Craft Skill Limitations

[Vold]

Thank you all so much for the huge amount of feedback!

In regards to our plans to raise the crafting skill limits during the next version update, we thought it’d be the perfect time to implement, alongside the auction house merge and Synergy-augmented content. We felt it would serve as a countermeasure to the low amount of active crafters and the low number of items up on the auction houses in the three nations. However, as a result of discussions based on all of your feedback we have opted to postpone this. To get a better idea of the community’s opinion and also to further our discussions we would like to explain a bit about our future plans for synthesis and synergy, and give you plenty of time to discuss and provide feedback.

For the past couple of updates we placed a heavy emphasis on level cap increases, Abyssea, and other new battle related content. For the version updates in 2011, along with the level cap increase and battle related additions and adjustments, we are planning a significant amount of adjustments to synthesis and synergy as well.

Future plans
Based on our desire to reevaluate how players obtain items, as well as adding attractive item recipes, we plan on changing our focus from shifting synthesis to synergy. We’re also planning on strengthening the specialties of each (Synthesis and Synergy) as well as creating their own special uses and objectives. Along with this we will also be looking into raising the crafting skill limitations.

Our ultimate goal is to add numerous items so that you can select what you wear depending on the situation and slot. This is similar to when the level cap was 75 and you have Relic, Salvage, Einherjar, and Limbus-related gear to utilize.

• Premise

• Expansion of new items and recipes similar to the abjuration equipment system
• Fixing of locations to obtain general purpose materials (Shop and loot expansion)
• Improvements to synergy, fishing, chocobo digging, harvesting, mining, gathering systems

• Synthesis in Perspective

• Possible to create attractive, one of a kind items
• Benefits of HQ synths are reflected largely by an increase in stats
• Possible to create base items through synthesis
• Possibility of losing materials as a result of failure

• Synergy in Perspective

• Possible to mass produce items and create EX items
• Benefits of HQ are strongly demonstrated through mass production recipes
• System to add stats via augment synergy
• No loss of materials upon failure (Fewell and cost are separate)

There were some concerns about the addition of items that can only be made by having multiple skills leveled to 100, but rest assured that we have no plans of introducing recipes of this difficulty.

The above content is not finalized and is a plan that we would like to try and apply in the future. Since this is a pretty large change to our approach, in order to create an even better direction for this, please let us know your thoughts.

We will continue to bring you updates on our plans as we receive your feedback and continue to make gradual changes as we solidify our plan.

Glad to hear you are postponing this. I thought you were kind of rushing it. Anyway, the above details all appear very sound to me. I will take this time and drop a little idea on you guys, however... it's something I enjoyed from a different game that I feel would greatly benefit this game, though I'm sure it would require a lot of work to achieve. Basically you expand on the idea of augments. I would like to see augments created by crafters that can be sold. How you apply that augment to gear can be done by whatever means you see fit, but the important part here is creating a new market for crafters. For example:

A goldsmith can craft goldsmithing augments. There are multiple augments to choose from. An augment for each of the stats. An augment for HP. An augment for MP. An augment for resist. So on. An augment HP can look like this: Neck, Ear, Ring, Waist slot - HP + 10. An STR aug would look like this: Neck, Ear, Ring, Waist - STR + 1.

A good way to spread the augment love around is for each craft to have it's own augments for it's own synthesis items. So, for example, you would require woodworking augments to augment a Jupiter's staff. Taking that to the next step of augmenting end game gear, you use clothcraft augment to augment a Morri Robe as it would logically be a clothcraft synthesis item. If you want to keep augments really simple, just go with one or two crafts to synthesis them, whatever makes sense. Unfortunately that would probably mean goldsmithing or smithing. You could limit the work output by going with just a few slots that can be augmented, or go all out and go for most slots. Another idea is for there to be HQ augments. I'll stop there but you get the general idea. I think it is something worth exploring and possibly worth the effort at some point. As for the means of augmenting gear with these augments, you could use Synergy as the method of augmenting the gear since you are already down that road.

Basically, it's your idea of augmenting end game gear but with the crafters in control. The lone downside to this idea though, is that because FFXI isn't the typical MMORPG with tiers of end game content where gear is constantly outdated, an augment system may not be very realistic. But a good way to counter that is for augments to actually be more rare than not. Perhaps requiring rare materials. Goldsmithing can use a new ore that can only be mined... woodworking would require a new log to log for, so on. Anyways, something to think on for the future.

[Zumi]

Awwww come on i really wanted some multiple 100 recipes to make some elite gear, that would of been cool. Once again the complainers get their way it seems.

[Cljader1]

Awwww come on i really wanted some multiple 100 recipes to make some elite gear, that would of been cool. Once again the complainers get their way it seems.

