Save the world? Right after I empty your trashcan.

[Iznaliu]

Compared to selling separate parts, you can combine into one item, thus save inventory space AND making money. What do you complain about, anyway?

You don't necessarily seem to understand that games don't have to have built-in awesome buttons.

 

[ilitarist]

Holding onto crafting materials makes sense if they're legitimately rare -- dragon bits, precious stones, that sort of thing. But not being able to slap on an enchantment because you're missing a bit of copper wire, a common plant, or a stick is .

At the very least, make it possible to buy those common ingredients for cheap at vendors, if you insist on putting them in for flavour or to make scouring for recipes/schematics/whatever more interesting.

I don't quite remember where I saw it but I like the system where missing components can be directly replaced with money. It'd easily work with DOS2 too - mark some merchants as craftsmen, give them crafting tab in trade UI, when you try to craft anything not using unique components (there are only couple in the game, like ancient artifacts) then you just select a recipy and pay for all those tormented souls and gems and sticks and paper - but much more than they cost.

 

[anvi]

Vanguard's crafting deserves a mention. It was a full mini game for crafting where you put the raw materials in and then add enhancers and you have to click stuff, like if the process is heating up you click the bellows to cool it down etc. It is fun to do but also it can't be macroed because there are too many random events. Also the items you can create are some of the best items in the game. Huge backpacks, high end robes, swords, shields, armor, etc. This is how it should be done. Some people really want to be part of an MMO and prefer to do this than be out hunting, so I think a game that does a good job of it is a good idea.

That said, I still think crafting is super boring and I would never do it myself. (Except TESO which made it easy and very brief).

 

[Iznaliu]

It was a full mini game for crafting where you put the raw materials in and then add enhancers and you have to click stuff, like if the process is heating up you click the bellows to cool it down etc

Minigames are decline, by the way.

 

[anvi]

I think it depends on the minigame, and it is different in an MMO. A large percentage of people enjoyed it, and in a niche game, you gotta do whatever the people want! That game was kinda all about the different gameplay too. It was hyped as having 3 types of gameplay for progression, adventuring which was like other MMOs, crafting which had its own levels, gear, and own unique gameplay, and then Diplomacy which was a collectible card game. And all of them worked together, so Diplomats affected the cities that the adventurers would visit to sell stuff etc.

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

This is what crafting feels like to me in most games where it's abundant:

 

[Reapa]

you people do realize you are complaining about crafting and overabundance of crap in games with 0 thought put into both mechanics and itemization in general. of course crafting will suck when the system it's supposed to complement and enhance sucks.

first of all, crafting a stick from a fucking log is fucking boring as fuck. but what do you expect from a game that relies solely on character level for everything combat related? you get boring gear, boring skills, boring crafting, boring everything. it's just a boring completely linear system of character power progression to create artificial challenge for a game with no fucking thought put into mechanics. they even dropped the ball on environmental effects in a sequel to a game known for its inclusion of environmental effects. (talking about DOS 2 in case some people didn't catch that yet)

and then there's Josh Sawyer's afterbirth... yeah, d&d wasn't good enough for an IE game. Josh had to save us from a solid system and empty his bowels to give birth to a diarrhea system of homogeneous classes and races, stats and effects. pick any race, pick any class, pick any stats: the differences are purely cosmetic. everything is balanced and bland. great concept. much better than d&d. thanks, Josh. love those "+2% attribute increase gains".
and then he farted, thus itemization was born. itemization like "the random sword of +2% damage". such surprise and uniqueness. who would have thought that a game with such character stats would have such itemization?
and then he polished his soft turd with crafting. gather some shit to craft an even better "+2% sword of +0.01% more dmg". obviously you can't craft anything like a "+3% dmg sword". that would utterly destroy balance. you'd get a whooping 50% increase over that random sword you got from the dragon you killed. you'd be able to kill the next dragon much faster. like 4.5 seconds faster. making a fight that should last 10 min for the illusion of challenge only last 9 min and 55.5 seconds. imagine how broken op that would be!

and last but not least: ELEX!!! the grimoire of gothic likes. surpassing even the witcher 3 in its moronic use of stats that have absolutely no fucking effect what so ever on combat. none. they are only there to make the game hardcore and old school. omg you can die in this game!!! so much hardcore!!! it even has numbers!!! so much old school!!! and the way they do it is simply gating all equipment you find in an open world game, mind you, behind even more moronic required stats numbers. you have to be 2x!!! as strong to lift an axe if you can lift a metal pipe! 4 times as strong to lift a sword if you can lift an axe!! 9x as dexterous if you want to move from a bow to a laser blaster!!! because as we all know, technological advancement makes weapons harder to use instead of easier... killing something with a bow is child's play compared to shooting at something with a gun...

i don't even how to even...
the stupidest games on the market have shitty crafting. big fucking surprise.

 

[JarlFrank]

You know which game had good crafting? Baldur's Gate 2.

In the d'Arnise keep, you find a cool flail that does some kind of elemental damage. You can also find two additional heads which you can add to the flail at a forge, adding two more types of elemental damage to it. Wow, this weapon is now really strong and cool and unique! Much later in the game you can find a fourth head. Nice, the unique item is now improved even further! That's cool!

At some point in the game you're attacked by a bunch of Githzerai who drop a broken sword blade. Much later in the game, you can find the hilt and combine them to restore the sword, which ends up being a cool unique weapon with a unique effect. Nice!

And before anyone comes in and says "Yes but that's not a crafting system that's just a bunch of cool unique items you have to assemble from pieces", you do have a point.
But the real point is: this is better than any generic "you found 10 pieces of iron ore and can now forge a sword that is roughly the same as the swords you can get from any random blacksmith for 10 bucks!" system could ever be, because it's actually interesting.