Because Crafting is a starting class, can complete the full storyline, and is vital for repairing one's own goods, it's obvious that Tanaka/Yoshi want people to play as a crafter. The problem is, you're going to drive newbies away who select a crafting or gathering skill at first because of how incredibly boring and frustrating the mini-game is.

It's ok for something to be difficult to do, but not this kinda frustration. Crafting takes waay too long, there are waay too many failures, and the tiny amount of XP rewarded makes crafting neither gratifying nor satisfying.

You have two options here:

1. You want crafting to remain difficult and frustrating so not everybody is doing it. Remove crafting as a starting-class, and do not let crafters complete story line missions.

or

2. You want crafters to be an essential part of the game which almost every player will level up, and you want to hook beginners right away. Keep crafting as a starting class, make it fun and rewarding, and require some thought.


Gathering - just get rid of it and go back to FFXI style. The mini games here are abysmal.