How To Help The Server: Pro Tips from a Pro

[sheam]

What's the Big Idea? The Thing.

It's a bit snarky! But pay close attention. ;D

"I have a big idea." And the answer to what Jewish comedian Lewis Black is referring to is "The Big Fkn Thing." The thing? This thread and the idea it represents; helping the server by stimulating the economy.

Brain overload? >~< My apologies, just a moment!

*Dumps a vat of nitro gliseran on top of his head.*

Whew. Believe it or not I have to do that fairly often. ;D Overthinking is serious business, and can get me in a lot of trouble! But now that is out of the way, what's next? The following lines of text of course! (duh) =P

So let's relax, and get comfortable. =3 And most importantly get happy! And laugh a little. Loosen up.. broo.. Go with the flow. ;D

Because what I'm about to tell you just might help.

.. =D If you hear me out! =P

So let's analyze the usefulness of Blue Potions and why they're important to use.

First I'm going to say, every blue potion used helps the server.

There are requirements that must be met in order for this statement to be true.

Firstly, a way to kill Mavka's Effectively.
Second, a Ranked Brewer.
Thirdly, a reason to care about skill spamming.

If all three things can be met, then every blue potion used .. again, helps the server!

Let's start with the first requirement. Every mavka killed generates 1 blue herb at a 90% rate. They also generate an average of 10,000 zenny per kill.

Therefore, 30 mins of Mavka farming is 1.65 mil zenny. This is Zenny from nothing, aka, not from the market .. that can go INTO the market (any time you buy something from a player.) In othhher words, it is the Opposite of a Money Sink!

This comes from the Witherless Rose and Crystal Mirrors. And is determined by the kill rate of 165 per 30 mins that can be done with a Lord Knight one shotting with Clashing Spiral!

Clashing Spiral is the current standard for <least amount of effort for highest amount of production yielded.> Stalkers, Snipers, and other such classes can have higher yields, but with much more input actions. (grindy things. more work involved.)

The second requirement, a ranked brewer, allows you to utilize the blue herbs into time reduction.. therefore increases your throughput "in the field" (leveling, playing, grinding, farming, etc.)

This is achieved by not only getting a higher success rate than 50% (compared to the npc that allows you 1 blue pot per 2 blue herbs) but also a 50% increase in its recovery value!

You can also achieve higher throughput in general when you consider auto atking vs skilling. Skilling generally does x4 damage compared to auto attacking given circumstances. Try to look at the difference between auto attacking and double strafing.

Double strafe does about x4 damage and at the same speed you can auto attack if you practice!

So. Every Mavka killed generates an SP recovery item that represents an increase productivity (more blue bar = more x4 damage dealing uptime) in other areas by ungating (allowing access to) the ability to deal x4 damage (or higher yields in skill-spamming situations without relying on a scholar, bwinging to healer, and so forth) on top of 10k zenny.



*TAKES A DEEP BREATH*

Whew. Its easier to say, "killing mavkas does a lot of good stuff." Hard to prove it without going in circles like a dog chasing his tail! xD Annnyway! Back to it.



And don't forget exp! They yield about 42k each? x165 = about 7 mil per 30 minutes.

Ok hold on a second. That's the second time I've said second. And that's the third! 8D =P

You may have noticed a trend here, and you'd be right! 30 mins is the generally accepted standard for restocking. This is usually centered around Endows (30 mins) and awakening potions (30 mins.) A lot of things in the game, including weight and str values .. and other class skills.

I've found the sweet spot to be around this 30 min marker. And many are noticed during x2 30 mins (or 1 hr) of play! This is for skill spamming strats though (that again .. tend to deal x4 damage.) For "chill" leveling, you can stay in the field without restocking much longer.

And spend much less time and energy to achieve results.

Which brings us to the third requirement. Care. You have to care about skill spamming, producing money outside of the market (money from nothing) to spend on the market (money from nothing into something) which stimulates the economy. ;D

For every blue potion used.. creates a demand for more blue potions. And having a demand for blue potions.. Creates a demand for money from nothing, and maximized throughput for growth (productivity) in the field! (leveling, grinding, etc!)

Therefore we can conclude, if all three requirements are met, every blue potion used is good for the server. =D


So let's real talk for a moment. -_-

This is something I've been doing since I started on this server. I've requested honey stock values from a lot of you, and.. I always payed the same rate. 1.25k each. You know though.. What I was doing with it? Was using Bee Wings to generate Runes of Darkness (aprox 1.6k in value) per Mavka kill. So what does that mean? Any time you sold me a Honey you technically were getting taken advantage of.. from a certain point of view. The honeys were effectively free. And used to generate more money and AND more sp items on top of it.

