I see that there's another thread about the durability system, but that one is just whether to remove it. I'd like to post my ideas about how the durability system can stay but be turned from a penalty into something good.
Basically...
The basic function of repair is this: your items start out good and eventually become bad until you get them repaired. Let's break that down.
"Your items" is your weapons, tools, and armor.So, your gear decays by 100% until/unless you see a crafter.
"Start out" is their basic, pristine, new-subligar smell.
"Good" is 100% and "Bad" is 0%.
"Get them repaired" is really synonymous with "see a crafter."
There are a lot of problems with this. And by "problems" I mean "things players really hate so they cancel their subscriptions."
The Problems
They are:It's like the Drowning Game. You know, where you gotta keep working really hard just to stay above water, and then you die. (Trust me, it's not as fun as it sounds.)
- Gear that is less than 100% can't be sold to other players.
- Gear has substandard performance as it approaches 0%.
- Players have to constantly repair their gear just to try to stay near the baseline (100%).
It's a hassle from an adventuring standpoint, and it's crappy from the crafting point of view too. It costs you time and inventory space, and it costs somebody repair materials, and of course if you don't do it then you gotta live with yourself 'cause you know that playing with broken equipment sucks. Crafters have better ways to make money, even when they're not running a charity.
But the complaints against durability aren't really new. It isn't popular because it's a penalty that never goes away.
The Solution
There's a way to salvage durability. A magical way that makes everybody (less un)happy, a way that doesn't require scrapping the system or making drastic changes to the code. It's called: spin doctoring.
Instead of a system where gear decays from 100% to 0%, use a system where gear decays from 200% to 100%. Here's the proposal:It's still a system where your gear decays by 100% until/unless you see a crafter, except now it isn't a penalty.
- Make gear start at 100% and stay at 100% until/unless you see a crafter.
- Let crafters bring your gear up to 200% by enhancing it with crystals or materia or whatever. Not inventory-killer like rare scraps of animal hide or glue, but pure phlebotinum here.
- For an added bonus and extra flavor, let each craft have a special ability. E.g. blacksmiths can "Keen" a weapon to give it a sharper edge (better accuracy and damage) and alchemists can "Elementalize" gear to give it a resistance/affinity bonus.
For the adventurer, it becomes more of an optional thing. You don't need to get gear buffs if you're just farming, and you don't need to level a crafting job if you don't want to. For the crafter, it's no longer a duty/obligation. Is that fellow just farming? Then don't bother buffing his gear for a measly 1g. Is he doing an HNM? Maybe he'll be willing to pay.
The Conclusion
The problem with the current system is that it is a chore. It isn't fun, and it feels like work. I know that playing FFXIV is going to be a lot of work, but the trick to an MMORPG being successful is that it shouldn't feel like a job.
The TL;DR version:
- Replace durability/repair with equipment buffs that gradually wear off.
- Get rid of inventory-hogging repair materials.
If you agree, *like* this post and discuss below!
If you disagree, *like* this post and provide your positive feedback below!
♣: Knock knock.
♦: Who's there?
♣: The Spin Doctors.
♦: The Spin Doctors who?
♣: Well, that's the music industry for you.
[dev1070] Salvage Durability/Repair (& Make it Fun)
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06-29-2011, 07:49 PM_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_[dev1070] Salvage Durability/Repair (& Make it Fun)
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06-29-2011, 08:02 PMIcopico
Hello, i'm the creator of the other thread about repair.
First of all i have a question about your idea: you're saying that gear CANNOT go under 100%? so that it stays normal and only gets "buffed" by DoH's up to 200% with possible buffs coming from each different class right?
If i understood well ( i hope i did ) I Totally Agree with you.
/thumbsup -
06-29-2011, 08:10 PM_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_It's a good discussion despite the massive trolling :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Icopico
Yes. That is exactly what I am asking for.Quote:
First of all i have a question about your idea: you're saying that gear CANNOT go under 100%? so that it stays normal and only gets "buffed" by DoH's up to 200% with possible buffs coming from each different class right?
If i understood well ( i hope i did ) I Totally Agree with you.
/thumbsup
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06-29-2011, 09:29 PMIcopico
Ok then sounds like a great Idea, Devs should consider this as people are willing to always be in the best "set" before trying to do any important thing in this game ( See food and guild support for crafters, and the planning before NM runs )
So this might truly become a vital part of the game, instead of remaining just a thing to worry about. -
06-29-2011, 11:36 PMObeiKinstar
Love it +1
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06-30-2011, 02:53 AMIcopico
Heres just a couple reason why this thread should be considered more. ( from the other repair thread )
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Originally Posted by TonyMontana
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Many quotes are incomplete ( just adding ideas on how to solve the problem mostly ) but you can go and check them in the thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphita
This is a great idea let's keep this alive guys!! -
06-30-2011, 07:28 AM_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_
Thanks. As much as I hate durability as it is now, I hope S-E fixes it rather than just remove it. MMOs these days are becoming more and more featureless, so I hope S-E chooses to save this feature rather than just take the easy way out and kill or ignore it.
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06-30-2011, 01:51 PMAlzelia
Great idea!! This kind of system could be a huge gear sink if you could for example: Bring an item up to 200% durability with a piece of materia, the materia could then add a bonus like +5 dex. When the durability decreases to 100% you will need more materia. Maybe the next time you could use +5 VIT bonus. Durability could also decrease slower based on the quality of the materia.
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07-01-2011, 07:54 AM_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_So, quality of what you use for the buff determines the quality of the buff? Using a shard might give you like 200%, a crystal 200% + craft-specific bonus, and materia 200% + craft-specific bonus + materia bonus?Quote:
Originally Posted by Alzelia
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07-01-2011, 08:46 AMSkeloton
i wouldnt mind if it were 200% to 0% (when buffed, polished, waxed, cleaned, generally maintained), 100% being the norm.
just wish there was more consistency, an Anathema wears out in hours but a Taurus staff lasts about a week before hitting 0%. I wouldnt mind so much if the Anathema lasted longer and the staff a little less -
07-01-2011, 10:30 AMAlzeliaYeah something like that! And when you add a +1 materia it takes longer to wear down than a NQ materia.Quote:
Originally Posted by _C-a-e-r-i-t-h_