Crafting needs to become more relevant

[DarkDedede]

If the devs want to keep crafters and gatherers out of end game and their precious dungeons, then so be it. However, they should at least do something to keep us entertained, even in a less than ideal economy.

I think it would be potential fun and entertaining if they incorporated some sort of in game system that generated some sort of "artificial demand." That way the economy wouldn't be totally reliant on a top heavy player base. Something along the lines of turning in batch commissions to "help the war effort" or something like that. Players could be rewarded with special crafting tomestones, and could be used to get special equipment and materials. If implemented correctly, give players the excuse to buy up and use up materials, keep their surplus off the market board, and give players somewhere to turn in their stuff when other players don't need it. NPCs would always be interested in taking it off your hands.

Just an idea.

[Roth_Trailfinder]

They kind of already have that. The GC daily supply missions have you crafting something (or gathering 5-10 of that something) and handing it in, for exp in the relevant class and GC seals.

I don't know that anyone at 50 is using those, because the rewards are so crappy. There is an achievement for a BiS crafting jewelry piece but it requires so many hand-ins that most people are content simply pretending it does not exist.

[Kakure]

There is an achievement for a BiS crafting jewelry piece but it requires so many hand-ins that most people are content simply pretending it does not exist.

It's not that they require too much work. The problem is that they do not support materia.

[Githiun]

Back in the day of Everquest if anyone remembers. End game drops were molds in later expansions. You farmed a raid boss then took that mold with other materials and had it crafted. Very similiar to our relic quest.

It'd be cool if they integrated that. Take your AF armor, farm a boss get a mold then take the AF+Mold+ whatever Mats and take it to your armor crafter, leather worker, etc and have your item made.

I used to make so much money in Everquest from tip's. Tips for making things for people. Teleporting people....oh yeah..you youngsters and your travel system. How about a good sow potion and see you in an hour. "Need a Bind please, if I die i'll have to run again"

This also comes from people having every crafting class....It used to take FOREVER to level one class..let alone every class. I'd be ok going back to allowing 1-2 main DoH classes and then getting all or one DoL class.

[Roth_Trailfinder]

Everquest is still like that, actually.

Visible armor pieces (head, chest, arms, wrist x2, gloves, legs, feet) all just drop as generic "Tier whatever slot piece" that you then hand in or otherwise make a no-fail combine with to produce the actual armor piece. That was a decision so that raids would stop seeing the 34th Cleric BP without seeing any Ranger BP's or Monk BP's. Basically, that one drop works for whatever class loots it to produce the visible armor piece.

Nonvisible slots (the other non-weapon slots) still drop as actual equipment, rather than conversion pieces, as do weapons and shields. The expansion before the current one, however, went to an "all/all" nonvis system, where anyone can use any cloak or neck or rings or whatever, but the stats are tailored for a specific class or two. Most people hate that new system, but Sony brought it into the current expansion, Call of the Forsaken, released in the second half of last year.

As for the rest .. I'm guessing you stopped playing EQ years ago, before they added the Guild Lobby and Guild Hall. While the Plane of Knowledge put a real damper on the money Wizards and Druids could make off of porting people around, the Guild Hall put that idea to rest, permanently. You can tune the GH portal to just about any wizard or druid port location, and transport many people, up to and including the entirety of your guild, for one low fee. Comparing the economies of that game and this, this game's teleports are extremely expensive compared to the cost of setting the GH portal. Not to mention that most people are bound in the Lobby nowadays (convenience factor, if you die, pop a cleric merc, summon your corpse, get buffed, and then get back in short order through the GH and its portal). Despite the game's age and the fact that it is on its what, 20th? expansion, and that it has a ton of zones, the game itself does not feel all that much larger than FF14, just due to the sheer speed at which you can travel from one end of the world to another.