Hi,

I completed the legendary sword quest with the blacksmith and the Peteran priest some time back. As I understood it, as long as I made enough of the alloy during the quest, I'd be able to craft two swords (in this case Galatine and Seraphim) after the quest was over. I was intending to make them for my Queen and my Knight.

I have enough alloy and the other materials to craft them, but I can't seem to get the Divine Catalyst. I have blessed well water in my blacksmith's inventory but clicking on the fireplace or the forge gives me no option to craft it. The original sword I made disappeared when I gave it to the Monarch, so currently no one has anything that level.

Is this a bug, or am I doing something wrong? Would it matter if I upgraded my fireplace in the meantime, would it need to be the exact same pot each time (I don't know why, but I'm baffled.)

Any help greatly appreciated!

According to the xml, the divine catalyst requires mana stones and 2 azurite as well as the blessed well water. Do you have those items? From what you've said above it sounds like you're expecting it to be made with just the water. Is this the problem, or do you have those items as well?

There is indeed a bug of sorts in "The Cutting Edge" quest concerning the catalyst being made after the quest is over, and keeping the sword after the quest has ended, and also the quest ending prematurely. Chickie surely remembers a post I wrote about the Cutting Edge describing to readers what they can do to at least keep the sword which was crafted by the blacksmith during the quest.

If Chickie is right, that you are trying to make the sword with only water, then please follow her direction to include the other items needed in your blacksmith's inventory.
However, your situation sounds very similar to the one I have been experiencing for YEARS!

There is only ONE time in all the multiple times I've played The Cutting Edge, that the Catalyst and sword could be made after the actual quest was completed. I have played TSMP&N since the game was out, and only ONE time so that's obviously a BUG!

If you try the quest again, hand off the sword to another hero sim, one in which you also take control of during The Cutting Edge quest, but do not give the sword over to a sim that is a participant of the quest, meaning NOT the Peteran Priest, and not the monarch. Although you do not control the monarch during this quest, he or she is a player in this quest, and I believe it is mentioned as being the case in the description of this quest before a player selects it to play. Give the sword to the trader, as I did, or any other sim that has nothing to do with it. I had given my trader the ability to sword fight, took control of him, just as my blacksmith Qyall Quartz was returning from the forest with the sword. My quest used to end prematurely before my blacksmith actually made it to the middle of the forest grassy area, and always there was no sword in his inventory on the next quest played.

But when I was able to keep the sword, it was because I was aware of what was going to happen, so I took control of my trader, paused the game before Qyall was about to enter into the forest clearing, removed the sword from his inventory, gave it to my trader, then had him equip it, and practice with it on a dummy on his lot, then when the quest ended, which again did so prematurely, I did NOT let go of the control of my trader, but kept control of him, but the quest ended, yet I was still in game playing mode. You will see this strange event, if you try out my suggestion. Yes, you can still continue in game play, but not be in a quest, if you are controlling a sim at the time of a quest's end who is not a player in said quest. To get back to kingdom mode, simply release the non participating of the former quest, but when the next quest is started, they will again be in your control, so if they are not a player in the new quest, you should at the time of their responsibilities take control of them and do their responsibilities, so they do not get a shirk from them.

Anyway, I did not save the game until I began the next quest in order to make sure that the sword Qyall made would remain. It did. But as I said before, no catalyst recipe showed up for me, so no catalyst could be made by anyone with the ability to make it.

This last time a few days ago, I had played The Cutting Edge with a new installation of TSMP&N, but with my same sims, and I could not get passed my Peteran Priest drawing the Blessed Water from the well, or when I restarted from the point I had recently saved having changed the order in which I had last completed the duties of the players, I could not get passed when Qyall was using the archive and reading the book required. So that didn't change matters. It was as if the game was on a timer. That when these last duties given to each of the players was completed, BOOM, end of game.

I do intend to retry this quest once I get my blacksmith into this new kingdom that I just started, and will test out a theory I have had for a time, to see if it turns out to be correct, and if so, then I will share the results with a glad heart immediately. Chickie knows of my struggles with this quest. Somehow my post from a year ago or so which I made on MTS went missing, and though I made a problem post concerning this missing post to the management of MTS, I have heard nothing new concerning it's return. So its gone, I guess.

