Hey guys ChillBilly here.
I just wanted to put in a little blog entry about the way things are as it stands. We started just a few months ago. I purchased the domain name on a whim, that if I could get at least 10 viewers, at least I would be able to show the world what I know about game economies. It started slow. At first it wasn't clear if we were going to be a success or not. There were already other websites that were very successful in guides on characters and skills, but none that focused on the economy. It's a little intimidating to step up to bat against the pros. So I released a few videos about World of Warcraft Gold making.
Not long after, we began to get a few followers. I focused more on the newsletters from our site. We obtained a few extra programs to help it along. We now have 90 subscribers to our newsletter, 40 subscribers to YouTube, and over 100 views a day to our website.
Some may not see this as uber successful. I see it as a good start. So we have our topic. We have our support from the community. We just need to refine our craft.
I will be updating the website in the next couple of weeks. Fortunately, I do have a great bit of knowledge on websites, so we aren't too much in the dark. I have been receiving a lot of emails requesting message boards. Our new website will have a forum. That ticker you see reaching across the screen will have a clearer message. All will be well.
I appreciate anyone that takes the time to read what we have written. I especially appreciate the people who have taken the time to sign up for the newsletter. I also especially appreciate our silent sponsors. Without all of you subscribers and sponsors. We would not be able to make this possible.
Thank you again.
-CB
Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Interviews and playthroughs Oh My!
One of the major problems as a writer is coming up with new material each time to write about. Writers and content creators spend hours upon hours researching, interviewing, and experimenting. Often times we as these content creators get to spend a few hours a day playing games. Although, what you may consider playing, is not what we consider playing. It is always preparation. From the moment we log in until the time we log out, we are constantly stopping and starting.
It usually begins with us following the "Ooo - Shiny" as we jot down a few extra notes concerning the location of an ore vein, or a wood source. Nearly often enough, we spend more time writing these notes than we actually get to enjoy what we are doing. This does not necessarily mean it is all that bad. We get to meet people, the average player does not. We get to enjoy upper tier communities, that many normal players do not. We get invited to betas that other people strive to get invited to. The reason for all this is simple. We are not here to play, we are here to study. I overheard a conversation the other day with a few players who have not been invited to a certain game with a certain "open all the time" beta. They were complaining that only people with certain clout were allowed into "these types" of betas. That only the people who knew someone or had popularity were allowed in.
I wanted to enter and hijack the conversation to tell them they were wrong. I realize now that even if I had, it wouldn't have changed their opinion one way or another. Sometimes you just cannot convince people of your thinking, because of their stubborn ways. I guess the same can be said about myself as I am as stubborn as they come. "Fear not! For the people whom you show jealousy for, are not having fun, but are working, and working for free for that matter!" I wanted to scream in their channel locked all to themselves.
Betas are always viewed as some sort of demo for the real game. That is not the case. Betas are to test, and only testing shall it be. You should never take knowledge from a beta, to insert your own opinions of disgust.
To put it into a bigger perspective:
IT IS THE BETA, THERE ARE GOING TO BE BUGS.
I feel that some people do not quite grasp this fact. Yet here we are again, explaining the over explained.
-CB
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Time is Money
In virtually every MMORPG, from Everquest to Defiance, there is something called “farming”. And no, it has nothing to do with milking cows or harvesting wheat (although in Mabinogi you get to do just that). The concept is pretty straight forward, and closely resembles working on a farm in real life. Farming in an MMORPG is a process of repeatedly killing monsters and/or using gathering nodes (such as mining iron ore), the goal being to get lots of loot to sell, or materials to make lots of loot to sell. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is. It’s also one of the most effective ways to make money in any RPG, MMO or not. No ESO specific content this time guys, sorry.
