A couple crafting log / search box ideas

... well ideas and thinking out loud.

I'm not sure if either of these have been suggested before, but is it possible to 1) retain a filter in the crafting log when moving between level ranges, 2) search for a recipe using a string of text, 3) Live Filter.

I have to break this up into multiple posts due to the 1000 character limit.

1) Recipe Filter Persistence
This is all about reducing the number of clicks to get to the information I am looking for.

1a)
For example, if I am viewing 'Leather' in the 46-50 range, I will see:

• Dodore Leather
• Hippogryph Leather
• Coeurl Fur
• Hard Hippogryph Leather

If I change to 41-45 I see 'All' possible recipes when what I want to see is:

• Raptor Leather
• Uraeus Leather

I understand certain categories may have zero results. The 'other' category, for example, that holds chocobo barding. It will not have an entry in every level range. In these cases I would prefer to receive a message that there are no results and keep the filter so I can quickly move on to another level range without having it reset to 'All'.

1b)
Alternatively or additionally, would it be possible to see 'Leather' for all level ranges? So a 1-50 search result would look something like this:

• Leather
• Hard Leather
• Aldgoat Leather
• Toad Leather
• Boar Leather
• Peiste Leather
• Raptor Leather
• Uraeus Leather
• Dodore Leather
• Hippogryph Leather
• Coeurl Fur
• Hard Hippogryph Leather

It would also be nice to be able to sort such a result by Recipe Name (as it appears in my language, whatever that is set to by the game client), Recipe Level, or Recipe Difficulty (stars). The default sort would make sense to be Recipe Level since that is how the existing user interface is set up.

2) Recipe Search.
The ability to search all crafting classes (or optionally a single class, be it a selected class or just the currently viewed one) for recipes that either contain, start with, or end with a string of text in the name or description fields.

For this one, I can't imagine how it would affect the server side load. I imagine part of why it is broken up the way it is, is so for a more friendly user interface, and the other is to minimize the database query and response sent to the game client. Could running a search against all level ranges for a single class or all classes have a significant negative impact?

3) Live filter of search results

This could apply to any search field, not just a crafting log one.

Simply put, it would be like the auto complete/filter you see in a lot of search engines. You either get a list of suggestions, or see an existing list automatically adjust (usually shrink) to show only what matches the new criteria in the search box with every keyboard button press.

My first thought is that making a new request to the server on every time the content of a search box changes (rather than waiting for a submit button to be pressed) might be a lot to ask since it would increase network traffic and server load.

But then I got to thinking, is there a way to do this in situations where the game client has already been given a complete list and it can narrow it down on the client without ever having to make another request to the server?

(#3 Continued)

If this kind of functionality isn't available in all search boxes, how is that communicated to the user so that they don't get frustrated when they try to use a feature that isn't on that particular search box?

That last bit could be the biggest hurdle. If it doesn't make sense to the user, then there is no point. The next being what would this filter key off of? The existing text field where your initial input was, or a new field just for this feature?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TwinMoon

2) Recipe Search.
The ability to search all crafting classes (or optionally a single class, be it a selected class or just the currently viewed one) for recipes that either contain, start with, or end with a string of text in the name or description fields.

For this one, I can't imagine how it would affect the server side load. I imagine part of why it is broken up the way it is, is so for a more friendly user interface, and the other is to minimize the database query and response sent to the game client. Could running a search against all level ranges for a single class or all classes have a significant negative impact?

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As a frame of reference, the search box on the market boards only seems to operate on "starts with". Sometimes this is preferable, other times I would like it to behave as though it were the more broad "contains."