+1 Crystals Anyone?

[Biggs]

The question in the latest player poll that asked what we thought about the current crafting system, and many responses by the community about the subject has had me thinking lately.
While what I propose here isn't going to make crafting any more fun, it would (in theory) make it a bit less tedious.

Instead of gathering and creating plus 1 and plus 3 ITEMS of raw materials and parts in the game, wouldn't it save inventory space and streamline advanced crafting if instead we recieved plus 1-3 shards and crystals while gathering?

This system would still have the player relying predominantly on gathering as a means of obtaining plus one crystals and shards, just as that is how we rely on gathering plus 1-3 mats. It would save a ridiculous amount of storage space in our inventory and storage, as crystals don't take up any space.

As an example of what I mean by this consider the following scenario:

A level 26 weaver wants to craft a Cotton-halfrobe. The ingrediants of which are 2x Undyed cotton cloth, x1 Cotton Yarn, and x1 Sheep Leather along with x4 lightning shards and x3 wind shards. If said Weaver wanted to create a +1 version of this robe, his only means of increasing his odds of doing so (besides getting to a higher level with his Weaver) would be to buy or create +1-3 versions of the materials needed for synthesis, the raw materials for which would also need to be +1-3 and gathered or bought on auction.

In the proposed system above, instead of needing the various plus 1-3 versions of the materials needed for the synth, the Weaver could increase his odds by using any +1-3 wind or lightning shards he has available to him through gathering or purchasing them on auction. The actual amount each +1-3 shard or crystal would boost quality could be made comprable to what the materials we use now do, but without all the space wasted through storing all the different +1-3 goods on top of normal goods like we do now.

The system would do away entirely with plus1-3 materials altogether.

They could even go so far as to spread out which type of +1-3 shards and crystals drop at which locations so as to control the flow of when and where players obtain them. For example, make it so your chances of obtaining a +3 fire crystal are much higher during weather events or in desert locations then if your gathering where its cold or near the ocean.

While this seems like a PRO crystal OP, I will be honest when saying this type of variation in the crafting system still has a few hurdles to overcome:

1: Would players crafting as an Alchemist be able to craft plus 1-3 crystals?

On the surface this would seem like a no brainer, and that they should. However, this would drastically shift the power of CREATING plus 1-3 mats to only one class.

Another option would be to spread out which crafting classes can attempt each crystal type (so for example only armorers could attempt making plus1-3 earth shards and crystals), but this would drastically alter many alchemist recipes.

2: Do you allow mobs a chance at dropping +1-3 crystals, or only allow their obtainment through crafting and gathering?

I suppose you couuld make it so only mobs much tougher than your current level or NM's drops them, but its a tough call.

What are your thoughts on this community? I know I am missing other potential problems with this system, but I would like to hear solutions or other ideas people have to improve the crafting system.

[Jinko]

No thanks, not needed.

[TheVedis]

Id rather us get a use for crystals and clusters again before we even consider anything else

but +1 shard = crystal
+1 crystal = cluster imo

[Biggs]

Id rather us get a use for crystals and clusters again before we even consider anything else

but +1 shard = crystal
+1 crystal = cluster imo

Well they certainly need to fix the rate at which fine sand is created or found because the current system has dropped the value of whole crystals completely. But something like that could easily be tackled by adjusting drops and how whole crystals are used as well as how fine sand is made. This would just take the place of how we boost quality while crafting while sparing our inventory space.

Also, a plus 1 fire crystal would have a much higher chance of dropping more shards when desynthed than a normal fire crystal would is how I thought of it. Same for clusters.

[TheVedis]

Well they certainly need to fix the rate at which fine sand is created or found because the current system has dropped the value of whole crystals completely. But something like that could easily be tackled by adjusting drops and how whole crystals are used as well as how fine sand is made. This would just take the place of how we boost quality while crafting while sparing our inventory space.

Also, a plus 1 fire crystal would have a much higher chance of dropping more shards when desynthed than a normal fire crystal would is how I thought of it. Same for clusters.

no, fine sand isnt the issue

its the fact crystals just arent really used in recipes yet they keep us plentifuly supplied in them, we need crystals back in recipes themselves, clusters i can wait on, they never dropped a ton to begin with, but im sitting on 50k crystals easy as are many others and it just keeps rising

[Biggs]

no, fine sand isnt the issue

its the fact crystals just arent really used in recipes yet they keep us plentifuly supplied in them, we need crystals back in recipes themselves, clusters i can wait on, they never dropped a ton to begin with, but im sitting on 50k crystals easy as are many others and it just keeps rising

I always got the impression that the original idea was to have crystals and clusters get used more once the level caps went up, but since that hasn't happened because of the rework, its now very low on the list. But I understand completely what you mean and don't really know why they havent added the use of whole crystals more in the newer recipes.

[TheVedis]

I always got the impression that the original idea was to have crystals and clusters get used more once the level caps went up, but since that hasn't happened because of the rework, its now very low on the list. But I understand completely what you mean and don't really know why they havent added the use of whole crystals more in the newer recipes.

crystals were used ALOT before the recipe revisions started and made everything super cheap on the shard end

clusters were what we assumed was gonna come later, there was a single recipe that used them(not counting alchemy that turned into crystals) before they came in


now, theres a handful of recipes that use crystals, and nothing uses clusters

[Scarface]

No.

tl;dr...

[Biggs]

I love how people just say "No" but contibute absolutely nothing to the actual conversation. Why no? Not that I have a probelm with dissagreeing with the OP, but if your answer is just "no" why post at all? Care to share other ideas that you think could potentially help things?

[AreeyaJaidee]

No Thanks. We don't need to go back to +2 or +3 items. The end product will still clutter inventory because you still need mats + now the wards will once again have +2/+3 items which have already been made antiquated. So we're wasting SEs time asking to re-add all these items.

So one would argue: well +1/2/3 shards/crystals dont take up space.

^ You still have to have mats. If you want to HQ stock up on +1s if you dont then stock on NQs. If you dont know what should or should not be HQd then you need to stop crafting and start researching.