In order to take control of any sim, not just a hero sim during game play, just shift-click on the sim by pointing your mouse on said sim, then pressing the shift key on your keyboard, and left clicking on the sim you want to control. To release them, do the same thing, although you may need to right click. When in game, it all flows naturally, the things one must do to preform such actions as described, but once there is no game in front of a soul as they explain to another those very actions, there is little free flow of recollection of what actions one must perform, LMAO!

Good Luck to you, Dear. And also to your blacksmith, and Peteran Priest.

Xeny

I just ran the quest through with the tremendous catalyst and as you both say it disappears upon completion (as does the alloy as far as I can tell). I made extra alloy, which remained in my Blacksmith's inventory, so would making extra catalyst during the quest work also? and can you actually make extra catalyst at all, or does the recipe disappear during the quest once it's made.
The tag to state whether it's quest specific or not is missing, which could be the problem. Also it's on the catalyst menu, which could also be the problem, because the game doesn't access that except for quests as far as I'm aware. I could add the tag and see if it shows, or switch the catalyst to the default menu, the problem with both of these solutions is that it uses the recipes xml, which will affect a few mods, you'd either have to install the mods, or uninstall others.
The other thing to try would be to remove the catalyst from the swords ingredients, since (as far as I know) no-one has uploaded a modded version of that xml yet, but I'm not sure if that would affect the quest or not, or I could try adding a second version of the sword with the catalyst removed, but it would probably be available all the time which would make it not so special. If the alloy was kept in the ingredient list and extra was made during the quest then it would still be like a quest completion reward.

To answer my own question, only one catalyst can be made during the quest. It disappears as soon as it's done.

The quest runs fine without the catalyst in the ingredient list, your Priest will still be required to make it and hand it over, but it not being part of the recipe anymore doesn't hurt the quests progression.
The alloy doesn't seem to want to stay in the list after the quests end no matter what is changed, so you'll have to remember to make extra alloy during the quest if you want to make the swords.
This should work in your current kingdom straight away U2QueenBee.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...771#post4846771

My monarch, Xylan Darksword made the catalyst after The Cutting Edge quest was completed, Chickie, that was the one game in which the sword crafted in The Cutting Edge was still able to be crafted after the quest ended. Remember Xylan also has blacksmith abilities.

I have a strong feeling that different versions of the same files in the same game are very much different and not identical at all, though they should be, hence the reasons why some never experienced the troubles with the Gastrobury rewards, but a good many have. EA or Maxis or both TICK ME OFF in the manner that their customers are treated!

I still have my theory on all this, but it is directly related to the premature ending of this particular quest. I'll let you in on part of the theory, so you know where I am coming from, if and when later I can write another post in which might be a solution for anyone else experiencing the same troubles as I have always had with The Cutting Edge.

It relates to a "timer" which I hinted at in my reply to the author of this thread. Do you recall that the blacksmith is required to tell the Peteran Priest about his failure to complete his responsibilities? Twice in this quest, and it is set as a quest duty, not as a daily responsibility. However, if the player waits too long to perform this duty, the listed duty disappears. I have noticed this event many many times, for you see, often I am caught up in the actions going on in the game screen, such as a good many players probably are, and also doing as much as can be done to XP my blacksmith in between required duties such as is prescribed a player should do in TSMP&N manual etc etc, so VERY often the duty is never performed by Qyall Quartz my blacksmith. My thory about the premature ending centers around this duty and not being fulfilled. I think the duty is intended to be fulfilled, but when it is not, the game sets some sort of timer, if you will, which cuts short other aspects of the quest. I have seen weirder things in TSMP&N, so this idea should not be a shock to anyone in any way. It, if it is so, my theory, may be an accident, or unintended by the programmers, or perhaps it is in fact intentional. I can't say, but who could except for those who created the game. I intend to take special care when I next play this quest and keep tabs on the events, so as I can post hopefully a positive outcome and an experience of finally getting to complete this quest in full from start to its actual intended finish for the first time in my life.