Yeah I was thinking the samething, it a shame that SE listened to these complainers, and ignored the hardcore crafters. I hope you know what your doing SE because I devoted almost all of my time to both crafting and synergy...it'll be a shame if the casual crafters get there way.

[annewandering]

Right now I am level 75 synergy. I am WW and have already made my carpenters stall, which by the way I completely LOVE. How do I level to 80? The only way I see right now is to toss my stall and level on that or wait for SE to make at least one new recipe at 80 to skill up on.
Please, SE, even if you delay crafting changes, Please add some new recipes at 80!

[Bubeeky]

disliking synergy doesn't make us casual crafters...we're just as dedicated to our crafts, which is why I (I can only speak for myself here) have such a problem with synergy...in creating synergy, those of us dedicated to our crafts that we've spent years perfecting seem to have just been forgotten about with synergy being the new kid on the block...again, that doesn't make us casual complainers, that makes us crafters that have a real issue that needs to be addressed.

[CrystalWeapon]

Synergy is insainly easy to skill up due to the inability to lose your materials. Went from not having it unlocked to lv 70 spending a whole 200k and taking 3~4 days. If goldsmithing had that luxury I'd have been lv 100 years ago. It's nice to see that the synergy system will continue to expand and grow, but it would be nice to see more improvements to synthesis besides just a cap increase. Maybe lower the curb between NQ and HQ synths. Make more ingredients available from NPC sources. I wouldn't complain about having faster skillups either.

[GlobalVariable]

• Synthesis in Perspective

• Possible to create attractive, one of a kind items
• Benefits of HQ synths are reflected largely by an increase in stats
• Possible to create base items through synthesis
• Possibility of losing materials as a result of failure

I'm sorry but nothing angers a crafter more than being level 100 and failing a lv 20 synth and losing all materials involved or losing that pain in the rear to acquire material that is never on the AH. Its been repeated over and over and over and a major lure of synergy was the lack of material loss. Sure we spend gil to replace fewell. Fewell, a generic easy to acquire item that doesn't take a multi hour camping or farming session to find. Should have never been a separate skill for synergy; should have just let it be an alternate system for the normal crafts. To late now.

The minimum break/item loss chances on crafting need removed. My skill level should not give me tiers of chances of breaks but directly point for point reduce my chances of breaking and losing materials. By the time I'm capped on a skill and HQing a recipe it should not ever be breaking and losing 100% of materials. Hell make each recipe like a quest; did you clear it? HQ = cleared. Not saying add to quest log, using as a comparison there.

[Okiro]

Letting a second craft skill go to 100 would perhaps revitalize the market somewhat, whereas it has essentially died now. It's disappointing you decided to delay this as a result of the whining. The reality is that it wouldn't affect game balance in the slightest because the most devoted crafters already have mules for the other crafts they wanted leveled and wouldn't waste time releveling that craft again on their main character. As for the market on consumables, it would probably drop their price down back to the normal price before crafting started to fade away (100K Shihei Toolbag Stacks > 40/50K) and that is only beneficial for everyone at this point. The people complaining about that will still make a profit making these tools; it'll just take making more of them to accrue the same profits, but the price will be much more stable than it is now.

[Randwolf]

Awwww come on i really wanted some multiple 100 recipes to make some elite gear, that would of been cool. Once again the complainers get their way it seems.

I wasn't going to chime in but I am really disappointed also. I wanted to make Goldsmithing my main craft. However, because of the cost, I can only work on it a little at a time. Yesterday in shell, before I saw this, I was asking what should I choose as a second craft to 100. Since, I would have been able to take that to 100 first without dashing the dreams of skilling Gold to 100. My first thought had been Cooking. Since, I really enjoy being able to make all my consumables.

Anyway, yeah, I was pretty disappointed in S/E's decision. I really don't enjoy skilling up crafting. But, I was looking forward to being able to make more of my own supplies.

[Avina]

Awwww come on i really wanted some multiple 100 recipes to make some elite gear, that would of been cool. Once again the complainers get their way it seems.

I was really looking forward to working on a new craft this coming update. It bums me that they announced this and then they doubled back on it...

I mean, they let us level any job we want to max by sitting around in Abyssea trading keys to a box, but still maintaining these rigid crafting caps which have to actually be earned through a lot of time, work, and money, in a game where people aren't even crafting anymore since it it only makes obsolete gear these days. It just seems backwards to me. Maybe it won't fix the game's economy on its own but it would at least give players more ability to craft their own stuff.

The issue really is that crafting is irrelevant since the way people experience now makes buying the early gear irrelevant. Until SE finds a way to bring exping back outside of Abyssea for lower levels in a way that doesn't infuriate those that seek Abyssea parties to leech, I don't think you will see a more populated Auction House.