A Casual Gamer�s Guide to Becoming an Artisan
Character Creation
There�s not really much for me to say here, except pick what suits you. Yes, some species are better suited to some professions than others, but stat migration can mitigate a lot of that. I can see some difficulties hawking your wares if you�re a Wookie, but even that can be gotten around. For starting profession, your two best choices are Artisan and Scout, because you�ll start out with the Generic Crafting tool and a few survey tools. However, if you choose Brawler and decide at a later time to pick up Artisan, you can usually find someone more than willing to sell you the tools you need.
I strongly recommend running through the tutorial with your first character. I�m not a novice gamer, but the controls took me about a day to get used to, even with the tutorial (and a seasoned beta-tester playing back seat driver). Besides, it�s a nice little bit of story to ease you into the Galaxy.
When you�re done with the tutorial, you�ll get a chance to swap (or �migrate�) any stats you're worried about, and then you�ll have to pick a starting planet and city. Don�t worry too much if your first choice isn�t available; the shuttles get busy some times. Just pick the next best and head out. You�ll get plenty of opportunity to explore later.
Getting Started
Getting oriented
I like to make the city I land in my base city for awhile. I get to know the layout, find the cloning center (and clone!), join a bank, check out the local cantina and med centers. Then I head for a mission terminal. Time to make some money!
Getting money
You do start out with a small stake, but don�t expect it to last very long. It�s a rare artisan that can make money right away, and there can be a variety of expenses. You�ll want to have some cash handy to tip entertainers and doctors, you may have to pay for training, and you�ll probably want to travel.
I like to run a few delivery missions right off the bat to increase my stake. Once I�ve found a mission terminal, I browse until I find a delivery mission with a nice story that offers a decent reward (1500-1800 cr.). I accept that one, and make careful note of the end destination. Then I look for a second mission with roughly the same destination. This can be a little tricky, but they tend to fall into the same price range, so you can weed out obviously bad choices.
Once you�ve accepted two missions, follow the orange arrows to the waypoints that mark the starting NPCs for your missions. Talk to them both, then head for the nearest shuttle port.
Buy yourself a ticket, then check with the Ticket Collector droid to see when your shuttle departs. If you have several minutes, you can use this time to sample nearby resources. Always make use of shuttle down time�you�ll be surprised how many items you can craft in just a few minutes.
Once you get to your destination city, talk to both your target NPCs, then find a mission terminal. Get two missions that end in your base city and head home.
This should give you a base of around 5000 cr. , which will keep you going for some time. By the time it runs out, you should be making a profit from your crafting. You also will probably have met �older� artisans willing to train you, and you�ll have resources and crafted items to barter for healing and entertainment.
Training- already?!
When you�re back in your hometown, find the trainers. I like to pick up Marksman, Scout, and Medic. Marksman and Scout allow me to kill critters and harvest resources from them. Medic will allow me to craft medicines that�ll get me on my feet a little faster when I lose a fight. They can also keep me sampling longer.
Once I�m an established Tailor, I might drop these skills and get my points back. At that point, it'll be more efficient to buy hide and other resources then to harvest them myself. Or I might decide that I like having an alternative to crafting. In either case, there�s no sense in limiting myself right from the start.
Getting resources
At this point you should have some resources from hanging around shuttle ports, but not enough to make anything cool. So, it�s time to head into the wilderness. The absolute first thing I do is equip my pistol, in case of ambush.
If you haven�t already, now is a good time to get acquainted with your overhead map. It should be down in the lower left hand corner of your screen. You are the white dot at the center of it. Red dots are bad guys or wildlife. The bigger the dot, the bigger the critter. Yellow squares are generally some kind of spawn point for these guys. Blue triangles are your waypoints, orange triangles are mission waypoints. Notice that you can zoom this little map in and out.
If you started as an artisan, you�ll have a few surveying tools, but not all of them. If you started as a Scout, you probably have all of them. Otherwise, you may need to purchase a Generic Crafting Tool and a Mineral Survey Tool (MST) before you can continue.
To make the rest of the tools, you need metal. Open your pack and click on the MST. Go to �Set Options� on the radial menu and set the range. At this stage you�ll only have one option, but as your surveying skills increase, so will your options. Once this is set, click on the MST again and choose �Use�.
This opens a handy little surveying window. To the right are all of the mineral resources currently available on your planet. Choose one and click on the Survey button. You�ll notice a neat special effect, and then map on the left side of the window will display a variety of numbers.
These numbers represent the concentration of that resource in the area around you. If you�re really lucky, some of those numbers are above 60%, but it�s unlikely on your first try. If you close this window, you�ll see one of those floating blue arrows pointing to a brand new waypoint.
