[dev1016] Systhesis Recipe Revisions

[Amineri]

Sorry, but I fail to see where skill comes in the current craft system. Unless you're referring to the skill of not falling asleep from the tedium.

Economically speaking, I believe eliminating parts might encourage more diversity in the items that are produced for sale, particularly below what someone at rank 50 would be interested in. I think those who are still leveling crafts would love to be able to make a finished product they can actually sell without leveling every craft under the sun to accomplish such a feat. Overall, it's a good, logical move.

As for adding skill to crafting, I would love to see nothing less. The current mini-game is dull and often requires little thought once you've got the basics down. What's needed is diversity in the challenge.

Crafting should be like a chess game. Low rank items should be as simple as a game against a 5 year old challenger. But crafting high rank items should be as challenging as a game against a chess champion. Same game, but vastly different experience, and with an increasing demand for skill the more valuable and complex the crafted item becomes. This is the experience the players should be having, but are not getting.

You are exactly right. The current system of actually making thing has no skill. And I wish that SE would change this. The changes to the recipe system do not improve this situation one iota.

I was hoping to see changes that indicated that "reward for skillful play" was on the horizon for crafters. Instead, it appears that crafting is more firmly headed to a mindless side task.

The current recipes actually make a lot of sense. If you see an item on a player, or on an NPC, if you actually LOOK at the item, you can determine what materials are used to create it. Which parts, what colors, every single part or material used in the recipe is physically reflected in the finished product. This adds depth to the recipe system.

A few factors have diminished this. First, the availability of 3rd party databases with all known recipes has reduced the need to be able to visualize the connection between the materials used and the finished products appearance. Second, the stagnation of recipes as the development team has focussed on rebuilding the combat engine and server architecture. Finally, the itemization of colored items precludes any real creativity when creating items.

To elaborate on the final point, are you aware that when creating a velveteen robe, when creating the velveteen robe front, that the one piece of cotton used (along with the three velveteen) determine the color of the inside trim of the robe, both along the bottom hemline, as well as at the sleeves? If SE had unlocked the coloring system, the knowledge and ability to make such a connection between materials and finished product would actually mean something. Instead, they have gone in the opposite direction. Rewarding less skillful play.