Suggestion Alchemists and the Cauldron

[XenZan]

I have yet to spec my profession, but I was considering Alchemist, however without the cauldron at the moment, it seems like I ought to just pick something else. (It IS still not working, right?)

Not to mention that some of the recipes seem like they could use some reworking. I'm not sure if that's even possible, given that it is part of a particular mod, but if it is, I think it would benefit from some tweaking.

Obviously being able to make things that are normally impossible/difficult to obtain is of great benefit, but when you're, for example, spending a sapling (fine) a block of lapis (okay, I guess) and a diamond (really?) to make a single slimeball (just kill a slime?) or turning 4 Sand and 4 torches into 5 glass (which would normally just require 5 sand and 1 coal instead of 4 sand, 1 coal and 1 stick), I just don't see much benefit to the alchemist. I guess with the latter example, you don't have to wait for it to cook in the furnace? Dunno. I've been playing for about a week and I've got 2+ stacks of slimeballs... but only 8 diamonds. And some of the clay options seem a little off to me as well. (and the lava to make stone??? lava cooks forever normally....)

Please don't get me wrong, I am by no means experienced on this server, so I don't really know what's actually rare or valuable here yet (hence my potential idiocy). If it should be obvious that clay blocks ought to require bloody diamonds to create, let me know lol... Also, this info was taken from the wiki, so hopefully it's up to date

Goonswarm posted something similar to this some time ago and got no response. I am inclined to agree with him as well, as in, perhaps a different mechanic instead of the cauldron? (since it doesn't seem to be working anyway?)

 

[northeaster345]

I have yet to spec my profession, but I was considering Alchemist, however without the cauldron at the moment, it seems like I ought to just pick something else. (It IS still not working, right?)

Not to mention that some of the recipes seem like they could use some reworking. I'm not sure if that's even possible, given that it is part of a particular mod, but if it is, I think it would benefit from some tweaking.

Obviously being able to make things that are normally impossible/difficult to obtain is of great benefit, but when you're, for example, spending a sapling (fine) a block of lapis (okay, I guess) and a diamond (really?) to make a single slimeball (just kill a slime?) or turning 4 Sand and 4 torches into 5 glass (which would normally just require 5 sand and 1 coal instead of 4 sand, 1 coal and 1 stick), I just don't see much benefit to the alchemist. I guess with the latter example, you don't have to wait for it to cook in the furnace? Dunno. I've been playing for about a week and I've got 2+ stacks of slimeballs... but only 8 diamonds. And some of the clay options seem a little off to me as well. (and the lava to make stone??? lava cooks forever normally....)

Please don't get me wrong, I am by no means experienced on this server, so I don't really know what's actually rare or valuable here yet (hence my potential idiocy). If it should be obvious that clay blocks ought to require bloody diamonds to create, let me know lol... Also, this info was taken from the wiki, so hopefully it's up to date

Goonswarm posted something similar to this some time ago and got no response. I am inclined to agree with him as well, as in, perhaps a different mechanic instead of the cauldron? (since it doesn't seem to be working anyway?)

As an alchemist, I mostly used transmuteore, but the interesting recipes IMO are chiseled stone brick, endstone, mycelium, ice, lilypads (nice for farms), and blaze powder maybe. Alchemists are kind of a niche class, but if you need a rare block, they offer a way to get it. The glass recipe made more sense when you could mass produce things more quickly, as it offered a very fast way to smelt, still it's not a particularly useful recipe

 

[XenZan]

As an alchemist, I mostly used transmuteore, but the interesting recipes IMO are chiseled stone brick, endstone, mycelium, ice, lilypads (nice for farms), and blaze powder maybe. Alchemists are kind of a niche class, but if you need a rare block, they offer a way to get it. The glass recipe made more sense when you could mass produce things more quickly, as it offered a very fast way to smelt, still it's not a particularly useful recipe

I definitely agree that some of the recipes are epic, like the End Stone and Chiseled Stone Brick recipes. I can also see how the transmute ore skill could be useful, I was just thinking that the cauldron seemed like a rather important facet of the class, along with transmute. That said, if it worked, and better, if some of the recipes that are basically novelty recipes or really not very efficient could be reworked or even changed altogether, I think it would be even more useful than a niche class.

As it stands (assuming the cauldron were working), they have access to several rare blocks, even though some of the recipes seem a little silly to me, and can transmute relatively common materials into more rare ones.

