Of Clay and Quarried Stone

[Morgan]

So this has vaguely bugged me ever since Hearthfire came out. There are clay deposits and stone quarries all over Tamriel, yet the only use for either material is in manual home building. With one of each in close proximity to every home, the rest all seem a waste of design power. They don't particularly add to the environment since they barely stand out. I just wonder how much time some Bethesda employee spent placing them all, well knowing all the stone any character was ever going to need would come from a single marathon mining session at Lakeview while the player ran some errands or did homework.

Anyway, I told you it was a minor annoyance. I just wonder if anyone else has noticed this.

 

[JoeReese]

My suspicion is that each was only supposed to yield a few, like ore veins, was programmed wrong, and just never fixed.

 

[Morgan]

My suspicion is that each was only supposed to yield a few, like ore veins, was programmed wrong, and just never fixed.

That makes sense, at least moreso then the current system.

 

[Remington721]

My suspicion is that each was only supposed to yield a few, like ore veins, was programmed wrong, and just never fixed.

That makes sense, at least moreso then the current system.

Off Topic ....LOL Morgan , I been cracking up at your Avatar for almost 1 yr . Just had to tell you it's one of the best in the formuns.

 

[Liger]

Never bothered to cheak this out, but what about *mining* the stone and clay and selling it to general goods stores. Worth it??

Edit: Clay is worth 1 Gold and is 1 unit in weight,
Stone is worth 2 Gold and is also 1 unit in weight

So maybe early game, it could be good to mine and sell the clay and stone, but cuting firewood maybe faster.

 

[JoeReese]

Cutting firewood is more labor intensive, but would work. We have noticed innkeepers give us a much better pay for wood than stores do. But wood, you get 6 pieces per chop and then have to realign your cursor and chop again. With clay and stone (at least on our system) you get it going and it will keep mining while you're doing homework or whatever, so you can take a lot more to sell.

If you have a horse, stand them near the mining spot. When you're finished, jump on the horse and go to Riverwood or Dawnstar, Morthal, etc. Unlike the cities, you'll still be on the horse and can ride it right up to the shop door.

 

[Nighthiker77]

If i need a lot of wood I just make my follower chop it. Then I don't get stuck in the animation. You can also do something else and just hit the button whenever you think about it. They also won't get overencumbered by it. Take them wherever you want the wood an unload them

 

[Morgan]

My suspicion is that each was only supposed to yield a few, like ore veins, was programmed wrong, and just never fixed.

That makes sense, at least moreso then the current system.

Off Topic ....LOL Morgan , I been cracking up at your Avatar for almost 1 yr . Just had to tell you it's one of the best in the formuns.

Thanks! I've been thinking of rotating in Jean Chrétien standing in front of a giant Canadian flag looking like he's had it right up to here with this les plops (in other words, every picture of him in existence). I guess I'm just amused by very angry old men.

(Pope is angry!)

 

[JoeReese]

LMAO, reminds me of that old joke about the two guys littering at the Vatican. (making sign of the cross) "Hey a**hole. Pick up that plops, take that other a**hole, and get the f**outta here."

 

[LotusEater]

I always assumed they did that to just add more texture and realism to the environment. There are a lot of jugs and plates in Skyrim. There would have to be more than just three veins of clay in Skyrim to account for all that. Plus there would have to be a lot of stone available to build all the fortifications scattered around everywhere.

 

[sticky runes]

You know what really gets up my tits?

Why do clay and stone have to go into my inventory, causing me to become encumbered and lug around my house like a snail whenever I want to get a few tasks done? Lumber gets stored away and is available every time I use a work bench, but I have to physically carry around clay and stone when I want to build things with them, and like the OP said, they have no other use in the game whatsoever, so .

also, my steward and spouse seem to spend a lot of time digging up clay and quarries, so why don't they have a stash stored away that I can use whenever I want? Or are they just digging it up and tossing it in the river? Prats.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

While I usually quarry my own stone and clay, I've gotten to the point where I just let my stewards decorate the house. It takes them a while (usually 30 in game days), but that makes sense to me since it would take them a bit to actually come up with everything. I tried it for the first time with Gregor and he's doing a good (if slow job). I still wonder how he can come up with a horse, bard, cow, chickens and driver so quickly!

As to the insessant digging, I can only figure they're making a little home of their own somewhere close by by stealing my supplies. Hey, they deserve it. If I only have to replace my cow, chickens, children and wives once or twice a year after they get killed by bandits, vampires, wolves, sabrecats, bears or giants, I guess they're doing allright!

 

[Morgan]

While I usually quarry my own stone and clay, I've gotten to the point where I just let my stewards decorate the house. It takes them a while (usually 30 in game days), but that makes sense to me since it would take them a bit to actually come up with everything. I tried it for the first time with Gregor and he's doing a good (if slow job). I still wonder how he can come up with a horse, bard, cow, chickens and driver so quickly!

I sometimes let them decorate if I'm feeling particularly lazy, but most of the time I'm too much of a control freak for that. I don't like the super-cluttered look that you get when you put everything in, so I spend a lot of time quicksaving, building a couple things, then having a look-see if it's okay. I usually only end up building about half the things, and none of the barrels (except in the cellar).

 

[Daelon DuLac]

While I usually quarry my own stone and clay, I've gotten to the point where I just let my stewards decorate the house. It takes them a while (usually 30 in game days), but that makes sense to me since it would take them a bit to actually come up with everything. I tried it for the first time with Gregor and he's doing a good (if slow job). I still wonder how he can come up with a horse, bard, cow, chickens and driver so quickly!

I sometimes let them decorate if I'm feeling particularly lazy, but most of the time I'm too much of a control freak for that. I don't like the super-cluttered look that you get when you put everything in, so I spend a lot of time quicksaving, building a couple things, then having a look-see if it's okay. I usually only end up building about half the things, and none of the barrels (except in the cellar).

I almost always build it myself, but this time I figured I'd let Gregor handle it (he's slow as mollasas and won't do the basement). I don't mind the barrels, but I always end up going through the entire house removing all the baskets and miscellaneous crap (especially food) that's lying about. Ewwww... the last thing I want is a haunch of raw venison sitting in my entry way forevermore. Question though - where's the organization? Why on earth do I have bags of potatoes in my bedroom or apples in the enchanting lab, let alone bags of flour at the forge. I like to snack as much as the next guy, but these stashes are a bit scary.

 

[sticky runes]

I never ever do my own decorations any more. F#ck that sh!t, it was fun for a while after I first downloaded Hearthfire, but now it's too tedious. I leave it all to the stewards.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I never ever do my own decorations any more. F#ck that sh!t, it was fun for a while after I first downloaded Hearthfire, but now it's too tedious. I leave it all to the stewards.

Not to mention a waste of time. It may be cheaper to do it yourself, but you can make more by adventuring while they decorate than you hand over to them to decorate. That reminds me, I have to decorate my basement. Apparently my steward is afraid to go down there (don't blame him, it's lousy with skeevers that I'm training with Kynes Peace (they're not tame yet, but they will be after another dozen shouts or so!).