Now you�re ready to head out into the unknown; try not to get killed on the way. Once you�re there, you�ll want to survey again to find the next highest concentration. You can either reopen the MST, or you can type /survey, or you can click on the button on your hotbar. You�ll automatically survey for the same thing you did the last time you used the tool (unless that resource has since disappeared, of course).
When you�re happy with the concentration level, or just tired of running, it�s time to sample. If the spot you've found seems particularly good, take a minute to rename the waypoint. Open your datapad and look for the icon that says "Resource Survey" or something similar. Right click on it and choose rename. I generally rename mine to the name of the resource and its concentration level. Now to sample: click on the icon or type /sample. You�ll find yourself kneeling to sample for whatever resource you surveyed for last.
Every so often you�ll see a special effect and get a message that you either found a resource, or didn�t. It�ll be a little boring at first, but you�ll soon have enough material to craft your first tool. Even better, you can continue to sample while you craft, so you can stay in one spot and craft all the tools you�ll need. Once you've done that, you can sample for other resources and start making some things to sell.
When you're ready to move on to another resource, open your datapad again. Click on the active waypoint and choose "Deactivate" to get rid of the pillar of light and floating arrow. When you need this resource again, you'll be able to activate the waypoint and find your way back, assuming it hasn't been depleted. If you arrive at an old sampling spot and are unable to locate that resource, you can use your datapad to delete the waypoint.
Getting to know and Love the Generic Crafting Tool (GCT)
Once you�ve got 30 or so units of metal, click on your GCT and chose �use�. This opens a �Draft Schematics� menu window. All of the schematics currently available to you are neatly organized under various categories. Click on �Generic Items� to find the surveying tools. I suggest making a chemical tool first, so that you can get the resources you�ll need for clothing.
Click on the schematic for the tool, then on the Next button. In the �Item Assembly� window, you�ll have a chance to allocate your resources to each component of the item you�re making. Your choices should appear to the left of the window under �Inventory��this usually defaults to �filtered�, showing you only resources which can be used with this schematic. In order to assign the resources, you can either click on one and drag it over the appropriate component, or you can just double-click on the resource. Notice that if you highlight a resource by single-clicking it, the components it can be assigned to will also be highlighted.
It�s important to note that you can only assign one type of resource to each component. For example, if you have two types of Corellian Fiberplast in your inventory, you can use one or the other, but not both, for a component. They just don�t stack, at all. It's also important to be aware that some schematics require very specific resources (steel), while others will accept anything in a broad category (organic=flowers, fruit, wheat, bones, hide, etc.)
Now click �Assemble�. After a short wait, you�ll either get a critical failure or a success. A failure will send you back to the �Item Assembly� window, a success will send you to the completed item window. Here you can see the stats of your new item, and change its name. Do that and click �Next�. After a few seconds, the item will be dropped into your inventory. You can�t use that GCT again until the item is in your inventory, but you can create a second (or third or fourth) GCT and cycle between them.
Experimenting
Basically, you need to use your GCT to create a specialized crafting tool. Then go stand near the appropriate public crafting station and use the specialized tool to make an item. You'll notice an extra step in the crafting process: a small window with three menu choices. One of those choices is to experiment. It's fairly easy to get the hang of, but I suspect it'll take more study to master.
Making/Selling Stuff
The boring way
The boring way is to pick the item with the highest XP to resource ratio, then go get the resources and churn �em out until your fingers bleed. Not my idea of fun. You might get ahead faster than me, but that�s ok. I pay to play, not to work. (Ok, well, I am paying to work right now, but this is being written for release...)
If you�re bent on following this route, you have two options on what to do with all that junk you�re churning out: destroy it, or sell it on the Bazaar. Be kind to your fellow crafters�don�t flood the market with cheap goods just to get rid of them.
The fun way
*Make a bunch of fireworks, then wait for nightfall and put on a show. You could even set up a camp, invite some dancers and entertainers, and call it a folk festival.
*Make fishing poles, then hold a fishing derby. Winner gets a new jacket (made by you, of course). You could ask for one fish from each player as an entrance fee.
*Play bartender in a local cantina selling �beer� and �hotwings�.
*Sell "scrubs" and "medic bags" to unsuspecting doctors.
*Get together with the other crafty and/or entertaining types in the city and declare a �Trick or Treat� night. Pass out �candy�, put off fireworks, dance, or tell lame Wookie jokes.
*Convince the dancers at the local cantina that Go-go boots and hot pants are In. Offer a 5 credit discount on each set.
*Play image consultant to the local bands; they need a more cohesive look, don't they? Maybe matching black leather jackets...
*Get a few friends together and set yourself up as the first party planner on the planet. Weddings are good business.
