Artisan FAQ

[Aedales]

The information in this FAQ was complied and adapted from the information provided by Mistress Aerea for the SWGEmu Community.

The guide is broken into the following sections:


● The Basics
● Crafting
● Resources
● Harvesters & Factories
● What To Grind
● Vendors
● The Art of Artisan, or, The Craft of Artisan (puns intended )
● Macros

The Basics

What is an artisan?
Artisan is one of the six starting professions. Any character can become an artisan. If you did not start as one, you can still train in novice artisan by conversing with an artisan trainer NPC. An artisan's primary responsibility is to craft items and gather resources for the player-based economy in SWG. The profession is a prerequisite for the specialized crafting professions of Architect, Armorsmith, Chef, Droid Engineer, Merchant, Tailor, Weaponsmith, and Shipwright.

What characters are best for artisan?
Your artisan can be any race, but sampling relies on your character's action, stamina, and quickness. If you plan on doing extensive hand sampling, you will want a species with high action stats. You can adjust your starting statistics using stat migration in the tutorial (takes effect immediately) or after your character enters the game (with the assistance of an Image Designer) to max out action. Some species also have innate bonuses to certain crafting abilities. These are listed below:

• Human - Artisan Experimentation +15
  Rodian - Weapon Assembly +10
  Mon Calimari - Weapon Assembly +10; Structure Assembly +10
  Ithorian - Chassis Assembly +10; Shield Assembly +10; Advanced Assembly +10
  Sullustan - Engine Assembly +10; Booster Assembly +10

How do I become an artisan?
Any character can become an artisan. If you did not start as one, you can still train in novice artisan by conversing with an artisan trainer NPC. After gaining enough experience, you can get training from other players trained in artisan or artisan trainer NPCs.

Where Can I find NPC trainers?
You can find NPC artisan trainers in many guild halls in NPC cities and in many player cities. Here is a list of NPC city locations:

Code: Select all

Tatooine - Bestine /waypoint -1265 -3559
Tatooine - Bestine /waypoint -1167 -3490
Tatooine - Mos Eisley /waypoint 3447 -4702
Tatooine - Mos Eisley /waypoint 3504 -4809
Tatooine - Mos Entha /waypoint 1334 3488
Tatooine - Mos Entha /waypoint 1561 3079
Tatooine - Mos Entha /waypoint 1325 3139
Tatooine - Mos Entha /waypoint 1273 3151
Tatooine - Mos Espa /waypoint -2888 2143
Tatooine - Mos Espa /waypoint -2826 1994
Tatooine - Wayfar /waypoint -5274 -6547
Talus - Dearic /waypoint 500 -3043
Talus - Dearic /waypoint 459 -3070
Talus - Nashal /waypoint 4518 5230
Talus - Nashal /waypoint 4410 5309
Rori - Narmle /waypoint -5160 -2325
Rori - Narmle /waypoint -5200 -2323
Rori - Restuss /waypoint 5237 5687
Rori - Restuss /waypoint 5256 5600
Naboo - Deeja City /waypoint 4715 -1393
Naboo - Kaadara /waypoint 5177 6692
Naboo - Kaadara /waypoint 5182 6686
Naboo - Keren /waypoint 2005 2483
Naboo - Keren /waypoint 1751 2613
Naboo - Keren /waypoint 1524 2782
Naboo - Moenia /waypoint 4821 -4704
Naboo - Moenia /waypoint 4926 -4779
Naboo - Moenia /waypoint 4800 -4734
Naboo - Theed /waypoint -5993 4286
Naboo - Theed /waypoint -5369 4108
Naboo - Theed /waypoint -4946 4131
Corellia - Bela Vistal /waypoint 6756 -5655
Corellia - Bela Vistal /waypoint 6707 -5510
Corellia - Coronet /waypoint -145 -4389
Corellia - Coronet /waypoint -187 -4700
Corellia - Doaba Guerfel /waypoint 3311 5530
Corellia - Doaba Guerfel /waypoint 3160 5042
Corellia - Doaba Guerfel /waypoint 3195 4967
Corellia - Kor Vella /waypoint -3164 2791
Corellia - Kor Vella /waypoint -3417 3169
Corellia - Tyrena /waypoint -5417 -2756
Corellia - Tyrena /waypoint -5300 -2383
Corellia - Tyrena /waypoint -5081 -2307

[Aedales]

Crafting

How do I make things?
First you will need resources (covered in the following section). Once you have those, look for the a crafting tool in your inventory and double-click it. (You can also drag it to your hotbar.) As an artisan, you will start with a Generic Crafting Tool. If you don't have one, buy one or ask another artisan to craft one for you. This is what you will use to craft. Crafting tools also come in other types, but you won't need those until you reach a specialized crafting profession. You might want to pick up (or craft) a "Weapon, Droid, and General Item Crafting Tool," as that will allow you to experiment on your creations. but more on that later.

