Some very needed improvements to Gathering.

So being a Rank 50 BTN it's easy to say that I enjoy gathering quite a bit but there are a few things that really do annoy me when it comes to gathering and many of them are easily fixed and logical to boot so I thought I would talk about them a bit here.

One of the biggest is getting rid of +1 and +2 when gathering. SE did this for combat and it helped with cutting down the clutter quite a bit. However when going out to gather we still end up with flooded inventory as we get 4(NQ +1 +2 +3) different types a branch for each kind of tree as well as 4 logs and 4 feather and 4 random things like chestnuts or what have you. This clogs inventory up VERY quickly and when combat was fixed to avoid this issue gathering should as well as you gain items in gathering much quicker then you do via combat(for the most part). It's quite annoying to go out harvesting for awhile only to quickly get a clogged up inventory and then have to choose what to toss and what to keep. We harvesters are often quite a distance from town so we need as much help in inventory management as we can get.

Another issue is the sweet spot system. The idea behind it is great. Being able to find and target a sweet spot and then get the item you are looking for easier. Awesome idea. Except it doesn't really work. I can't count the amount of times I will be going after a item targeting the sweet spot and walk away from a tree after 8 attempts not once getting the item I was aiming for. That's far to random to be considered a sweet spot. If I aim for the Walnut Log sweet spot I should be getting the Walnut Log 50% or more of the time but quite often I will aim for that spot and not once get a Walnut Log after 8 attempts(Walnut Log being just a example as this is the case for nearly any item I am aiming for). I think the rate at which the sweet spot yield it's item should be increased a bit so as not to seem to random. I know it shouldn't be 100% but it also should never make you walk away from a attempt with none of the item you were aiming for if you were doing so successfully.

Third on the list is making gathering possible everywhere. Considering that Logging, Mining and Fishing are real classes and not just side skills they should be useful EVERYWHERE. I don't want to be running through a area and use arbor call to be told there are no trees in this area. I can clearly see trees around me(and there is always water and rock around as well) so I should be able to do something in these areas. I'm aware that there are not a ton of grades yet but they should still have more harvesting areas.(after all they can change or modify what areas yield what later. Which as a matter of fact they have already done to several areas)

Another minor gripe I have is aggro. Gatherers should have some kind of ability to help with aggro when getting to or around trees.(and I'm talking all aggro not the certain kinds of mobs thing you can get which are useless in my opinion) Think something like Camouflage like ranger got in FFXI or Hide that Thief got. Also make it so that once you start a gathering attempt you can't get aggro. SE has done a good job for the most part in pulling mobs away from gathering areas but there are still a few areas that are a problem and it would be nice to not have to worry about aggro once you are already on the tree. But again this is a minor gripe compared to the other issues mentioned here.

Thing is, there's too many logs flooding the market as it is. If you make the walnut sweetspot give logs 50% of the time you're going to make walnut logs worthless. They're already given away like candy. I'd rather see them become even more rare. Cap them to 1 per gather. Maybe then I'd support making sweetspots better but still not to 50%.

Your other ideas are good however.

I'm not sure what server your on but on Lindblum logs of all kinds sell rather well. The thing is that while the log itself isn't worth a ton those who need them need them in bulk. Stuff like Yew Logs and Walnut Logs are used in skilling Woodworking(as are pretty much all of the others) and make ingredients in addition. I go to the market wards quite often to sell what I have gathered and notice there are 0 Walnut Logs in the market Wards. This happens with Yew Quite often as well. The only logs I see that are never in short supply is Pine. Pretty much all the other kinds either fluctuate in having a ton available or none available.

That being the case I don't think slightly upping the % of the sweet spot would make much of a impact.

It varies on my server. Yew almost always has more supply than demand and I've seen prices drop as low as 4.5k before. Walnut goes through phases of too many and none up. It's rare that there's none up however, but it depends how many botanists are logging that week. Now imagine all the walnut logs ever to exist and add 10% of that figure on, that's how many logs would exist in the wards right now. Demand won't eat them up because that would just reduce demand from new logs coming about. Like I say it's rare that there's 0 up and eventually (usually within a few days) supply is going to catch up to the current demand. I've had stacks go unsold for over a week sometimes.

