Jump to content


Fletch the Fletchimatic (ON)


  • Please log in to reply
7 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 12 August 2004 - 11:58 PM

In Asheron's call, there is a thing called a macro. It's another program loaded into asheron's call, causing the character to repeat actions. One of the major uses of a macro is for the crafting skills. This my effort of making something short. Enjoy.


I can’t stop myself. I don’t know why I have this strange compulsion. To you, it may appear that I’m just clapping my hands together, but that’s because I’m slamming out flaming arrows in bundles of two hundred and fifty every couple of seconds. My pack is full. I can’t move because I’ve made so many.

If I sleep, and I rarely do, but for three or four hours a day, then the arrows disappear in the night, and when I rise, and I walk over to the archmage, who only shakes his head and sells me the components I need. He’s seen too many like me to try to save me from myself. I hear them talking about it sometimes, trying to figure out what makes these compulsions so strong, trying to reason it out. The going theory is that this world is too chaotic, that the attacks by the Hopeslayer, Martine and Gaerlan have unsettled our minds and the only way we can feel ordered or useful in this frightening world is to crank out useful items to the brave souls of this land. The going theory would have you believe that I am a coward, driven insane by this chaos, mindlessly making these arrows hour after hour, day after day. Am I a coward? I think I would welcome Gaerlan or anything that would give me a break from my blasted arrows.

Do you think I like failing to make a bundle?! Do you think I like standing here working an alembic in the same way over and over, applying oils to bundles of arrow heads and putting those now flaming arrowheads onto bundles of arrow shafts and repeating the process every waking moment of the day and night until I lose consciousness? Do you really think I wouldn’t rather be galloping about like all those new adventurers in their little neon fur academy robes or those stronger warriors bedecked in shining celdon? I would love the break. I would love to stop working. I would love to lie in the grass in town. But I can’t. So, while you “Brave” adventurers are out hacking up olthoi or tuskers and complaining what hard work it is to level, just remember that I’m in here working for nothing and I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat if I could just stop making arrows.

#2 Guest_Likpok_*

Posted 13 August 2004 - 02:38 AM

Ahh. I see another window into the world that is Asheron's Call.

In Asheron's call, there is a thing called a macro. It's another program loaded into asheron's call, causing the character to repeat actions. One of the major uses of a macro is for the crafting skills. This my effort of making something short. Enjoy.


Reminds me of Pindlebot. In DII, some people made a bot (basically a macro) to repeatedly kill Pindleskin (a SuperUnique who would drop good stuff).

I can’t stop myself. I don’t know why I have this strange compulsion. To you, it may appear that I’m just clapping my hands together, but that’s because I’m slamming out flaming arrows in bundles of two hundred and fifty every couple of seconds. My pack is full. I can’t move because I’ve made so many.


Urge to make flaming arrows... rising.


Do you think I like failing to make a bundle?! Do you think I like standing here working an alembic in the same way over and over, applying oils to bundles of arrow heads and putting those now flaming arrowheads onto bundles of arrow shafts and repeating the process every waking moment of the day and night until I lose consciousness?


This section, however, reminds me of Morrowind. Buying Kwama Cuttles and Scales from Nalcarya and making hundreds of thousands of potions.
Good money in it, but tedious.

Nice read. As an experiment in shortness, I would call it a resounding success :D. Thanks for posting!

#3 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 14 August 2004 - 03:52 PM

Ahh. I see another window into the world that is Asheron's Call.


Yep!

Reminds me of Pindlebot. In DII, some people made a bot (basically a macro) to repeatedly kill Pindleskin (a SuperUnique who would drop good stuff).


*Laugh* yes, that's basically a combat macro. There are combat macros in AC too, but since widespread use of them while people were sleeping lead to making almost every major dungeon quest in the game into a walk through, now they are restricted to use only while you are at your keyboard. Macroing arrows/potions/foodstuffs, however, can be done 24/7..this guy only gets to sleep when his player logs him off to play the main character, who takes those arrows...

This section, however, reminds me of Morrowind. Buying Kwama Cuttles and Scales from Nalcarya and making hundreds of thousands of potions.
Good money in it, but tedious.


It was that way with AC too for a while. Macroes developed because the crafting is tedious but they wanted the money for doing it, so they made macros that could crank out potions and then they sold them to venders and bought large denomination trade notes, keeping the character stocked in money.

Rather than dissuading the use of trades macros, the devs made potions/arrows/prepared foodstuffs unsellable. Now, the only reason to do it is to stock your own char with potions or to sell them to other players.

Nice read. As an experiment in shortness, I would call it a resounding success . Thanks for posting!


*Smiles* Thank you! I think this is the shortest thing I have yet posted here. Thank you for reading it!

#4 Guest_Likpok_*

Posted 14 August 2004 - 06:08 PM

*Laugh* yes, that's basically a combat macro. There are combat macros in AC too, but since widespread use of them while people were sleeping lead to making almost every major dungeon quest in the game into a walk through, now they are restricted to use only while you are at your keyboard. Macroing arrows/potions/foodstuffs, however, can be done 24/7..this guy only gets to sleep when his player logs him off to play the main character, who takes those arrows...


