Square Enix, please think about both Casual AND Hardcore crafters..

[Granyala]

*How dare people who don't want to invest time or effort be allowed to obtain every bit as much as I do, ruining what I enjoy in the process.

But here is the kicker:
You DON'T have to invest absurd amounts of time anymore.
That's a good thing because a) there is a Real Life that is much more deserving of your energy than a video game b) there are other games out there that are fun too.
Cutting down on mindless grind and RNG is a win-win scenario for all involved, including the hardcores, making room for other hobbies in the process.

That’s usually not how online video games work. When I used to play call of duty a lot, I spent hours and even weeks trying to farm Headshots to get all golden guns. Where I eventually got diamond guns as a compensation. Very rewarding. It showed that the developers appreciate the no life players that really enjoyed their game.

And I would argue, that good game design delivers the goods w/o encouraging no-life behavior and falling into the skinner-box / addiction trap. Esp when it is a game that you play solo (crafting is, in essence, a 1 man effort).

Maxing DoH classes is far, far less of a time investment then DoW/M classes thanks to the ridiculous EXP payouts on the levequests.

That's because leveling the crafters and crafting the actual items never was the time consuming part.
It was getting your gear ready in order to be allowed to craft the item that ate up the majority of the time. Esp in ARR when you could not easily get your hands on materia, had to spiritbind it yourself or spend a fortune on the Market Boards. REPEATEDLY because they released tiers of gear just like for DOM/W.

So in the downtime you crafted the crap out of things in order to make money for the next RNG 1 armed bandit "affix my materia plx" round.

THAT'S what kept me off crafting in ARR and HW. And them adding cheap IV materia and affordable Vs via scrip was the single most impactful nerf to crafting ever.
That and making desynthesis *shudder* basically useless past 100.

Forget the whine about prudent touch, that is merely a convenience not having to deal with RNG anymore.
Figuring out a rotation to get your item to HQ/completion isn't exactly rocket science. Never has been, despite what people would like you to believe.