Luck Vs. Hard Work/Dedication

Demonknightx

Snoll Chef
Adventurer
Joined
Mar 19, 2005
Messages
920
Location
San Diego
FFXI
Demonknightx
FFXIV
Demon Knightx
Fair warning. I intend this to be a pretty lengthy post, as both a rant on my part and as maybe a discussion. Maybe share stories of achievements through hard work, or just amazing luck.

To start things off. For those that know me, probably already know this.

My luck.
sucks.
ass.

i play it off tho. i usually keep good spirits about it. i like this game, and in the end, it stays a game.

But Jeeze, my luck sucks. Hardcore. its amazing how bad my luck can be sometimes. I mean i understand that shit happens, you know? Its just too bad that more often than not, im the one stepping in it. I mean if karma ever catches up to me, i think it'll be the day a speed belt drops off bubbly bernie. And by my luck, my inventory would be full, just to sum it up. Just for shits and giggles i'll share some of my experiences to kind of exemplify my luck (the rant part of the post, so to speak)

Lets go back to when i was a lvl 70 thf. worked on capping my evasion for Maat and such, so i'd go out to Bibiki Bay and steal gold coins from the gobbies out there, and let em pound me into orange, steal, and hide (BEST way to cap your evasion, other thieves out there) As far as profits tho. took me like 2-3 hours for a stack. To save people the trouble of math, you can steal 12 times in an hour, on the 5min timer if your on the dot. In an hours time i'd maybe get 4-ish. A few days after i started, a thf i knew came out to try it once. i stole my usual you know, 4 coins.

He stole 10.
Had 2 stacks when i had under 1.

Similar story. i capped my evasion. went out to Yhoat to steal thf tests off tonberries (theres a spot for this). i was 1/5 on maat btw, i melee'd him down. It would take me 2 hours or so to get the test, stealing. Well. that same thf friend came out to "try it out" since he was lvl 66. He stole a thf test first time, when i was out there for an hour. An hour later i got mine, geared up, and lost to maat again... i think that was my third attempt. The Thf i was with was like "heh, i'll try it why not" So he goes in... and im lookin on the net for strats and what not. I come back to see the party chat

"wtf? what happens when you steal a warp scroll from him?"

i promtly disbanded from the party and went to get an ice cube from my Fridge. Its what i do when im frustrated.

Lets bring my luck stories to a bit more recent, and i'll begin to start tieing it into my discussion on this whole Luck Vrs Hard Work deal. This summer.

I like camping NM's. I camp atleast one or two a day, constantly changing so i dont really get bored. Its too bad they dont like me. Now i know you cant expect drops from NM's all the time. But Jeezus. My most productive NM has been Mischievous Micholas, which im about 5/60+ (estimation, but its alot) or so on. Usually because no one camps him for his abysmal drop rate, and hes a bitch to fight. But other Nm's have been (note, all had Th2, duh):
Okote (0/8)
Valk Mask (0/13)
Bonnacon (0/2, some random ninja always gets it)
Hocho (0/12)
Orctrap (3/14, i kept one)
Dune Widow (lol 1/68, good thing he pops fast, but i've camped this one for like a year),
0/3 on citipati (but he has a bad drop rate anyways)
0/3 on Xolotl (see above, and TheFlock rules btw~)
0/3 on Old Two Wings (got him a few times over the course of summer, heh)

probably more, but i've made my point. NM's arnt the only way to make gil, i know. i have 95+2 cooking, 60 alch, 30 ww, so i have that to fall back on for some consistent, not big numbers, but consistent gil. Farming the expensive ingreds for that stuff is usually what im stuck farming, (peph. chips for beeswax, is an example)

And yea, i know i get beastmens and Kindreds seals for a reason. but i have the same problem there. I do the PCC bcnm with my friends every full or new moon, for superstitions sake, and when they're online. I'm 0/21 on PCC, gotten about 2 Ni's and 3 Erases, gave Ni to my friend, and gave away 2 erases to friends (go karma?) and well, KSNM... lol. Its kind of why im writing this thread right now.

