Chef Archive
Thread: How do you guys Keep yourselves GOING?
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Moebius01
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:39 pm
#1
Hey guys and gals!
I wanted to start a discussion about something...
I have been Master Chef for a couple months now. Finally making some decent profits but not really advertising because I do not want to get swamped and run OUT. At first, I was truly psyched about this profession. Seemed a bit competitive which I greatly dislike, but also seemed interesting and challenging. I was really looking forward to trying my hands and different foods. Made some decent brandy and canape, started making Bivoli and Havla, experimented with a few crates here and there of Pyolian, Bespin, Vercupti, Ahrisa, etc... good times! Got past the BE crunch by becoming one myself so I supply my own tissues. Managed to get myself 20 extra exp points to be a 12 pt chef, etc etc.
Now here I am a couple months later.... and I find myself not only running out of steam, but also kind of overwhelmed by the sheer NUMBER of foods we can make, and not really knowing WHICH ones to make beyond the regulars that will sell vs. gather dust and be a waste of resources. I also find myself agast when I read about the exploits (re: boasting in most cases)of some other chefs... Fleets of 30+ harvesters, 30+ factories, using 20+ runs of the various food additives a week, etc... etc. Now... maybe I'm just relatively small-time... But HOW is this possible for ONE person to DO? How does a person find time within a week's time-frame to craft, harvest (crazy process in itself), start/stop runs, buy additives, and STOCK these thousands of crates??Is it amplified by "bragging" in most cases... or are these chefs REALLY runningsmall empire by themselves? I'm sure some are... my question to them would be.. "HOW"? Do they not have other responsibilites? No day-job? Understand I'm notbagging on them if they do not... everybody has been there.I just can't see how it'd be POSSIBLE to put in the necessary hours to maintain that workload if you DID have a day-job! 
I guess my frustration is.... if these Chef's are able to pull this off.... whilst I use only say 2-3 runs of additives per week... does that make me a sub-par Chef who should hang up his hat? I'd like to hear how YOU guys do it... what keeps you going? What's a more common chef's workload like? How many resources do YOU use in a week? How many hours a day do you have to put in to remain stocked? I guess I'm just looking for other Chef's views and to see if I'm alone in my uncertainty here.
I'd like to hear how YOU guys do it... what keeps you going? What's a more common chef's workload like? How many resources do YOU use in a week? How many hours a day do you have to put in to remain stocked? I guess I'm just looking for other Chef's views and to see if I'm alone in my uncertainty here.
Cocomono
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:56 pm
#2
People send me tells and emails about how much they love my food. That keeps me going. Every week I try to make atleast1 new item while keeping restocked. By new, I mean a wierd way of experimenting that would be useful in a certain situation. This keeps me from going insane through the same routine every week or restocking the same popular items.
Lozareth
Thu Jul 29, 2004 8:35 pm
#3
I spend about 1-2 hours a day keeping 13 factories running full time. I've lot-swapped all my houses and factories as well as 20 static harvesters for all the grind-quality resources chef uses. I have 2 accounts which gives me 20 movable factories. I don't do my own surveying, so I rely on swgcraft.com to tell me where the good stuff is. I plant those 20 harvesters there and forget about them for a few days; when I show up again, there's hundreds of thousands of flora that'll last for months with chef's low resource requirements. For my factories, I have 2 that make brandy and 1 each for bivoli, synthsteak and other light additive foods, vagnerian canape, vercupti, and 1 for various medium additive foods and 1 for various heavy additive foods. Keeping things organized like this makes it easy.This way it'sno big chore to move supcomponents from the output hopper to the input hopper. I also reserve 1 factory for petstims and the other 3 I use to make supplements/tailor tissues for sale. I have somewhere around 20 hunters that deliver meat to me (all it tookto get them was paying the right prices, 40cpu for quality meats that other professions don't use and 15cpu for rancor meat works on Bria)and I use my alt to gather bone and hide or get it cheap on the bazaar. These days I mostly log on to jog a quick circle around my shop checking each factory. I keep a crafting droid out and carry a few stacks of grinding-resources to pop in a subcomponent or supplement schematic on any factory that's down. Only when it's time to make a food schematic do I jog over to a crafting station. I only check my harvesters if during this process I find I'm out of a resource and if I find a resource shifted I write down a reminder to move my harvesters over the weekend unless I don't feel like doing much else that night. Most of the time I can unload and reload my factories in under an hour then go off and grind combat professions on my alt while hunting orplay another game (more often these days).
Ukelele
Thu Jul 29, 2004 10:08 pm
#4
I don't have a lot of lots but I do have 2 accounts and another friend whose lots we share. I don't really use all that many lots though, to be honest. Right now I have 4 lots for factories and I'm using about 6 other lots total on various resources.
