[IDEA] Crafting Mini-Game Redesign Concept

[Misteyes]

I disapprove.

I'm all for making the crafting game more interesting, but this
1. Would be much easier for keyboard+mouse users than for gamepad/PS3 users, and even easier for Tablet+Stylus users (Edit: Unless mouse input was disabled, in which case it'd be easier for gamepad users because keyboards suck at precise movement). While it's impossible to make a game that isn't easier to play with one input mechanism or the other, asking people to buy peripheral hardware in order to be good at crafting is too much. The ease of use should purely be convenience, not power.
2. Would be way too easy to write a bot to play perfectly. While bots will always be there, if the bots are playing better than the players are it's a problem.

In order for a crafting redesign to work it has to have most of the work be done inside the player's brain, based off of some language, image, or strategic problem that humans are better at dealing with than computers are.

I have my own prototype system, but it's not quite playable yet and I want to wait until it is before I post it.