Well, Blizzard never liked 'bots, as they created lag (many people joining, killing Pindle and leaving repeatedly).

It was that way with AC too for a while. Macroes developed because the crafting is tedious but they wanted the money for doing it, so they made macros that could crank out potions and then they sold them to venders and bought large denomination trade notes, keeping the character stocked in money.


Yep. Money. Makes the world go round.

Rather than dissuading the use of trades macros, the devs made potions/arrows/prepared foodstuffs unsellable. Now, the only reason to do it is to stock your own char with potions or to sell them to other players.


Course, this means that monster drops have to be changed, eh? People'll get annoyed if a monster drop 250 worthless fire arrows.

#5 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 14 August 2004 - 11:18 PM

Well, Blizzard never liked 'bots, as they created lag (many people joining, killing Pindle and leaving repeatedly).


Yeah, I don't think Turbine/Microsoft liked them either, but they waited until it got to epic proportions to enact any rules about it... because people who macro their character up to level 126 (current level cap) tend to have multiple accounts, and they didn't want to have all those people quitting. Unfortuantly, when the macroers had all of their multiple accounts logged on and playing 24/7 it creates massive lag, destroys a dungeon experence and is generally inconvenient to any living player. There was one month where nearly every major quest dungeon was being macroed out of enemies. Turbine/Microsoft were forced to make a decision. They chose to allow tradebots/buff bots unattended and to still allow combat macroes as long as they are attended.

Course, this means that monster drops have to be changed, eh? People'll get annoyed if a monster drop 250 worthless fire arrows.


Yeah, they did that quite a while back. People were massively upset that quarrels and arrows and darts dropped when they could be getting stuff instead. Since everyone has a mule that can make these things, it just seemed redundant. (Why pick up something that is 2500 bu and sell it for 1000p when you can pick up something that is 50 bu and sell it for 1000?) So they took the ammo out of the loot profile. Now the only ammo that drops is plates and cups for thrown weapons chars.

#6 Guest_Likpok_*

Posted 15 August 2004 - 03:25 AM

Yeah, I don't think Turbine/Microsoft liked them either, but they waited until it got to epic proportions to enact any rules about it... because people who macro their character up to level 126 (current level cap) tend to have multiple accounts, and they didn't want to have all those people quitting. Unfortuantly, when the macroers had all of their multiple accounts logged on and playing 24/7 it creates massive lag, destroys a dungeon experence and is generally inconvenient to any living player. There was one month where nearly every major quest dungeon was being macroed out of enemies. Turbine/Microsoft were forced to make a decision. They chose to allow tradebots/buff bots unattended and to still allow combat macroes as long as they are attended.


I guess it was different with Blizzard. Maybe it was the massive anti-hacking stance they had (prosecuting, even), but they were *really* anti-outside programs that would affect the game.

Yeah, they did that quite a while back. People were massively upset that quarrels and arrows and darts dropped when they could be getting stuff instead. Since everyone has a mule that can make these things, it just seemed redundant. (Why pick up something that is 2500 bu and sell it for 1000p when you can pick up something that is 50 bu and sell it for 1000?) So they took the ammo out of the loot profile. Now the only ammo that drops is plates and cups for thrown weapons chars.


Hehe....
Killing a dragon and finding 200 Golden Goblets. Or killing a dragon *with* a goblet. ;).
Firkragg: You cannot defeat me! You haven't even a weapon!
*Goblet thrown*
Firkragg:*dies*

#7 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 15 August 2004 - 06:19 AM

I guess it was different with Blizzard. Maybe it was the massive anti-hacking stance they had (prosecuting, even), but they were *really* anti-outside programs that would affect the game.

Just having a stance on it from the start would have kept it from getting that far. For AC, there was no stance until it was unavoidable. The reason it got so bad was because people were looking at the lack of stance as justification. They made bots for everything. They have bot programs that kill the creatures, loot for you, sell your loot, shop, stock your components, cast your spells, and then go back to the dungeon to hunt some more. They even made insult bots. What's the point of playing a social game if everyone you try to talk to is afk while their computer plays? *Scratches head* but anyway, that stopped, fortunately, or I wouldn't still be occassionally playing the game, although it did sour the experience a bit.

Hehe....
Killing a dragon and finding 200 Golden Goblets. Or killing a dragon *with* a goblet. .
Firkragg: You cannot defeat me! You haven't even a weapon!
*Goblet thrown*
Firkragg:*dies*


*Giggles* Yes, thrown weapons is an amusing skill. Most people want to avoid girls that have nobby sapphire challices in their hands and wave them threateningly or hold a plate up like a ninja star, but no one tells the monsters that. Besides, they don't know how much damage a plate will do to them until they get hit with one, now do they?

#8 Guest_Ursula_*

Posted 16 August 2004 - 12:51 AM

Lol! I liked this. :twisted: Never played AC, but I could see this happening. I like how you explain the phenomenon w/o this becoming an info dump. And, like always, the humor was appreciated.

Thank you for sharing. :twisted:




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

Skin Designed By Evanescence at IBSkin.com