But I don't feel guilty for a lot of reasons. Firstly, many of you never really listened to me. Second, its a bit foolish to consider those who don't listen to you .. as foolish? Catch 22. I mean, I'll explain it in the thirdly but I'm still talking about the secondly. And thirdly, there's a ton of stuff I don't know about. I come across as though I know everything. This is true though.. I know MY version of everything. Which is everything I know. When you teach me something new, it adds to that everything. I can't help it if you people think I'm a smart alec. xD I really can't. Its that or stay confused all the time because I cannot comprehend sarcasm the same way you guys do. xD So false confidence? =P Haha. Yeh. Its my defense barrier. ^_^

WHATS IMPORTANT THOUGH IS WHAT YOU LEARN! YEEEEEEEEEEEAH!

Because many veteran members will tell you this.

"This methodology is not useful to those who have no need for it."
Something or another about .. being here a long time and .. being on a higher level acquisition wise.. and.. so rich they could buy anything but are frustrated why certain things aren't appearing on the market. Almost as if the new members who stimulate the economy and could in this way aren't doing just that. xD

"This methodology is trying to put control on something that is uncontrollable: the economy, supply and demand, selling his product??"
Hi You type of people with this thought pattern.

Dunno what to say. I don't care? Haha! I don't. I don't care about money. I don't. If I cared about having money, at any time, I would be the richest person here with the amount of time I've invested in heRO and my level of skill. My version of value is different than yours. It is dynamic and changing.. it is in flux.. It is a revolving door of "what ifs" and "what could be's" and seeks to constantly define "what is the best thing SHEAM can do to help?" without considering "what others should be doing."

"You are confusing and misleading."

Well .. sigh. I guess I can address this?!

Empathetic scrutiny is greater than prestigious intolerance.

wut da fux du dat mean yo ..

It means I care more than you know. Because if you don't know that, you're an uncaring person?! Or that the everything you know isn't quite the same as my everything. haha. Based on how I value things in life. Based on my beliefs filtered by your beliefs. =3 >_>

Sigh.. So can I be completely clear with you guys?

I want, wanted, will, continue to TRY, as poor as it may seem, to help this server in the most balanced way I can.

So now let's go over all the people who have helped me. (If I get doubles, please correct me.)

Predaking --Rally -- Ivy -- Birdz -- Reina -- Matt -- Recca -- Namreg -- Osek -- Summers -- Lucy -- Aaronock -- Garr -- Sac -- Zodar -- Sloth -- Gengar -- Moogle -- Trunks -- Ninga -- Ayumi --
Angel Kitty -- Vietnam -- FisherPrice -- Oli -- Mint -- Shirayukihime -- Anna Maria -- Nu -- Xandra -- Tony -- Ezekiel Bloodsaint -- Ange -- Mofy -- Kri -- Menace -- Oka-Joe -- Mint -- Hachi -- Own -- Cobb -- Roger -- Child of Bodom -- Ko -- Bella -- Demogorgan -- Light Side of the Moon -- Xtroo -- Rahice -- Droqan -- Ocalea
Nym

And many others that I will mention, when the time is right. Just be aware. You all /help me learn something./ Take that however you want, but I'd prefer if you understood that every positive outcome from this thread wouldn't have without you. You meddling kids and your dog.

[sheam]

So more stuff! I figured I'd use this as scrapbook of sorts to delve into RO mechanics and features.

Today's topic is:

How Potions Work In-Depth

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!TLDR!: Potions can and will increase your Health Pool. If managed properly through weight and healing values, you can create a much higher "effective" Health Pool. More than you may realize.


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!!!Ok we're going to point this out first. No one is stupid ok? Everyone has a performance level, and some things you learn from other games and such. And ya know. Hm. Its ok. I'm not talking down to anyone, but I am starting from the ground up. ty!!!


Stage 1
So what do we all know? We all know that, if you have less green bar.. A healing potion gives you more green bar.

We also know that.. A big potion and a slightly less green bar will waste a big potion, and a small potion with a big missing green bar won't be enough.

These are things you don't really think about and just learn.. but. If you analyze it a bit, it can be taken to the next level.

Stage 2

Then you have a situation where you think "Ok. So I want to provide security to my green bar. If My green bar goes p00f, I'll die. Dying is no fun and its annoying."

This is where we usually diverge a bit.. Because this is also something we can secure in other ways. "How to protect my green bar." We'll do this using Flee, HP Regen/Damage Reduction/Sitting, Sniping/Ankle Snare, Healing from a Priest/Alchemist, etc.

