Alloy Trade

Balfor · Post by **Balfor** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:50 pm

I am not sure if this ever came up before, But.... won't be more realistic of wasting getting tin and copper.. you can combine them with smelting or alloymaking trade to make brass? bronze? I forgot which. And another point in order to get steel, ya need iron and charcoal. And it could only get better if ya can make alloyed silver + steel or what ever other people wish for. Lets just say that Mithril and other special metals won't mix and if anyone tries it turns into gunk.

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:18 pm

I don't think tin and copper are waste.

A : Your mining skill is going up by mining tin and copper.

B: People with lapidary and weaponsmithing will have their skills go up by using tin and copper.

With all the minable metals in the game I'd definately rather see something else coded, personally. :)

I can't name how many times I've paid more coin then it is worth for a ton of tin or copper or titanium just to work on my skill. They are very useful as they are.

Danica

Gratey · Post by **Gratey** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 8:49 pm

I agree with Mele, Its not really a waste when you are trying to get your Armorsmithing trade up

Aegin · Post by **Aegin** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:13 pm

Or your lapidary skill. I almost exclusively use tin for practice.

Ursan · Post by **Ursan** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:38 pm

Perhaps Balfor chose the wrong word when he said 'waste' , but I kind of know what he means.

Yes, copper tin and lead are equally useful metals for people to practise their skills upon but this is a roleplaying mud and he is suggesting something that would enhance the mining and smelting aspects of dwarven trade.

I have often pondered making a similar post myself, though not to suggest a completely new trade more to enhance the existing one.

If it were possible to adapt the smelt order from 'smelt <ore type>' to 'smelt <ore type> <ore type>' then alloys could be born.

Certainly, the ability to alloy copper and tin to make bronze would create variety in the metals which are in circulation. It would also be in keeping with the setting of Faerun

Then there is pewter which is formed by alloying tin and mainly lead. Or electrum, which is an alloy of gold and silver. Or Sterling silver which is silver and copper. Would not our lapidarists enjoy fashioning jewellery from these 'new' metals?

I expect Gwain would be interested to know that dental amalgam (for fillings

) was mainly a tin and silver alloy...though with some mercury thrown in unfortunately. Or then there is Silver-steel (a more recent alloy of steel and silver, 19th century I think...) popular for cutlery and razors or surgical instruments

Brass would be trickier since it is an alloy of copper and predominantly zinc. Though who is to say that zinc could not be introduced as a mined object. If I recall, the ability to mine gemstones was something added to the list

Although Iron was more usually hardened by combination with nickel in pre-industrial times... we can assume hotter 'magical' forges would indeed produce steel from iron and carbon (charcoal). Though I think this would mean making iron ore form an iron metal, and then using iron and carbon to make steel. Probably harder work than it is worth.

Overall, I think this would be a nice idea to keep interest alive in mining smelting and smithing/lapidary etc.

Balfor · Post by **Balfor** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:06 am

Ursan got the drift

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:08 am

I got the drift exactly as he did, and still stand to my first statement. I can think of seven minable metals in the game already, and a million other things the admins would like in the game etc.

Danica

Ursan · Post by **Ursan** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 5:54 am

Hmmm, while I like Mele am aware of all the many calls upon our builders and coders time, I still think that player ideas like this should be posted and discussed rather than filed under the 'this is already in, let's create something else now please' heading.

Yes there are many metals to work with already, yes you can quite happily GM all your trades using only copper if you so wished...but where's the fun or variety in that.

What if they hadnt added minable gems to the dwarven trade... that would have reduced lapidarists to just those gems in game or to setting trout in their rings instead.

What if they applied that idea to clothes, weapons, spells even... well, we coded you 7 different kinds already... now we want to do something with clouds thank you

All this said, Mele is quite right in that it all comes down to whether or not the Imms have the time and inclination to tackle our ideas.

But....you never quite know what might take an Imms fancy, so lets not dismiss anything out of hand

Micheal · Post by **Micheal** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:20 am

You know, he actually has a point. This thread is full with out 9 million (that is rounded up some) posts that say the words, yes, but the hard coders are too busy with other things.

This can avoided two ways. Number one don't anyone post it. Number two don't anyone present a situation that would allow someone to post it. Don't harp on a subject. If someone presents a negative, don't present the same positive you initiazied with. Mask and Tyr got their own things going on, but you will notice that Mask will pop in and say good idea, lets code this one.

This idea reminds me alot of smelting. This is something that should be brought up in about 8 months. Sometimes when nobody higher up seems to care, you just have to knock later.

Balfor · Post by **Balfor** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:56 am

Well, this is the first time I decided to post an idea. Needless to say I barely have a clue how busy some coders/admins are. But now I do. And considering how I didn't move two steps before I get shot down is rather depressing. Oh wells.

Mele · Post by **Mele** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:08 pm

I did not say "The imms are too busy, dream on." I said there is more worth to the metals as is that is not being seen, therefor it would be nicer to see something else being coded first. Which is my opinion. Which is discussion, and these are the discussion boards. This is exactly what is supposed to be going on on the boards. My stand point is already the metals in game. Not everyone will love every idea, and that generally helps to discuss something and not make an entire thread of "Good idea!!!". It's not that I find this idea to be poor, I just think there is still quite a bit to do with the metals we HAVE and quite a bit of metals. There is always the option of a builder making a small dwarven shop in an area and putting some new metals as sold in the shop. Metals that "can only be mined by the dwarves of hoohaaville". Etc. :)

Danica