My friend, Aticus, hit lvl 73 monk, and wanted destroyers, so he set up a group for Double Dragonian. 6 people. 6 trades. first three runs are pretty smooth. (SETUP btw: pld, thf, mnk, whm, blm, rdm) Then i get the fourth trade.

We wiped on the first dragon, under 80% if i remember right? (or 50%... something)

Less than 5 or so min in.

Whm reraised, but got shot back down

So... whm HP's and comes back to raise us. we get up. last 2 runs are smooth again. No destroyers dropped (sorry ati ; ;) and 2 people got 700k drop O. ingots, 2 people got minuet earrings, and last person got Adaman ingot, like 200k. Not really enough to split with the unlucky man whos orb was lost. I dont blame em really. 700k split isnt really worth the trouble, and i didnt really know em. They were nice tho, i dont blame them for the wipe.

But am i sour? of course i am. Do i blame anyone? No, not really. im not one to hold grudges or blame people. And now for the end of my rant, and a bit of discussion. (to see more of my luck, check out the AH forum on getting my blau. makes me laugh)

Anyways. To say the least im sick and tired of my luck. In the end, in stuck working months on end, earning the consistent gil to get High-End items that some people can get with a few lucky drops. So clearly, i stand on the Hard Work and Dedication side of this argument. Does it make me appreciate every piece of my gear more? you bet your ass it does. I spent all last summer farming for a 5mil SH, and i still have it. Will i ever sell it? hell no. Its a symbol for me. thats the first awesome piece of gear i worked for. I can say the same thing for alot of the gear i have. Dragon harness... af2 from months of dynamis... sirocco kukri (i got awesome help with that dagger too, tho) ect ect ect.

But, then theres those people out there (for those who know me, know the 1 person im talking about) who just get shit thrown into their lap. The guy got a SH shortly after me, go scammed by a "chick," got another one, lost it to the same "chick," and had a friend help him pay for another one. Same guy? had a friend pay for 1/2 his dragon harness. his KSNM luck? D ingot on his orb the only time hes ever done one. Dynamis luck? lots 900+ on everything he sees. He, clearly, is in the Luck aspect of the game. And as much as i am jealous of that luck, i know its all part of the game.

But wheres the line? How much can you frikin depend on luck to get you anywhere? i mean i solo my ass off for seals/KS/gil. Make me a better player? probably. Get me the good gil? Eventually. Get me the gear i want? unless SE has another patch that doubles the price of what i want over night, eventually also.

At the same time, when do you draw the line on the dedication? Obviously NM's hate me, so do i stop camping NMs? quit while im ahead? find another way to get gil? Has to be something, right?

There has to be a balance, i think. between the two to be successful.

But christ. cant have a balance when one part isnt there, eh?

/end rant, long post, but i needed to say something about it.

Where do you QCDNers stand on this?
discuss, share stories, ect ect.

(wasnt sure to post here of Burning Circle, just went with this)
 
Way too many people that play this game think the world is out to get them, it really gets annoying when people like that are in your LS.

You guys need a confidence boost. Think some of you should go hog huntin, it's a group game, so gather all your buddies together and hit the bars!!!

Can't wait to see all the sob stories flow from this thread, wonder if any suicides will be linked back to this.
 
Hey I know some of these stories. :P

ALL my luck has come in the way of PCC runs. Got one with Cubs and Silvereyes back when they were going for 33 mil, and that hooked the 3 of us up pretty well. Then I got 2 with Gideon and Jazper when they were going for less, but obviously that was kick ass.

I did go 1/1 on Speed Belt, but I think it's just because Necrosis sold me a lucky Codex. ;)

Aside from those experiences in 2 and a half years, I have learned that it's best to chip away steadily at making money and buy what you want. Camping is too big a frustration. RA/EX gear? That's all the camping I want to do...I'm happy buying the rest having earned it from whatever living I am making at the moment.