In case you’ve never farmed before, or not entirely sure what I’m talking about, let me run you through it. First you need to figure out what it is you want. A specific crafting material? Better gear? Valuable gear? Any random old thing you can sell? For example, let’s say you want iron ore to make a bad-ass sword. The second thing you need to do is figure out where you will go farming. Typically, this will be where the monsters (more commonly referred to as mobs) that drop the item spawn the most, or where the gathering nodes tend to spawn the most. There are two ways to decide where to farm. Either you check the internet, probably on a wiki for the game, or you use your own experience in-game and memory of what was where. I myself find it more satisfying to figure it out on my own, rather than use the wiki as a crutch. But to each their own. Now that we know we want iron ore, and where to find it, it becomes a matter of how to get it. You might be thinking “What do you mean how? I just go get it, right?” Well yes, and no. At low levels, or playing in a zone with mobs far below your level, yeah, just go get it. At higher levels though, they tend to throw big nasty mobs in the areas with the higher tier materials. Depending on the zone, you might need to organize a farming run with some friends or guildmates. The same applies for farming loot off mobs; if you can handle them on your own no problem, excellent. If not, partner up with someone, and split the loot. Once you’ve done farming for a while, or your bags are full, you of course sell it to a vendor, or auction house.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let me share some tips and tricks with you. First, check the market on items you know you can get your hands on. If it sells for a good price and/or moves quickly, then you’ll make a ton of dough farming it. In LotRO I farmed a specific jeweler material because it had the best sell price for how many I could farm in an hour. This brings us to the golden rule: time is money. The quantity you can farm in an hour greatly affects your profits. If you can farm 100 units of iron ore in an hour, and only 50 coal, the obvious choice of item to farm would be iron ore, right? Not necessarily. If the iron ore sells for 500 gold, and the coal for 300 gold, you get the following ratios: 5:1 and 6:1. This means each iron ore is worth 5 gold, and each coal is worth 6 gold. Therefor the coal is more worth your time than the iron. Supply and demand plays a big part in the prices (crafting materials in particular). The higher the demand, the more people are willing to pay. The lower the supply, the more people are willing to pay. These are the items that will roll you in coin if you find a good place to farm them. Items in low demand and high supply sell for almost nothing to other players, and you’re probably better off selling them to the vendor. Whether you’re farming a specific item, or just random stuff, spawn times matter. A lot. The faster something re-spawns, the faster you can kill it or gather from it. Sometimes you’ll find something that re-spawns instantly. Odds are, that is worth farming the hell out of. A common tactic to farm as much as possible is to farm in a circular pattern, so that there is always something in front of you. If someone else if farming in the same area as you, and you find yourself one node behind them, I find it best to turn around, and go the way I came. Otherwise the two of you will be constantly “stealing” from one another, and you will not farm as many items. The last tip I got for right now is to get a mount ASAP, and use it whenever possible. Time is money after all.
I’ll leave you gold goblins for now, with a quote to ponder:
“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know it is.”
- Oscar Wilde
In case you’ve never farmed before, or not entirely sure what I’m talking about, let me run you through it. First you need to figure out what it is you want. A specific crafting material? Better gear? Valuable gear? Any random old thing you can sell? For example, let’s say you want iron ore to make a bad-ass sword. The second thing you need to do is figure out where you will go farming. Typically, this will be where the monsters (more commonly referred to as mobs) that drop the item spawn the most, or where the gathering nodes tend to spawn the most. There are two ways to decide where to farm. Either you check the internet, probably on a wiki for the game, or you use your own experience in-game and memory of what was where. I myself find it more satisfying to figure it out on my own, rather than use the wiki as a crutch. But to each their own. Now that we know we want iron ore, and where to find it, it becomes a matter of how to get it. You might be thinking “What do you mean how? I just go get it, right?” Well yes, and no. At low levels, or playing in a zone with mobs far below your level, yeah, just go get it. At higher levels though, they tend to throw big nasty mobs in the areas with the higher tier materials. Depending on the zone, you might need to organize a farming run with some friends or guildmates. The same applies for farming loot off mobs; if you can handle them on your own no problem, excellent. If not, partner up with someone, and split the loot. Once you’ve done farming for a while, or your bags are full, you of course sell it to a vendor, or auction house.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let me share some tips and tricks with you. First, check the market on items you know you can get your hands on. If it sells for a good price and/or moves quickly, then you’ll make a ton of dough farming it. In LotRO I farmed a specific jeweler material because it had the best sell price for how many I could farm in an hour. This brings us to the golden rule: time is money. The quantity you can farm in an hour greatly affects your profits. If you can farm 100 units of iron ore in an hour, and only 50 coal, the obvious choice of item to farm would be iron ore, right? Not necessarily. If the iron ore sells for 500 gold, and the coal for 300 gold, you get the following ratios: 5:1 and 6:1. This means each iron ore is worth 5 gold, and each coal is worth 6 gold. Therefor the coal is more worth your time than the iron. Supply and demand plays a big part in the prices (crafting materials in particular). The higher the demand, the more people are willing to pay. The lower the supply, the more people are willing to pay. These are the items that will roll you in coin if you find a good place to farm them. Items in low demand and high supply sell for almost nothing to other players, and you’re probably better off selling them to the vendor. Whether you’re farming a specific item, or just random stuff, spawn times matter. A lot. The faster something re-spawns, the faster you can kill it or gather from it. Sometimes you’ll find something that re-spawns instantly. Odds are, that is worth farming the hell out of. A common tactic to farm as much as possible is to farm in a circular pattern, so that there is always something in front of you. If someone else if farming in the same area as you, and you find yourself one node behind them, I find it best to turn around, and go the way I came. Otherwise the two of you will be constantly “stealing” from one another, and you will not farm as many items. The last tip I got for right now is to get a mount ASAP, and use it whenever possible. Time is money after all.
