What bothers you most about the current synthesis system?

[Kerath]

I actually like the crafting system. I just hate the server lag and waiting on animations to play. If there were no animations and you could play the mini-game fast I think it would be fine. The reason it is so disengaging is because you are waiting most of the time.


edit: I am posting this question because I don't like the options in the survey.

[Akira_Tenshi]

It is incredibly boring, slow and tedious.

[UmJammerSully]

It is incredibly boring, slow and tedious.

The crafting "game"... let's not call it a game. The word "game' implies fun and enjoyment. I won't even use the word "activity" because you don't have to "actively" be engaged in the game to do it successfully.

imo, some sort of puzzle game should be incorporated into crafting :3

Oh snap, didn't expect so many people to agree.

When I first heard about the crafting system before the game was even released, I honestly expected a unique mini-game for each craft. What we got was beyond underwhelming.

And when I say mini-game, I don't mean the same kind of crappy multi-option text-based system we have now, I mean an actual game. People get addicted to incredibly simple puzzle games like Tetris and Bejeweled and incorporating something like that into crafting would make it far more accessible I feel.

[Syris]

Oh snap, didn't expect so many people to agree.

When I first heard about the crafting system before the game was even released, I honestly expected a unique mini-game for each craft. What we got was beyond underwhelming.

And when I say mini-game, I don't mean the same kind of crappy multi-option text-based system we have now, I mean an actual game. People get addicted to incredibly simple puzzle games like Tetris and Bejeweled and incorporating something like that into crafting would make it far more accessible I feel.

The crafting game is tedious, but I don't think fun minigames will fix the issue.

When I craft in other games I enjoy it for several reasons:

- I feel productive
- Self-reliant to some extent
- Income and opportunity
- Becoming known for my trade - which this game lacks without specialization or choice
(but I understand that the crafting design mirrors the class play design to some extent)
- Working with a network of known crafters

I don't want to see mini games pushed further (I would actually prefer to see them go), because after the one hundredth time of attempting to put together an item, I simply wont want to play a mini game any longer. To an extent I think that this approach actually compounds the issue further (mini games + bad crafting UI, bad AH design, non-existent mail systems)

So imho, keep mini games as mini games - something to do when you are bored and NOT something you HAVE to do when you want to craft.

[HiirNoivl]

The crafting "game"... let's not call it a game. The word "game' implies fun and enjoyment. I won't even use the word "activity" because you don't have to "actively" be engaged in the game to do it successfully.

The Crafting... "thing that people do", is so boring I feel like I'm wasting my time in the game and I should log out and do something else.

[Griss]

The crafting "game"... let's not call it a game. The word "game' implies fun and enjoyment. I won't even use the word "activity" because you don't have to "actively" be engaged in the game to do it successfully.

The Crafting... "thing that people do", is so boring I feel like I'm wasting my time in the game and I should log out and do something else.

It shall be hence forth named the Mildly Interactive Item Generation System. Or Miigs, at least the gathering mini-game is an actual game. The Miigs on the other hand will make your brain liquify and sluff out of your ear.

[Malakhim]

I'd like to think myself an avid fisherman, and while fishing hardly had any real benefit in my time in FFXI(hardly made money, no recipes for fish or what have you), the fact that it had its own unique minigame made it feel active and fun(but mostly just active). If SE doesn't want to touch crafting(which they should as that's beyond doldrums), then they should at least spice up the gathering classes.

As it is now, gathering is extremely slow, obtuse, and far, FAR too menu-based.

[Syris]

The crafting "game"... let's not call it a game. The word "game' implies fun and enjoyment. I won't even use the word "activity" because you don't have to "actively" be engaged in the game to do it successfully.

The Crafting... "thing that people do", is so boring I feel like I'm wasting my time in the game and I should log out and do something else.

Totally agree. I think to an extent the fix for this is the overhaul in the UI.

If they can manage a nice, clean, and snappy UI with drag and drop functionality then I think the tedium which outweighs the benefit of taking part in these activity would become non-existent.

Not only would they have to overhaul to crafting UI, but the market wards too. Everything has to be responsive, organized, and clean. Well thought out Auction House, Mail systems, and Crafting systems all reflect on each other. Being a crafter also implies browsing, buying, selling, and storing goods. Crafter's need these features to support that they do.

I don't craft or gather, but just by looking at the game on the surface I can tell that crafter's are poorly facilitated.

Here's hoping for 2.0

[Rau]

imo, some sort of puzzle game should be incorporated into crafting :3

[Colino]

imo, some sort of puzzle game should be incorporated into crafting :3

Not for every synth because that would become just as tedious... But I think the skills themselves should be more interactive. Maybe a mini-game that determines quality increase? Stuff like that.

I like how crafting is more engaging than in other games, and I'd hate to see it reduced to a system like WoW's, where you literally push one button, wait a few seconds, and get your item, all from anywhere in the world, without having to change gear. I think that crafting should involve actual work, but it could still be better than it currently is.

They've already confirmed that's how it's going to be in 2.0, but just for "quick crafts".