Forage Frustration

[vguerin]

Well, the experiment went as I suggested... I went to Fyros and linked up... took a short walk to where blade was tracked to and raised 21 blades sources We did this in three successive spots where tracker had led Peacemaker to blade mats that could not be raised and we popped blade only sources.

Keep in mind the lower the area the more there will be a variety of different mats in the same spot. This is to help folks get going, you wont find things the same way in higher level areas. Now current grind spot (I can only get the max of 3K XP in a Q250 area in Matis, the Grove of Confusion) has a variety of mats, but thats why I pick that spot as it never depletes. When I need a weapon I have better Q mats 150m away in a danger zone. I have found that many of the best spots are danger ridden.

DoubleTap

[frostbit]

I have a question, tangential to this... It seems to me that since, for example, Blades always come from Shells and Shells will always make Blades - is it not redundant that there are two series of specifiers ? One series for material use and one for material type ? Or am I missing something ?

This one also confused me, but look at the skills more closely. You have Blade *prospection* specialization and Shell *extraction* specialization.

You are 100% right that Blade Prospect and Point Prospect are completely redundant. My hypothesis is that these skills are a throw back to a previous materials system where Blade and Point mats were not ALWAYS Shells.

[vguerin]

They are redundant (I throw the term SP sinks at them) but it also makes it clearer to folks who only need/want specific things. While they are busy adding fluff in patch 1 & 2... some of the things missing from menu's or long time bugs seem to keep adding up. I am not sure where Harvesting is going, there are enough SP sinks already and adding all the currently disabled "minor" skills makes no sense.

The folks that think music is more important than bug fixes are beating us to the punch...

[lyrah68]

As a Fyros forager, I have not found I need tracking. I have however, tried a Matis forager and almost lost my MIND trying to find a friendly helpful person, with the info to help me find a node.

I have heard that there IS a visual clue for Matis, but that during spring and summer, and possibly even FALL, the clue is HARD to see. I didn't see it, spent a WEEK looking.

One week Fyros, level 35 forager. One week Matis, level five, naked and FURIOUS.

SO, if you can't find the Fyros Freckles, the Tryker jellyfish or the "bug and leaf piles" of the Matis. Feel free to try the tracking crap shoot.

I have YET to find ANY skill to screen out fine or basic...which after about level 20, maybe sooner, are pure dee GARBAGE.

[feilan]

I'm afraid specialised prospecting is broken at the moment.
Using major blade mat prospecting specialising AND the specific terrain prospection specialisation gives moderate results. You will find blade only, that's the good part. The bad one is you ain't able to become any better in specific prospecting, since "cuty shell prospection" has requirements that are not avialable (thinks it's been "major shell prospection" you need, but that's non-existand).

So you will be able to look after shell spots, but never will be able to look after beloved big shell only. At least till patch one. I haven't been able to check this myself since I havent pre-ordered the game, but there is said to be many changes for harvesters in patch one, maybe the skilltree will be totally revamped (with spy plan activated and so forth).

But searching for higher mats only will be avialable in patch one (named "prospecting for choice only" e.g., I think it was)

[lyrah68]

I'm afraid specialised prospecting is broken at the moment.
Using major blade mat prospecting specialising AND the specific terrain prospection specialisation gives moderate results. You will find blade only, that's the good part. The bad one is you ain't able to become any better in specific prospecting, since "cuty shell prospection" has requirements that are not avialable (thinks it's been "major shell prospection" you need, but that's non-existand).

So you will be able to look after shell spots, but never will be able to look after beloved big shell only. At least till patch one. I haven't been able to check this myself since I havent pre-ordered the game, but there is said to be many changes for harvesters in patch one, maybe the skilltree will be totally revamped (with spy plan activated and so forth).

But searching for higher mats only will be avialable in patch one (named "prospecting for choice only" e.g., I think it was)

I pray you are right. It makes sense that I should KNOW quality by looking at it, and would avoid anything less than my best. And MOST things in this game make sense...other than finding BASIC materials post level 20ish.

[wufflez]

Taken from DoubleTaps guide:

"Your deposit tracking skill can be turned off the same way it is initiated. Use your hotkey and a prospecting/tracking action will begin based on the settings in your stanza. To turn off the tracker, you merely have to hit your stanza hotkey again. This is VERY IMPORTANT as you will continue to use focus until you arrive at the source (within 2m) and it turns off."

Either I'm doing something wrong when using this as part of my action, or it was changed for release, as the only indication I get for the whereabouts of a deposit, is after a few seconds when the spell decides to stop. Plus it always tells me I'm at 1m range and can prospect, regardless of where I am.

Also, I agree with others in this thread with regard to prosecting and tracking.. If I want to find a choice deposit, I shouldn't be directed to a basic one. What then is the point of having a tracking setup to find choice, when it's unreliable?

The description on the choice prospection stanza states: "Allows you to find Choice and select raw materials". Ok, so it allows you to find choice mats, but what then determines your success rate in finding the choice mat, and not a basic one?


I think this is the question that we need to find the answer to. It may well be that tracking, prospecting and harvesting are all currently working as intended. The problem may lie in how successful we are in actually prospecting for a choice mat instead of ending up with basic (or perhaps fine).


So let us ask the question:

When prospecting for mats as high as your skill allows, what determines your success rate in finding the highest possible mat for your skill?

EG. When I craft, my success rate for crafting goes up with my skill, is this also true for foraging, or is it something else? (More dex perhaps = greater concenrtation = higher success when prospecting?)

Ok so lets ask a few questions

Has anyone discovered what determines your success rate when prospecting for mats?

[nihir]

Tracking supposedly works like this: When you track, it will attempt to find the materials requested. If there are none within the tracking range, it will go down the ladder (Choice to Fine, Fine to Basic) looking for others within range until it finds one. If it doesn't find one, it tells you there are none within the area.

Now, I totally think that's wrong. If you're tracking for choice clothes, it should either lead you to choice clothes or fail. I mean, it's totally useless having any tracking over 200m, maybe even 100m. If it's not a bug, it's definitly a design flaw.

[ralgur]

However, if it is intended to work the way the GM described, it shouldn't be. Specific item deposit tracking should track ONLY the item in question, none other for any reason. The only time you should ever get the message "Deposit within 1m, end of prospection" is when you are within 1m of the mat you are looking for, period. Basic, Fine, whatever, but it better be that mat.

Agree. It's bad enough that a skill such as choice will find anything from basic to fine to choice. At least let tracking find the specific type of resource being tracked, even if it's not the quality you want.

[korin77]

This is my experience with the tracking so far. It seems it is also difficulty based. If the source you are tracking is higher than your level of harvest, you have a chance to fail tracking it correctly. I noticed most of the time its the newbies that are complaining that tracking didn't find anything. I myself couldn't find anything at lower levels. Then when I neared level 50 bang they started to work pretty well. Minor mat tracking works great around ql50ish, the major ones probably require even higher levels. Im not sure if its the source ql or something else but something could make it fail. When you make a tracking stanza, try putting in more focus than needed. That adds a bonus that might help.

There IS a bug in tracking too, I have noticed that sometimes it will find resources left over from a corpse. IE. quartered mats. This source disappears as soon as the corpse disappear. This should be fixed as animal corpses should not be considered in tracking.