Miscellaneous: Fletching changes in September 1999 era

[Dolalin]

From this post sourced from the Guide forums and saved on eqbards, regarding changes in the patch that week:

Date: Tue Sep 14 17:24:25 BST 1999


- Normal arrows (item 8005) have had their range reduced from 50 to 25. This is because fletched arrows are range 50 and a
flectcher making his own arrows should have better arrows than generic storebought ones. No other arrows were affected

-The Fletching kit now has 8 slots. This is to allow more items added into the process to make new bows.

https://github.com/dbsanfte/eq-archi...html/6479.html

The changes are backed up by patch messages in this newsgroup post:

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/cO8XvgUuxBMJ

From this newsgroup post, the Fletching Kits were originally 4 slots:

For a time, I
carried one for a strictly role-playing aspect, but have
since replaced it with the Fletching kit. Both have 4 slots
to hold 80 arrows and both function equally well.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/NEw5IJ1pvmkJ

Finally there seems to have been a bug in archery for quite a long time that meant that arrow and bow ranges didn't add properly. I will do this one in its own thread though because it seems complicated.

[Dolalin]

I'll post the whole additional patch message because it has a few other things:

9/14/99

September 14th, 3:00pm
----------------------
Trade Skills:
- Tailoring: More items have been added to the trade skill. The
instructions on how to make the new items were also added. The
difficulty of some tailor-made items was lowered making them easier to
produce. New patterns now exist t round out the tailor-made items.
- Brewing: New liquor can now be made. The instructions are hinted at
in the game.
- Pottery: The Mortar and Pestle is now droppable and Vials are now
stackable
- Bowyer: More slots have been added to the Fletching Kit. Dual-cam
bows have been added.
- Fletching: The range of normal store-bought arrows has been reduced.
Players may now make a cheaper more effective arrow with the fletching
skill. Nock vendors now sell all arrow components.
Items:
- Lustrous Russet Armor, the Hero Bracer, Order of Thunder and the Box
of Abu-Kar have been returned to their previous statistics.

So, the dual cam bows were not craftable before this patch.

Also, it seems before this patch, there were only two merchants in EQ that sold the full range of fletching supplies, one in Kelethin and one in Surefall Glade, although they didn't sell fletching kits. The other fletching merchants scattered around Norrath only sold nocks, fletching kits, and storebought arrows:

8/14/99

There are only two places in the entire game where you can get
arrow-making components: Kelethin and Surefall Glade.

---
8/14/99

jason <ja...@dhp.com> sez:
> I thought one of the huts in the East Commonlands (I seem to
>remember it being the furthest west cluster of huts) had a merchant who
>sold arrow pieces. I'll see if I can go find that tonight.

The vendor you're thinking of is what we Fletchers derisively refer
to as a "nock vendor". Whichever verant employee came up with the idea of
having a vendor that sells only nocks should be taken out and beaten. The
only use that a nock vendor has is (A) They sell the fletching kits (which
you can't get off the vendors of either fletching or bowyering components);
and (B) they sell cheap arrows for those who have bows but no access to
fletching materials.

---

8/14/99

kyle...@nospam.fuse.net (Kyle) sez:
>Umm actually your wrong. Another spot is in East Commons, and is in a
>building, and in in the northern half of zone. Anymore detail would be
>a spoiler and I do not do spoilers.

No, I'm not wrong.

Trust me. I moderate the Fletching message board on Stratics.
This is a frequently axed question in that board. The vendor you're
talking about is between the two orc camps on the far northwestern portion
of the East Commonlands zone. That's the only vendor near Freeport that
sells anything even vaguely resembling fletching components.

Repeat after me: There are only TWO vendors in ALL of Norrath who
sell the FULL range of arrow-making components. There are Lots(tm) of
vendors who sell nocks, kits, and a few other archery supplies, but the
items that they sell do NOT constitute the full range of fletching
equipment.

To make an arrow, you must have an arrowpoint, a shaft, a
fletch/vane, and a nock. Once again, repeat after me: There are only TWO
merchants in ALL of Norrath who sell arrowpoints, shafts, and
fletchs/vanes. One is in Surefall Glade. The other is in Kelethin.