Once the window for the tool opens, choose the item you would like to craft. There are tabs to switch to different categories of items. On the right hand side of the screen you will see a list of required ingredients. You will need these ingredients in your inventory to be able to craft the item. Once you're ready, click next and a new window will open.

This is where you assemble the item. On the left hand side of the screen you should see the organics and inorganics from your inventory, and in the middle are two slots that need filling. You can drag-and-drop the organics/inorganics into the slots from your resource stacks, or double-click a stack to make the required amount of resources jump into a slot. Note that you can't put different types of resources into one slot: they must be identical.

Click "Assemble" and the game will ask if you really want to do this. On the last stage you can rename the item, which can be quite amusing but is not necessary. There will now be a pause while you wait for the Generic Crafting Tool to manufacture the item and put it in your inventory. You will get a message when it's finished, and you should then have the finished item in your inventory. Congratulations, you just made your first item and earned some general crafting experience points, which are used in gaining artisan skills.

How do I experiment on my creations?
The Generic crafting tool does not allow you to experiment to try to improve an item's features. To experiment, you'll need to use a specialized crafting tool and be positioned near a crafting station.

What are "specialized crafting tools?"
A specialized crafting tool is a device that is specific to the type of item you want to create. Some complex items can only be crafted with a specialized crafting tool. They come in the following varieties:

• Food and Chemical
  Clothing and Armor
  Structure and Furniture
  Weapon, Droid, and General Item

Why don't some schematics show up in my crafting tool?
An item's complexity determines the tool(s) you need to craft that item:

• 0 -15: Generic crafting tool
  16-20: Specialized crafting tool
  21-25: Specialized crafting tool and public crafting station
  26+: Specialized crafting tool and private crafting station

Example: You've just made it to Engineering IV in the Artisan profession, and you want to craft a Personal Chemical Extractor. This item has a complexity of 18, so your Generic Crafting Tool won't be sufficient -- you'll have to buy (or make) and use the specialized Structure and Furniture Crafting Tool to make this item. More complex items will require you to use a specialized crafting tool and stand next to an appropriate crafting station.

What is a crafting stating?
A crafting station is a large machine that allows you to craft items of higher complexity and experiment on those items. They can be found in NPC cities, or can be crafted and placed in player-owned structures. There is a crafting station corresponding to each of the specialized crafting tools (i.e. Food and Chemical; Clothing and Armor; Structure and Furniture; Weapon, Droid, and General Item).

How do I use crafting stations?
To use public and private crafting stations, just stand next to one and use the similar type of specialized crafting tool. (You don't need to have the crafting station targeted.)

What's the difference between public and private crafting stations?
Public crafting stations are located (surprise!) in public. You'll usually see them near marketplaces in cities. A private crafting station is purchased and can be stored in your inventory like other objects, then dropped in a house and used like a public crafting station. When you're ready to craft items of complexity 26 or above, or if you just want the convenience of having crafting stations in your home, buy the kind of private crafting station you want from a player or from the Bazaar, bring it to your home and drop it where you want it.

Why does it say there's already something in the hopper when I try to craft?
You crafted something and your inventory was too full to hold it. First, clear inventory space for your new item. Next, click and hold on the icon for the tool. Move the cursor up to 'Start Crafting' and wait for the box to appear that says 'Remove item from output hopper'. Click on this choice and the item should find its way to your inventory. You are now free to craft another item.

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Resources

How do I get resources to craft with?
The vast majority of resources come from one of two sources: sampling and creatures. Sampling resources is a way to "extract" a resource from the environment and is a skill unique to artisans. Getting resources from creatures, is a skill unique to scouts and rangers - it also requires a dead animal. Your best bet as a beginning artisan is to sample your own resources, but you can also acquire resources from other players.

How do I sample for resources?
All artisans have a /sample command. This command allows you to extract resources from the environment. Once you find a resource you want to sample in a high concentration, just type "/sample" and your character will get to work. There are two mini-games that will sometimes pop up, but besides that, sampling is a boring task. Most people choose to macro it, which is discussed later.

How do I find resources to sample?
Before sampling, you must locate the resource you'd like to get. You do this with a survey tool. There are a number of different survey tools, each corresponding to a specific resource type (i.e. mineral, chemical, organic, wind, solar, water, etc.). You will need to use the appropriate tool from your inventory or hotbar. If you do not have a tool, you will need to buy one, craft one, or get one from another player.

