Crafting system overhaul

[mrcalhou]

I think that crafted items should have different stats based on the materials used to manufacture and the player's ability to manipulate variables during the crafting process. I also think that items should start to degrade after reaching a certain durability percentage (I stole this idea straight from Fallout 3 and New Vegas), and that item repairs should be limited (to encourage people to need to rely on crafters to have to replace equipment so that crafters have something to do and the game doesn't get flooded with items).

I certainly agree that games should do something to make the crafting process less boring.

[MrDDT]

I was told that all items have stats, and that all items differ in the stats they have. The tooltip isnt in place for these stats to be shown yet.

I also believe that these stats need to have a larger effect on whats going on.

I love your idea with the degrading of stats after they get to a point of breaking down (low durability). This would promote people to use newer made tools for the best work, and old tools for things they are just practicing with or maybe people that are just starting out in the craft. Also this would stop people from wanting to use tools they found laying around, and have crafters make them new ones.

Decay on items is a must for a working economy. If not there would be no need for crafters to keep making items. I believe if you put in a system where, you use an item a few times it drops down its stats, so the BEST items would be newly made, but doesnt mean you just toss the item away. Because all things you make dont need to be the best of the best, you must choose which items you want to put the work in on.

Also as far as repairs, I think repairing should be in, but like you said limited. Also repairing an item should slow its decay but not improve its stats back to tip top shape.

[mrcalhou]

I think Eve's system of blowing up your ship (which costs tons of resources) and some of your items is great way of promoting a crafting economy because a lot of items need to be replaced when you die. It doesn't make sense to blow up in this game, but I think having armor take massive hits to durability would be something that could be done to further promote a crafting economy.

Back on improving crafting though. MAKE IT MOAR INTERACTIVE RAWR!!!!!

[GuideSophia]

There is a decay system in the works, through the world update system. Currently it is not turned on, but it will be in the near future.

Decay will affect most player made items and there will be different types of decay depending on the item. Tools, weapons, and clothing will mainly decay with use or damage, construction items will decay over time. Decaying or damaged items will either need to be repaired or replaced.

You may have already noticed, there are patterns that can use different materials for their source resources. There are different tools available for crafting, each has a different level of quality. With all these put together we have a quality based crafted item system.

Character skill, quality of tools, condition of tools, different types of resources = quality based crafting

[aliksteel]

I dont know about anyone else, but this crafting system is so boring it makes my eyes bleed.


Problem:
What is the point of selecting tools? Unless you give us a BONUS for using the correction ones, or a neg for using the wrong ones, there should be no need to select tools.

Idea:
Make different level of tools. Meaning, you can use a basic tool or an advanced focused tool, or something. Which would give bonuses or negatives.
Say you are making deer bone chest. Well there could be advanced tools for using a DEER BONE tool vs using a basic tool, or even a BEAR BONE tool. You could use a bear bone tool, but maybe make it take 5x longer, or much higher chance to fail, or come out with an inferior product. (More on inferior and superior products later.)

My idea would be auto select system, Where when you start to craft it auto selects your tools for you. If you are short a tool, You will fail to craft anything.

Problem:
Doing the same action over and over, with little to no reaction from the user/crafter. Its just asking to be macroed.

Idea:
Why not make it so you have things happen while you are crafting that require the user/crafter to react to what is going on. Things like errors that require them to use a different type of tool, or maybe put it in water, or buff something out etc. If you DONT do this action you will run the risk of failure, or taking a lot longer to make it, or making a smaller amount (more on smaller amount in a bit), or inferior item.
If you DO the correct action, you could make items much faster, or higher chance of success, or making more than 1 item with the resources that would normally only allow one to be made (more on this in a bit again), or superior item.

EQ2 and Vanguard both had great reaction tool system. As some problem came up with EQ2 you had only so long to react to it with the right tool. If you did not hit the right tool or was to late the integrity is compromised, And it can get so bad as to be a failed crafted item. In Vanguard, The crafting would stop till you did something. Been a long time, But iit seem you had to add something to the ingredients of the recipe. Both VG and EQ2 would eat your resource if you failed.

Problem:
Why is it that we can only make 1 brick per click? Or 1 item? Even if we have more than enough resources in our bags. (Others have said something like this).

Idea:
Allow the game to detect how many we can make using the resources we have on us, and let us choose how many we wish to make. Making more at once should increase chance of failure, but reduce the amount of time.

Add Craft Many, Craft, Stop to crafting. When in craft many, You will craft till you run out of ingredients, Or hit stop.

Problem:
NO options for the crafter in how they want to do things or make things.

