Ranger Archive

Greetings again!

I would like to schedule another meeting of the minds this Friday if possible. I believe we got quite a few things accomplished last time and the process of freely talking back and forth was conducive to getting the creative juices flowing. While we are ironing out the differences in our name, we can be finishing up other business and concerns. If you have not already,please read my recap on the forum of our first meeting so as to avoid asking the same questions that have already been covered. Thank you.

(NOTE: Those of you from the other galaxies who would like to participate in the discussions/decisions, you can create a temp character and come join us . I/we will be happy to escort you through the reds. Closest starting point would be Corellia/Kor vella.)

When: Friday, August 29, 8:00pm Pacific Time (any earlier and many of us won't make it due to rl)
Galaxy: Ahazi
Planet: Corellia
Waypoint: 0,0 (I have a small house there as a safe haven for those that getwarped, heh heh)
Directions: For those of you who have no problem running through lots of reds and want to take the scenic route, head N/NE from Coronet.The shortest run is SE from Kor vella.
Chat Channel: For those of you who can't make it to the physical location, we will be in the Guild/Rangers channel.

(NOTE: At the last meeting it was voted that we have the next conference at a remote location so as to avoid any interuptions, so there you have it. We'll see how many of you still want it in the boonies when you have to run all that way, heh heh)

I would like to throw in some topics to be discussed. Add your own as you feel. We can hash things around here in the forum for a bit until the meeting, but once we are at the meeting we should be close to finalize most if not all the issues.

1. Where do we plunk down the PA Hall?
   This question has come up several times. Some folks have suggested on top of the highest mountain of the most remote planet or something like that. For myself, that would have been the perfect spot for my own home. In fact, I went touring the various countrysides looking for the perfect scenery and although I did find some beautiful spots, it's not going to happen now due to the PA Hall taking up 9 slots.
   
   However, I'm not so sure this might be the place to put our headquarters. The reason I say this is because, as part of the plan, we will have vendors in the Hall to sell the resources that we gather. If we want to be able to provide the community with the best of the best, they need to be able to access it easily without worrying about all the reds along the way.
   
   On the other hand, if we plan on placing small shops with vendors on each planet, then it doesn't matter. It's either that or we hire a bunch of scouts as delivery boys, lol!! Sorry scouts - couldn't resist.
   


2. How do we pay for this endeavor?
   If we are going to have a network of shops/vendors and a PA Hall, how do we support the system? The actual purchase of the PA Hall for Ahazi is a done deal since I've already got the funds for that. However, once it is plunked down, my understanding is that it will cost 2500/day maintenance. Quite honestly, I really don't feel like hunting crazed durnis on a daily basis to pay for it (although they do pay very well, heh heh). Add to that the shops and we have a huge responsibility!!
   
   Forgive my ignorance, but since this is my first online game, how do other PAs handle this? Dues? Donations? Transaction fees?
   


3. Selling of resources.
   Since we will be maintaining a list of the best resources, I suspect that we will be setting up central vendors for Rangers to sell their products. If so, I suggest we come to an agreement that anything sold through our vendors be sold at the same rate for everyone.I would like the community to know that when they go to one of our vendors, they will always know that the products will have the same price. And this way we don't have Rangers under-cutting each other on our own vendors.
   
   I have my own pricing structure based on qualitythat is lucrative and has not gotton any complaints from any of my buyers. If we do decide on set prices, we can hash the details out.
   


4. Do we allow our members to resell their resources separately from the group?
   If someone has contacts or wants to sell through the bazaar, do they have to follow the same pricing structure? Our do all contacts now come to our vendors? Do we want our own members undercutting us elsewhere - especially since they have gained the resource knowledge through our efforts? I don't want some Joe Blow who joined the group justfor the resource list going out and undercutting us everywhere. I don't want to seem too restrictive on this, but on the other hand, I want the community to come to us (the group) for their resource requirements.
   


5. Do we provide discounts for our own members?
   Since many of us have secondary crafting skills, I assume we will have a seperate pricing structure for our own members who may not have time to go hunt for their own resources?
   


6. How do we update the changing resources?
   Since each planet is constantly changing the quality of the resources, how do we update the central list? Several of you frequent a particular planet and call it home, so one thought comes to mind is a formation of planetary leaders, coordinators, squadsor whatever you want to call them. We create a group of rangers for each planet that are responsible for keeping that planet's resources up to date. This way, since there are so many mobs per planet, one Ranger is not responsible for all of it.
   