Even when the one time the sword, which was the Seraphin, but no other could be made after the initial quest had been completed, the game had still ended prematurely. That is my most major concern with the game and the quest. In fact, often I experience premature quest ends, the genie and the monarch quest, I think ended too soon, in the Hard Workers ambition, as the genie actually showed up in the kingdom at the judgement zone right before its end, TWICE, well in the same installed game, but different ambitions. NEVER have I seen the genie in the bottle show his or her face in the quest with the monarch other than their image in Xylan's mirror, or rather in the dialogue window the game has set.

The genie has only ever showed up in the kingdom literally, when the quest was with my wizard. Perhaps all these years I have just never noticed the genies presence at the judgement zone when Xylan was the quest's main player, but that sounds utterly ridiculous to me, though its possible. I was shocked the first time, but the genie the second time lingered longer in the game after the genie quest with my monarch was over. He decided to browse my Trader's lot for quite some time. So I said to myself, WTF, he might as well be a semi active sim for a while, so I took control of him, and had him repeatedly cast Beacon of Hope upon each and everyone of my sims, insuring that none of them was having a low buff experience.

He left on his own once I released him a couple of sim days later.

Xeny loves her sims, and wants then completely happy and smiling.

I kind of just wanted to complete the last game of Deathspank first, The Baconing before getting started. I got all teary-eyed after completing Thongs of Virtue yesterday, after viewing the second ending, which I did not play. I selected to defeat Sandy, by killing her, instead of laying down Deathspank's life for her theory on the thongs. Deathspank's legend must continue, where as Sandy for most is just a side stepping participant in the Deathspank Series

I often find that npc sims from completed quests like to hang out for a while in the new quest begun after their quest is over. Sometimes, they do not understand that their quest is over, so sometimes happily, rarely unhappily, I find that it is necessary to end their existence permanently, usually by execution by sword. Especially the Lieutenant in the Shipwrecked Sailor quest. Their murder is always a pleasure, he, he , he!

TC Toots! Xeny

Was the quest changed at some point in a patch or with P&N? Mine ended in the forest every time as well, when I was testing the mod and also when I ran it through to check out the catalyst etc before I made the mod.
I looked at the stbl and there doesn't seem to be anything beyond the Smith entering the forest, It looks like thats it's natural end. I don't have a copy of the stbl from before P&N so I can't compare it. Unless the ending is much further down from the rest of the quest, it looks like it might have been altered at some point.
I know one of the patch notes stated that they altered some quests 'for clarity' but I assumed that was the tool tips that were added to them.

The one time that The Cutting Edge completed for me in which the sword Seraphim could be crafted after the quest's end, Qyall was able to get back home. He was not left in the forest as had always occurred in other times playing this quest. The only change that I am aware of concerning only myself and game play with this quest, is that I am using another installation of TSMP&N. I did not play this quest with only TSM, hence why I said previously that the game files must be different from other game files though they are the same game.

But, Chickie, the change in my game cannot be due to playing this quest with only TSM installed, or both installed, as every time I played this quest, both TSM and Pirates and Nobles were installed. It seems the strange outcome of the last time I played the Cutting Edge is related to the different file version of the installed game, though it is merely a guess, or at least partly due to the different game. This installation came from a digital download, while most of the formerly installed games in which I played this quest came from the discs. I have about 4 different game types, or from different styles, if you will, but they all seem to behave differently.

I hope this info helps, Mah Lady...the failure of The Cutting Edge in the Ambition Hard Workers, in which I was playing a mere week ago, ended that ambition for me, as I was very upset by its premature ending which was just about in the middle of its supposed length, and should not have ended as it did. I ended up manually setting all of my sims to level 10, having created the last two of them while the quest was in play still, so I could end the ambition, and move on to the next. This quest is one that I find to be one of the most exciting to play, and always there is the hope that it will succeed, Oh just once! Or once more...so, as I was so upset, I did this, and moved to the next ambition, but my mind still wanders to the recent past when I was playing it, and I am working to get to the point where I can try this quest once more in this ambition I'm on now. But I swear, if it fails in the same way as it did last time, I am going to reinstall it from scratch again, but using another of my installation game files. Probably not from the discs.

Thanks for working on this one Chickie Babes!

Xeny

Chickie! Chickieteeta! I just had a thought that may be influencing on this subject, and possibly other quests with similar problems.

