Need to rely on 3rd-party programs/notebooks to gather

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Originally Posted by Danieros

- When you use Toil of the Mountaineer on a node, it'd register the Eorzean time it spawns and specific area it spawns (instead of that ???) on your gathering log entry.
- When you first gather an item, it would register in which slot it is available.

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I like both of these ideas because I really dislike breaking my immersion with gathering to alt-tab out to a third party website.

The 1 hour spawn is still a problem due to the fact that HW zones are freakishly large. If I am down at Moghome even with flight capability I can't get up north fast enough to catch the Dravanian mistletoe node to know where it spawns. I can see on the mini-map that it's "up there". It can take successive spawns to find the right area.

Maybe at the very least having it appear on the normal map while it is up may help. You'll still miss that spawn cycle, but you will at least know where it spawns for the next one.

I have the luxury of an Android tablet by my PC that has the excellent XIVClock app on it. With changes to the developer settings in Android I have it so that when it gets USB power the screen remains on. It's essential to me because I simply cannot remember everything anymore due to FibroFog. I also have my phone to display the collectable rotations I need to use (screen snapshots of websites) & any non-macro crafting (which is anything ARR 3*+ for me). I wish I could do without either but I can't so a way for them to be in the game would be ideal. I have never understood why the "???" doesn't update for hidden or rare nodes in the gatherer log either.

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Originally Posted by Culfinrandir

I have the luxury of an Android tablet by my PC that has the excellent XIVClock app on it. With changes to the developer settings in Android I have it so that when it gets USB power the screen remains on. It's essential to me because I simply cannot remember everything anymore due to FibroFog. I also have my phone to display the collectable rotations I need to use (screen snapshots of websites) & any non-macro crafting (which is anything ARR 3*+ for me). I wish I could do without either but I can't so a way for them to be in the game would be ideal. I have never understood why the "???" doesn't update for hidden or rare nodes in the gatherer log either.

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The developer's email is rgdev.pro@gmail.com according to the google play store description. I agree....especially with lengendary nodes. XIVclock is a great app except for this item.

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Originally Posted by luckystrikes

The developer's email is rgdev.pro@gmail.com according to the google play store description. I agree....especially with lengendary nodes. XIVclock is a great app except for this item.

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I was meaning that the in game "???" should update once you have found it. I also think that materials on hidden nodes that don't move around, like soils, should be displayed after you've discovered them once.

Well, I just got to H/W gathering and I'm filling out a notebook with all the information I'll need to continue gathering and crafting. It's a bit daunting.
I do agree, it shouldn't be necessary to keep notebooks or use apps to keep track of this. The gathering logs should update with the time and slots once you have uncovered them. There's still going to be a bit of luck involved in finding the things that move around.

One thing I'm curious about is this, does anybody actually find this fun?
All I see ahead is a lot of time-management and waiting around. Does it get more enjoyable once you get into it?

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Originally Posted by Solarra

One thing I'm curious about is this, does anybody actually find this fun?
All I see ahead is a lot of time-management and waiting around. Does it get more enjoyable once you get into it?

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Yes, it is fun. Scheduling a route between nodes is part of that.
And at least nodes pop at defined times and (approximate) places, not like Hunts ...
Garland Bell has all the info you need BTW. Once you learn how to read it ...

Thank you for posting the link. That must be a fantastic resource if you are playing on a computer or can access it while you are playing, I feel a little sad now.

In some ways, I think that proves the OPs point. The gathering log provides little to no help at all, so people like me who can't access third-party sites while playing are at a disadvantage. It's not game-breaking and I'm sure I'll manage just fine once I get into it, but the in-game resources could be a whole lot better.

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Originally Posted by Solarra

so people like me who can't access third-party sites while playing are at a disadvantage ...

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FYI, you can access Garland Database and Bell using a browser on a smart phone or tablet. Works fine using Firefox on my Android phone (Galaxy S6).

I for one would like to know why taking notes has fallen into such disfavor.

Its not a bad thing to have a notebook filled with notes on nodes and where to get stuff, various tricks that you may need to refer to now and then.

It IS a bad thing, however, to complain when the solution, having such a notebook handy, is so easy to think of and actually DO.

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Originally Posted by Roth_Trailfinder

I for one would like to know why taking notes has fallen into such disfavor.

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Paper is so last-century, annoying to keep track of and a pain to keep updated.

I have a nice one-page PDF with all the essential info of most of the timed nodes, that's derived from an easily-updatable Excel spreadsheet that's backed up to a remote fileserver. I have the PDF up on my third monitor when I am out gathering.

Or I sometimes use Garland Bell, but I like my compact one-page PDF better.