Optimistic Speculation on Specialization + Links

[Squand]

More links and happy speculation!

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...ast_interview/
At the bottom he talks about being able to do everything and HAVING to do everything to be able to do anything. I think, that's a good note, and am glad they are looking at ways to tweak it. Though I think a part of the problem is with the mindset more than the system. People have trouble understanding that they don't have to have BiS to enjoy this game.

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/13...planned-au-ra/
Very last paragraph!

I want to glamour/design MB craftables! *fingers crossed*

[uberrod9]

I would want to know what each of these level 100 top tier cross-class skills were ahead of time. That way I would have a better idea of what class I would want to level to 100.

[Squand]

I would want to know ahead of time.

Until then imagination station! (All ideas below, good bad or otherwise are published in the public domain. I release all rights to them.)

GSM:
50cp turns any 40 durability synth into an 80 durability synth.
CRP:
0cp, use only once per day, converts stacks of IC, into a 30 minute control buff, 3 control for ever stack converted
ARM
0cp, use only once per day, converts stacks of IC, into a 30 minute Craftsmanship buff, 3 craftsmanship for every stack converted
BSM
180cp, swap progress in HQ with progress in synth completion
CUL
0cp, when you create 10HQ items in a row, a +10 control buff is bestowed upon your FC mates for 24 Eorzean hours.
LTW
0cp, when you create 10HQ items in an eorzean day reduce sales tax by 1% for 24 Eorzean hours.
ALC
180cp 10% chance a successfully completed HQ synth will turn into X rare item.

[giantslayer]

Thank you for making this thread, Squand. The links have been very helpful for me and your willingness to give the designers the benefit of the doubt is a refreshing change of pace from the black hole of negativity and assumptions that is the other thread.

At this point, there is enough information out there to start making some halfway-educated guesses at what they may be doing. Here is what we know so far:

1. Current crafting system is too hardcore. Original intent/concept of armoury system was "can be anything," but with crafting is has turned into "must do everything." New systems are intended to return to original concept.
2. At level 60, you can become an apprentice under your guildmaster, which will grant new skills and recipes.
3. There will be a new token-based system for crafters, in some ways similar to tomestones. These will be earned through a crafting activity.
4. Crafted gear will not always be inferior to dungeon drops.

It is very important to try to understand the intent of the designers. At my workplace, we have a saying: "Assume positive intent." If you start with negative assumptions of intent (e.g. to limit/punish hardcore crafters), then all your subsequent assumptions will be negative (e.g. OMG! They will ruin everything!). When I read the interviews, I am more interested in the why than the what, because in the absence of details, you will make better assumptions if you understand the why.

Based on these interviews (mostly the Famitsu), I have identified 3 goals the designers had:
1. To make crafting less hardcore and no longer require a player to level all crafting classes just to be able to do one of them.
2. FC crafting, which will require more than one person to work together.
3. To end the era of crafted item inferiority to dungeon drops.

I don't know about you, but I think all three of those sound like great things. I didn't find any language supporting the idea that there was any intent to nerf omni-crafting or punish dedicated players.


First, the skills granted by the Specialist system: I believe the point of the skills is to enable single-class crafters to have the capability to make top level recipes HQ. If they wanted a single-class crafter to be able to make a high level recipe under a Specialist system, they could have done it two ways: 1) Make the recipe easy enough that cross class skills are not needed and gate the recipes behind the Specialist system. 2) Use Specialization to increase crafting ability for the single-class crafter to the point where it is attainable without cross class. It seems they have opted for option #2. By that, we can reasonably infer that there will be plenty of new recipes that will NOT be gated behind the Specialist system. As usual, these recipes will be too difficult for a single class crafter to HQ without the new skills, but still doable by us hardcore omni-crafters.

In that case, the new skills will not be cross-class because the point is to increase capability for the one class. The skills will likely not be anything exotic like the level 50 skills, but more likely something more straight forward (like Inner Quiet 2 or Super Advanced Touch) and likely the same across all the different classes.


As for the new recipes, I believe this has to be taken together with the concepts of FC crafting and the new token system.

Within the context of FC crafting, it is pretty safe to assume that some or all of the new FC house and airship recipes will be gated behind the specialist system to prevent one person from being capable of doing everything by himself.

