UO Second Age

Here is the closest stratics page I could find to Nov 1999: http://web.archive.org/web/199910040452 ... easure.htm

Supposedly, 100 Cartography is required to decode a level 5 map, according to this page.

However:

The Lockpicking and Detect Hidden skill requirements are as follows*:

Level One: 35% Lockpicking
Level Two: 80% Lockpicking OR 50-60% Lockpicking and Detect Hidden required
Level Three: 100% Lockpicking OR 70-90% Lockpicking and 40-60% Detect Hidden required
Level Four: 80-90% Lockpicking and 50-60% Detect Hidden required
Level Five: 95% Lockpicking and Detect Hidden required (being at 100% really helps though)

Currently, 100 Lockpicking is required on our shard to pick a level 5 chest... and 0 Detect Hidden is required.

In February of 2000, http://web.archive.org/web/200003121042 ... easure.htm, we see this:

Skill required to open a treasure chest
Map Level Lockpicking only Lockpicking & Detect Hidden
1 35 LP --
2 70 LP 50-70 LP and some DH
3 80 LP 70-80 LP and 40-50 DH
4 90 LP 80-90 LP and 50-60 DH
5 100 LP 90-100 LP and 60 DH

So if we're following these pages on cartography requirements, then you either need 95% detect hidden to open a level 5 chest, or you can do it with 90 LP and 60 DH.

Additionally, in both links, we are told that 10-15 monsters spawn upon digging up a level 5 chest.

Here is info from the October 13, 1999 archive of uo.stratics.com/thb (http://web.archive.org/web/200009010214 ... s.com/thb/)

World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200010110031 ... /faq.shtml

World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200012061759 ... pure.shtml

Mention of insta-rez for time period context: http://web.archive.org/web/200012070109 ... pure.shtml

Creatures don't appear to spawn a range of maps, but typically just one level: http://web.archive.org/web/200012070401 ... vels.shtml

And here is Feb, 2000, still saying World maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200010110031 ... /faq.shtml

This quote here seems pretty relevant too:
"With the addition of UO:R, the skill will be difficulty-based...meaning that the higher your skill level..."

Thanks much for this research and the impressive finding. We will be fixing this very soon.

It's shocking that this hasn't been brought up before now.

Thanks Mike, great find.

Great job Mike, so I will be able to finish my TH...I was already ready to settle for lvl 4s and below.

I would also like to add, I made another post about this but here is something from the above links

THB wrote:Notes on the spawn: All chests, except Level Ones, will have an initial spawn of FOUR MONSTERS

Lvl 1s should not have guardian spawn, this also corresponds how it is possible to have 0 monsters on a lvl 1 with the chart that says 0-5 monsters

poogoblin wrote:Great job Mike, so I will be able to finish my TH...I was already ready to settle for lvl 4s and below.

With the map renaming, how do you tell if it is a level 4, unless you had a stack before the last patch.

Derrick wrote:This quote here seems pretty relevant too:
"With the addition of UO:R, the skill will be difficulty-based...meaning that the higher your skill level..."

Thanks much for this research and the impressive finding. We will be fixing this very soon.

It's shocking that this hasn't been brought up before now.

Here is something to back up your quote Derrick, found this from the April link for T2A stratics.

stratics wrote: Next you can actually start working on your skill. All maps, Detail, Regional, Sea and World raise skill equally from what I have seen. So just make Detail maps because they sell for the least. This will make it so the mapmaker runs out of money slower.

Great job finding this stuff Mike. I don't have the time at the moment, but could somebody to a bit of research on:

As your skill reaches the upper levels, start wearing gloves while you work on LP. The higher the AR of the golves, the harder it is to pick the lock.

I was always under the impression that this was a rumor at best, and had no actual impact on the rate you gained lockpicking.

Sum_Mors wrote:Great job finding this stuff Mike. I don't have the time at the moment, but could somebody to a bit of research on:

As your skill reaches the upper levels, start wearing gloves while you work on LP. The higher the AR of the golves, the harder it is to pick the lock.

I was always under the impression that this was a rumor at best, and had no actual impact on the rate you gained lockpicking.

This is accurate, and implemented on Second Age

Sum_Mors wrote:Great job finding this stuff Mike. I don't have the time at the moment, but could somebody to a bit of research on:

As your skill reaches the upper levels, start wearing gloves while you work on LP. The higher the AR of the golves, the harder it is to pick the lock.

I was always under the impression that this was a rumor at best, and had no actual impact on the rate you gained lockpicking.

Someone mentioned seeing this work for Remove Traps... I've tested it with plate gloves on my lockpicker and I didn't notice anything. I feel like I open a level 4 chest maybe 1 out of 4 tries at 97 lockpicking or whatever I was at... and I saw about the same success rate with plate gloves on as I did with no gloves. My intent was to make it "harder" to open the chest, thus potentially have a higher chance to gain skill. However, after probably 100 chests with the plate gloves on, it seemed like the success rate was the same with or without them. So if they have some impact, it's probably minor.

Mikel123 wrote:World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200010110031 ... /faq.shtml

World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200012061759 ... pure.shtml

"We believe it to be something like this:

* Detail maps to 65
* Regional maps to 72
* Sea charts to 85
* World maps to GM

However, no one knows for sure. "

lol @ "However, no one knows for sure." The other reference also states "This is a VERY rough guide to what maps to make:" implying you could GM cartography from world maps. Are we really going to implement this because of a guide created by guesstimate?

The guy who wrote that guide probably never GMed cartography, but had the desire to create an educated guess guide to help other thunters. I don't see how you can use those mediocre references as a basis for implementation after you've shot down other references that followed this same criteria.

Two things. One, Derrick's quote about how it was not a difficulty-based skill until UO:R is pretty much the nail in the coffin of your argument. But second, for the sake of argument, I read this as saying the ideal numbers are uncertain. I.E., if the quote was:

"We believe it to be something like this:

* Blade Spirits to 65
* Energy Bolt to 72
* Flamestrike to 85
* Earthquake to GM

However, no one knows for sure. "

In the same vein, I'd say they're unsure about whether you switch to ebolt at 72 or 70 or 74.

You completely misread the guide.

He clearly states that, at the time the guide was written, you could gain cartography from 0 to 100 by making any map. The numbers for gaining in the guide are a rogue estimate of what he believes will be implemented in a system that did not exist yet.

Edit: I worded it wrong. He was describing a UO:R system that had JUST been implemented, not something that was about to happen. But the point remains that in T2A, cartography was not difficulty based, so making maps could still take you to GM skill.

Sorry, that's what I meant, I think we're in agreement. The non-difficulty-based nature of it means it's like hiding or Item ID, right? Just simple repetition all the way to GM.

hiicha wrote:

Mikel123 wrote:World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200010110031 ... /faq.shtml

World Maps can take you to GM: http://web.archive.org/web/200012061759 ... pure.shtml

"We believe it to be something like this:

* Detail maps to 65
* Regional maps to 72
* Sea charts to 85
* World maps to GM

However, no one knows for sure. "

lol @ "However, no one knows for sure." The other reference also states "This is a VERY rough guide to what maps to make:" implying you could GM cartography from world maps. Are we really going to implement this because of a guide created by guesstimate?

The guy who wrote that guide probably never GMed cartography, but had the desire to create an educated guess guide to help other thunters. I don't see how you can use those mediocre references as a basis for implementation after you've shot down other references that followed this same criteria.

Again it is posted many places that cartography wasn't difficulty based, so in reality detail maps could take you GM cart