Idea:
Allow the crafter to choose things like, # of items they wish to craft at once, or change chance of success based on how long they want to spend at it. (Lower success could mean they get a product done faster, but high failure rate). Maybe allow to skim on items needed to make it but the product has a high chance of failure, or comes out inferior. Or the other way around, pick the BEST items for a higher chance of success or superior item.

I like this if I understand you right. Say I just wanted to build up my crafting skills. I could lower the success rate, And make sure I had the resource on me and just let it go. I would lose all my resources, But gain skill and level.

Problem:
Items in this game have no quality, nor do they do anything different. You use a handaxe, its just as good as a woodaxe, or a crafters hammers vs a makeshift hammer. They do the same damage, they take the same amount of time, there is no durability in the game so those dont wear out yet or anything.

Idea:
All items should have stats that go with them. Things like durability, speed, craftsmanship, weight, damage, etc. All these stats should be seen in some way, you dont have to put numbers to it if you dont want to, but explain it in the description (I would rather have numbers as it would make for a lot less coding).
Then you could have inferior items, and superior items.
Inferior items = Items that are just like basic ones (or normal) but they have some of their stats worse.
Superior items = Items that are just like their basic one, but they have some of their stats better.

Like a Handaxe, could do normally 20 damage, with a speed of 15, with 3 weight, durability of 5.
But an inferior Handaxe would be 17 damage, with a speed of 15, with 6 weight, durability of 5.
Or a superior Handaxe would 20 damage, with a speed of 22, with 3 weight, durability of 7.


Making smaller amounts or larger amounts than what the crafting said it would make.
One way to allow crafters to be rewarded for REACTING to things in game is to allow them to react correctly they can come out with 2 or 5 or 10 etc items instead of the basic amount.

Like making a brick, I set it to make all 10 bricks at the normal settings and rates. But because I reacted correctly, I get 14 bricks instead of 10.
Or because I just walked away and let it make the 10 bricks on its own, I only get 7.
This rewards people for reacting and PLAYING a crafter, while still rewarding people that dont mind losing some mats, as long as they dont have to click 10000x

I think crafting skill should play a bigger part in how many you make. Take mason, I know it's going to get some love at some point, But say I am a level/skill point 75, And I am making bricks again, Bricks are like level 1 stuff. Then I could set to craft many and almost every one would be made without me doing anything. Thats because my skill is high, But if I sit with it, And did everything I needed to, Then I would comeout ahead with a higher brick count.

[Trekkan]

There are different tools available for crafting, each has a different level of quality. With all these put together we have a quality based crafted item system.

The problem with this is, no one is going to use any of the other tools, they will only use the best one and the others will be pointless. That is why static patterns (of anything) end up not really working out, or otherwise end up like any other game. Although, if items were different so that almost no two items were exactly the same and the end result of your crafting wasn't 100% known until you make the item, I could live with tools having set "levels".

[aliksteel]

Agreed Trekkan, Unless there is going to be rare resources, But even then people will only use highest quality items that they can get.

[mrcalhou]

The problem with this is, no one is going to use any of the other tools, they will only use the best one and the others will be pointless. That is why static patterns (of anything) end up not really working out, or otherwise end up like any other game. Although, if items were different so that almost no two items were exactly the same and the end result of your crafting wasn't 100% known until you make the item, I could live with tools having set "levels".

^This.

It's good to have a deep crafting system, but the mechanics are still fairly boring. I think it'd be nice if they could make it into an ability-based crafting abilities where you can learn abilities that can be used during the crafting process to affect the overall stats of items.

I also think that items should have pros and cons. Be better at some things but worse at others. Having different tiers of overall weapons wouldn't be a bad thing, either, as long as there is a lot of variation within tiers so that players don't all gravitate to using the same weapon of each class.

I would also think it'd be cool as heck if you could make poisons and toxins that can be coated on to weapons that give additional affects.

But in all things it should be balanced so players can use what they are most comfortable with, not what is the most powerful.

[aliksteel]

I would also think it'd be cool as heck if you could make poisons and toxins that can be coated on to weapons that give additional affects.

This could give another reason to have crafting benches.

[mrcalhou]

This could give another reason to have crafting benches.

Or at least a pestle and mortar tool to break down plant material and some chemical reagents like sulfuric acid (oil of vitriol--very old stuff can be made by burning sulphur with saltpetre in the prescence of steam), to extract the toxins out of plants and concentrate it. Then put the stuff into vials and then coat the weapons like that. Have it wear off over use.

I don't see why things would have to be done on benches, but in real life it certainly is more comfortable on a flat and stable surface than on the ground.