Weaponsmith Archive

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Hurlobacca wrote:

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OdaOna wrote:

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Siymon wrote:

I am nearly complete with my Great Crafting Suit. (Spent over 300 Mil on it)

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this is the problem, RIGHT THERE

How do new WS, whether focused at fulfilling guild, custom or volume orders ever going to be able to collect that if they are in competition with 12+ smiths? Excellent resources should be the great leveller (great resources == great products), but the hype and over-concern by all players (FOTM, veterans, all) on "12 points" make it really difficult to break in. Sure that's part of the challenge of the game --running a business --but lately between the upcoming CU, the vendor changes which has flooded the market, tissues not going down in price (at least on my server), I'm getting discouraged.

I wish they would get rid of the additional points all together and just have it as quality resources as the only variable (with FS).

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Heaven forbid it should ever take some time, effort, or creativity to overcome the advantage that more established smiths have over newer smiths. It gets so boring to hear people cry about how someone else is keeping them from reaching their own potential that sometimes I want to cry FOR them. First of all, if you are guilded and your guildmates aren't supporting your development as a crafter you need a better guild. Secondly, most 12 pt smiths don't get more business just because they have more points, they also get business because people have come to know them personally because they've been playing longer and people develop shopping habits when they find reliable vendors, and also more established crafters also tend to get more/better loot offered to them as they probably have better connections with loot hunters than do newer crafters.

How do you overcome the disadvantages and elevate yourself to more equal footing with other crafters? The first thing you must do is lose the victim mentality and adopt a fighter mentality. Recognize the challenge you face and develop strategies to build your own client base. Embrace your status as the "underdog" in the crafter wars and promote yourself as an alternative to the evil corporate crafters. Work the trade forums and advertise your wares often so people come to know you. Make some of your best weapons, get them sliced and give them away and ask the recipients to consider you for their future weapons purchases. Do a credit/item giveaway where everyone that purchases a weapon from you over a period of time gets an entry to the giveaway. Start a frequent buyer's club where players get a free weapon after purchasing a certain number. These are just a few ideas but there are plenty of things you can do to compete with more established crafters.

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Good post. When I was a smith the first time nobody really knew about the skill tapes, by the time word started getting around about the 12 ptsI already had an established customer base. I did a lot of comparison shopping and priced my weapons accordingly. Most of my weapons cost less than a 12 point smith because their conditions/HAMS were better, and I still made sales due to the fact I had some of the best resources in game on flurry server.

I started a new toon and am going WS again, I really like makeing weapons. I kept the little company name I had (RYCA: Rebel Yell Combat Arms) so people would recognize it is me makeing weapons again and hopefully i will get some of my old customers back. Only time will tell though, but I am shareing a suit with a fellow guildie that is specializeing in grenades which is just under haveing the 12 points =) Shareing the suit has kept cost down for both of us and we both benefit in the long run =)

Message Edited by boceifus2000 on 03-29-2005 06:23 AM

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Hurlobacca wrote:

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OdaOna wrote:

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Siymon wrote:

I am nearly complete with my Great Crafting Suit. (Spent over 300 Mil on it)

---

this is the problem, RIGHT THERE

How do new WS, whether focused at fulfilling guild, custom or volume orders ever going to be able to collect that if they are in competition with 12+ smiths? Excellent resources should be the great leveller (great resources == great products), but the hype and over-concern by all players (FOTM, veterans, all) on "12 points" make it really difficult to break in. Sure that's part of the challenge of the game --running a business --but lately between the upcoming CU, the vendor changes which has flooded the market, tissues not going down in price (at least on my server), I'm getting discouraged.

I wish they would get rid of the additional points all together and just have it as quality resources as the only variable (with FS).

---

Heaven forbid it should ever take some time, effort, or creativity to overcome the advantage that more established smiths have over newer smiths. It gets so boring to hear people cry about how someone else is keeping them from reaching their own potential that sometimes I want to cry FOR them. First of all, if you are guilded and your guildmates aren't supporting your development as a crafter you need a better guild. Secondly, most 12 pt smiths don't get more business just because they have more points, they also get business because people have come to know them personally because they've been playing longer and people develop shopping habits when they find reliable vendors, and also more established crafters also tend to get more/better loot offered to them as they probably have better connections with loot hunters than do newer crafters.

How do you overcome the disadvantages and elevate yourself to more equal footing with other crafters? The first thing you must do is lose the victim mentality and adopt a fighter mentality. Recognize the challenge you face and develop strategies to build your own client base. Embrace your status as the "underdog" in the crafter wars and promote yourself as an alternative to the evil corporate crafters. Work the trade forums and advertise your wares often so people come to know you. Make some of your best weapons, get them sliced and give them away and ask the recipients to consider you for their future weapons purchases. Do a credit/item giveaway where everyone that purchases a weapon from you over a period of time gets an entry to the giveaway. Start a frequent buyer's club where players get a free weapon after purchasing a certain number. These are just a few ideas but there are plenty of things you can do to compete with more established crafters.

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I tried to rationally respond but I think my original postholds

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OdaOna wrote:

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Siymon wrote:

I am nearly complete with my Great Crafting Suit. (Spent over 300 Mil on it)

---

this is the problem, RIGHT THERE

How do new WS, whether focused at fulfilling guild, custom or volume orders ever going to be able to collect that if they are in competition with 12+ smiths? Excellent resources should be the great leveller (great resources == great products), but the hype and over-concern by all players (FOTM, veterans, all) on "12 points" make it really difficult to break in. Sure that's part of the challenge of the game --running a business --but lately between the upcoming CU, the vendor changes which has flooded the market, tissues not going down in price (at least on my server), I'm getting discouraged.

I wish they would get rid of the additional points all together and just have it as quality resources as the only variable (with FS).

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Resource quality IS the only variable. That's what most of the people here have been saying...get great resources first, then work on your 12 points. Because 12 points ain't gonna help you make great weapons if you have crappy resources. A 10 point WS and a 12 point WS can both max out the damage line. The only difference is 100-ish extra condition or a few extra points of accuracy or a little lower HAM.

As for the guy who spent over 300 mill on his suit, I think he wasted a lot of money (and his suit isn't even complete yet). I got my 12 points for a fraction of that, without any help from my guild. I also bought a 12 point AS suit a few weeks ago for about 30-ish million.

To earn big money fast, just make grenades. Make grenades like a madman. C-12s, Imp Dets and Thermals. Beg, borrow or rent every lot you can for a factory, and go all out for the five or so remaining weeks before the CU hits. Within a month you could easily have the money you need to get to at least 11 points, if not 12.

If they ever get rid of the skilltapes they better be prepared to refund the money I spent on them. Otherwise, if I lose my tapes without just compensation, SOE loses my business.

Slim Vargo, Corbantis

Increased loot has made having 12 pts and being FS more important. Increased loot means that a higher percentage of weapons being used are hand crafted, so you go from having a fair amount of moderates and goods to having 40% amazings during experimentation on those weapons.

Potentially CU will have an effect too. More customerswill start looking past the max damage to see what the weapon really does if it has a serious effect on the rate of specials.

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AestusMaris wrote:

I can sympathesize with some of these posts -- if I was starting out, (I'm a BE/RM), like less than 2 years in the prof? , I'd be irked by people who could consistently make better items than me -- if they were the same gear Someone who can make the same 1-H Curved Sword better every time with SEA's against someone who can't kind of sux

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I'm not so sure you've read the whole thread. Maybe you should be fully informed before you post. CA's don't make the weapon, resources do.