During a conversation tonight, it really hit home for me just how little cobbling has to offer these days. It used to be that our shoes were mechanically superior (two whole pockets instead of one!), plus we could put a little script on them. Best part was, we didn't have to wait on a GM merchant to drop by. We could just visit the workshop for half an hour and we'd have something we'd be proud of.

Even though I try to keep my prices low, it's been many months since someone has approached me to make them something.

These days, we have no mechanical advantages. Shoes are regularly sold that are nearly identical to what we make, in terms of their mechanical stats. Script sets have been released in the past couple years that have been amazing, but have reduced a portion of demand for our shoes. The abundance of GM merchants performing alterations likewise has reduced the need to seek out a shoemaker. The introduction of UAC also has eliminated a portion of the game population from seeking out a shoemaker, as we are completely unable to make gear for them for some reason.

That's not to say I'm complaining about what's happened. Instead, I believe cobbling needs to push into new areas that GM shops can't replicate.

Here are some ideas that I've thought of, or that have been posted by others before.

- When alchemy was newly released, we were teased with the idea of making oils that, when applied to cobbled footwear, would provide some sort of bonus, perhaps even a temporary enhancive. Not only would this provide an incentive to seek out a shoemaker, but it would inject some much-needed life into alchemy.
- Let us make UAC gear! We could even add magic metal plates and/or studs that would impart enchants and/or flares to the finished footwear.
- Allow shoemakers to add script sets (http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Artisan%20Skills/Cobbling/view/193)
- Let the alchemy dyes work with cobbling materials. More variety = awesome!

In addition, here are some suggestions for tweaks to the system that I posted a few years back. Perhaps they'll inspire some ideas.

- allow plain slippers to use the -toed pattern. Is it so wrong to make a pair of black silk slippers with silver toes?
- use the system in the rogue and warrior guilds where dye colors can be requested so that if approved, it becomes available for anyone to purchase
- allow us to kick the type of shoes we make before the color and material, so I can make 'low-heeled russet suede shoes' instead of 'russet suede low-heeled shoes'
- maker's mark - this was promised to us by Bernt, that the maker would be able to set their own mark on their shoes independent of the engraving that already exists
- new embellishment patterns for heels of various sorts, including spike heels, high heels, low heels, or wedge heels
- new embellishment patterns for platforms - particularly desirable for chopines, could work with the various metal and wood plates out there
- periodic offerings of very rare materials such as Tehir pelts, ahmdir blue dye, eahnor, golvern, typically hand-distributed by merchants to keep quantities limited but still available (This has been done, so please continue!)
- support for using gem cutters and the carving showing up in the finished product. Let me make shoes beaded with leaf-carved emeralds!

Does anyone else have any other ideas? Is anyone else experiencing a demand for their services? Do we have a GM in charge of the system we can pester?

Gretchen

Meeting Nilandia: http://gsguide.wikia.com/wiki/Nilandia
Nilandia's GS4 Info Repository: http://www.nilandia.com
AIM: Lady Nilandia

Whats needed is a GM in QC to say "Oi, stop trying to put the player artisans out of business and do this as a service that requires player made shoes/sheaths/weapons/locks/etc to work on instead of releasing unlimited amounts of off the shelf items that make player made ones pointless".

I only actually see services provided this way in the case of forging, and the other player artisans have been pretty much put out of business by GMs setting out to provide much the same service as players, only better.

Tweaks to cobbling won't help unless there is a commitment from the GMs not to immediately make them pointless by imitating them in their own items. Warrior sheaths had a makeover that made them attractive for a while, but the moment GMs saw there was a demand for sheaths, the next EG was flooded with GM offerings of sheaths designed to outdo them.

<<I am not sure if off the shelf boots/shoes have been made with 2 item slots or whatever...>>

Given I also do shop inventories, I can speak to this. Ebon Gate last year had over 15 pairs of shoes with the same pockets as cobbled footwear. The Talador festival had 28.

<<...the other player artisans have been pretty much put out of business by GMs setting out to provide much the same service as players, only better.>>

I don't believe the GMs are trying to put players out of business. I believe that they're trying to provide the players what they want. I've been told that cobbling materials, for example, are rather scary to code, so it would be easier to provide pre-made shoes for everyone to enjoy than to wade into complex code for only a few people.

Gretchen

Meeting Nilandia: http://gsguide.wikia.com/wiki/Nilandia
Nilandia's GS4 Info Repository: http://www.nilandia.com
AIM: Lady Nilandia

--Perhaps a Master Cobbler's Guild, wherein we might..

Place a limited number of footwear on display, which would be available for sale for a limited time, the same way in which vendor/merchant footwear is sold. Meaning we make one, and can sell more than one, via the shop.

These particular items might be especially attractive to potential buyers via increased pocket capacity, lightness, or enhancive and magical properties.

--Some opportunies to acquire special, unique materials, via quest or any other cobbling related meants.

I love all the ideas and the desire for more cobbling stuff. As someone who also enjoys cobbling a great deal, I heartily approve of any future additions to bolster the artisan skill. That said, I do not want to make staff think/feel like the recent additions are not appreciated. They are, very much.