We tend to overlook the power of potions and see them as a costly luxury rather than a conquerable essential. (I go into a bit of detail about this in the previous post.)

Stage 3

So we acknowledge the use for potions. They exist. There's a reason why they exist.. yet we tend to look them as a "Need them for this particular difficult task."

WoE, MVPing, PVPing.

We associate them with their accessibility .. so to speak. Believe it or not, they're a lot more accessible than you might realize.

True.. It requires you prioritize them in your game play, but if you stop for a moment and think about it, the act of producing a method of USING potions.. unlocks the potential of them and allows you to play faster.

Example. A modern day action mmo comparable to RO, is Diablo 3. Its a "wonder around the map and beat up bad guys", and "bop bigger bad guys to get super cool lewtz. =3"

The system on Diablo 3, however again, is very modernized. It reduces the NEED and DESIRE to spend time using potions by restricting you to one to every ?60 seconds? ?30 seconds? (something like that.)

The game developers did this because they acknowledge concepts like potting on RO to be tedious to the mainstream, and also overlooked in many ways. So. They balanced it by providing indirect methods of maintaining that green bar.

Life on hit, life regen per second, cooldowns... Etc.

So then we realize, "Hey! Ya know what. Potions are kinda Gravity's lazy answer for not dieing. I think. Why do I think and do not know?"

Stage 4

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Inner Dialogue:

So. Real talk. (a lil fierce but i'll be gentle)
The reality is in fact, especially at this point,

"I do in fact KNOW this.. yet, I DO NOT care. Otherwise, I'd be carrying potions with me every time I left a city."

I can only provide information, and I cannot make anyone care. Caring takes time. Some people use this time to not care. Or in general, to "just have fun." This is what is seen by most people who "care" as "casual" and not "hardcore." This is to say, a person who does not care about this level of fun is "casual." To care at this level of fun is to be "hardcore."

To be blunt, this is my level. I am at this level.. by default. I can't help it. "What is known cannot be unknown." I cared at one point way too much about video games, whether it be to provide an income for myself or compete regularly against 10,000,000 other players.

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White Potion
{ itemheal rand(325,405),0; },{},{}
Weight 15
Average Heal: 325+405/2 = 365

Ranked White Potion
{ itemheal rand(325,405),0; },{},{} x1.5
Weight 15
Average Heal: (325+405/2)x1.5 = 548

Ranked Condensed White Potion
{ itemheal rand(325,405),0; },{},{} x1.5
Weight 5
Average Heal: (325+405/2)x1.5 = 548

After analyzing this data, a few things matter.

A. Weight.
B. Accessibility.

Example:

You have 1000 weight capacity.
*The following values use this weight measurement.

Your effective HP pool with White Potions is 1000 (capacity) divided by 15 (item weight) multiplied by 365 (healing value.)

White Potions increases Effective HP to 24,333

Using this further.

Ranked White Potions: 36,533
Ranked Condensed White Potions: 109,600!!!

So it sorta speaks for itself, does it not? So. Let's say you have this thought.

"Sheam. *sigh* I don't care. I mean. I do.. but. Like. I gotz super madz moneyz yo.

A. I don't want to make a ranker.
B. I don't want to spend the time making these potions.
C. I certainly don't want to buy these potions from other players."

Its ok.. I mean. Really, I understand you! ^_^ Because there's a SOLUTION! GRAVITY THOUGHT OF THIS!

Mastela Fruit


Mastela Fruit
{ itemheal rand(400,600),0; },{},{}
Weight 3
Average Heal: 400+600/2 = 500 (only 48 less than slim whites)

Effective Healing: 166,666!!!!!!!!!!!

The major disadvantage of Mastelas is the cost. They're about 6.2k each? They also gate the cost of Witched Starsand and labor cost of brewing (they help set the price for slim whites and such).. Kinda why "batching" (using twilight alchemey to produce 200 slims at a time) was created. So. yeh. This is technically a zenny sink.

Zenny sinks have to exist, like the fairy auction. This is why I don't focus my energy on making zenny to purchase Mastelas for my guild, but instead, use brewing because I know it won't hurt the economy.

Because I want to help the economy.

Because I want to help the server. o_o

But in order to help the server the only way I know how, is to .. like? Vicious circle.

(Rufus logic.)

Stage 5 And Beyond

I'll be honest.. We've noticed this thread is a combination of trying to inform people about the game and addressing my own insecurities with validation/credit. I apologize. That's why Stage 5 is not something I'm at yet.

