maybe this doesn't deserve its own post...if so someone can move it into the sticky...but I've had a few questions about how this works...so here's the rundown. (skip to "
the bottom line" if you don't care about the details)
first off...
the rank determination. Each day a recipe is selected from a set list (see below). The recipe will require a certain craft rank (Artisan, Veteran, etc.) that will never exceed your own rank. Consecutive days generally have consecutive ranks, however, on the day the rank would exceed yours, it instead starts again from zero (Amateur). What does this all mean? Here's an example: you are a Journeyman and today's item is Apprentice-level. That means tomorrow's item will be Journeyman, then after that Amateur, Recruit, etc. again.
next,
the patterns. The game will not select just ANY recipe from the Apprentice list for your craft but instead will select from a "pattern table". There are 8 pattern tables in all, the same across every server, and they contain 1 entry for each rank in each craft. Only 1 pattern table is active each day and the same pattern is used for every server that day.
the pattern tables can be found here:
http://www.geocities.jp/ulycille/guildquests_table_en.htmlso let's say you've discovered today's active pattern is C. All chefs (on all servers) doing Artisan-rank items have to hand in Salmon Meunieres; all blacksmiths doing Initiate-rank items are responsible for Iron Visors.
how the pattern tables relate to YOUR rank! As I mentioned earlier you will be required to hand in items of all ranks up to and including your own. Say you're a Veteran...just knowing today's pattern is NOT enough to determine today's item -- you need to know what rank Veterans are on today!
consult:
http://www.titanictus.com/tools/guild/"Rank Procession[sic]" allows you to look up, for a given day, your current skill ranking, to determine what rank the item you need to hand in is. As a soon-outdated example, on 4 Feb 2005, all Veterans will have to hand in Amateur-rank items. Note that you might not be the only one handing in items of that rank (again, on 4 Feb, Apprentices are also handing in Amateur-rank items).
which pattern table?? To discover what pattern table is in use today, check ffrecipe!
http://www.ffrecipe.com/guildPattern.php?lang=enffrecipe relies on user submissions to determine today's pattern. Since all servers are in sync, anyone who submits can help narrow down the correct pattern. Based on your current rank and the item you had to hand in, the database knows which pattern table(s) are valid. A few submissions for each day is enough to select the correct pattern table by process of elimination; today's table is usually up within a few minutes of the daily flipover (1000 EST).
the bottom line: just want to know today's item? Go to ffrecipe!
http://www.ffrecipe.com/guildPattern.php?lang=enscroll down to the bottom; look up your guild on the vertical axis and your current rank on the horizontal axis. That will tell you your GP item for the day, including how many points it will net you, the daily limit, and possibly how many GP the HQ is worth.
FAQs:
Q: so how do I know what tomorrow's item is?
A: there's no way to tell for sure as it could be any of the 8 daily tables. The titanictus.com link however works out all of tomorrow's possibilities, so you can use that and prepare accordingly if you like.
Q: how many guild points will I receive for any given item?
A: easiest way to tell is just to look up all the tables in the geocities link, or search the recipe for that item at ffrecipe. Internally, the GP awarded is same as the the zero-fame NPC sellback gil value for that item.
Q: what happens when I skill up?
A: nothing, unless you actually take a promotion test (the GP NPC says something confusing about skilling up, but they actually mean ranking up). If you take a promotion test, then your GP item will suddenly change to whatever item today's pattern table defines for your new rank. You do NOT automatically get a full allotment of GPs to be able to hand in. I believe if you do 75% (for example) of your GP limit, then get promoted, you'll only have 25% of the NEW daily limit available to hand in.
EDIT: someone confirmed this this weekend! As a clarifying example, let's your item is Capes (85 GP each, 1600 max). You hand in 10 and get 850 GP, now you have 850/1600 for the day (53%, and the NPC says you have 750 points remaining, which is 47% left). Then you rank up and you find your new item is Soil Sitabaki (2304 GP each, 5840 daily max). BUT the NPC will tell you you only have 2745 points left...why? Because 47% of 5840 is 2745! Note however that you still have only gained 850 points for that day, that doesn't change with the rank up.
so it may be advantageous for you to hand in before your rank test...or after. Check the item listings!!
Q: I was asked to make an item that I'm below the cap on??
A: so buy it off the AH! :P In all seriousness, the requested item's skillcap can exceed your skill, so long as the skill RANK is the same as (or less than) yours.
feel free to submit questions here.