   Also, for simplicity,I suggest we only keep track of the best resource in each category. For example, which beastie is currently dropping the highest HQ wooley hide or herbivore meat?
   


7. How do we handle the dissemination of this valuable information?
   Since this list would be of extreme value to other PAs and players, how do we decide who gets it? For example, if Joe Ranger is part of another PA, but just wants our resource list, what's to prevent him from passing that on to their own PA who will then go out and farm it? Will that affect our own sales, or do we even care?

These are just some questions that have popped up and basically my wifey is yellling at me to get going, so I need to close this up (thank god you say!). Let me know your opinions, suggestionsand other questions you may have.

In response to issue 1:

I wish we could build stuff on Dathomir. I saw THE perfect HQ location when I went exploring a few weeks ago. It's this island off the NW coast surrounded by cliffs. If only, if only...

I'm all for having a VERY remote PA hall, as getting there is half the fun of being a Ranger. . Are there any good mountain ranges you've seen--I definately want a PA hall in the mountains. I'm fond of the Mountains to the far North and Northwest on Corellia. Hey, has anyone thought of that island in the center of the NWCorellia river? I think I need to go surveying asap.

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In response to issue 2:

Well, as I recall, Baz Nitch missions still reward 10k. Perhaps every month we can schedule a field trip to Dathomir to do Baz Nitch missions, all the proceeds going to the PA hall/shops, etc. It'd be great practice for the newer Rangers (that's how I started Ranger with enough xp to get Adv Traping II ). We ARE Rangers, I think it'd be good for us to hone in our skills in groups (as opposed to the usual soloing). Think of it, ten Rangers each armed with an Adhesive mesh trap could disable any and all baz nitches at once, rendering them in a state of "screwed". Bam, easy 10k for the PA hall plus that much trapping xp for the rangers involved.

Just a thought.

Also, we could--say--go to one of the more "difficult" planets and harvest many many rare hides etc.

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In response to issue 3:

Agreed.

Rangers betraying other Rangers?!?! I'll slit their throats...

Hmmm... I don't have any "good" solution to this. Maybe we should set this up like a personal vendor. We pool some of the PAs money for buying resources from the players for the appropriate prices and then place them on the vendors.

Example: Ryland has 10k Lok hides. He sells them to the Ranger PA appointed "shopkeeper" for x amount where x is defined by the Ranger PA "pricelist"(Adam Smith who? lol). The "shopkeeper" then places the hides on the vendor at whatever price (I assume we want at least a 5-10% profit)and the profit from those is returned to the PA.

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Issue 4:

I suppose we could allow them to do this as long as their merchandise bears no affiliation with the group. We want the PA to be known for good, affordable, abundant resources, right? Well, if the resources don't bear the Ranger PA (whatever we eventually call ourselves) name, then they won't be as desirable. Let 'em sell their stuff *alone*--the master doctors and smiths will flock to us because we'll have stabability and good service (I hope).

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Issue 5:

Sure, why not. Member benefits are always a plus. Just as long as we don't give the benefis to any mongrel that wanders into our door looking for easy profit. Maybe we should give it higher ranking members--at least not the newbie guild members until we feel we can trust them.

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Issue 6/7:

No comment yet--let me think on this...

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Misc:

Do the rivers on Corellia have names? As a Ranger PA, I think i would be a nice task to map landmarks and name them. At least unofficially.

Now let's hope I can make that meeting...

I like your idea of resource lists, but wouldn't this be easily bypassed by someone coming to the hall with a pen and paper and writing down every single thing you have on the vendor? There is no way to hide what you sell...so, anyone could walk in and say "hey, Corellian wooly hide is the shizzle my nizzle!" and walk away to do their own hunting. hmm?

-Z

not all coreelian wooly hide has the same source. it's the creature(s) that drop that specific org that is relevant. sure, you could just go kill everything on correlia until you found out that it was a humbaba that dropped the good leathery hide, but i imagine this might take a little time.

and with the upcoming /areascan or whatever it is, a higher level ranger will be able to search for that one creature, andbutcher his carcass for the hides. and if you are a low level scout who want to get the resources on your own, it will take you a while longer to harvest quantity due to the harvest skill mod enjoyed by most rangers.

the devs are trying to define the line between the gimp scouts who just want to harvest for crafting, and those of us who wanted to be rangers before it was cool.

Sorry - but I need to bump this for maximum exposure. Keep the ideas rolling. Come Friday we will be making lots of final decisions.

