17 replies to this topic

[20886432]

   I avoid using the washing machine a lot especially on my equipped gear because unlike with refinements once you choose to wash the change is permanent. It would be nice if you had the option to not accept the changes that the machine makes so you do not have to be paranoid that your gear will get ruined.

[TaraBing]

Hi xx-6432...

 

   I avoid using the washing machine a lot especially on my equipped gear because unlike with refinements once you choose to wash the change is permanent. It would be nice if you had the option to not accept the changes that the machine makes so you do not have to be paranoid that your gear will get ruined.

 

I too avoid the washing machine in a real and rewarding way.  I only use it to wash some useless piece of equipment where I don't care what the outcome is, just to complete specific D-Starter challenges that call for it.  

 

 

-TB 

 

.

[CaptC]

I only use the washing machine on items I have equipped, to balance my skills in the curve I desire.  There are tricks... you have to look at the world a little oddly.

 

Trick one: It's the skill profile, stupid!

 

Many people try to use the washing machine to get a new piece of gear to match more or less what the old piece of gear had, to avoid messing up their skill profile.  But I don't try to keep the same profile when I put on a new piece of gear.  I just equip it, then look at my skill profile.

 

Trick two: Too much is the problem to fix, not too little

 

Many people look at their skill profile, and say, "I need more charisma!" Then they try to find a piece without charisma to wash.

 

That is not a bad way to go, but your odds of a successful wash are actually better if you reverse the thinking.  I look at my skill profile, and say, "I have too much strength!" and I find a piece with more strength on it than any other single stat.

 

The point is that the washing machine tends to make the stats on a piece regress to the mean. That is, big numbers get smaller, and small numbers get bigger. Since my piece has a lot of strength, that means when I wash it, the amount of strength on that piece is likely to go down. Those points aren't lost though... they just go somewhere else.  And thus my skill profile improves, about 75% of the time.

[TaraBing]

I'm smelling some pretty good reverse psychology cooking coming from the mind of the Capt. . 

 

 

-TB 

 

.

[CaptC]

Statistics and operational research minor in college. You get used to looking at the probability curves for events, and figuring out how to take advantage of them.

[mimesis]

you put together "curves" and "taking advantage" in your sentence Cap...what are you really talking about?  

[CaptC]

Quite possibly you, Mim.  LOL

[CandyAngel]

If I have too much strength,I put it in washing machine hoping to reduce and it usually makes it worse !

More strength than I started with !

[CaptC]

That does happen.  My experience indicates that about 75% of the time, though, your overall skill curve will improve.  YMMV

 

Confirmation bias will likely make you remember the bad results more than the expected results. Just remember: Random is not personal. Getting a bad result from a random process does not mean the universe is out to get you. (It just feels that way.  LOL)

[mimesis]

I have quite an experience with the washing machine. Since i started to wear panties i change them between two or three times per day. This means an average of...omg!!! Lots of panties per week!  
Omg! Why am i telling you all guys this? Oh yes! The washing machine!  
Personally i have noticed that if you wear the garment before washing it, the result on your skills is better. Does this makes any sense? For sure i would never wash my panties without using them before!  

Edited by mimesis, 30 August 2017 - 06:26 PM.

[TaraBing]

... For sure i would never wash my panties without using them before!  

 

That logic actually checks out... (in Real Life anyway) .. 

 

-TB 

[CaptC]

I don't know about the personal hygiene aspects, but I never wash anything unless I am wearing it. My logic goes this way:

 

1) I am not in a hurry about equipment. More comes in than I can wear anyway.

2) Refinements are more important than +stats on the piece.

3) So refine first! If it gets a bad refine, sell it. (See point 1 - a new piece will be along soon.)

4) If a piece has +skills and a suitable refinement, wear it.

5) NOW you can use the washing machine, to adjust the skills you are wearing.

[mountbara]

ok, giving away what is probably priceless information, but why not

 

list all of your gear that you have that you are going to switch out, with all the pertinent stats, and try to balance it with what your needs are for example

 

                 str          stam         char        fin       

 

head                       +175                     -121

belt          +216        -239        +258     -189

bottom       

shoes       -198        +431       -186       0

necklace  +233        -30         -134       -28

ring          -201         +280       +71        -118

piercing     

gadget       -180       +351        0           -155

 

then by totaling gains and losses in each stat, you can see where you need to make a change by using the washing machine, in the example above, I was gaining too much stamina and losing finesse. So I would wash my gadget, looking to balance out the finesse and get a zero on stamina and strength. This allows me to keep the balance in my stats I want to achieve without washing a ton of items, just 1 item and letting me put on multiple pieces of clothing at one time, instead of 1 piece at a time as I get them, giving a huge increase in stats instead of just a little bit

[TaraBing]

Thanks for sharing MB -

 

 

ok, giving away what is probably priceless information, but why not

 

list all of your gear that you have that you are going to switch out, with all the pertinent stats, and try to balance it with what your needs are for example