...Eye on the prize.
 
meeze said:
Way too many people that play this game think the world is out to get them, it really gets annoying when people like that are in your LS.

You guys need a confidence boost. Think some of you should go hog huntin, it's a group game, so gather all your buddies together and hit the bars!!!

Can't wait to see all the sob stories flow from this thread, wonder if any suicides will be linked back to this.

emo2.jpg
 
I have very similar experiences. I've never gotten a decent drop off a NM, KSNM, ENM, BCNM, etc with one exception of when I was with a thf on emp and we split gil on pin and the belt dropped for me on Wild Wild Whiskers. I've been playing since release date. Before a quit for a while I sold all of my stuff and I only had 12 mil.

Hell, I couldn't even get that stupid shield from that fungar in west ronfare and I camped him for like 5 hours. He's only like 15-30 minute repop and shield drop is 100% but I could never get him before someone else. I even claimed JEJ while I was camping him.. no drop of course.

I deal with it all though. Someday I know something super awesome will happen to me and I'll be able to afford a kraken club or maybe even fully upgrade my relic maul. I'll just have to keep playing and see what happens.

Good luck to us in the future. =)
 
Arent you the guy that randomly fell upon that incredibly rare NM in Altepa, and got that incredibly rare earring drop on the first kill?
 
CmdrFly said:
Arent you the guy that randomly fell upon that incredibly rare NM in Altepa, and got that incredibly rare earring drop on the first kill?
You're not allowed to talk about your good fortune when going Emo, just your bad luck, so shhhhhhh.
 
CmdrFly said:
Arent you the guy that randomly fell upon that incredibly rare NM in Altepa, and got that incredibly rare earring drop on the first kill?

LOLME.

that was one of my attempts at Dune Widow. Its too bad it doesnt happen at my other camps, eh?

and intruder earring isnt 100%? o_O (that sucks lol)
 
Demon, it sounds like karma's coming back to bite you in the ass :P

Seriously, your luck will come back in other ways, everyone has their good and shitty luck at some point. And if you wanna waste KS, lemme know, I'll manaburn ODS for ya. Went 3/6 on VClaw last run :D

And if you think your luck is bad, look at how fast you got city AF pieces... and then left before the run was over. Didn't you get all 3 in a couple of weeks? Bastard D:
 
Bustaballs said:
fully upgrade my relic maul.

I sincerely hope that wasa joke >.>

But chin up guy, I go 0/a lot on every NM and if I get drop I get a 20lot or if I lot 900+ they lot 950+.. it is a lot about luck, but its more about determination and not giving up. Keep at it, stuff will go well eventually.
 
Demonknightx, keep your hopes up. I know for a fact that it's all in how you approach the game. For this post i'm going to dip into some arcane pseudoscience which has worked for myself.

Your luck is there, you just need to know how to pursue it. Hard work and dedication get you 1/2 the way there, the last half comes from knowledge. (note I didn't say luck, I'm showing you how to make your own element of luck). For some people this knowledge comes almost second nature, making them extremely "lucky". We all know of people like that.

1) Follow your instincts. Learn your own signs, for some people it's just a nagging in the back of the mind, for others it's a reaction your body gives. If you feel uncomfortable in any way, act accordingly.

2) Keep up your hopes. Make it so pleasant spirits would like to be around you more. Some people do this by "appeasing to the spirits" via rituals, others do it by making a "happy place" where they always feel happy. Keep a location set aside for that. I prefer the outdoors myself :)

3) sometimes there's truly a factor of luck. This is due to the spirits around you wanting to help you out; they do this when you're up against a brick wall and you've tried everything you know how. They however don't usually help when there's something to be learned from the difficulties you face.

4) Meditate or pray about what might need to be learned if your luck keeps going bad. Learn some buddhism meditation, or learn to be open to a response of a prayer if need be.