Within the context of the new token system, stop and think a minute about all the token systems we have had so far, be it tomestones, Silver Brocades, stuff for Lucis tools, etc. These have always been untradeable items earned by doing an activity, which can be exchanged for an untradeable reward. Since they have indicated that crafted equipment should not always be inferior to drops, I am putting two and two together and predicting that the new tokens you earn from crafting will be redeemable for untradeable materials that can be used to craft untradeable BiS or near-BiS equipment. There is a good chance that those recipes will be gated behind the Specialist system, although it is possible the recipe gating may only be for FC crafting.

I don't expect sell-able items to be gated behind the Specialist system as there is no reason to do that based on their stated intentions. Sell-able equipment will likely be the same 10-25 ilvls inferior that we are used to.

So in summary:
1. Omni-crafters will still have the same level of capability to produce sellable goods they do currently.
2. New token-based system for crafting will be a gateway to good equipment that you can make for yourself only.
3. Skills granted by Specialist system will allow non-omni-crafters to be capable of making top level recipes HQ.
4. Recipes granted by the Specialist system will be primarily for FC crafting and may encompass the untradeable top level equipment as well.

[Empty-handed]

i wish that the specialist recipes are only end products. gear/weapons/tools.

and not mats.

no Wootz Ingot plz lol. or another case of terminus putty.

[Sibyll]

i wish that the specialist recipes are only end products. gear/weapons/tools.

and not mats.

no Wootz Ingot plz lol. or another case of terminus putty.

You mean you didn't like unlocking 3* and 4* BSM Master books to find your only recipe was Wolfram Ingots and Wootz Ingots?

[Hayward]

I hope to see recipes that don't require so many rare items to produce or has outrageous progress/quality requirements. Barriers to entry are the LAST thing this expansion needs in any aspect.

I wonder, though, if the Specialization system will have sub-categories in 3.0 or future updates. I can see the following being possible (I'm stealing some of this from XI for lack of better terms):

*CUL: Raw Fish Handling/Patissier. I can certainly see sushi making an appearance in XIV as well as some advanced pastry recipes
*WVR: Advanced Needlework. What's to say there won't be high-end mage gear that requires more intricate stitching (Noble's Tunic, anyone?)
*LTW: Tanning Expertise. Let say there may be a new version of Alumen that again has deodorizing properties and can work with new types of leather (Buffalo? Snake?)
*ARM: Chain-linking/Plating. If there's going to be new armor that will surpass Dungeon gear, you can bet they could require more advanced expertise in chainwork and/or platework.
*ALC: Alchemic Ensorcellment/Iatrochemistry: I can see the Mega-/X-Potions being part of recipes that make them even more potent. I can also see recipes for the Machinist's robo-weapons (attachments, perhaps)
*BSM: Gunmaking/Toolwork: with Machinist, I can see high-level guns requiring advanced construction. Same case for DoH/DoL.
*CRP: Finishing. I'm guessing new furniture/housing parts/weapons will require a technique that prevents wood from warping or peeling.
*GSM: Advanced Gemology: Higher-level accessories may certainly require more complex gems to be made, without flaws.

[Squand]

snip

That kind of drilled down depth could have a lot of appeal. But like a lot of others, the gate to be super high, rather than a wall. I want people to not be super specific because doing everything is just too hard core, not because they literally can't.

A question for people reading this thread, "How long do you think it will take to get one crafting class to 60?" How did you guess your answer? Does anyone want to be first on server?

[StouterTaru]

A question for people reading this thread, "How long do you think it will take to get one crafting class to 60?" How did you guess your answer? Does anyone want to be first on server?

I would say the 2nd day of early access for my main, about 2-3 weeks for the mules, to have all crafts at 60.

100 leves won't take too much time to knock out, and I have stockpiles of 1 star materials. It's just a matter of when I unlock the leves, and decide to do them. The mules will level off daily GC and Ixali, 2-3 weeks should take care of them.

[Nutz]

Thanks for all the links. It sounded to me like the new crafting token system would be akin to what we have now, though implemented a bit differently. Basically you can earn tokens (though he did jokingly say Allagan tomes of crafting) through some method to purchase gear (though perhaps materials) that would be pretty good, but the best gear would still be crafted and melded (like our 2 different artisan sets now). Of course those both use a token system, just with different limitations.

As much as I like being able to do everything, I think that the introduction of stricter (though not permanent) specialization would really help the economy. To me it sounded like gatherers will have to choose which areas they want to gather especially rare items from (and presumably not turn around and change to another area immediately) and crafters can specialize in a particular discipline (or all of them, just not simultaneously) for the highest end items.