Fletchers from every server, from level 1 to level 50, have scoured
the lands looking for other vendors that sell the full range of arrowmaking
components. Currently, there ain't any. Maybe we'll get lucky and Verant
will put another fletching vendor or two elsewhere on the map. But until
then there are only (choral response) TWO vendors in ALL of Norrath who
sell the FULL range of arrow-making components.

This has been a public service announcement.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/YWxj6uJQwSIJ

[Dolalin]

Looks like the fletching vendors in Grobb, Oggok and Neriak were indeed nock vendors and you could buy fletching kits from them until this patch.

Verant has removed the fletching kits from Oggok, Grobb and Neriak.
That's why he asked for it I bet. Verant gives the evil races arrow
components and yet takes away the fletching kits.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/ZsGWwsw0KOoJ

[Dolalin]

Ah cool. Here's a newsgroup thread that goes into great details about all of this.

1) The nock vendors also sold quivers.

2) You could actually make two cam bows before this patch but it was pointless:

Previously, it was useless to make a 2-Cam bow because a 2-Cam
bow required 2 cams, a bow staff, and a string. The bow that was
produced had the identical stats as a bow made with 1 cam and a
planing tool, using the same type of bowstaff and string as above.
And the planing tool is (IIRC) around 20-30pp cheaper than a cam.

With the new 8-slot fletching kits, you can now make bows
using 2 cams *and* a planing tool. So now the fastest bow in the game
is no longer the Carved Silk-Stringed Elmwood bow (DMG 10, DLY 39),
but is instead the Shaped 2-Cam Silk-Stringed Oakwood bow (DMG 15, DLY
38).

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/3IDPxQONy6AJ

[Dolalin]

More about what nock merchants sold, this one in Kithicor:

He's a Nock merchant. He sells basic arrows, two kinds of bow, three kinds of
nock, and a fletching kit.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/3IDPxQONy6AJ

[Dolalin]

Arrow and bow ranges might be simpler than I thought. I think they just didn't "add" until this patch, you just got the highest of the two:

And keep in mind that with the arrow range being "nerfed" that bow and arrow combinations
*still* have more than than they did three months ago (when arrow range was not factored
at all). Three months ago an ash bow shot to 100, period. On test server it shoots to
125 with "nerfed" arrows. It is my understanding that they intended to balance the two
simultaneously by reducing store bought arrow range and at the same time making ranges
additive, with a net effect of evening out. But since they did this (dumbly) in a
staggered fashion, it's now perceived as a "fix" followed by a "nerf".

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/3IDPxQONy6AJ

[Dolalin]

Actually it may have been super simple. Arrow range just wasn't factored in at all:

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/txhXZm89sOgJ

This might require client side changes though so I'll concentrate on the other stuff.

[Dolalin]

Slight sidetrack on this - found that Fletching combines only yielded 1 arrow at a time until June 7th, 1999:

Fletching - When fletching arrows, they will be produced in sets of 5, instead of 1.

http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/19990607.html

[Dolalin]

Here are the conditions of the fletching vendors pre-patch as best I can discern them, based on multiple sources including this pre-patch Fletching Supplies list:

https://web.archive.org/web/20000202...fletching.html

Grobb (Zazhar)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Oggok (Praak)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Felwithe (Merchant Longarrow)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Ak'Anon (clockwork bowyer)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

East Commons (Joryd Longarms)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

East Karana (Bryan)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Feerott (Fugla)

Bowyer standard loadout

• Small, medium, large nocks
• Hickory, elm, ash, oak, and darkwood bow staves
• Whittling blade
• Planing tool
• Standard bow cam
• Hemp twine
• Linen and silk string
• A Bowyers Guide

Halas (Rain)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Kaladim (Alanury Stormhammer)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Kelethin (Merchant Tiladnya)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Kelethin (Merchant Tiladnya)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Kelethin (Merchant Sylnis)

Bowyer standard loadout

• Small, medium, large nocks
• Hickory, elm, ash, oak, and darkwood bow staves
• Whittling blade
• Planing tool
• Standard bow cam
• Hemp twine
• Linen and silk string
• A Bowyers Guide

