Pulling my Hair out....Treasure Map Help

[UnintendedSpittle]

So I'm trying to do a plain treasure map. I have 50 cartography an 50 lockpicking, I have a shovel, I have the map....but no matter what I do it says, "you dig and dig but fail to find the treasure"

What causes this? I'm pretty positive I'm in the right spot. I used a rune library( two different ones, both go to same spot)

I'm new to all of this, so maybe I'm missing something? I've read UOGuide, UO.com, and various other spots....still don't understand whats going on.

 

[Easy_buddy]

There's three messages you can get when you fail to dig up a chest: one that indicates you're nowhere near the chest, one that indicates you're very near the chest, and one that says you're on top of it. I think that's the one you get when you're right next to it. You probably just need to move over a few tiles.

• "You dig and dig but fail to find any treasure" means you are not digging in the right spot. Move off a couple of tiles in any direction and try again. (if you are using sextant locations, it shouldn't be more than one or two tiles away)
• "You cannot seem to find a treasure chest" (or something similar) means you are very close. Try again just one tile away.
• "You cannot dig here because you are standing on top of the chest!" Just like it sounds. You've found it; you just need to move off one spot and dig where you were just standing.

http://uo.stratics.com/thb/info/pureessay.shtml

 

[Nanashi]

Maps are very troublesome to even try unless you have UO auto map. Decode the map, find it on Automap with the same number as the rune library marked it. Don't forget to tilt the map as well because that is originally how you will see it. Should be pretty straight forward, I think you are just not on the correct spot and maybe one number off north, south, east, west. You will also note that each number has a bunch of others cluttered next to each other but it doesn't quite match the picture of the decoded map. Use your best judgment and you will be fine!

*The libraries mark runes right on TOP of the treasure chest so you will have to either move a tile over and dig at the current spot you recalled onto."

 

[duffman071]

Assuming you decoded your map to the right run library number (which is a big IF), the rune library should put you right on top of the chest... or in some cases 1 tile off. I usually recall to the Rune spot, then move 1 tile north, and then dig to the south and 9 times out of 10 it works that first try.

However, if it doesn't work, and you try all the adjacent spots and those don't work, chances are high that you got the wrong rune location. Look at your map again. tilt it, squint at it, try looking at http://uo.stratics.com/thb/info/maparchive/Archive1.shtml and locate it there.

Sometimes several different dig spots are clustered together in close proximity and it takes a little practice to be able to interpret the right rune location # the first try. I've done hundreds of maps and I've gotten to the point where finding a location is pretty easy now, usually first try. Practice makes perfect.

Oh and like the poster above said, UOAM configured to show treasure map locations is your friend also.

 

[edw3rdwood]

I have a very simple formula, because the process is complex and required simplification:

-open this site: http://uo.stratics.com/thb/info/maparchive/Archive1.shtml
-now open this map/save it onto your computer: http://www.aschulze.net/ultima/library/map_britannia.jpg

Now, whenever I open a map, I check it against the world map. Note that "New Haven" is actually Occlo in UOF and the island is shaped different. Anyway, once you find the general location on the world map open that first site and navigate to the location. Now match your pin as close as possible to one of the numbers. Any rune library will drop you DIRECTLY ON TOP of the treasure spot, meaning you have to step off one tile before digging in the tile you landed on. As long as you have a shovel in your inventory, just right-click the map and "dig for treasure".

If you get the message "there is nothing there to dig" or whatever, you most likely picked the wrong pin spot. In this case use your sextant to fine-tune your positioning and match it up with the next-most-likely pin spot (it takes a second to figure out how a sextant works the first time, after that it's a jiffy). Regardless, once you finally find the right spot, your character will begin digging. For "plainly" drawn maps you'll be fine, but for anything more than that a spawn of 4 monsters will appear AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE DIGGING. I immediately hide, and then drag bars for each of the mobs. This gives me a chance to plan out my attack. While hidden, I mount my ethy and usually provo the two hardest mobs against each other. Then I use magery to kill off the lesser two. If you can't pull this off, just run off once you're mounted on your ethy (or on foot if you don't have one) and pick off the mobs one-by-one.

Once all mobs are killed you can get to the chest. First you have to lockpick it, which I assume you've raised to ~95 or so with tinker boxes beforehand. After it's picked, you have to cast telekinesis on it to disarm trap (stand 10+ feet away). Once it's picked, and you're all healed (finally, *whew*), you can begin looting. I take the gold first, then the regs, then the equipment. More mobs will spawn as you loot, but only one at a time so you can pick them off easily. I've found that on "expertly" drawn or better you can make 7k+ in gold/selling equipment to vendors. Obviously if you get any invuln gear pull it aside to maybe sell at vendors. As you get higher up in the degree of treasure maps, you will no longer be able to solo and will NEED a partner/group. Keep this in mind beforehand. The only ones I can solo as a mage are 'plainly' and 'expertly'; adept, clever, and devious all require group effort.

I suggest hoarding maps on all your other characters until you have 20+, then banging them all out in one night on your treasure hunter. Good luck.

 

[Bobaganoosh]

Mining helps. I think with gm mining u can be up to 8 tiles away

 

[Luxvero]

Many Player built rune libraries have runebooks for the 200 spots, matching the Stratics numbering, no need for guesswork and mining.

Does this take the fun away? Heh

Maybe that's a whole new system waiting to be developed on freeshards, random treasure spots

*hint*

probably that would have to include an external software to graphically embed pins on local maps sprites (unless a whole 10,000 pins were pre-alocated semi-autocatically, just humanly reviewed)

 

[edw3rdwood]

I would definitely be up for a new tier of treasure map, like "an ancient treasure map" that DID have a random location. Maybe even in a dungeon. I'm sure the devs could think of some cool things to put in there.