More Highway Work

[Theonis 160]

I have spoken with a CM and for the initial phase of the project I do not need a sign saying I am doing the work.  But once I actually graduate to the phase of widening and leveling the road I will need to submit a ticket then.  For now though, I have started removing hedges along a highway in the south.  This is mind numbing like you would not believe.  Not only does it destroy your tool to destroy just one hedge, it also takes nearly 10 minutes to destroy the one hedge.  So I built a catapult and will be using that next.  Thing is, I only have a few hours of time to bash after i come home from work before rolling into bed.

 

I am asking for help in removing these hedges along this southern highway located on the Community map of N21 to N24.  I have already started this and will complete it, eventually but right now the job is looking like a two month project with me doing it solo to just remove the hedges.  I do not need help with widening and leveling the highway it self as I have done plenty of these and enjoy the road making process.

 

A bit of history on this road.  This sucker was placed here even before I had joined the server back in November of 2011.  So before that I can not say who built it.  What I can say is that it was done rather hastily.  It was built at two lanes wide and that was about it.  No leveling of any kind.  It was as if the guy cut the trees, packed the dirt and then put cobble stone down.  So the center tiles dips and peaks along the run.  About two years ago a fresh spawn put a deed up down on the coast and decided to put maple trees along the sides of the road.  No issue there.  This person then progressed to lining the sides of the road with maple hedges.  All though poorly executed, his reasoning was to keep the hostile critters off the road for safe passage.  He used hedges because he didn't have the skill to make a fence that would last longer then a few months off deed.  The road was never leveled nor was it improved upon.  The execution of the hedging that was practiced only funneled the critters onto the highway.  He didn't fully complete it either before leaving the game.

 

Feel free to jump right in and start bashing, hacking, or pummeling from a distance.  Just be careful of the "Bowl" that is shark lake.  The highway that goes north and south along the east side of the lake has a low elevation at the center of the lake and is high on the ends.  Many people die here because they run out of stamina and can't get away from the mobs.  Even wagons don't go fast enough before the trolls converge on you and bash you to death.  I have died here plenty of times my self.  I have been using this route a bit often as of late so the odds are good you will see a bunch of dead animals along the road in this part.  Also it is only one lane wide... which is a project for later date.

[Sila 339]

hedges are planted there with reason, gms can remove them fast and easy as soon they approve your work.

[Theonis 160]

I already put in a ticket for it the cm whom responded that I need to remove the hedges before I can put in a ticket for modification approval.

[Theonis 160]

Alright,I tried a troll club first.  It took six clubs that were fresh and fifty minutes to bash one hedge.  I used a catapult and not counting the time to mine for ammo and aim it took 20 minutes to take out one hedge.  So I tried a huge axe next and this was the ticket.  I had a quality 80 goto 20 after seven hedges.  Damage taken was insane but it avreged five minutes per hedge. Granted at 80 it took three actions on the first one. But as the ql went down it got noticble longer.  Granted I don't have the skill to make weapons so this 1k hedges is going to be really expensive to remove.

[Miretta 1,415]

i don't know if it makes a difference for you or the hedges, but have you tried just regular old hatchets? that are used for tree cutting?
 

[Trevize 141]

Had you pruned them before you tried to bash them?

[Theonis 160]

Not yet.  Will give it a shot when I get home from work.

[Rathgar 959]

I wish I could support your work somehow, but I cant craft high quality mauls/axes, nor I have the spirit to spend hours bashing.

[Theonis 160]

It is alright Rathgar.  Just something I will work on and off for the next 6 months.  The road isn't going any where, the only thing that has me concerned is some one deeding the part I actually remove the hedges off of.  As I have had plenty of road projects where once you make the it public you are doing road work people come by and intentionally screw you over.  I wouldn't have said any thing here on the forums if I didn't like the idea of removing hedges for 3 months to do 3 days of road work on. But I'll keep working at it and see what I can wring out of it.

 

To Trevize, yes, I prune them till they are as low as they can go before I go about removing them.