Kelethin (Merchant Lanin)

Full arrow/fletching loadout

• Field point, Hooked, Silver Tipped arrowheads
• Wooden, Bone, Ceramic, Steel arrow shafts
• Round cut, Parabolic cut, Shield cut fletchings
• Wooden, Bone, Ceramic arrow vanes
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Fletching book

Kithicor Forest (Krile Arrowsmith)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Neriak (Dianax C'Luzz)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Qeynos (Danon Fletcher)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

South Karana (Ulan Meadowgreen)

Bowyer limited loadout

• Small, medium, large nocks
• Hickory, elm, ash, and oak bow staves
• Whittling blade
• Planing tool
• Standard bow cam
• Hemp twine
• Linen and silk string
• A Bowyers Guide

Surefall Glade (Tonsia)

Bowyer standard loadout

• Small, medium, large nocks
• Hickory, elm, ash, oak, and darkwood bow staves
• Whittling blade
• Planing tool
• Standard bow cam
• Hemp twine
• Linen and silk string
• A Bowyers Guide

Surefall Glade (Liviam T'Lant, Jarse Kedison)

Full arrow/fletching loadout

• Field point, Hooked, Silver Tipped arrowheads
• Wooden, Bone, Ceramic, Steel arrow shafts
• Round cut, Parabolic cut, Shield cut fletchings
• Wooden, Bone, Ceramic arrow vanes
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Fletching book

West Karana (Brenzl McMannus)

"Nock merchant" standard loadout

• Fletching kit
• Small, medium, large nocks
• Bows (Hunting Bow, Longbow)
• Arrows (the 8c kind)
• Quiver

Misc Sources:

On Tue, 27 Jul 1999 01:56:36 GMT, dfra...@email.com (Dennis Francis
Heffernan) wrote:
|On Tue, 27 Jul 1999 00:43:18 GMT, "James M. O'Hara" <james...@home.com>
|wrote:
|
||Ok I just checked again, it was in Grobb, not Oggok- I get the two mixed
||up cuz I don't play many characters there. Outside the shop that has
||leather and plate, before the sk guild, there's a merchant that sells
||some fletching stuff
|
| I'm going to look, and I'll bet he has fletching kits, three types of
|nocks, and nothing else.
|
| Vendors like that are all over the place, and they're totally useless.

And having created a Troll and looked, I found precisely that. Fletching
kits and nocks; no bowstaves, no strings, no tools, no shafts, no points, no
fletches or vanes.

Useless.

But he will sell you basic (overpriced) arrows and (POS) bows.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/4iUmbIK1nJcJ

Marc Fuller <MarcF...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:37D8FF0E...@worldnet.att.net...

>
> Now, if someone could just find a Dark Elf-friendly merchant that sells
> arrow-making supplies...

Try Grobb after the next patch. On the test server, the merchant to the left
of the weapon and armor shop who only sold a couple of bows and arrows was
recently upgraded to carry lots of fletching supplies.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/DwgsNlGQfasJ

The ogre in Oggok that used to sell just arrows and nocks now sells all
necessary components to make arrows. He does not sell the kits though.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/kOWo9Ofi_dUJ

Der's a ogre dat sell nocks and quivers and stuff in Oggok! Name is Praak
and he in dat little stone tower 'bout halfway into da zone frum da
Feerrott. He up in da tower.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/kC28zOTwTWEJ

[Dolalin]

Correction to the above post. Before the January 20th 2000 patch, "Silver Tipped Arrowheads" were called "Bladed Arrowheads", and the arrows their recipes yielded were non-magical and only came in stacks of 5, not 10.

*Fletching Update*

All arrows created with the new Silver-Tipped Arrowhead (formerly the Bladed Arrowhead) are now magical in nature, and may be used versus magical creatures. All existing items in your possession will automatically morph into the new magical items. Additionally, each successful attempt to create magical arrows will yield 10 arrows instead of the previous 5. As such, the vendor buy-back value has been decreased accordingly.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.game...m/GDyzC4OScIoJ