I posted from my point of view, please adapt it to your own beliefs (spirits = god if you want, it doesn't make it any less valid). I know I might get some weird /tells about this too ^^
 
Ajs said:
Demon, it sounds like karma's coming back to bite you in the ass :P

Seriously, your luck will come back in other ways, everyone has their good and shitty luck at some point. And if you wanna waste KS, lemme know, I'll manaburn ODS for ya. Went 3/6 on VClaw last run :D

And if you think your luck is bad, look at how fast you got city AF pieces... and then left before the run was over. Didn't you get all 3 in a couple of weeks? Bastard D:

after *the thief that shall not be named* got his most of the time. He outlotted me on thf body and hat. and i got my feet on a run where 3 dropped. Remember, not all the AF out there is as competitive as Blm, and i've been running with lolD for a while now :P

(and i had to leave cuz my friends came to my and kidnapped me -_- friday night you know)
 
This game is all luck. You can hunt something all day, just to have some passerby get claim and drop. If you are in the right place at the right time, things will be good for you.

Oh, and people that think that you should work at a game need to get their heads examined or go out and get a real job.
 
get a thfs knife nub :spiteful:
 
Ajs said:
And if you think your luck is bad, look at how fast you got city AF pieces... and then left before the run was over. Didn't you get all 3 in a couple of weeks? Bastard D:

Goddamn thieves outlotting me on every single piece of AF2 there is. Hay i still haf only AF2 vest after months of dynamis, gg.

guess my 3rd party ninja lot bot is malfunctiong, amirite ajs
 
Shaunessy said:
Oh, and people that think that you should work at a game need to get their heads examined or go out and get a real job.

Hmm. So do you mean to say, that all the people here (or most) who camp HNMs and do gods and dynamis aren't technically "working" to get what they want? Or even so, level to 75 in a lot of jobs, as well as getting other stuff by themselves? Is that not all work, for the time you've put into it?

Just a thought. If it is all luck, wouldn't a lot more people be running around in Adaman Hauberks, or Dalmaticas (the cursed mage armor, forgot exact name) or Defending Rings (and heck, even Relic Weapons)? I agree that some things that do happen are luck, but with out putting time into it, or working into it, you won't really achieve the really good stuff, right?

I'm not saying you're wrong, but just a thought. We all know how everything takes a lot of time in this game. And if you're putting time into it, technically you're working for it, no?

Peace~
 
Demonknightx said:
im not gunna even imagine my record on that guy once i start camping him... lol.

It's not a wasted effort. I know Enrollox went 1/1 on that Knife.

Scwall and I went 1/3. Then 1/100++

Now 0/4 lol I presume 0/100 before it drops for Scwall's THF again.
 
lol heard that knifes best drop rate is with out a thf or /thf what makes some sense as it adds to TH whats a THF thing and SE are gay like that
1 thf went 1/67 a war went 1/12 :3
 
I personally believe in hard work and good luck. As in, luck comes to those that deserves it. the harder you work, the luckier you get.

You can be extremely "unlucky" with everything you do, but you will eventually get rewarded. Call it luck, call it whatever you want to, but its still a reward.

I think the problem is that you only see luck as material stuff. Your friend got lucky by beating Maat first try, and he got lucky by getting the testimony first steal. While yes, that is luck, you did get lucky eventually by getting them too. You were rewarded foryour time, and as you said, you just appreciate it that much more, something that your friend most likely will not do.

Winning a lottery is luck, yes, but hard work can get you there all the same. You can be the luckiest person in the world, but you still won't get real luck unless you work for it.

As an example, luck won't ever get you Nashira or Homam gear, as it still requires work to get there. Luck can only buy you so much, but whatever luck can get you, hard work can get you too.

So yes, I still say luck and hard work are basically one and the same. But when push comes to shovel (is that how you say it?), hard work > luck, in more then one way.
 
Back
Top