Chef Archive
Thread: Where's my motivation?
Page 1 of 1
MaliaMing
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:05 pm
#1
I picked up chef almost 4 months ago on a whim. I loved it from day 1. Recently, I was sick for a couple weeks and fell behind on restocking, and now I'm actually considering just taking a break from the profession altogether. I can't get juiced up to even make a run of components. I don't feel like going through the tedium of pulling my resources off the vendor, running to another city to craft, and then coming back and doing all the calculations to get the exact amounts for the run I'm making, and I REALLY don't feel like repeating the process 10 times over to get a full restock up. I've just, I don't know, lost *it*.
I told exactly TWO people that I was thinking of taking a full break from the game, and somehow it's already spread that I'm "quitting". The one chef I happened to tell, vultured in and started asking for my suit and my crystals almost immediately. Once I said no, that was basically the end of the conversation. So, along with the fact that I'm lacking motivation, my gut feeling that the only reason any of the chefs on my server have befriended me is to get my goodies when I leave, have been more or less confirmed. Fun times. That really makes me want to keep at it. Not. At the moment, the only motivation I can muster is to keep making food so the chefs secretly doing the dance of joy at my departure can put a sock in it. Honestly, I have too much invested in the profession to give it up, and selling all of my supplies and resources is just out of the question. They will die with me or go to someone completely unsuspecting who's never asked me for a thing. Fake friends be damned.
So my question is this: Have any of you ever run into moments (days, weeks, months even??) where you just didn't feel like you wanted to be a chef? What did you do? How did you handle the customers that have grown to depend solely on your food? Obviously, you didn't quit or you probably wouldn't still be frequenting this board. How can Malia get her groove back?
I told exactly TWO people that I was thinking of taking a full break from the game, and somehow it's already spread that I'm "quitting". The one chef I happened to tell, vultured in and started asking for my suit and my crystals almost immediately. Once I said no, that was basically the end of the conversation. So, along with the fact that I'm lacking motivation, my gut feeling that the only reason any of the chefs on my server have befriended me is to get my goodies when I leave, have been more or less confirmed. Fun times. That really makes me want to keep at it. Not. At the moment, the only motivation I can muster is to keep making food so the chefs secretly doing the dance of joy at my departure can put a sock in it. Honestly, I have too much invested in the profession to give it up, and selling all of my supplies and resources is just out of the question. They will die with me or go to someone completely unsuspecting who's never asked me for a thing. Fake friends be damned.
So my question is this: Have any of you ever run into moments (days, weeks, months even??) where you just didn't feel like you wanted to be a chef? What did you do? How did you handle the customers that have grown to depend solely on your food? Obviously, you didn't quit or you probably wouldn't still be frequenting this board. How can Malia get her groove back?
Eerif
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:24 pm
#2
*hugs Mal*
I am like that all the time... looking at the current patch notes and seeing no content in sight... hard for me because I refuse to do combat in this game. My suggestion, lighten the load on yourself. Find a newer chef and barter a deal to buy chef components so that you only make the final product. I find dealing with other players is 100x more fun than hiding away by your factories.
Get back in the community, and you will realize how much you have missed your chef position, hopefully that is enough motivation... otherwise just wait for all your customers to see you back, wanting you to make chef stuff.
What I did after my long break was take all my resources, take all my factories, storage houses and everything, and move it to a whole new location. It was a lot of work, but in the end, I am glad I did it.
You can always use this to help too! 
super_moomoo
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:29 pm
#3
well ive only be chef fo rlike 3 weeks now but i felt the same way after trying to mke my first food (bivoli). i just couldnt get the stats i wanted. i stopped for the day and tryed tomorrow with still not being able to craft it witht he stats i wants. If you must know i was only a 10pointer and really needed those extra 2 points. Well i decided to just try something else. so i went and make military travel packs (well yeah nuff said) then tried again and got it to where i was at least happy with it though not the way i had envisioned it. My suggestion i guess is to try making something new that youve never made before. it might help spark an interest to get you back into it
CraftingGenius
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:35 pm
#4
me to, i am just limping though the foods :/, so i got another account and am getting BH/pistol for a jedi killer, and am considering switching to ws or as altogether 
ThemeIngredient
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:47 pm
#5
I know where you're coming from Mal. I've been doing chef since the game first came out and i've loved it from wastril bread all the way to double buff vercupti. I got burned out around 3-4 months back from all the crazy customers, people who took advantage of me (beforeI knew how to work a factory and made a schematic for someone), and just dealing with the actual crafting.