[Theonis 160]

I had some one donate a bunch of two handed swords that were just there for skilling off of.  70 ql is what I'm working with so I'm out here killing hedges.  It isn't as fast as a 70 ql huge axe but still fast enough.  Well I have been at it for hours now but making progress.  Also think I'm going to be able to talk my alliance into helping, I just need to buy them beer first.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Theonis

[Odynn 2,248]

After doing some hedges murdering of my own, the advice of combining ammo remain the same, less than 20 minutes to kill 5 hedges.

[Ayes 3,715]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 7:41 AM, Theonis said:

Alright,I tried a troll club first.  It took six clubs that were fresh and fifty minutes to bash one hedge.  I used a catapult and not counting the time to mine for ammo and aim it took 20 minutes to take out one hedge.  So I tried a huge axe next and this was the ticket.  I had a quality 80 goto 20 after seven hedges.  Damage taken was insane but it avreged five minutes per hedge. Granted at 80 it took three actions on the first one. But as the ql went down it got noticble longer.  Granted I don't have the skill to make weapons so this 1k hedges is going to be really expensive to remove.

 

Since these are not my planted hedges you are destroying I will give you some tips. You are correct in that using a huge axe is the best method for destroying them by hand. Also check the quality of the hedge and you will note that the higher the quality the longer it will take to bash them down with a weapon. This is why some people seem to believe that pruning them down makes a difference, which it does not. Totally a waste of time, even on deed where they will break in 1-2 hits with a huge axe of decent quality. Yea, off deed you will ruin a lot of huge axes and as the quality of them reduces it will take even longer to bash down the higher quality hedges.

 

Really the best method is to use a catapult. Of course if your catapult skill is low you will miss a lot of the times. The quality of the rock shard has some effect for maximum damage, so as long as it doesn't shatter upon impact it will give you an indication of what the minimal quality you can use will be. Probably at least 30 QL rock shards should be used. If the hedge is a higher QL than you should combine 2 rock shards for the most damage and the most damage you can ever do is 20.00 per hit, so again it is pointless to combine more shards than is necessary to do this 20.00 damage. After the shot is fired any remaining quality on it when it hits just shows that you are using higher quality ones than necessary.

 

The best way I have found to keep track of the damage and if you should combine shards is to have an alt stand next to the hedge, preferably on the next tile so as not to get the "hunted" bug, even though he will not get damaged by hits. This way you will start to understand what QL hedges will need 2 shards and which will only need 1 to do 20.00 damage. Also you can get a good idea of the minimum shard QL necessary as a standard to use for hedge catapulting.

 

As your catapulting skill improves you have fewer misses and things start to go faster and be less frustrating. You can also make keybinds for load, winch10, winch5, winch and fire, which saves much clicking since you have so many to destroy. Winch10 is the minimum distance required, so that means the tile you set the catapult on must be 11 tiles from the one you want to hit. Then for the next further tile away you won't have to move your catapult but just hit winch10 and then winch. Next winch10, winch, winch and so on. So you can catapult quite a few down before needing to move the catapult again. This is where the alt helps again since with him you can move to the next and be sure you are hitting it and it is eventually destroyed if you are too far away to see it clearly.

 

I have destroyed quite a few stone type fencing and hedges on my time on the PvE servers for roadwork or remodeling purposes and always use catapults for off deed destruction of them. Not so bad really when the skill improves slowly and even then more effective than hand weapon bashing them down. in your circumstances stick with a catapult and I think you will find it to be the best option.

 

Happy Trails

=Ayes=

[Theonis 160]

Thank you ayes, between some bribed friends with beer and your advice, the here's are gone, I have started to remove trees and levelingthe area.  Will continue after work.  Looking like a week to two long project.

[Theonis 160]

Nearly three weeks from when i started working on the hedges till now, I have finally completed the section of highway.  I have before pic of a section I was working on, and was going to take an after pic but with it winter now, it would be nothing but a white picture so I will post those at a later date.