I like to point out as much as I can think of that weighs in on factoring Why and How results are Not Being Produced. Including myself. The information is there.. the care is there.. but its not shifted in the right areas, and its not addressing the audience properly. Its too broad. Unstable and turbulent. Difficult to articulate.

I want to see people succeed filtered by my own perception; unable to grasp that people do succeed in their own ways. Case in point, someone may come along and read this and provide very interesting points.. IF presented in a non-condescending manner. Something I've tried to do here, you know? I think one thing people don't understand about me fairly often is that.. When I say something TO another person, I hold myself accountable for what it is I'm saying. I have strict sense of honesty.. so when I say it, and someone doesn't agree, man.. it puts me in overdrive to find out if I'm the one whose stupid.

That's the gift and the curse if you understand.. I can't "turn off" the care factor. Its stuck. stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. haha. eh. >.> Meh.

I do hope this helped someone. Uhm. take care.

[The Roger]

+1 to this =)

[sheam]

What Makes a Pro a Pro?

Oi oi. Been a while. xD What's up? You know. I'd been thinking on this one too for a while.

MMORPG players want to find the word "Pro" to exist somewhere about themselves or others.

Growing up, the word has evolved for me.

To be completely blunt, the technical definition of a Pro Gamer is a person who is payed to play a game as an athlete. Let's try to tear ourselves away from this and be more open minded by considering what it can mean.

Players who are "casual" do not like to be called "casual." Same as players who are "hardcore" or "try hard" do not like to be told they "have no life" or are "misguided."

This logic (which patronizes) serves no good. To anyone. And quite frankly, when >>I<< say someone is Casual, I'm not saying they are "not as good as me." They're just at a different stage of "Pro."

Stage 1

"Heh. I'm XXXTheGamePro."

Originally, it starts out with a person who enjoys games and plays them often.
The self-measurement of skill is based on what they have fun doing. They've realized they do something different that helps define them and gives them self-esteem.

"How many games have you played?" (Seen the Game)
"Hey bro! How many games have you beat!" (Seen the Credits)
"How many games have you Completed?" (Seen the Sidequests/Eastereggs)

Many people see it differently at this stage.. Because to them, their pride (as a self-perceived Pro) for accomplishment rests in different areas. One player's preference may appear totally casual and undemanding to another.

"Hah, you play tetris? That's weak. Try Starcraft!"
"Tetris can be pretty challenging, but you're only mentioning Starcraft because its an E-Sport." xD

See the variables? =3

Stage 2

"I'm not a pro gamer.. But I could be."

This stage doesn't take long to get to. Its the moment when the person realizes that what they do is actually not as impressive as someone else. To the point where they see a giant Gap that is very difficult to rationalize in their ego.

When you see something like this it can be fairly intimidating.

"I can't do those button combos in this fighting game.. -_- My fingers just won't work."
"How can you keep up with all this stuff? There's too many things going on at once!"

You can easily tell that this^ person has become now more Aware of what CAN be done.. if only they had the ability to do it.

Often times most people stay at this stage -- Forever -- if they lose interest in gaming. They believe, even if they cannot find the words to describe it, that this idea of being a Pro isn't something they care about.

Others will slowly drift further along.. unaware of their progress.

Stage 3

"Wait. Am I playing like a pro?"

All gamers, who actively game, eventually reach this stage. No matter who you are, its undeniable that you will get noticeably better without trying and reflect on your new capabilities.

This comes from two things:

#1. Neuron firing of your brain to your muscles, called Muscle Memory..

#2. Reward Response. The satisfaction you get from something. Ex: Level up! Increased Stats! KO! Perfect! DOUBLE KILL! Head Shot! PENTAKILL!

These two aspects of your gaming, while unappreciated by your conscious mind, are absolutely adored and relied upon.

In your mind, you haven't had to Work to achieve this. You simply had Fun.

"I have fun playing Fire Emblem. xD Now when I play Final Fantasy Tactics, its a lot easier."
"I like RPGS. ^_^ I used to hate encounters, but now I'm excited if its with certain enemies that may give me a secret item!"

That's where the pride reignites with new flare. You weren't full of crap when you said "you could be."

The thirst for compliments and recognition, however, can lead to a dark place.

Stage 4

"Being Pro is overrated."

Once you reach this stage, being "pro" no longer matters to the self.. but to others.

In fact, its a lonely stage. Lonely.. Because there's much fewer people to relate to.

Many of the others have quirks, rude behavior, and principles that others find appalling; but you (at this stage) are able to see and respect them as the Good Player they are. Performance is a status symbol of unspoken respect.