Upon first use of the tool, you will be asked to select a range. Select the highest range, and open the tool again. You will see an overhead map on the left and a list of available resources on the right. Select a resource that looks good, and click "survey." In a few seconds, if the resource was found in your vicinity, the map will update with a array of percentages. These represent the concentration of that particular resource in the area. A waypoint will also be created, pointing you to the highest concentration. Move to the waypoint, and repeat the survey. In this fashion you can find the highest concentration of resources, which will give you the most return for your sampling efforts. If the resource was not found in your area you will get the message, "Resource not found." In this case, you will either need to pick a different resource, or move to a new area. Once you find a resource and a high concentration, you are set to sample?

How do I get more resources?
As you sample, you will gain sampling XP and you will be able to train in surveying skills. the higher skills you have in surveying, the more resources you will be able to extract per sample. It will also allow you to survey at a greater range (if you update your tool settings).

An alternative way to gather resources, is to set up harvesters, which is covered in detail later in this guide. I recommended going to your local bazaar and buying a Wind Turbine and two Mineral Extractors. Make sure that these have a high base extraction rate, that way you maximize the amount of resources that this type of harvester can pull. Use the wind turbine to get energy to run your mineral extractors, and use the mineral extractors to get resources to craft with.

Why can't I find a particular resource?
Resources spawn in differing concentrations and on select planets. If you cannot find a resource you need, try moving to a different location or planet. Resources also change from time to time (usually every few weeks), and not all resources are always "in spawn."

[Aedales]

Harvesters & Factories

What are harvesters and factories?
Harvesters and factories are player-owned structures that can automate much of the tedious work that goes into crafting. Harvesters collect resources, while factories produce finished items.

How do harvesters work?
Harvesters come in the form of a deed, which can be crafted by artisans. Once you find a high concentration of a particular resource, you can place a harvester on it by double clicking the deed. Once placed, you will need to supply your harvester with credits and power (except for wind and solar, which harvest power). Then select the desired resource and turn on the harvester. As long as he harvester is supplied with power, maintenance, and the resource stays in spawn it will automatically collect resources for you.

What types of harvesters are there?
There are harvesters for each major type of resource type, corresponding to the survey tools. There are also different "levels" of harvesters: personal, medium, and heavy (of most). The higher the level, the more power and credits the harvester consumes, but the more resources it will pull.

I finally got my first harvester, but I can't place it anywhere. What do I do?
Move farther away from cities, lairs, and structures. Also, it is difficult to place harvesters on sloped terrain. It might take a while to find a spot.

I put too many credits into my harvester's or factory's maintenance fund. Is there a way to get some of them back?
No, however when you redeed the harvester, all additional power and maintenance (after the redeed cost) will remain in the harvester for the next time you use it.

How do I survey for a fusion reactor? Is there a special survey tool?
Fusion reactors require radioactive material, which can be found using a normal mineral survey tool. Radioactive material will show up in its own category.

Does potential energy matter when powering and factories? How does it work?
All energy is not the same. Potential energy below 500 gives no bonus, and thus the quantity of power you are holding is equal to the energy you will be able to add to your extractors. When you have power with a potential energy over 500, you can work out how much energy you can add by using this equation:

• ( potential energy / 500 ) * quantity held

So for example, if you held 28893 units of radioactive energy with a potential energy attribute of 623, the amount you could add to your extractors is:

• ( 623 / 500 ) * 28893 = 36000

Is there a set formula to find out how much resources can be harvested in one day?
The rate given by the harvesters (i.e. "2 kg") is in units per minute. So personals 2 / minute, medium 4 / minute, heavy 7 / minute. 1440 minutes in a day. So personal 2880 units / day, medium 5760 units / day, heavy 10080 units / day. This is on a 100% spot, for smaller percentages multiply by the fraction you find. So if you land on a 58% spot it's 2880 * 58 / 100 for personal harvester or 1670.4 units per day.

What types of factories are there?
There are 4 types of factories, which correspond to the specialized crafting tools:

• Structural - structure and furniture
  Wearable - clothing and armor
  Food - food and chemical
  Equipment - weapon, droid, and general item

How do factories work?
Factories come in the form of a deed, which can be crafted by architects. These can be placed anywhere a regular structure could be. Once placed, you will need to supply your factory with credits, power, resources to craft with, and a draft schematic. The resources must be the exact same as used to create your drafts schematic and of appropriate quantity to craft what you desire. Put the resources in the input hopper and the schematic in the schematic slot. Once loaded, turn on the harvester. As long as he harvester is supplied with power, maintenance, and resources it will produce items for you. You will receive an email once the factory is finished or has run out of a resource.