I took a break and ended up playing CoH during my down time which eventually made me miss the crafting (thought the pve and being unknown was a fun thing as well). I did come back, but as a retired chef. I loved my run, but I decided to focus more on what I want to do. I love my home on Naboo, but I haven't seen past my front yard in months from the crazy amounts of crafting. I decided to just craft for my guildies/friends and to just charge a little less. I have a lot of friends, but at least they appreciate what I do.
Cooking became a full time job and now i've turned it into a wonderful hobby where I still love what I do andno longer wish to quit the game. I sacrificed my ability to make tons of credits, but I can still pve to support my harvesters and to relax.
Just remember that *you're* the chef and you decide what you want to do. You probably just need a break from the insanity. Take a vacation to a cantina or perhaps rori to take in the sights. Put yourself on afk so no one bugs you and just rest. Do something other than cook for a while and see if it helps
Higginsis
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:54 pm
#6
Take a break. I stopped restocking for 2 months just after christmas. Start working on a restock (100 crates of all my main sellers) and i'm enjoying it alot more after the break. No pressure, no constant tells, just crafting, making good stuff and having fun with new recipes.
When it stops being fun its time to stop it, simple as.
When it stops being fun its time to stop it, simple as.
Higginsis
Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:59 pm
#7
Oh and i level smuggler on my alt, went out more (
) and killed stuff with my swordsman alt, had fun with my guild etc.
Its amazing how much free time i had after stopping, was great.
) and killed stuff with my swordsman alt, had fun with my guild etc. Its amazing how much free time i had after stopping, was great.
SystemJinx
Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:45 pm
#8
I agree with the others. Just stop playing chef for awhile. Put your gear in the bank and take up another profession. Maybe down the road you will want to become a chef again, or maybe not. If you find a new profession to your liking and you need supplies, perhaps you could trade or sell the old chef gear.
The important thing is that you have fun. Remember, this is a game!
FantasticPlastic
Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:52 pm
#9
Higginsis wrote:
Take a break. I stopped restocking for 2 months just after christmas. Start working on a restock (100 crates of all my main sellers) and i'm enjoying it alot more after the break. No pressure, no constant tells, just crafting, making good stuff and having fun with new recipes.
When it stops being fun its time to stop it, simple as.
I did this as well, at roughly the same time. I was busy in RL and wanted to focus on other things in-game. Most of my customers are friends and are good people so they understood when I explained where my priorities were at the time.
Then recently I started up again with a passion, expanded my menu more than ever, opened up a second location, and it's been as fun as it ever was!
O.
Aitass
Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:48 am
#10
I feel the same way, the thing is I havent made any money so I cant consider dropping it yet....I would start a new character but I cant get another account, I am to young to geta job and my parents wont pay for it. 
sciguyCO
Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:15 am
#11
I've had that happen every once in a while. The last time I was feeling that way was just as JTL got released, so I worked through the down time blowing stuff up among the stars. Of course, I'm not exactly a "big name" chef on my server, so letting my vendor stock dwindle didn't exactly cause a huge stir. 
If you need a break from cheffing, just do it. Set up your vendor's custom barking to tell customers you're not restocking, or just put upan armor plate renamed to "Gone fishing". Maybe allow people to send you an email so you can let them know when you're back. If you've got some skill points you can shift around, try a new profession. Spend some time in space. See how many POI badges you can get. Or, maybe, actually go fishing (it can be strangely addicting sometimes...)
If you're getting burned out on SWG as a whole, maybe just try something new from the above suggestions to see if that rekindles your interest. Or just stop logging in for a while.
As crafters with a large amount of repeat business, it can feel like a lot of responsibility to supply our customers. But don't forget that your enjoyment of the game is important, too. Heck, maybe track down an up-and-coming chef to see if they can take some load off you, either supplying component runs (if you still want to restock), or as someone to refer your customers to.
Anything can get to be a hassle if you do it long enough. If you feel like you're in a rut, the best thing to do is to walk away from the rut for a while (whether it be a break from the game or just a break from the rut activity). SWG may be lacking in depth in a lot of areas, but it certainly has a breadth of things to try out.
SexyJabbaTheHutt
Fri Mar 11, 2005 1:07 am
#12
Malia, I know what you mean..I cancelled all my accounts recently because I needed a break. I have time left on my accounts, not even loading in Nota anymore, just Xelenor and Deathblow. It feels alot better already. Eh, I was spending way too much time playing this game for the wrong reasons
I mulling over wether or not to keep my chef/ws/as alt in game, just to craft for my guild, minimal work load and I only have to log in 1 hour a day
Take a break, go out and chill
Page 1 of 1