Is refining raw black tea bugged?

[Rkasha]

I'm not sure if I've posted in the correct forum, so please move this message if necessary.

I just wanted to report that I've noticed a lot of extra failed attempts at making prestine refined black tea. At my level the skill is currently listed as Very Easy (green), but the number of pristine results always seem to be much lower than the other Very Easy refines I do (namely raw thyme, raw vanilla, and raw wheat). I almost never fail to make other pristine refines, but raw black tea always seems to have less than pristine results.

Has anyone else noticed this? I wanted to confer before /bug'ging it.

-=Rkasha=-

[Zildaren Foozlebane]

I doubt that is it is any one recipe in particular in cooking which works the way you describe. Check your Artistry skill. You will most likely be dismayed at how low it is compared to its potential maximum. Artistry skill ups are screwed up right now. The only time I have ever received a chance for a skill up was when XP was awarded for a regular or pristine item creation. None of the artistry spells has ever raised the skill. I believe this is being worked on and will be fixed soon. However, cooks who level fast will be way behind in skill until fixed.

[Tatonka_Nektulos]

Zil, I don't think that was his question. His question was, do some recipes seem to be more "stubborn" in allowing pristine results. If it was due to his artistry skill, then all the "very easy" refines would act the same way.

I have noticed the same thing with tier 3 refines. My artistry skill is about 100-ish, and I'm level 24 now. Refining cinnamon (level 24 recipe) seems to pretty much be a cinch for getting pristine, while the other tier 3 refines I've done are a lot harder to get to pristine.

So I guess I would say, yes, I've seen the same thing.

Tat

[Magnum]

One of the things you can do is look at the break points on the quality bar. There should be 3 of them and they are not the same for every recipie. (Break point is the amount of durability that can be lost before you lose a level of max quality.)

Both the Quality bar and Durability bar is different from one recipie to another. So if it seems that you are going down one level of quality quicker than on other recipies thats one thing to check.

If however, you feel that the problem is that you tend to get more 'bad' rolls on this particular recipie then thats something else entirely and I don't know how you'd test that.

[Rkasha]

I checked again today. Antonica Coffee (which is a higher level to make than refining black tea) came out pristine without any problems. I then switched to black tea and 1 of 4 attempts ended up pristine. I then moved to roasted wheat and refining vanilla (same level as black tea) and they all came out pristine. Just for fun, I tried another vanilla without even touching my keyboard - it came out pristine.

I'll look at the durability breakpoints for black tea and compare to vanilla and the others tonight, but it just seems crazy how difficult it is in compared to other receipes (even the higher level ones!)

Oh, and my artistry skill is actually quite high, as I've been grinding out alot of tier 1 items, which don't give me experience at my current level, but they have been giving me the ocassional artistry skill ups. Perhaps once black tea is trivial, it will be effortless, but somehow it just seems much more difficult than other receipes of the same level.

Anyone who has a high provisioning skill might try testing it for fun. It only costs a few copper to test. If it's intentionally harder, then it might be a good idea to note for those looking to work on their skills.

-=Rkasha=-

[Magnum]

Ah, the reason to read the boards.

My provisioner (whos also my one adventurer so tradeskilling is a hobby for him) tried doing grey combines for skill ups and never got one (did 3 stacks, 60 combines) so I just figured you couldn't get skill ups on grey combines. I see I'll have to go back to making spice again. Thanks :)

[Korsis]

I don't play a provisioner, but I have seen this same thing. Now it's just anecdotal and it could just be a mistaken impression, but it is definitely my impression that some recipes are just harder than others.

And magnum, it's not only where the break points are, it's also how much they represent. If the two recipes have different initial total durability values (which we know for a fact some do), then even if the breakpoints are at the same places, the recipe with less total durability is likely to be considerably harder (unless of course it requires less progress also, which is usually the case--there are tons of variables to consider).

[cilrais]

Ah, the reason to read the boards.

My provisioner (whos also my one adventurer so tradeskilling is a hobby for him) tried doing grey combines for skill ups and never got one (did 3 stacks, 60 combines) so I just figured you couldn't get skill ups on grey combines. I see I'll have to go back to making spice again. Thanks :)


grey combines can definitely give skill ups, they are trivial xp wise but not always skill wise, especially if your skill is very low.

I had gotten to 18 craftsmen off making food alone, then I went back and made myself some elm strong boxes, went from 30 fletching to 60 fletching off refining lumber and planing lumber, all trivial to me xp wise.

[ashynn]

Teas in the first 3 tiers killed me. Tier 4 tea seems to be on par with refining other ingredients. Tho I must say that I breeze thru the shallots like they were nothing.

Juice in those levels killed me as well. Same story, T4 easier.

I must note tho, that I made t4's very recently, meaning AFTER that nasty day when we couldn't play at all. the others were pre-patch.

[Shjekai]

My experience is that making tea is extremely hard and I don't make it any more. My artisan skills are not maxxed but I am 18th level. It is both harder and more time consuming to make tea.
Coffee is the way to go. Also vanilla fizzlepop and orange cider :)