How do I get a draft schematic?
In order to create a draft schematic, you need to craft an item with a specialized crafting tool while standing next to a crafting station. Before crafting completes, you will be asked if you would like to create a prototype or a draft schematic. Select draft schematic, and it will be added to your datapad for use in a factory.

My output hopper is empty!
This is a known bug. Just close your game client and log back in. Your items should reappear.

How do I open the output hopper of a running factory?
When you get to the radial menu you will see the main "Options" menu. Click on this menu and not on any of the sub-items.

What To Grind

What is the most efficient way to grind general crafting XP?
In general, the rule is the more resources and item takes, the more XP you will get. In practice, however, some items are more "complex" to assemble. Even though they grant more XP, they also take more time. You will want to experiment to find what works best for you.

One popular method is to grind mineral survey devices all the way to Engineering IV. Once you have Engineering IV, grind wind turbines for the rest.

Can I speed up grinding in any way?
Make sure to select "Practice mode" from the crafting screen when crafting. This will give you a boost in XP and keep your inventory from filling up.

How do I grind survey XP?
The best way to grind survey XP is to find the highest concentration of resources you can. Something in the high 80s or low 90s is particularly good. Settle in, and survey away until you have enough XP to train.

Are there macros to help with grinding?
Yes. They are in the macro section of this guide.

[Aedales]

Vendors

What is a vendor?
A vendor is a player placed terminal or NPC, which allows the owner to sell items to other players without having to met in person. Vendors can only be placed in player structures in which you are on the admin or vendor list.

How do I get a vendor?
To acquire a vendor, you must progress up the Business Skill three to get to Business III where you will get access to your first vendor. This isn't much to look at, a big bulky affair that looks rather like a Coke Machine, but it functions quite nicely. You will gain the ability to place an additional style of vendor with the Business IV skill.

To place a vendor, go to the structure management terminal in a house you have admin or vendor rights on. Select "Create a Vendor" from the terminal and progress through the options. (Alternatively, you can use the /createvendor command.) A vendor will be placed in your inventory. Move to the location you would like your vendor to occupy and "drop" it form your inventory. If the vendor is not where you like, pick it up and reposition until it is in the correct spot. You can also rotate vendors with the /rotate command.

How do I use a vendor?
Once you have the vendor position where you want, click on it and select Initialze. This function locks the vendor into place and makes it ready to accept sales from you. Once this is done you can place some maintenance into the vendor (the costs of the vendor will depend on your skill level but the base cost is 15 credits per hour). The next thing to do is click on the "Use Vendor" which will bring up the vendor interface.

The default screen is the For Sale screen. This will list all the items you have for sale on your vendor. The first thing you will notice is that there is nothing listed (even if You have previously listed things for sale) don't panic. The vendor interface doesn't load the items by default to increase speed. Hit refresh or change the category and it will come right up. The second thing you will probably notice is that at the top left are four zones (Galaxy, Planet, Region, Vendor ) selecting one of these allows you to see items not only on the vendor you are currently accessing but any of your vendors in the galaxy depending on the zone you pick. This defaults to the regional view and all vendors in the immediate area that belong to you will be shown. This can be very confusing when stocking or retrieving items or handling offers. Be careful that you have the vendor on the right zone before performing. Do not fear, your customers only see the items on the vendor they are looking at. You are the only one who has access to the other zones. At the bottom right is a button named "Sell an Item" click it and it will bring up a dialog with your inventory shown on the right side. You may pick something from your inventory. Put in a price and optionally a description and click the "Sell Item" button. The item will go up for sale on your vendor. Congratulations now all you need is a buyer. Items placed for sale are on sale for 30 days. After 30 days they are removed from the for sale section and placed in your stock room. You must retrieve them or put them back up for sale within 30 days or they will be deleted by the vendor.

The other button there beside the "Sell an Item" button is for withdrawing sales. Click on any sales item listed and click withdraw. The item will be placed in your stockroom. (more about that later) The Details button will show you all the particulars about the current item you have highlighted.

The offers tab will show you any items that have been offered for sale by visitors to your vendor. You can double click on the item to see details about it. Click "Buy" to purchase the item and have it put into your stockroom or "Reject" to send an email telling the buyer that you are not interested in purchasing the item. The seller should have 7 days to retrieve the item before it is deleted. No email is generated on an offer. You must check your offers manually to see if you have any. If you are online when the offer is made you will see a system message. No other notification is sent. Items purchased from this tab should go to the stockroom where they can be retrieved or put up for sale.

