6 months to create ONE equipment set!?

[kukurumei]

Try this...
1) Conceptual design ( artist sketch on paper/ hand draw ) for all races = 3 weeks
2) Model that concept design with simple wire frame/few texture for ALL RACES = 3-4 weeks
3) Detailed sculpture for 3D model for all race = 2 months
4) Texture creation and lightning = 2 Months ( can start after #3 finish for 1 month )
5) Apply armor physic and touch up = 2 months

I think it's reasonable timeframe for their design effort. I'm not sure what is the real development lifecycle for make new gear is but I'm sure for 1 things.... there are 8 races to make and that's why it take time a lot.

Try imagine above work yourself before complain....

That's how it works if you're an idiot. Case in point the term "idiot" is asking someone to not streamline. Like having to look in a library without an indexing system.

This isn't some independent one off project. This is an MMO.

Half if not all those are more or less streamlined and assembly with "tools". Basically if you make one or two, you might as well do it the old fashion way, but if you're doing 100 you build yourself a process to speed it up.

Developer may not make tools for some games and projects given that once it goes live, there's no reusability, but MMOs would spent ample time making tools to erase half of the process if not more, given how often they have to repeat the process.

Otherwise you have idiot managers that should be fired for not thinking ahead....which maybe true given how badly FF14 was handled...but that's digressing.

I expect the equipment set with proper tools can be whittle down to 1-3 weeks, give or take how close to the templates they do it, and how much "copy and pasting", aka reusing and manipulating assets, equations, etc.

Some of those should already be in crystal tools if they haven't. It's more then stupid to not have some of them even if it's not yet fine-tuned, considering they have 2 other projects working on the same engine. (Somebody in the company must have already rigged up a few tools with similar designs)

I have never heard of any sane developer or person in general that won't streamline their jobs if they're expected to do it over and over again in bulk.