The Players Corner Archive

Thanks Pudgee!

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It's quite simple to get an alteration and I don't know why others have a hard time doing it. The main reason is that they just don't try.

This is what I would normally do to get an alteration:

Step 1 - I have nearly every merchant in the game highlighted so once one logs in, I have a sound file play to notify me.

Step 2 - I would make a familiar and have it seek out the merchant. If the merchant isn't in the town you're in, it will say that the merchant is too far away. If the merchant -is- in your town, it will either say it's trying to find the merchant, or it will say "find who?" which means that the merchant is unpresenced.

Step 3 - Upon receiving the "searching" or "find who" message, I would see the merchant's name and quickly run to all the spots that the merchant was previously set-up at. Most merchants have about three spots they usually always use, sometimes they make new ones. So running to three spots isn't hard to do.

If the merchant picked a new spot, then I would start searching the whole town of Wehnimers inside/out/tables/underground which I can do in about 2 1/2 minutes just because I know every room everywhere.

Now if the merchant was in a different town, I can run from outside the north gate to the Icemule south gate in a minute and about 10 seconds due to having haste up. River's Rest is a joke, and Solhaven I can get there in about two minutes.

With all that done, I can basically find a merchant within 4 minutes of them logging in regardless of where they are, except for Teras as I don't multi-account at merchants and leave characters stashed in other towns...which is another way to increase your odds if you have trouble running to other towns with lightning speed.

Step 4 - If you're doing everything solo, your chances of being picked are less than if you were doing a group effort.

If doing an group effort, you need to position yourself a certain way. With the spinner, the merchant selects a number of people they want to pick from. So if there's 50 people and they do 1-10, one of the first 10 people will be picked. They also can change the number anytime they want. So if you're with a group, however many people they are in the room, try and spread yourselves out. If there's 5 of you and there's 20 people, make a gap of having four people between each of you. To position yourself, you can exit and reenter the room to be set back to the very end. So this way, someone in your group will most likely be picked.

And then of course, there's other tricks to spinners, but I have to have some advantage over everyone else since I just told you the basics.

But for the MOST basic rule: if you do not go to a merchant, you cannot be picked. Only when going to a merchant do you have a chance of being picked. The more merchants you go to gives you the more chances to be picked

And that's it, plain and simple.

- Pudgee

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1. Check out the calendar every day. See who is coming today, as well as the rest of the month, and check out the times. Make yourself available for those merchants whose services you want. Don't go to the zester if you don't want anything zested. Don't go to the polearms smith, and expect to get your broadsword sharpened or an emerald inset into the pommel.

2. Go to the Merchant thread, pull out the list of merchant names, and use the script 'lood made. Every time you come into the game, do WHO FULL. Any known merchants will be shown in highlights. Add any new merchants that you see on the calendar or that you come across. Come back here, and let us know about these new merchants!

3. Network. Two brains are better than one, and three brains are better than two. Increase your odds. Talk to your friends. See who goes to merchants. IM me at Alanna1061 when you see a merchant come in.

4. AIM is probably your best bet for communicating with your network. Using the Amunet and tipping off the rest of the Landing population will decrease your odds, since you will alert everyone who wasn't previously looking for the merchant to suddenly start doing so. Not to mention, you won't get a response, or the information is probably going to be false...

5. BE READY! Have alteration ideas that you have spent time on and are confident will pass the GM inspection ready to go. Learn the alteration rules! Have backups. Carry items you want to get altered on you! Don't expect the merchant to wait while you go run and get your armor from your locker.

6. Use the Gemstone Notepad. It's extremely fast, and you don't have to search your files for looking for your latest update. This goes back to Being Ready! If 10 people take 30 minutes, a merchant will probably do more. If 10 people take 2 hours, then everyone else is probably out of luck and looking for your head.

7. Arguing with a merchant is not the brightest thing to do. If a merchant says, "NO!" then demanding explanations and using the "But SHE has one!" is probably not going to help your case. Merchants really don't like telling you, "No." They come to have fun and do some work that will make someone happy. Arguing with you is not most people's idea of fun, unless that person is Desharei.

8. Some merchants will not alter certain items. A seamstress will probably not alter weapons. Elves may not work on dwarven items. Accept the merchant's decision when it comes to RP based rules. Accept that certain items are no longer allowed to be altered under the new alteration guidelines. I ask once, and move on if the answer is no. "But I really really really want that hynotizing navel jewel that connects to my nosering with a shimmering chain!" "NO!" Suck it up, and move on.

8. READ SIGNS. When you walk into a tent, read everything. Highlight sign, notice, scroll, worklist, checklist, workbook, and any other list or notice that may have information for you or will notify you that the merchant is using a list rather than a top. This will also tip you off to restrictions that this merchant may have, or to what type of work this merchant will do. A zester will probably not create the gown of your dreams. He will, however, do something that will make your sword hiss when you wave it in the air.

9. Accept that you will not get work done at every merchant. Whining and complaining is not going to spark the merchant into choosing you. I've gotten work done at about 1 of every 50 regular merchants that I have been to. Join premium if you want to increase your odds. I think my odds are about 1 in 10 there.

10. Respect your fellow citizens. Leave the pets at home. Nobody wants to see your stuffed toy long haired shaggy wolf with bright green eyes and a long floofy tail that sparkles in the sun even though it is night time being waved around the room 10 times a minute. And it's really not necessary to scarf down the cookies and punch. I think your friends will understand if you greet them in whispers rather than hugging and smooching 40 of the 100 people in the room. Besides, the other 60 people will either get lonely, or will think you no longer like them.

I think the best advice though, is to go to merchants. You can't win if you don't go.

Lightheartedly,

Aerienne reg

For more advice on creating alters, search the files back to 1 year. Or... Ask for help under the Design Help thread.

Aerienne reg

1. Be patient. Patient people get alters, eventually. If you really want that golden silk cloak emblazoned with an image of a skull and crossbones, be prepared to stay in the room to the end, unless you either get picked randomly, by room order or the merchant leaves.

2. Don't beg the merchant. Whispering "Please make this alter for me, it will only take a second" will not help, it might actually make things worse.

3. If you get to the room where the merchant is expected to appear but he or she is not there yet, stay put. Even if you are toward the back of the line, chances are you'll move much closer ahead as other people keep running in and out, loosing their own room spots.

4. If you think that the merchant might only be working on their own items, make sure you buy one of their wares in advance and think up a good alteration for it. You don't want to loose your room spot if you have to run out and buy that scababard.

5. Design both show and long descriptions for your items. The merchant might not be working with both types.

6. Bring backups and backups for your backups. This was said before, but it's really important, so I'll say it again.

7. Design whole outfits at at time (prior to visiting the merchant). Then work your way through the list to get a complete look.

8. Look at what the merchant is wearing, and if you like it, copy and save it. This will give you an idea of what the merchant likes (and thus might be willing to do something similar) and serve as inspirations for your own alteration ideas.

9. Use Cattriona's Alteration helper. There is a link to her site on the GS site under Links, Miscelaneous. It's a great collection of colors, adornment types, themes, alteration guidelines, etc.

10. Be ready for when your turn comes. If everyone moves along quickly, more people will get work done. Prepare your whispers in notepad and paste them into the Wizard or eScape.

-TB reg