The stockroom holds items purchased through the offers screen, and items withdrawn from sale (either by your manually or expired by the 30 day timer) The stockroom has a 30 day timer. Anything in the stockroom beyond 30 days is subject to deletion. Be very careful about storing items in your stockroom.

What does the Business line do for me?

Business I: This skill will allow you to put access fees on any house structure that you are the admin on. (Caution if you are not the owner of the structure you won't get the money or any Experience Points generated by this feature those always go to the owner).

Business II: This skill will allow you to place premium auctions on the bazaar for a higher fee than standard auctions. The auctions are flagged to make them stand out more in the bazaar listings and they are sorted at the top of every page.

Business III: This skill will give you access to your first vendor. The vendor will hold 100 items for sale at one time.

Business IV: This is the final stage of Artisan before moving on to Novice Merchant. This will grant you your second type of vendor. You will also receive an additional vendor slot (giving you two total) and an additional 150 items. This brings your total item limit to 250. The 250 items can be set up on your vendors in whatever way you choose. If you want all 250 items on one vendor that is possible, if you want to split up the items on both vendors that works as well.

How do I advance in Business skills?
The business line requires General Crafting XP. General crafting XP can be gained by crafting almost any item granted in the Artisan skill trees.

[Aedales]

The Art of Artisan, or, The Craft of Artisan (puns intended )


How do I make money as an artisan?
This should be relatively easy, since everything an Artisan makes (well almost everything except for those bird cages) are useful to someone. Master Artisans can make vehicles and certain components for other elite artisan professions, which usually sell well. Some artisans make a living just selling resources to other crafters. You can also sell basic Harvesters if you have Engineering IV. Weapon powerups are always popular. Just ask around you would be surprised at what you find out other people are doing.

Should I master artisan?
This is something that gets asked a LOT, I recommend if you are mastering ONE elite artisan profession to master Artisan, if you are doing TWO elite artisan professions you won't have enough skill points for anything else and this can be someone restrictive. Its really a preference issue, if you want to make components for your elite profession that only Master Artisans can make then master this profession, otherwise you can buy the items from someone else.

What are Master Artistan electronic cards and stuff used for?
Several pieces are used for droids, and other specialized crafting projects for the specialized professions. Some of these can also be used in repair tools as optional components.

Droids can serve a number of useful functions for an artisan. Droids can hold crafting stations, which serve as portable on demand crafting stations. Droids can also increase your inventory, which is always a nice feature for crafters.

How do I color text?
Parts of SWG chat, item names, and most store signs use html-syntax color. Use a forward slash ( \ ) followed by a hash sign (#) and the number code. Here are a few examples:

\#FF0000 This is RED
\#00FF00 This is GREEN
\#0000FF This is BLUE


What are artisan missions?
Artisan mission terminals provide players with crafting or surveying missions. Upon the accomplishment of a mission the player receives some credits as a reward and a small amount of General Crafting XP.

Crafting missions are similar to delivery missions given from standard Mission Terminals. But instead of just running from NPC to NPC with an item, you will receive a schematic and components with which you must construct the item you have to deliver with a Generic Crafting Tool.

For a survey mission you have to look for a given density of a certain resource. This can be done by using the appropriate type of resource survey tools. The locations of where the density of the resource is found has to be a certain distance from the place where the mission was received.

[Aedales]

Macros

General Crafting Macro:
To use this macro, place the macro in the F1 slot of one of the toolbars, and place 3 generic crafting tools in the F2, F3 and F4 slots. This will run until you type /dump. A good tip to help save time is to double-click the resources into the slots (its even better if you have a mouse that has a third button for double-clicking).

Code: Select all

/ui action toolbarSlot01; (uses first tool in F2 box)
/selectdraftSchematic 33; 
/pause 5; (this pause gives you time to add in the resources, adjust it as you see fit) 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/pause 2; 
/ui action toolbarSlot02; (uses second tool in F3 box)
/selectdraftSchematic 33; 
/pause 5; 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/pause 2; 
/ui action toolbarSlot03; (uses third tool in the F4 box)
/selectdraftSchematic 33; 
/pause 5; 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/nextC; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/createprototype practice no item; 
/pause 2; 
/ui action toolbarSlot00; (loops macro)

Sampling Macro:

MACRO autosample

Code: Select all

/sample;
/pause 10;
/macro autosample;

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[Aedales]

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[Nikato]

This was amazing, thank you