*Take a look at your latest Clothing or Lingerie catalog and crib ideas for item descriptions. Make your Bazaar items stand out from the crowd.
The Bazaar
Bazaar terminals are located near the star ports in most towns. They may be in front, along a side, or all the way to the back. If you pull up your overhead map (ctrl+M is the default), you can usually locate it by the number of players clustered in an otherwise deserted spot.
Use the Bazaar wisely. It costs 25 cr. to put an item up for sale, so use that as a starting point for your pricing. Selling an item on the Bazaar for less than 25 cr. is throwing money away. Some other things to keep in mind:
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*You may want to rename your items so that they stand out a little more (even "Pink Robe" is more helpful to a buyer than "Simple Robe"), but take care not to misrepresent the item or mislead the buyer. They may buy from you once, but never again.
*Use the description field! Sure it takes a little extra time, but it adds to the fun of shopping.
*You may want to include your brand name or a business motto in either the item name or the description. You might generate repeat business, or even some special orders.
*Always, always check the details before you buy. There is no return policy.
*Unless you have a really cool item up for sale, use the instant buy option. Few people have the patience to wait out an auction for a pair of boots.
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Doing Some Hunting
Surviving
Say to yourself �I am a pansy artisan�
Always, always keep this in mind. Keep your insurance up to date, and always remember to clone. Admire the wildlife from a distance, and know where your burst run icon is.
First things first
Buy, Barter or Borrow a decent rifle. You�ll be glad you did. You should always pick on those weaker than you, and do it from the greatest distance possible. The idea is to kill them before they kill you; to do that you�re going to need all the advantages you can find.
Don�t just stand there
Would you let a scavenger rat gnaw on your leg in real life? I don�t think so! Run! You�ll find that you continue to shoot as you run, but they have a harder time hurting you. Yeah, you�ll miss a lot. That�s ok, as long as you occasionally manage to hit home. Run in circles, run in straight lines; it really doesn't matter. Just don't run yourself into more trouble.
Prepare to die
Let�s face it. You�re a pansy artisan. If you�re surprised into a fire fight with a thug, or pounced upon by a giant chicken, you probably don�t stand a chance. If there�s a Rebel or Imperial base near by, you might head there; otherwise you might as well stand your ground and do some damage before you get taken out. If someone else wanders by and kills the bully for you, you might even get some XP.
Thriving
Tactics
Use your rifle to snipe at your target from a safe distance (45-60 m). If you go prone before attacking, your target will waste precious minutes trying to locate you.
Once the MOB does locate you, they�ll come for you like bees after honey. Go to a kneeling position and equip your pistol. Use any special moves you have.
If the MOB isn�t nearly dead by the time it reaches you, move! Run in circles or for help, but don�t just stand there while it kills you! It isn�t cowardice, it�s tactics!
If you find yourself overcome with dizziness (there'll be an icon up near your stat bars), don't move! Don't try to stand up, don't sit down. If you do, there's a good chance you'll fall over in the attempt. You'll find yourself lying flat on your back looking at the stars. Chances of survival: not good. If you don't move, you should be able to at least continue to defend yourself until the dizziness passes.
Harvesting
This is why I told you to go train as a Scout (you did listen, right?). If you�re going to kill critters�and don�t kid yourself, you will have to at some point�you might as well get some goodies out of it. Once the critter is dead, hold your mouse over the carcass and look for it to turn into a "hand". Click and hold until you see the Harvest option. If you hold your mouse over that, you should see three choices: bones, hides and meat. What you choose should depend on what you're looking to make. I usually choose hide (what can I say, I can never have enough boots!).
You may find that you enjoy the occasional hunt, in which case it is definitely worth while to increase your harvesting skills. If you don't care for it however, you can release the skill at any time and free up those points. There are usually scouts just begging for someone to take extra hides off their hands.
Summary
I think crafting in this game has a lot of potential. There are some tweaks that need to be done, some weird schematics that need to be straightened out, some out and out bugs, but overall the system seems like a good one. I know many folks will disagree with me, but I think that it does actually favor the casual player. If you're like me, you'll want to do a little bit of everything. I do a little hunting, collect some resources and make some stuff for the bazaar. I head into town, stopping by the bazaar first to add my new items. Then I head to the medical center and trade some of my organics or stimpacs for some healing. Then I might hang out near the bank or in the cantina to see if anyone wants some custom work done. I'm only to Dom Arts III and Eng II, but I'm in no hurry, and I'm having fun.
If your goal is to advance quickly in one area (rather than slowly in several), you will probably find this system repetitive, and eventually boring. I definitely think there are some things that could be done to make crafting more fun for all, and there are a bunch of good ideas out there. It'll be interesting to see what the devs come up with to keep us hooked...
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By Emogee Freestar of Freestar Fashions
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