 

            str    stam    char     fin       

 

head               +175            -121

belt       +216    -239    +258    -189

bottom       

shoes      -198    +431    -186       0

necklace   +233     -30    -134     -28

ring       -201    +280     +71    -118

piercing     

gadget     -180    +351       0    -155

=======================================

TOTALS     -130    +968      +9    -611  

 

then by totaling gains and losses in each stat, you can see where you need to make a change by using the washing machine, in the example above, I was gaining too much stamina and losing finesse. So I would wash my gadget, looking to balance out the finesse and get a zero on stamina and strength. This allows me to keep the balance in my stats I want to achieve without washing a ton of items, just 1 item and letting me put on multiple pieces of clothing at one time, instead of 1 piece at a time as I get them, giving a huge increase in stats instead of just a little bit

 

 

It sort of sound likes you are doing the same thing Capt is doing...

 

So in the case above, you would total your differences, and in this case, which one or two pieces would you wash?

 

Are the BOTTOM and PIERCING items not getting a change?  (blank lines)

 

Despite your tip - I'm too dumb to figure this one out.. 

 

-TB 

 

 

PS PRO-TIP: If you change your table (just the table) to the "COURIER NEW" font, you can get characters to line up evenly to make cool tables and columns. (example can be seen in the quote-reply).

[CaptC]

There are a lot of assumptions built into Mountbara's table

 

- How do you allocate skills?  IE - where are your base skills? Are they flat, or weighted?

- What is your target skill curve? Flat, weighted to charisma and finesse, weighted to strength and stam

 

Many people like to have flat basics, where they are always the same for all skills. That means you have to care about where skills are actually located on your equipment, and a table like what Mountbara describes is very useful in that situation.

 

I take a different approach.  I have arranged my base skills in the profile I want to have:

 

Strength is the base number

Stamina basics are +400 to +500 over Strength

Charisma and Finesse +1500 over Stamina

 

I am too lazy to build charts like Mountbara's on a regular basis.  

And I am too impatient to wait until I have a new set of gear that is just right... if I have a wearable piece of gear, I want to use it to kill things

And I am too frugal to spend diamonds futzing with equipment and the washing machine

 

So I just allocate skills to build my desired curve into my basic profile.  With such a strong bias built into my skills profile, a new piece is usually a small variation that doesn't matter that much. So, using the washing machine is just fine tuning for me, and I only need it once or twice a week.

 

As I noted above, I only keep things in inventory until I refine them. Then they are sold or worn. This means I never have extra skills sitting in my inventory.

 

I want to be wearing every piece of gear with a suitable refine and +skills, not sitting in my inventory awaiting a suitable skills curve, or worse, tempting me to spend diamonds on the washing machine. And I can thus improve incrementally, with extra skills immediately doing what they are supposed to be doing: helping me win duels or pass skill tests.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no right or wrong here. Different approaches require different means of keeping your skill curve where you want it. The important thing is that you have your skills in the right place, not how you get there.

[mountbara]

 

Thanks for sharing MB -

 

 

It sort of sound likes you are doing the same thing Capt is doing...

 

So in the case above, you would total your differences, and in this case, which one or two pieces would you wash?

 

Are the BOTTOM and PIERCING items not getting a change?  (blank lines)

 

Despite your tip - I'm too dumb to figure this one out.. 

 

-TB 

 

 

PS PRO-TIP: If you change your table (just the table) to the "COURIER NEW" font, you can get characters to line up evenly to make cool tables and columns. (example can be seen in the quote-reply).

 

yes in the case I posted, I did not have those items with increases. Also, how much of an increase you want for each one will depend on the ratios you are using for your stats. For the ratio I use, i would definitely wash the shoes and probably the gadget as well, since you only need a couple of stats to change to match up. I normally keep items until I get the balance I am looking for and only enhance when I am ready to put them on. As Cap said, there is no right or wrong way, just different

[TaraBing]

yes in the case I posted, I did not have those items with increases. Also, how much of an increase you want for each one will depend on the ratios you are using for your stats. For the ratio I use, i would definitely wash the shoes and probably the gadget as well, since you only need a couple of stats to change to match up. I normally keep items until I get the balance I am looking for and only enhance when I am ready to put them on. As Cap said, there is no right or wrong way, just different

 

I like it MB.  You may make more than one change at a time, while I get the sense CaptC only does one change at a time, and is never swinging too far outside his intended ratios... more like a fine tuning for him.

 

I have not picked up on this subtle strategy for fine-tune... as I seldom wash anything.  Probably like most players, I just seem to muck up the item when I use the washer, so it usually ends up in the trash instead of on my person. .. 

 

-TB 

[Tabithia]

I tend to use it to make an item that has a higher total (35 min, usually 45+) closer match what I want to favor.  STR is my least favorite Finesse my most.  Something that is +45 total increase, but favors STR I will wash, hoping to put it in a stat I want more.  I've never worn something as a primary piece with the hopes of washing it to something I like better stat wise.