That person talks crap, but they back it up every time. Respect.
That person goes out of their way to hide their potential. Respect.
That person isn't afraid to admit when they're wrong. Respect.
That person thinks of ways to get better instead of expecting others to. Respect.
That person will not expect you to know everything. Respect.
That person points out a person's strengths. Respect.

Because pride for gaming ability exists in these different stages to everyone, your performance and
knowledge will affect them. You can't unlearn the (your) best ways to do something, and its incredibly difficult
to teach or tolerate without them feeling condescended. You essentially appear jaded or uncaring. Transversely, because you don't feel challenged, its incredibly difficult for you to accept advice.

Its very easy to say "this is just a game," but to us, it's "time we spend to have fun." Same as you.
Can you try to understand that? "Fun." Not "Work."

You won't get stuck here for very long without running into the many issues I've mentioned above.
And because of this? Those around you will either "Catch On or Catch Up."

[Papi]

+1 to this one, Don't forget about me.. joke

[sheam]

I pray your doing ok, Anna.

Edit:
Those of you whom may not know, the last I heard from her is that she was "..suffering from some nerve complications and was anxiously anticipating a hospital visit.. " and that she also did not want any of us to worry. -_- I tend to worry a lot, sweetheart. Especially when I'm told not to 'bout hosp visits that u confess u're worried about. Its in my nature.. So please, if you ever manage to read this, take it as a sign you weren't forgotten, ok? I hope you're doing good.

Anna Maria is one of the few truly benevolent and kind hearted players I've ever come across on heRO, let alone Online Gaming itself. Free from peer pressure and politics crap. A lot like someone else too.. A Tinkering Alt-Loving Pacifist with a "Good Temperament -- arronack quote =P"

Anna was loyal only to herself -- which included helping us as a gaming community. If you have a moment, read the posts she's made on the forums. I assumed English isn't her first language. Many others are like her, but atm, notice her.

She first caught my attention because people said she wasn't good at something. My friends and other heRO's were annoyed by what appeared to them to be an inability to "invite and lead an adequate Muspel party." (One that many others were eager to prove they could do better, ones that always said they were ready once "a muspel was already formed," some that asserted themselves as essential (stressed cause their skill level put more on them for success and failure), others still learning how to notice/handle that perceived stress in others, and other such predominant male bravado. )

I did my best to redirect.. Admittedly showing off sometimes.

Looking back, I always appreciated your existence on heRO. -_- .. you never asked me for anything that I can recall. I remember when Nu was helping us level a full party of heRO Newbs.. and you weren't in range.. I made everyone stop and wait so that I could, by myself, help you get in range @ neko island. Not because you were WoEing for us, because you were friend of some Guild Leader .. But because you were Anna Maria. And you deserved it .. without it ever needing to be mentioned? And without anyone ever knowing it was done for you? To Gain Something in return From You. It was the universe trying to silently Give Back. And only really now the sappy unsung song of heroes be heard.

Hat's off to you, Anna. Wherever you may be. You helped show us that sparking interest, and trying Your Best, gives people a push.. allows them to reflect .. and bring out the Best In Themselves.

Had you not been so adamant about public Muspel runs, I sincerely doubt they'd have got as popular as they were over the summer. No matter what insults anyone threw at you, don't ever forget that If They Could Have Done Better, they Would Have. And Eventually Did, for However Long it May have Lasted Until You Left..

Thank You.
Your efforts were not in vain. In part, because of you...



We Got This.

And you'll never be forgotten.

[sheam]

The last thing to say is you can't expect to make a difference if you're unwilling to make a difference in yourself. Things can be hard, but, they'll be a lot harder if you try to hold on to all the guilt. Knowing when to walk away is a lesson I haven't grasped yet. As much as I'm supposed to be the bigger person and get over it, every push hurts. If you had a child, wouldn't you fight to keep safe everything that's sacred to them? At this point, I'm not even sure of what I'm saying.

Rawr. I'm doing stuff!
Rawr? Someone is annoyed by it.
Rawr! I'm gonna bite you for sayin' that.
Rawr.. I shouldn't bite people..
Rawr. I'm doing stuff!

Repeat.

What constructive thing to take from this..

Drugs are bad. ^_^ Avoiding mental health concerns are bad. ^_^ Combine the two and you're makin' some serious b00 b00's. ^_^

You don't have to sit behind a computer screen for the rest of your life. There's tons of stuff out here to explore. This game is a great tool for learning how to access information and proving to yourself you have a way to apply it in real life to a job, relationship, and so much more. You got this! I'll get this.

I just need to fix a thing or two first. ^_^;;