I’ll leave you gold goblins for now, with a quote to ponder:
“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know it is.”
- Oscar Wilde
Friday, December 27, 2013
Elder Scrolls Preparation
In order to get the creative juices flowing, I often like to start the morning out with a Yoohoo and a protein shake. I mix them, in my Blenderball from GNC. Just as soon as the frothy milk reaches the top of the bottle I slam it like a sorority sister from Nebraska on her 21st birthday. That's my breakfast. I eat generally 6 times a day with my diet. I do whatever keeps my metabolism as high as possible. What does not get my metabolism moving, is the fact that every close friend of mine, now has a key to the progressive beta of Elder Scrolls online. So now until they end the beta, my friends are in the world of Tamriel without me. With the NDA and my understanding of how Zenimax works, I refuse and they refuse to break that Non-disclosure agreement.
It sort of puts me at a loss, here I am making the necessary preparations for my gold making website, which is meant to be 100% free to the public mind you. I am unable to start my research in to how things are going to go on the money front. Without any information what so ever from the beta, this has put me in a bad mood.
So with that disaster, I went forth to find things to keep myself occupied. I have updated the website no less to support this blog, as well as a few other things. I now have 2 writers in my employ. Both are close friends, and they both have access to the *&*^$ beta. However, we have made an agreement that we shall not disclose any information, as it could get us sued up and down. So it's server, website, and blog work for me.
When dealing with this level of boredom, often times you must find a way to keep yourself occupied. Lest you do not go insane and end up assaulting a renegade band of beavers. Their only plight being to rid the world of flowing water, as they build a large dam. I decided, "No, I am not going to kill, Slopdop, the friendly monk beaver for his information regarding beaver world domination."
Instead rather I will spend my time gloriously looking for ways to better prepare myself for the onslaught of endless gaming nights. The sad fact of the matter is, while I am writing this totally stupid entry, that will be read back years from now, I will realize that I should have been working on the website. Instead of course making myself laugh early in the morning with talks of beavers. It's unfortunate really. With nothing to write I can always find a way to write totally ridiculous material. I understand, and like many of you out there, all 5 of you even, that I am not funny. Well you know what I say to that?
You're right. I am not funny.
But.. I need material on my blog to test with.
Future me. Sorry for the time lost.
-CB
It sort of puts me at a loss, here I am making the necessary preparations for my gold making website, which is meant to be 100% free to the public mind you. I am unable to start my research in to how things are going to go on the money front. Without any information what so ever from the beta, this has put me in a bad mood.
So with that disaster, I went forth to find things to keep myself occupied. I have updated the website no less to support this blog, as well as a few other things. I now have 2 writers in my employ. Both are close friends, and they both have access to the *&*^$ beta. However, we have made an agreement that we shall not disclose any information, as it could get us sued up and down. So it's server, website, and blog work for me.
When dealing with this level of boredom, often times you must find a way to keep yourself occupied. Lest you do not go insane and end up assaulting a renegade band of beavers. Their only plight being to rid the world of flowing water, as they build a large dam. I decided, "No, I am not going to kill, Slopdop, the friendly monk beaver for his information regarding beaver world domination."
Instead rather I will spend my time gloriously looking for ways to better prepare myself for the onslaught of endless gaming nights. The sad fact of the matter is, while I am writing this totally stupid entry, that will be read back years from now, I will realize that I should have been working on the website. Instead of course making myself laugh early in the morning with talks of beavers. It's unfortunate really. With nothing to write I can always find a way to write totally ridiculous material. I understand, and like many of you out there, all 5 of you even, that I am not funny. Well you know what I say to that?
You're right. I am not funny.
But.. I need material on my blog to test with.
Future me. Sorry for the time lost.
-CB
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