Well I still understand the wish for challenge.



Let me just say, that the current system is not challenging at all. Time consuming, yes. Frustrating, yes. Challenging in terms of skill: hell no.

What I like about it: every craft is different, no set rotation, no braindead macro mashing while watching Stargate.
What I dislike about it: RNG basically dictates quality related outcome, no way to predict/pre plan, no way for a crafters skill to shine at all. You can gamble, you can try to delay costly actions in hopes of a pliant but it all boils down to a simple priority list.

You can do everything right and RNG still screws you in round about 15%-20% of the crafts. YMMV due to sample size but 800+ crafts is quite a bit, so I feel confident in my assessment.

Most important subjective question: Is expert crafting fun?
No. Getting trolled by RNG is not fun in the slightest. Especially when it happens near the end and you waste minutes on a craft that doesn't make minimum collectible value.