All other logs except mahogany suffer from massive over supply issues because they aren't skilled up on. No one needs 500 pine or chestnut logs. Why mahogany doesn't suffer from this is because the cap for chopping them is 1 per chop and it's a hard log to chop. This is exactly why I believe everything should be capped at 1. Those other logs would have value. But sure, yew and walnut may suffer supply issues then. The solution is more walnut and yew trees in grade 5. Or with a cap of 1 you could perhaps use your idea and make walnut easier to gather with the right sweetspot.

Here are my thought for improvements for gathering Illy op. most stated are small worries.

-"For Levequest, we are forced to quit by the system and getting that last few swings in at the end of gathering is prevented ... please someday somehow at the very least add a message option that could pop-up at that time saying ("Yes" finish gathering here), or ("No" stop gathering here) *as an example of course.

-While gathering keep tool drawn until leaving the gathering area or until it is set to off by players manually. Gatherers could decide for themselves when to put it away.

-Hatchet "Primary" and Scythe "Secondary" are the limitation really needed? can't we freely choose which goes which?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Illy

Third on the list is making gathering possible everywhere. Considering that Logging, Mining and Fishing are real classes and not just side skills they should be useful EVERYWHERE. I don't want to be running through a area and use arbor call to be told there are no trees in this area. I can clearly see trees around me(and there is always water and rock around as well) so I should be able to do something in these areas. I'm aware that there are not a ton of grades yet but they should still have more harvesting areas.(after all they can change or modify what areas yield what later. Which as a matter of fact they have already done to several areas)

Another minor gripe I have is aggro. Gatherers should have some kind of ability to help with aggro when getting to or around trees.(and I'm talking all aggro not the certain kinds of mobs thing you can get which are useless in my opinion) Think something like Camouflage like ranger got in FFXI or Hide that Thief got. Also make it so that once you start a gathering attempt you can't get aggro. SE has done a good job for the most part in pulling mobs away from gathering areas but there are still a few areas that are a problem and it would be nice to not have to worry about aggro once you are already on the tree. But again this is a minor gripe compared to the other issues mentioned here.

---

I wholeheartedly agree with you, every tree , every exposed rock, and all source of water should have something to offer, and with more possibilities as well.

-"Camouflage, Hide, and also Detect, Luring, Defend-Your" ; abilities like those are most definitely needed. Is "run away" all an R25 Botanist can do?, something for example: Aggressive beasts hate player less when equipped with a Gathering Tool, as a special effect maybe.
( everything else you've stated is great as well.:)

well the elementals dont allow you to mine every rock and chop every tree, otherwise you will feel their wrath.

Gathering everywhere, what for? Look at the DoW/DoM hi-ranked mobs roaming near hi-ranked camps, same with gathering spots.
Sweets spots works fine for me too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eruantien

well the elementals dont allow you to mine every rock and chop every tree, otherwise you will feel their wrath.

---

well that probably would be bad, but at least the possibility would be their. elementals? greenwrath? woodsin? where are they for gatherer players?, I haven't seen it yet. The Gridania main story scenes, in battle, and in a random cavern or two ... that about it so far. so probably should add that to the "very needed improvements to gathering" as well. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dras6fin

well that probably would be bad, but at least the possibility would be their. elementals? greenwrath? woodsin? where are they for gatherer players?, I haven't seen it yet. The Gridania main story scenes, in battle, and in a random cavern or two ... that about it so far. so probably should add that to the "very needed improvements to gathering" as well. :)

---

I took the shining spot on the trees and rocks and the such to mean that the elementals give permission to gather here, you will not recieve woodsin when gathering here XD

The shiny gives permission? Well who knows right, its a system or something .... as far as I can tell there's a limit to what happens, so why not let us learn and see for ourselves by experiencing first hand; those who try get cursed(*woodsin/greenwrath whatever) by the elementals, vise versa, those who help the wood get blessings by the elemental (*this is one of many possibilities to think about for gathering ).