I have a vendor up near a the Mining Outpost on Dantooine. A popular spot for my server so I get regular business. So far I'm up to over 3 million in sales, but it's at a very slow rate. I'm not buying any resources or BE components, so most of my sales are pure profit. I get my BE components from a friend, I just provide the resources needed.
I agree that there is a huge amount of foods to make but I only concentrate on the big sellers. Bivolli, canape, brandy, pyllon cake (sp?), blue milk, and jawa beer. I don't sell them cheap either, if I'm not making more than 1 mission pays out then it's not worth it.
At times I do get burned out from crafting and that's when my alt comes in to play. My alt is a master doc/master swords (like everyother player). So I can solo just about anything. I did kill the dark jedi once no Krayts though (can't find one). I can make good money doing missions with my alt as well so I don't really worry about funding.
My suggestion to you would be, if you really love this game, get an alternate character so you can explore the other aspects of the game. Come to Intrepid and join in GrooveFest (sp?) and the other player run events.
Let me know how it turns out
I have a vendor up near a the Mining Outpost on Dantooine. A popular spot for my server so I get regular business. So far I'm up to over 3 million in sales, but it's at a very slow rate. I'm not buying any resources or BE components, so most of my sales are pure profit. I get my BE components from a friend, I just provide the resources needed.
I agree that there is a huge amount of foods to make but I only concentrate on the big sellers. Bivolli, canape, brandy, pyllon cake (sp?), blue milk, and jawa beer. I don't sell them cheap either, if I'm not making more than 1 mission pays out then it's not worth it.
At times I do get burned out from crafting and that's when my alt comes in to play. My alt is a master doc/master swords (like everyother player). So I can solo just about anything. I did kill the dark jedi once no Krayts though (can't find one). I can make good money doing missions with my alt as well so I don't really worry about funding.
My suggestion to you would be, if you really love this game, get an alternate character so you can explore the other aspects of the game. Come to Intrepid and join in GrooveFest (sp?) and the other player run events.
Let me know how it turns out
Okin_Sin
Fri Jul 30, 2004 6:25 am
#5
Try to remember you can make the same amount of money off of less product. I think the goal is to price your foods so that they move off the vendor at the rate you are most comfortable producing it. If you are best suited to make 200+ crates of food a week, then you will want to price low and have it move quickly. If you want to produce 20 crates a week, price it higher. Chef is an interesting proffesion, as it seems to have less "brand loyalty" then Armor or Weapons. I find a lot of people buy some food from whoever is around, closest or most convenient for them. I know a lot of people dont' really care that much about the exact stats, as long as they are in the range they find acceptable. For example people want 400+ 45 min 50 Fill 18 Use brandy at the least. If they can get 407 50 fill brandy from the shop they are at, more times then not they will buy there reather then flying to another planet to get 420 brandy. On the other hand if your brandy is only 39 minutes, that is out of the acceptable range and they will go elsewhere. I think a Chefs best friend is location. Location over product even. As long as your product is in an acceptable range, if you have a convenient location ie: just outside Theed, just outside Coronet, you will sell like hotcakes. Maybe other chefs have a different experience with this, but I have found not that many people search out a specific Chef vendor, they just want one with descent food, descent price and most importantly a STOCKED vendor.
badpin
Fri Jul 30, 2004 6:34 am
#6
Try to focus on just a few items make those the best you can dont do special orders and charge alot for case prices........
Blackfish 12pt chef kauri
Numen
Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:33 am
#7
My number one goal is to keep a vendor restocked. I do know I could never keep up with foods if I didn't have 10+ factories. I would give chef up at that point. I'm not going to get stressed out over having no brandy on my vendor or none of x food.
I tend to only take a large amount of time on food a few days a week. Usually at least 30 minutes or just to load a vendor. If I don't feel like making something I don't. I had components for canape and 4 additives sitting in my factories for over a week before I decided to actuallymake the final product.
When you starting makeing a large amount of food, you find every little odd way of doing things to make it easier. Your operation has to be efficient just because if it isn't your spending 5+ hours a day just crafting.
The best thing I like about chef is when people send me an email saying they like my food. Or when they ask when x will be back in stock because they don't want to shop anywhere else. I just feel like I'm being useful.
I just feel like I'm being useful.
Smerdy
Fri Jul 30, 2004 10:13 am
#8
I understand where you are coming from. I am the Chief Financial Officer of my company so I often work long hours. That doesn't leave a lot of time to keep up, and frankly, I just don't sometimes. I do my best to remain stocked in a few basic foods that sell well like Brandy and Canapes, but those sell very fast. I think I may have to raise my prices. Recently, I have started working closely with the other chef in my guild, and it helps a lot! We have twice as many factories, she is a master BE so we can both make our own nutrients, and we have twice as many lots. I also have 2 accounts, so that provides me with more lots and a character who can hunt.