The first time I installed TSM&P&N I used a downloaded patch from EA however it was gotten from a 3rd party. The 2nd time I installed this game, I installed all the patches from 113.----- whatever to the most recent patch update, which would equal a total of 4 manually, and this last installation I allowed the Installer to patch the game using only patch 2.0.113 whatever.... This install seems more glitchy to me, not that they all aren't, but sims seem to behave more independantly than they should, I'll say. Not following the directions they are obliged to as NPC's in whatever quest is in the queque, as it were.

Anyway, you mentioned a change in the files and this quest asking about TSM and P&N, so if they had made changes, certainly they would come with these patches, that never really have done what they claimed they would do for the game.

Ta Ta Toots!

Xeny

Sorry to revive an old thread but I've just done this quest and was really happy to read all the info here. I was able to keep the free sword from the quest thanks to you guys.

I want to add an extra tip for those who want to craft the swords a limited number of times without a mod.
I was able to make extra divine catalyst. The option disappears as soon as the peteran priest makes the divine catalyst, just as stated above. But the smith also has this option. So have your smith make as many divine catalysts as you need (I had 5 superior alloy but needed 6 devine catalyst made by the smith to keep 5 after completion of the quest), the option won't go away when your smith makes them. Once you have enough, have your priest make one to get the quest going again.

I sure can try your suggestion, Atreya, again, as my game now has a different configuration than it did way back when...but back then, my blacksmith was unable to make more than one catalyst. When he made it, the game treated the action as the responsibility of the Peteran Priest had been completed, so afterwards, no sim could make the catalyst during or after the quest was completed. TSM&P&N has always been wacky in all the years I have played, with the different formats, and styles, I have had some REALLY strange events occur that there have been many a player to whom I had informed about these crazy strange events that did not believe me, and replied that I made them/it up. These events are half the reason I love this game, though they can also be terribly frustrating at times.

The last time I played The Cutting Edge, I took control of my monarch at the time of the duty to make the catalyst. If you read any previous posts above of mine, then you will remember that King Xylan Darksword also has a blacksmiths abilities, as well as royal (he's also a wizard), therefore, he also can make the catalyst, which in this last play of this quest, he made, but I had all 3, Xylan - king, Qyall Quartz - blacksmith, and Lagger Beer -Peteran Priest set and ready to perform the action at the same time. They did so, or rather my quick and nervous click got the job done! LOL

I did this knowing of my past experience with the failure of the recipe to continue to show itself in the quest afterwards, in hopes that at least there might be at least one catalyst available after The Cutting Edge completed. We used Lagger's catalyst, Qyall's disappeared out of his inventory but I retained the sword, just as I stated in a post above. But, Xylan, my king, retained the catalyst he had made on into the next quest I played. He himself made another sword which was delivered to the kingdom's wizard, Xerxex Xoux. <---- What a name, eh? LOL

I still intend to experiment more with The Cutting Edge, as I continue to have theories about it failures.

Thank you so much Dear, for sharing your successful experience and may it be of great help to many.

Bless, Xeny

Very strange. For me the blacksmith did not complete the task of the peteran priest. Strange how the game can react different for different versions.

I'm interested what mod did you use to give your sims options from other heroes? I would like to try that for myself. But now i'm thinking about it, could this be why one sims can fullfill another sims task in your game?

ah well, at least the trick to keep the sword after the quest seems to work in all games.

TZ-DynamicProfession.package is the mod I use...link @ bottom below. The latest version, however you may experience some issues if this mod conflicts with any other mods you may have installed, such as Grims Core. I tolerate the event that takes place in my game because it is equally important to me to have both of these mods installed, as one does something the other does not, and vice-versa. An example is TZ Dynamics allows the player to remove abilities of sims, where as Grims Core will not. Grim borrowed from TZ Dynamics, adding it into his core, but he did not add it in full function. I find it easier to work with TZ Dynamics, as I do not generally use Grims interactive menu, as it is too detailed in which to function in a continuous run, trying to find the correct response in a timely manner is difficult, so the game has to be paused nearly all the time during sim interaction as there is not enough time to find then select a proper action before a sim walks away or the such and such event ends, so I disable Grims core menu, yet retain all of its features. The problems that occur for me and my game due to the conflicts of these two mods, are the game freezes when a sim in my control purchases items from my trader or blacksmith, though it is of a short duration, to some it can be annoying, and when switching from the general interactions menu to Grims, and vice-versa, the game freezes for a short time, but longer than at the stalls. I am unaware of any other problems occurring due to this conflict, and otherwise the game plays just fine.
My issues may not be your in game issues if you have any when or if you install either or both of these two mods. You can only find out if you install them both into your game. Good Luck.

