Why is fishing skill so hard to get now?

[Maddog]

Today I needed to get a gold lobster for veteran cooking test and found it practically impossible at 29 fishing skill with a lu shang.

So I figured I needed to get my fishing up anyways so I went out to skill up. After 2 1/2 hours I have caught 3 stacks of crystal bass (35) and got .4 skill gain. I leveled fishing to about skill 50 a few years ago on a different character, and it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now, I didn't even have a lu shang back then either.

I understand the adjustments were made to slow the flow of gil from fishing, but I don't understand how it is fair that I can go 85 > 89 cooking skill in 90 mins and only get .4 in a < 60 skill even if it is fishing.

Maybe I suck and maybe I'm missing something. All the pro fishers I talk to just say go spam shall shells (53 fishing) because they sell good. I don't want gil i want skill.

[Vold]

I guess it's so botters can't just afk it to 100 in a short period of time. Fish botting has been the biggest thorn in a side ever. And now it's got to the point where people are still botting so the changes have only really harmed legit players.

Also, all I can tell you is to fish during full moon and I guess new moon with those skill up rings. And apparently you can use two at once but it takes a month to get them and assuming fish supply is on the AH.. which btw you have 23 hours left before this contest cycle is over to turn in a fish, and 2 weeks before it opens up again and stays open for another 2 weeks...

My bite and skill up rate went up dramatically during full moon + ring. Instead of every single cast being "cant catch squat", it was "bite every single cast" It still took awhile to reach 30 but it came eventually, in Nash. The difference is apples and oranges.

[Limecat]

Gold lobsters are actually really squirrelly for their level, and fight like mad. Fishing skill has also always been pretty bad as far as frequency of skillups goes. Back in 2005 when I first tried it, I managed a grand total of level 5 in two weeks of fishing as many moat carp as I could stand/catch per day. Swore off it until much later, when I was able to get pelican rings. Their enchantments stack, so if you get two you'll triple your skillup rate. Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world.

[ShadowHeart]

they need a skill up food like they did for mele + and magic like saltenes .... or maybe skill up advancement ring like the one u can get from zeruhn mines for combat
Prouesse Ring hmmm i know how u might pronounce that SE but to most it would be called "prowess ring" maybe a misstype?? hehe

[Soranika]

Not hard, time consuming.

[Camate]

Here is some information and feedback on fishing I’d like to pass along.

First, in regards to the fishing system itself, we are currently looking into a few things so please give us a bit more time.

As a broad direction, we are thinking of changing it so instead of continuously pressing the arrow keys, you will only need to press it once, as well as adjustments that go along with this (for example, stats on a variety of items, etc.). Through this, it won’t be possible to have the same exact advantages/disadvantages for lag between clients, but we are trying to narrow the gap.

However, we need to totally change the program and our highest priority is to solve the freezing problem, so this change will not take place right away.

I realize that this is an important topic and we appreciate your understanding.

Here are some replies to questions and feedback we have been seeing:



Can you make Noddy Ring and Puffin Ring into earrings? This way we can equip Seagull Ring and Heron Ring at the same to boost our fishing even further?


From a system standpoint, if we were to change the equipment slot on an existing item, strange things could possibly occur, so it might be better to create different items with similar stats.

We will need to look into whether or not we can actually implement this, but I believe there is a possibility.



Could you remove the level cap on the pirate’s chart quest?


If we were to remove the level cap on the pirate’s chart quest, the whole point of the battle would be lost. If we were to do something, I think it would be better to revamp the quest. (As an alternate example, it’s the same thinking as ENMs).



I think it would be interesting to be able to add augments to Ebisu and Lu Shang’s Fishing Rod.


We would probably be able to do something along the lines that if the rod breaks the effect will be lost. This is something we’d like to look into further.



Instead of the Magian Moogles, for enhancing Ebisu and Lu Shang’s fishing rod, could the quests be from the old man in Rabao or the two brothers in San d’Oria?


Only if you are willing to take on the challenges that only these legendary masters can do!

[Kalilla]

Interesting

[Atomic_Skull]

Today I needed to get a gold lobster for veteran cooking test and found it practically impossible at 29 fishing skill with a lu shang.

So I figured I needed to get my fishing up anyways so I went out to skill up. After 2 1/2 hours I have caught 3 stacks of crystal bass (35) and got .4 skill gain. I leveled fishing to about skill 50 a few years ago on a different character, and it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now, I didn't even have a lu shang back then either.

