want to have powerful buffs that burn out within 15 minutes, other want less powerful buffs that last for ours. Whichever you decide, the present state of food buffs in the game is far below what it should be."
Rewrote the last part in hopes of it being more reflective of what the community wants.
ours = hours
It sounds better, but I think that last part you added, seems to indecisive. It may be because the sentence talks about our indecisiveness as a group regarding buffs, and is then followed by the sentence, "whatever you decide...". Not quite sure how to reword it, but its my impression that, that area of the paragraph is particularly passive.
Ours = Hours.
Gotcha. And somebody else pointed out it should beprofit instead of prophet. (always get those two confused.) Although if you would like to go ahead and call me a prohet, I will not complain. 
And I will work onthat last part. I don't see a real clear majority either way,which is why it sounds indecisive. (Did I spell that one wrong too?) But I will see what I can do.
Well, the point is moot anyway. No correspondent report for this week. Explain in a moment.
Not a chef, but I have one on retainer, and I want to see your foods work properly. How's this idea look? (I love the Cafe Citron near Coronet on Ahazi, by the way... (-plug, plug-)) It seems to me that the buffs should operate in this fashion:
Smuggler Spice: Big Bonuses, short duration. Should have drawbacks to use. (Some good, some bad. Maybe they add negative status effects, such as stun, blindor dizzy when first used, but which wear off well before the buffs do.)
Scout Foraged Items: Smallest Bonuses, short or moderate duration. Should be VERY random and not stack.
Chef Created Items: Moderate Bonuses, moderate or long duration.
Reasoning - - -
Smuggler spice:
Gives outrageous bonuses, but needs to be short duration, or no other buff product can compete. Spice is illegal for a reason - it makes Joe Rodian the Marksman into a Wookie-In-Armor for a short time. The Emperor is most unhappy about his stormtroopers having their arms pulled from their sockets by spice-crazy Rodians that ordnarily couldn't bench-press a tin-can. By creating drawbacks (negative pool modifiers)you would force players to mix their spice to achieve effects, which can get expensive fast, or add foods to their repertoire to counter the spice drawbacks. Spice would be good for a serious edge in tough battles, but not practical for extended durations and long-term use, like for use with heavy armors in long battles or travel. Durations should be less than two minutes,but the drawbacks should last a bit longer, preventing re-applications of the spice.
Scout Foraged Items:
Created free. These should be inconvenient to carry (limited or non-stacking) and have only one charge per use/foraged item. Good for getting you some minor and free buffs or for feeding a pet, but random buffs make them bad for depending on them to keep your shiny (and heavy) composite armor wearable. By making them more or less random, you prevent people from relying on them without purchasing many different foods. Durations should be short - less than three minutes, say.
Chef Created Foods:
Ah... Now, how do we make chef foods competitive?
Simple.
We allow you to provide bonuses that can't compete with spice on sheer brute power, but which don't have any drawbacks, and which last for FAR longer than spice. If spice is lasting for 60 seconds and buffing stats by 600, foods should be buffing for 120, and lasting for 600. (The difference, of course, is that the spice is also hurting a stat or two, and the food is not, and the food lasts MUCH longer.)
Situation:
Currently spice has your market. Why buy food that boosts stats by under 100 and lasts for less than five minutes, when I can pick up a package of spice that will give me an addition of 1000 points and last for 800 seconds? This is clearly an imbalance.
Resolution:
Leave scout foods unstackable, and make them provide random, small buffs of moderate or short duration. Reduce spice durations to make foods outlast them. Make spice a mixed blessing. (Spice users get the munchies to correct the spice effects, and become a market for food sales!) Make food durations useful, and their buff amounts practical, instead of infintessimal.
Thoughts, Chefs?
Hehe like Johnny Nemonic style, though I don't think I'm too fond of sticking an adapter in to my head.
Ooooo, nano technology would be cool, thats the way to go!
Hahahah true, and I would probably kill myself trying to use that monofilament fingernail whip. 