Two things that will be finalized Friday night, even if I have to make my own choice, are the name of the PA and the location of the PA Hall. I can't order the PA Hall until I know which planet we will be on!!

#1. Reply / nomination for a PA hall location. North of Nashal on Talus. Highest and steepest mountain i've seen yet. relatively close to Nashal, and Talus is only like 500-600cr trip from correlia.

I think PA hall location should reflect the Ranger skills in that a run up a steep mountain is nothing, but you really have to want to go to endure 15 mins of slow motion.

oh, and i don't like the arid planets, i want to see green and trees, must have something to do with why i went ranger, surely wasn't the cash.

Unfortunately, there is a 99% chance I won't be able to make it, so here's my feedback on the list now:

1. PA location: Most remote location if we find a merchant who will peddle our wares for us... mountaintop somewhere. I prefer Naboo or Corellia If we're going to use the PA as a clearinghouse for our items, as those are the only 2 planets I travel thorough regularly.

2. Pay for it: Vendor profit share and/or group hunting trips to advanced planets on rare occasions (10k per lair type missions that we do for a couple of hours)

3. I want to just drop off my items to a "known trusted associate" on any planet (leave it on their vendor?) who will pay the "guild price"

4. As long as they aren't undercutting on the high quality items, sure.

5. Sure, especially "Grinding" materials.

6. This is going to be tough, especially with the way the resources shift.

7. Don't know how we should handle this, but we should try to keep it private.

Greetings, Zkull, and fellow Rangers.

My name is Zeuxs Wagner form the server Bria. My Ranger is more than halfway to Master, and looking foward to the upcoming changes to our profession. Unfortunately my "main" is not on your server,orI would love to be a part of a PA assembled by, and for Rangers.

If RL allows, I will drag my alt to your meeting, and pick your brains for some good advice, and hopefully ad some particpation concerning your Ranger orginization.

Off-topic i'd like to say that the Ranger forum is bar-none one of the best forums here on the message boards. We have a great community of individuals who post sincere posts filled with much needed constructive criticism, great feedback, and some informitive and humorous stories. I know there are many exceptions to this, but remember, the exceptions prove the rule.

So, Kudos to youmy fellow Rangers, kudos!

/bump

Note that 0/0 is a good run from tyrenna or anywhere, give yourself 20mins to get there (30 mins if u have no skills and get dead HA) , and if you are creating a charcter to attend.

no weapon skills, no terrain negotiation,and no maskscent really bites.

I'm really excited to have just madenovice as the rangers of the galaxies begin to form the Antarian Rangers. I think the thing that will make this group strong is that it exists across many of the galaxies and eventually all of them. So just for the sake of galaxy respect, there will always be a chapter of AR 'in effect', as it were.

I did have a couple questions. Forgive me if they've been answered elsewhere.

1. The fact that AR will have a commercial dimension and will in general offer benefits raises the issue of how selective the rangers of AR will be with members. (I for one was surprised the org wasn't 'master' only.) The balanceis between weak selection, which hasthe benefit of being very inclusive and open and the burden of not filtering out weasels, and strong selection, which has the benefit of weeding out weak links but has the burden of potentially becoming an elitist bunch of jerks. What is the balance going to be for AR?

2. I saw that the issue of ARs meeting on the battlefield of the GCW was raised. Personally, I think that members of AR should NEVER target one another, except in extreme circumstances, but that this should be a part of a code of conduct and integrity that is acknowledged but UNSPOKEN. In fact, I think most of the 'rules' should be of that nature. But maybe that's just my roleplay side oozing in. What do you think?

3.Forgive my ignroance, but what is the scope of 'resources' that AR will sell. Is it only organics? Since we are rangers and can therefore roam the galaxies with an ease that noneothers enjoy, we also have the greatest access to the best and most rare minerals, chemicals, etc. Though I'm sure no one wants AR to become a mining company or even a dedicated outfitter, the potential for profit is huge. So, again, what resources will we be selling?

4. To what extent will AR be pan-galactic? I mean, given that there are bound to be chapters in every galaxy eventually, what will the connection among these chapters be? Do they share the same principles, abide the same conduct, etc.?

Anyway, I look forward to the groundbreaking.

Zkull, I will be on later tonight, and I DO have 20k reactive gas at my disposal.

If you still looking ask after Ninz Honda. He'll hook you up )

omg i just saw that zkull's name has a PA: Antarian Rangers under it! Does that mean I missed the groundbreaking?

Damb, if I did.