I understand the adjustments were made to slow the flow of gil from fishing, but I don't understand how it is fair that I can go 85 > 89 cooking skill in 90 mins and only get .4 in a < 60 skill even if it is fishing.

Maybe I suck and maybe I'm missing something. All the pro fishers I talk to just say go spam shall shells (53 fishing) because they sell good. I don't want gil i want skill.


Fishing combined with cooking is one of the few profitable crafts left. If they make fishing easier to level then the price for the products it creates will crash on the AH as the market is flooded. Right now catching certain high level fish and either processing them into food or just selling them on the AH to cooks is good money. If it suddenly becomes possible to level fishing to 100 in a few weeks then the market will be destroyed.

[Xellith]

So basically Botters are still going to be able to fish with no problems yet its just going to be more than/just as tedius for non-botters since the original silly fishing game was added. k

[Divisi]

However, we need to totally change the program and our highest priority is to solve the freezing problem, so this change will not take place right away.

By "totally change the program," are you referring to the fishing program, or the game engine in general? It may be posted on the Japanese forums, but I see no reference to freezes during fishing in this thread anywhere, nor have I ever experienced or heard of such a thing.

As a PS3 player, I would be quite ecstatic if the "freezing problem" is the cutscene blackouts, zoning crashes, and NPC locks I have to deal with on a regular basis!
But if not, I'm just happy our dedicated fishermen (and women) are receiving the changes they need. :D

[Kraggy]

So basically Botters are still going to be able to fish with no problems yet its just going to be more than/just as tedius for non-botters since the original silly fishing game was added. k
QFT !

[Arcon]

QFT !

I fail to see the T in that statement. It's quite the opposite, from what I understand. It should be easier for non-botters. Botters will always have it easy, and there's nothing SE can do about it, unless they start to punish perfect behaviour, although even that can be avoided. Imitating humans in any given process will always be easy.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

If we were to remove the level cap on the pirate’s chart quest, the whole point of the battle would be lost.

The point of the battle is to make you level summoner to 20, and find a friend in a similar position. Oh, and to make you watch the same dialog several hundred times.

The point of the quest is to make you fish for hours on end for what are effectively lottery tickets, which give you miniscule chances to win lackluster rewards.

Seriously, the ratio of effort to reward is ridiculously out of balance based on the fishing requirements alone. Claiming that the silly little fights at the end, which rewards having the right kind of two-hour ability more than anything else, is somehow "the point" is silly and ignorant.

Unless, of course, "the point" is to remind the players that they've just wasted several hours of their life that they could have better spent watching grass grow.

[Wallrat]

I'd rather they just stop messing with fishing. Seriously its great the way it is - rewarding/profitable for those that enjoy the system, tedious for those that don't. Dedicated fishers fish because they truly enjoy the current system, we don't need to dumb it down just so lazy people can get in on the action. I think the new rings and +skill gear was a nice addition, and if the devs really want to tweak fishing, gear is where it should be done. The ONLY thing I'd say that's lost its purpose when it comes to fishing is the 200/day limit. I haven't seen an RMT fish bot in years. The daily cap just makes guild point items more annoying since you have to waste profitable fish catches just to turn in 50 Cobalt Jellyfish for a whopping 1200 GP.

-I don't want rod augments. I spent enough time getting an Ebisu as is. Good god I hope the above statement doesn't mean you're considering making it breakable. Line breaks on it are bad enough.
-I don't want arrow key mini-game adjustments. Every fish is currently catchable as-is and with practice you can actually catch most of the easier fish without hardly looking at the screen.
-When I have time to fish, I want to grab my gear and go fish. I don't want to say, "oh shoot I lost my Ebisu augment last time I was fishing so now I have to spend 20+ minutes running around to get that back."
-I don't like the crafting system so I don't craft. If people don't like the fishing system, don't fish.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Here is some information and feedback on fishing I’d like to pass along.You didn't at all adress the OP's concerns about skill gain rates.

[Sappho]

I gave up fishing in 2004, back when every single beach, cliff and pond was ringed with bot fishers. I remember when there were so many bot fishers in Rabao sucking up Rusty Caps that the zone would lag.

Maybe there are still some bot fishers out there, but they are a tiny fraction compared to the amount that existed seven years ago.