What about those things in the tutorial area, where there's that5 "Fairy Dust" section of ground that causes a portal effect? What is that? I thought it was really cool, whatever it was xD

Please don't mistake all this as whining or complaining. I'm just trying to be constructive and offer my point of view on all this. Thanks to northeaster for sharing some insight. As an alchemist, have you ever really used some of those recipes? If not, was it because they were unneccesary (as in no one NEEDS X block/material) or just that they were far too complicated/expensive to make for what you'd get from it? Just trying to understand better.

 

[northeaster345]

I've definitely used some of the rare block recipes, such as chiseled stone, mycelium and endstone, since there's no other way (outside of events) to get some of the items. I think the nether items are interesting, but it's simpler just to go to the nether to get the items, and it's very time consuming to use cauldron recipes, as opposed to the old school cauldrons which allowed you to make stacks of items at a time. I think alchemists were too focused on chainmail before as most alchemists only went alchemist to make chainmail, and now that smith has it for cheaper, people left.

I agree that most of the recipes are just too expensive and too time consuming to do as anything other than a last resort.

 

[WitchOnaRampage]

Cauldron recipes are up to date in the Wiki as far as I am aware, except for the bit about cauldrons not actually working ...

I agree the recipes for common blocks seem pointless. I've only used chainmail (for my own purposes, not in bulk) and ice (for a town upgrade - but 12 iron ingots for 2 ice seems a pretty stiff price). There are other ways of getting ice that are far less costly. I don't see the point in having prohibitive costs.

The recipes for level 48 Blazepowder onward were added in Sept this year, so maybe the earlier ones could do with a revamp.

In that thread, Archestro suggested being able to make leather from rotten flesh + slimeballs. I'd like to see fish from a recipe involving clay.

Alchemists also brew potions, btw .

 

[XenZan]

Cauldron recipes are up to date in the Wiki as far as I am aware, except for the bit about cauldrons not actually working ...

I agree the recipes for common blocks seem pointless. I've only used chainmail (for my own purposes, not in bulk) and ice (for a town upgrade - but 12 iron ingots for 2 ice seems a pretty stiff price). There are other ways of getting ice that are far less costly. I don't see the point in having prohibitive costs.

The recipes for level 48 Blazepowder onward were added in Sept this year, so maybe the earlier ones could do with a revamp.

In that thread, Archestro suggested being able to make leather from rotten flesh + slimeballs. I'd like to see fish from a recipe involving clay.

Alchemists also brew potions, btw .

Ah yes, how could I forget that they can, hello, brew potions! xD Thanks for reminding me, lol.
And I generally assume the wiki is more or less up to date. From what I've seen/heard, you do a fantastic job of that (as a side note, I'd actually be interested in helping out with that, if given the chance/information. I do love to organize wikis...)

Okay, so the lv48+ recipes were added recently, and they also happen to be the ones I think are better, heheh. That leather idea would be amazing, considering cows are virtually extinct if you aren't a farmer (and prices on leather are higher than chain? xD), and that fish idea is neat. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who thinks some of the recipes just aren't ever worth using

I've definitely used some of the rare block recipes, such as chiseled stone, mycelium and endstone, since there's no other way (outside of events) to get some of the items. I think the nether items are interesting, but it's simpler just to go to the nether to get the items, and it's very time consuming to use cauldron recipes, as opposed to the old school cauldrons which allowed you to make stacks of items at a time. I think alchemists were too focused on chainmail before as most alchemists only went alchemist to make chainmail, and now that smith has it for cheaper, people left.

I agree that most of the recipes are just too expensive and too time consuming to do as anything other than a last resort.

I'm not familiar with the time required to use the cauldron (or the time required for the old cauldron, for that matter). Could you explain?

 

[Goonswarm]

Kainzo said a fix was in the testing phase. Who knows how far away that is.

 

[northeaster345]

Cauldron recipes are up to date in the Wiki as far as I am aware, except for the bit about cauldrons not actually working ...

I agree the recipes for common blocks seem pointless. I've only used chainmail (for my own purposes, not in bulk) and ice (for a town upgrade - but 12 iron ingots for 2 ice seems a pretty stiff price). There are other ways of getting ice that are far less costly. I don't see the point in having prohibitive costs.

The recipes for level 48 Blazepowder onward were added in Sept this year, so maybe the earlier ones could do with a revamp.

In that thread, Archestro suggested being able to make leather from rotten flesh + slimeballs. I'd like to see fish from a recipe involving clay.

Alchemists also brew potions, btw .

I like the leather idea!

 

[Kainzo]

GiantBeardedFace can give you ETAs / updates on the fix - we're writing it into Heroes.

 

[leftovers5]

Earlier I suggested that alchemists be able to create zombie/skeleton/creeper heads for decently expensive materials. I agree with a lot that has been suggested here, as well.