Description The /sample command is used in conjunction with a sample tool. When you /sample your character will take a sample of whatever resource you last selected from the sample tool UI. This allows you to perform sampling without using the sample tool UI. Command: /sample CommandQueue Entry: sample (8D0C1504) Radioactive Sampling Warning Prompt (NGE) Sample Radioactive Override (NGE) Survey Event 1 (NGE) Survey Event 2 (NGE)

Related Tags 50% This document has been partially completed. Ability This document relates to Player Abilities. Artisan This document is related to the Artisan Profession.

Ability Breakdown & Details

General synopsis:

Sampling is the starting means for crafters to obtain resources in SWG. Samples can be taken every 18 seconds and have varying yields depending on survey skill, resource concentration and whether or not a survey event occurs. The survey skill modifier controls the yields for each sample as well as having an effect on the number of resource concentration spots availible to the player.

Survey events are random occurances which allow the player to recieve a larger than average sample of resource if they are able to obtain it. These events pause the players current actions and come in two types. The first is an event which prompts the user if they wish to spend 300 action points to do a special sample on their current spot. If the player choose to do this then they initiate sampling. In this event, if the player does not obtain the concentration, they will recieve a normal sample's yield from the attempt. The second event prompts the player to choose whether or not they wish to go after a nearby resource. If the player chooses to do so, then a waypoint is generated and the player then has to move over to the waypoint and get within 5 meters of it to sample. The waypoint generated is always within a 50 meter radius from the players current location at the time of the event. If the player is unsuccessful with the attempt then they receive nothing. The size of the yield from a survey event is also dependant on the survey skill modifier of the player and thus a higher modifier will allow for a greater yield from the sample.

Detailed overview

The Dummies Guide to Understanding WTF Sampling is. Volumn I.

Normal Sampling

Normal sampling occurs when the sampling process goes on without prompting the user for input. Sampling starts with "You begin to sample for Vacoehium." and has a pause of 2 sec delay between returning the first sample success/failure message. From this point on, the interval between sample attempts is fixed at 18 seconds (30 sec in the nge). Sampling a resource returns yields based on the size of the concentration and which are also modified by the survey skill mod. An increase in the survey skill mod allows for greater yields to be obtained from sampling the same percentage concentration of resource. Hypothetical example: at survey 20, a player can sample anywhere from a 4-5 unit resource on a 90% concentration. At survey 100, the same player can obtain a 8-10 unit sample on the same concentration. There is also an increase in yields between concentrations using the same skill mod. For example, a 10% concentration at 100 survey skill may yield 1-2 units a sample, but on a 90% concentration the yield sizes are 10-12.

As alluded to earlier, Normal samples have a variance in sampling yields however this base range on the variance on the yields concentration increases through having higher survey skill mods.

Normal samples have a fairly common special event that occurs called a critical success or simply put, displays the message "You successfully recover a particularly rich sample!" This is not technically a survey event because it occurs automatically and the user is not prompted to make any sort of action. It is unknown to me atm if what affect survey mods have on this.

In regard to understanding the less common general messages, there are two in particular which relate to resource density. The first which is "%TO's resource density is too low to locate a sample here." deals with handling the situation where a player simply cant sample in that spot, regardless of skill level. This situation only occurs at the extreme lows of sampling, which are on spots that are at less than 10 % concentration.

The second is "Locating a viable sample of %TO here seems a bit beyond your skill." which is fairly obvious. This situation occurs when the player is attempting to sample on a spot at which their skill level is too low to sample on (although above the absolute minimum level aka greater than 10%). This situation occurs for example if a player at 20 skill is attempting to sample on a 10% concentration (requires 100 skill to even attempt). At level 20 survey, the player's min concentration mark is in the 30's so they have no chance at surveying a 10% concentration with that skill.

Among unknown factors..the event "You are only able to locate trace amounts of %TO." only happens when doing a survey on a resource around extreme low densities such as less than 10%. This seems to be chosen randomly along with "%TO's resource density is too low to locate a sample here."

Minimum sampling concentrations per skill range:

Skill        Min Concentration

20          32%?????
40          26%
60          21%
80          14%
100         10%

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