I also understand your frustration with the boasting that goes on here...it is very tiresome. I'm not jealous...I'm a 10 pt. chef and I make the best food I can, which is pretty decent considering I don't have the extra experimentation points. But inevitably people come into these forums and brag about how great (excuse me uber) their food is, which provokes others to boast about how their food is better. It gets old. We should just all help each other out, not compete.
-Smerdyakov
MilkToast
Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:26 am
#9
Sounds to me like you're doing just fine - it's a game, if you're having fun then keep doing what your doing, otherwise change. I just retired after 4 or 5 months of being a chef so I don't think I have the answer to how to keep it going. I just burnt myself out - I had 3 accounts dedicated to my chef business and I was spending 30+ hours keeping it all going. I loved being a chef and plan on restarting my business in a couple of months of taking it easy (trying tobecome FS) and restocked my supplies.
ryukinku
Fri Jul 30, 2004 1:32 pm
#10
I agree it sounds to me like you are doing fine. Play the game how you like to play it. If that is a small time biz so be it. I myself am small time. I keep par levels on my vendors and when they get to the refill level i refill them. I try to add at least one new food or drink to my vendors every week or two. This let's other players see what is out there that can be made. I have a steady stream of customers that keep my pockets filled. I think the main benifit to being small time is that I have time to enjoy the other aspects of the game that I enjoy. Best wishes to you in your biz.
Lozareth
Fri Jul 30, 2004 6:52 pm
#11
In some ways, I miss being small time. I was busier and the game was more interesting when I was struggling to make a buck with my small house and 1 factory and was working to get where I am today. Now that I have things organized, running smoothly,and have made more money than I can spend, I just don't have any further goals I can work towards as far as crafting and running a business goes. In fact, this weekend I'm cancelling my crafting account because it's become boring. In a way, you could say I've reached the "end game" for a crafting profession and there's nothing left to do. I'm keeping my combat account because I haven't experienced that side of the game very much, but, frankly, the combat in a new MMORPG I've picked up is much more fun so I'll only really be using that character to hang out with friends.
Message Edited by Lozareth on 07-30-2004 06:54 PM
UrbannJedi
Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:01 am
#12
I was just thinking this to myself a few days ago.
the First few months of chef were tough... 2-3 day Long hour Sessions ( we all know what im talking bout).I even had a notebook i manged to fill with Chef notes and Factory Graphs to keep organized. Gotta Love the Newb Days .. but now its all Flow .. I have my 8 static Cross server Factories. I keep my house and 4 anytime available lots on my alt.. and I float around my Remaning 14 lots on whatever I whant.
Sometimes I get Lazy to Start my Harvest Runs, or Start to make all the Excessive runs of Carbosyrup and alcohol... but once I see my OutPut Hopper with a Run of 20 Crates of a new UberFood thats Gona make everyone Drool.Thatswhat Keeps me Going. Self Gratification.
Knowin your Bank is gonna Double int he next few days Feels GREAT too!
/Respect to all my Fellow Chefs.
Morganite
Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:57 am
#13
Moebius01 wrote:
Hey guys and gals!
I wanted to start a discussion about something...
I have been Master Chef for a couple months now. Finally making some decent profits but not really advertising because I do not want to get swamped and run OUT. At first, I was truly psyched about this profession. Seemed a bit competitive which I greatly dislike, but also seemed interesting and challenging. I was really looking forward to trying my hands and different foods. Made some decent brandy and canape, started making Bivoli and Havla, experimented with a few crates here and there of Pyolian, Bespin, Vercupti, Ahrisa, etc... good times! Got past the BE crunch by becoming one myself so I supply my own tissues. Managed to get myself 20 extra exp points to be a 12 pt chef, etc etc.
Now here I am a couple months later.... and I find myself not only running out of steam, but also kind of overwhelmed by the sheer NUMBER of foods we can make, and not really knowing WHICH ones to make beyond the regulars that will sell vs. gather dust and be a waste of resources. I also find myself agast when I read about the exploits (re: boasting in most cases)of some other chefs... Fleets of 30+ harvesters, 30+ factories, using 20+ runs of the various food additives a week, etc... etc. Now... maybe I'm just relatively small-time... But HOW is this possible for ONE person to DO? How does a person find time within a week's time-frame to craft, harvest (crazy process in itself), start/stop runs, buy additives, and STOCK these thousands of crates??Is it amplified by "bragging" in most cases... or are these chefs REALLY runningsmall empire by themselves? I'm sure some are... my question to them would be.. "HOW"? Do they not have other responsibilites? No day-job? Understand I'm notbagging on them if they do not... everybody has been there.I just can't see how it'd be POSSIBLE to put in the necessary hours to maintain that workload if you DID have a day-job!
I guess my frustration is.... if these Chef's are able to pull this off.... whilst I use only say 2-3 runs of additives per week... does that make me a sub-par Chef who should hang up his hat?
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