The answer to your suggestion that my blacksmith may have had his action counted as the Priest's duty in the quest because of this mod and abilities granted to other sims from professions, is No, because this occurred before I had any mods installed whatsoever. Full default game, but you may see in any of the posts I have made concerning this quest which are many throughout MTS' forum, that I have quite a few theories, and still working out the kinks here and there. That in fact in other quests with other hero sims, the same has occurred, like a respo of my monarch was acted out by another hero sim, in First Steps, and in which I never expected the game would count the picking of wild flowers by this other sim, as if the monarch himself has picked them. But it did, however, when I have repeated this action in different games, the game did not count the action, so there we go with the game acting wacky again. By the way, the reason the two mentioned mods above conflict, is because they are script mods.
The only time in which another sims respo can and should be counted when a different hero sim completes it, is when both the monarch, and the Jacoban Priest are playing together on a quest, and either of them receives a respo to Pass an Edict at the map table. This is convenient when the monarch is a level 10, but perhaps the Priest is lower than that but the respo is given to the Priest, instead I have my monarch complete the Pass an Edict, so the edict most desired has the best chance at passing due that the monarch gets two votes instead of one when he or she is level 10 or higher. Its GREAT to be the king! LOL!

Bless, and always have a blast forever if it lasts!

Xeny

http://modthesims.info/t/439543

Years later, sheeeAT! It's the ambitions fault. Hard Workers. It is faulty. I went to the Net to search again for any information I might find about the Cutting Edge again for the billionth time, and I saw one of my posts in this thread show up in the search results of my search engine, so I went to reread what I had written years ago. So here I am and have come to the realization that the ambition Hard Workers is the cause of the early ending of the Cutting Edge, because it is mentioned by the author of this thread, I mentioned it way back then, and at this moment am playing the ambition Hard Workers, and the Cutting Edge, and having a most miserable time. I cannot get passed when my blacksmith asks the Pond Pixie to take him to the forest forge. As soon as Ms Pondie says, oh yeah man, lets go, da da da ta! You have gotten Platinum on this quest. Next.....Moth&*%^&$!!!! I went back retrying with several different saves I made before and had saved for just in case, but every time, it ends at the same point, no sword, my multi experienced king cannot make it, not my blacksmith, all is erased after the stupid quest over music makes its noise.
Unbelievably I got the Cutting Edge to work completely for the very first time ever where it could be crafted and sold and used in this very same installation of TSM, and P&N, it was so perfect, I almost cried....but guess what? I wasn't playing Hard Workers
There are still glitches, and bugs, and premature endings in this game still, though. Guilded Guilds, fighter's guild, with my knight ended abruptly, when he was fighting the Guild Leader. He refused to join the guild, and get used for free, and he is supposed to fight this Guild lord to the death and be rewarded with the dead Guild lord's armor, or sword, but before any notice was given to perform such an action, quest completed without any such fight occurring. It was okay by me this time though, because I knew what this quest entailed, as I have played it before...and I knew ahead of time, that I could take the sword, and or armor, right away, as I take control of the guild lord, and trade his equipment with some crappy armor of my choice, and he none the wiser, but looking as stupid as he intended to make a fool of my knight, by his ridiculous requests of the highest rank knight of the kingdom, my Reigh Nigh. Anyway, I think I am so sad about the Cutting Edge, as I was so long ago, in the post upstairs of this one, in which I stated I would just manually set all my sims to level 10, and move on passed Hard Workers, for what is the worth or pleasure in pursuing a failed path in which you have no power or ability to change.? I say there is no pleasure. There is only sadness.
I love myself, and my sims too much to endure unhappiness on purpose. On to the next! LOL

TC,
Xeny