[Dev] Repair system problems

[Colt47]

The focus on player driven repairs is, intriguingly enough, the primary issue with the entire system. It's a stick approach to creating dependence on other players instead of the more carrot approach of having players making items that other players need. Also, thanks to the difficulties of leveling DoH classes the number of people who can actually do repairs is limited to the long term players or those who specifically play the game to craft (most long term players stick within their LS while the people who devote themselves specifically to gathering and crafting seem fairly rare).

What they could do to fix it is just make the player repairs more of a convenience than a requirement, which can be achieved by making the NPC repairs 100% and decrease the cost to something like 2 or 3x the cost of a dark matter of the appropriate grade. SE could probably decrease the cost of the dark matter further if they make the materia system an NPC service, thus taking some of the pressure off of repairs as being the primary gil sink, which could likewise decrease the cost of npc repairs based upon the dark matter.

Also, do any crafters enjoy repairing other peoples gear? Unlike making items that can be sold at ones convenience, repairs have to happen on the spot, which means the craftsman in question has to sit around in a city or just be lucky enough to hear someone desperately looking for a fix. Not to mention in the long term once someone is known to be making a business out of repairing gear that individual isn't going to be able to get very far in a city without being asked by several people.

[Mikita]

Also, do any crafters enjoy repairing other peoples gear?

Just my 2 gil worth.

I enjoy helping other players with repairs.
And profit is not the reason I craft.

If it's for a LS member or friend, I would prefer to do the repair for free, or at the most in exchange for the same grade of Dark Matter necessary for the repair.

For strangers, I'd like to feel that they respect the time and effort it takes to level up a craft... and the easiest way to show that is by offering a decent reward of gil.


Some ideas for getting equipment repaired quickly:

1. Offer a GOOD gil reward -- 2000x, 3000x, or even 4000x gil the grade of the Dark Matter -- i.e. for Grade 5, offer 10,000 to 20,000 gil (yes, this is the range I use personally).

I guarantee you will get things fixed quickly! Those rewards are high, but the alternative is trying to save some gil and perhaps waiting around much longer.


2. Ask for help near the Aetheryte or Repair NPC in Ul'dah.

And give the following information:
- grade of Dark Matter
- necessary crafting skill
- rank of the item
- specifically state your reward

If someone is crafting, we have to stop what we are doing, cancel out through all the menus, then look at your bazaar. And it's really annoying to do that and find out we can't even do the repair, so I just stopped bothering unless I know the above information.


3. Be friendly and don't forget to use the magic word "please".
Bad example: I was leveling up a craft in Ul'dah, someone walks up and "pokes" me without saying a word, then just stands there for a few minutes... I kept crafting.


4. Get to know people. Not everyone in Eorzea is anti-social. Even on Saronia, a 1 chocobo server, I never have a problem getting things fixed quickly.