Updated gem cuts and smelting economics?

[Srikandi]

This thread was very useful for figuring out what gem cuts to use in vanilla Sims 3, and when it's worthwhile to smelt your metals: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=344914&highlight=gem+cut

However, it's now obsolete. For instance, now my sim gets three more cuts immediately after Emerald... including Heart, which used to be the last cut you received, after finding every type of gem. And there are new types of gems. There's some info in the Wiki, but it's not complete yet: http://www.simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Sims_3_Gems

[Edit: OK, that's not quite right -- I just realized that I got the heart cut so early because now it only requires collecting 10 types of gems, which doesn't take long if you're tomb-raiding. For all I know, the other cuts are still in the right order, will check as I get more of em.]

And, of course, the possibility of transmuting gems in the XXL Display Case (as described here http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=379770 ) adds another twist... when is it more profitable to use a gem in a transmute, as opposed to selling it cut or uncut?

Don't have the prima guide... they used to be good, but the first Sims 3 one was worthless, and the new one is by the same person, so I refuse to buy it >< I suppose the info is available from code-diving too. Anybody have it? :)

Wasn't much interested in collecting pre-WA, but now I come back from every trip loaded down with them, want to make the most of it :)

[Sookielee]

Thank you for posting this. I have been meaning to check the wiki for information on added collectibles and such. You reminded me and now I have a lot of information that I was needing.

[Malekitty]

The WA guide mentioned that if you put enough gems or metals in a "display case" you can "activate" to get a unique gem or metal. But EA did not include buyable display cases in WA.

[Pokeylope]

The WA guide mentioned that if you put enough gems or metals in a "display case" you can "activate" to get a unique gem or metal. But EA did not include buyable display cases in WA.

Yes, they did, and there is an entire thread on what you are talking about in this forum... :lol:

[Srikandi]

Yeah, I linked the thread above :) The display cases are under Surfaces (with the tables) in the category sort. YOu need the big one with eight slots, and you need to put eight gems or ingots on it.

BTW, I'm finding that random collections of gems/metals, with no more than 2 of any one type, consistently transmutes to a large uncut soulpeace... and getting that heart-cut returns a gem worth about *gasp* 20k... so, I think I've answered my economics question ;) 8 cheapo gems or ingots in the XXL display case = more money than your sims will ever need. I feel kind of cheap now that I know this :/

[HystericalParoxysm]

I need to update some of that based on diving into the XML - thanks for reminding me. I'll get on that today. :)

[clawsy]

the gems that u want to be transmuted, do they have to be cut or uncut?

[Srikandi]

They have to be cut -- uncut ones don't work. And metals have to be smelted. Which means that it is probably worth getting even your cheapo gems/metals processed, so you can play with transmutes... some (not all!) of the transmute recipes will result in something worth a lot more than the sum of what you put in.

[fovex]

And space rocks have to be identified(but relics don't oddly enough).

[FredSmith909]

So is there a way to change either the amounts you get when you find stones, or the randomness of prices when you find them? It's too easy to make a living finding stones in the game. I think most of them should be randomly worthless. I mean to make it at least a little more realistic, 75% of stones in game could be worth nothing, 20% of them between 1 - 100, 4% 100 - 500, and 1% 500 or more. It would make it more exciting when you find ones of value!

Is there anything out there to alter values of stones?

Thanks!