1.19 As It Relates to Synthing

First off I'd like to comgratulate SE on 1.19 and 1.19a, which, imho, was an overall smash success. So many improvements from UI, to saving abilities by class, Ifrit, alot of other new content, chocobos, synthing simplification, the addition of materia (OMG), and much more. The list of successes is extensive.

Yes, there are some areas that need to be adjusted, like color dictation as it relates to stats, and I know you're rethinking that. The way Ifrit drops work isn't right, UI tweeks, etc. Overall, I would say you hit not quite a grand slam, but a 3 run homer in the botton of the 9th to tie the game up, at minimum.

As I now experience synthing as of the patch, as I previously mentioned above, simplification of the recipes is a most welcome change, and across my various DoH classes, I would say levels the playing field considerably.

This said, I do have to comment on some of your recipes, some of which are downright ridiculous. A perfect example is horn glue. 2 aldgoat horns to make 1 glue? Seriously? The other crafts have similar examples. I understand this is an ongoing process, and we have to walk before we can run, and I'm patient in that regard, as I know you will continue to focus on this with balance being the object.

There remains one very important issue in you crafting code that seriously needs to be fixed. The RNG in the coding is so dominant that it offers little to no reward in terms of recipe level and crafting level. I'm of the silly belief that the more time you spend leveling up a craft to upper degrees of proficiency the more positive results I should experience. By that I mean recipes should become easier to make the higer level I become,and HQ's more common, and while I see that to some extent, it's still common for recipes considerably below my rank to go into this 'rage' mode and crit fail 4-5 times in a row for no good reason. Furthermore, HQ'g materials is an absolute joke as it relates to competency and quality. Time after time after time I can synth materials to upwards of 350-450 quality and it seems to have little or no bearing on HQ's. Then the next synth, just totally out of the blue, absolute randomness, I'll +2 a synth with < 100 quality. This just isn't right. Your materials HQ code is nothing but near pure RNG, with no regard to competence. To further this example, and the main stimulus for this post, I'm currently trying to HQ, yes, you guessed it, some horn glue, which, incidently I get all of 18 xp for @ R50. 60 horns and 30 synths later, everyone with well over 150 quality and I have 1 HQ+1 glue to show for this >< The combination of your ridiculous RNG in materials HQ'g, and the ridiciulous materials relationship of 2 horns = 1 glue >< This just has to be fixed.

I'd be very interested to hear from the development team what sort of code refinements they have planned for crafting, as this is such a huge part of the game. If this level of RNG in the code is here to stay, which is nothing more than a damn dice roll atm, with no regard to competency, then I'm going to look for a different game.

Not sure if you've been reading the indev stuff and producer's letters, but the HQ system will be completely redone in 1.20, moving from quality based to materials based. All HQ materials = HQ result, every time. Also you mention the seemingly imbalanced recipe requirements, and your example is in alchemy, which is also scheduled to be revisited in 1.20, along with goldsmith and cooking. So your issues seem totally valid, and in fact are in line to be worked on next. For the better? We'll see!