Square Enix, please think about both Casual AND Hardcore crafters..

[IntrovertAnt]

The fact is that as long as a rotation can achieve 100% consistency, crafting will always be easy. The problem with NOT having 100% consistency is that then crafting becomes frustrating (RNG crafting).

Take my challenge for instance, that the OP refused to do or even consider. Without the use of those skills that were listed, crafting moves strongly from the 100% consistency rotation to a VERY STRONG rng crafting game where you are fighting for every last bit of quality you can squeeze out of your remaining abilities and then praying to RNJesus that you're lucky enough to get HQ. You start to utilize and lean heavily into abilities like the following:

Intensive Synthesis
Efficiency: 300%
Success Rate: 80%
Available only when material condition is Good or Excellent.

Precise Touch
Additional Effect: Increases Inner Quiet stack by one (up to 11)
Efficiency: 100%
Success Rate: 70%
Available only when material condition is Good or Excellent.

Patient Tough
Increases Inner Quiet stack by one (up to 11) when successful, halves stack upon failure
Efficiency: 100%
Success Rate: 50%

(and other skills and tricks to of course but, these I want to focus on)

This turns into crafting into a very "difficult" PROC BASED GAME. Where you are making small decisions on what to do if you get a good or excellent proc and are in fact reliant on those procs.

Now some people who responded to my challenge picked up on something else as well, like when Kaurhz stated that my challenge probably couldn't be done consistently if it could be done at all, especially without ingenuity. And he was right on the money. I can tell he knows his stuff. This challenge IS inconsistent and is completely based on rng condition procs (although, and obviously, you could adjust the "difficulty" by adding in more and more HQ mats so that rng becomes very light at max HQ mats used).

You want my rotation? I can't give it to you! It's based on condition procs! It can't be macro'd! I'll admit this is an extreme example but, isn't this one of the possible suggestions for making crafting a more brainy game than what it is now? Why didn't you see this OP? The funny thing is that my challenge (though extreme) put forth a few of the ideas that would actually make crafting difficult as suggested inside of this thread, and according to your original post, rewarding.

Though I like easy crafting, I'm actually all for this kind of system (though DEFINITELY minus the RNG from what this challenge provides) as it would be more brainy than grindy (the time grind is the only challenge crafting has right now, but that really falls in line with MMO expectations tbh). And the kind of system more specifically I would like to see are are combination of what others have already posted in this thread:

1. A proc based system where I have to make a decision about which ability to use at a certain junctures.
2. JowyAtreides suggested a system that took away a skill or two each time from your choices. I think that's great cuz it makes you think about how you can get the same result but a different way than what you normal do.

And both of these things would make crafting unmacroable.

Now I've got one more thing to say and then I've decided to not post in this thread again because I literally can't stand reading through it again or stand to hear any more hyperbolic language stemming from peoples opinions.

Wanted to shout out some people in the thread that I felt made a lot of sense and could relate to. Just wanted to give them support cuz sometimes when you are having a discussion with someone who is just totally unreasonable it can be a bit disheartening. Shout out to Kabooa, Granyala, DrWho2010, and what the heck, Liam_Harper you were making sense too. Others made sense to me as well, but my brain is dead and I need sleep and I can't shout everyone out. Goodnight.