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Crafting Improvements
blackmaiden
Member Posts: 55
For me, although lengthy, crafting in Vangard is a very good part of the game. It leans more towards SWG style crafting as opposed to WoW Style. This has the benefit of actually making the end product worth more than the resourses, unlike in WoW. The primary reason for this is the use of work orders to grind out your crafting levels. There are a few things however that concern me, and aspects of the crafting system that I would like to see changed
- Weapons and armour being fixed at Vendors. This WOW type method gives items that are not soulbound an infinate life. It would be better if (like in SWG) weapon and armour repair kits were introduced, or even they had to be taken to the relevant tradesman for repair. Also like in SWG if an item reaches 0% it should be useless
- The ability to loot weapons and armour. There is too much being dropped and many are better than craftable items. This is a bit backwards. I would like to see armour and weapon loot drops limited to X amount at anyone time on a server. By all means it can be special, but not to the extent that everybody can have it like in WoW.
This would keep the crafting economy ticking over and a constant demand for crafted goods. It is important that crafting remains proftable, as it is a lot of effort to make something. Going down the path of WoW will make a negative economy and also make the crafting trades worthless.
Any Thoughts?
Sorry to draw parallels with WoW and SWG, but apart from them and Eve I haven't played any other MMOs.
Comments
I absolutely agree with you on the armor and weapon repair kits; they also need a sharpening stone system that temporarily gives weapons a slight bonus damage. However, since I resubscribed, thank goodness one's armor and weapons do not deteriorate as rapidly; I remember having to constantly repair my armor. I have, since I resubscribed, never had the "need" to repair. I somewhat like the repairing of armor/weapons the way it is in the game. I have never really been involved in crafting in VG or any game. Nevertheless, I find the harvesting system enjoyable (I always had, even during BETA and at release).
My suggestion, if technological feasible, would be to allow a crafter to customize the look of armor and weapons. I think it would be nice if certain crafters could obtain their signature looks.
I must say though that I am an adventurer, in all the games I play. I really do not get into crafting so much, but it does remind me about the other sphere of gaming, Diplomacy. I heard that Diplomacy in Vanguard is really misunderstood and how it is apart of the game's lore and Quests are tied into it. From what I have heard from people that were into it, Vanguard should capitalize more on that sphere of the game. I enjoy adventurer, and I have never touched Diplomacy or crafting but I do harvest.
Edit: by the way, I have a few crafters on my friends' list for when I can afford my house, boat, and furniture. I still need horse barding, but I have been doing the epic Quest for the worg.
Like Wow? go play wow
I did for about three hours after I returned to WoW after quitting Vanguard (but I had played for about 9 months or so before, and I was a Guild Leader) and nearly went brain dead. I killed 10 boars at level 10. Then 20 more at level 20. Then 30 at level 30. Then I needed to kill more to cook. I just could not take it. I need a more sophisticated game than WoW. I need a vast world to explore. Exploration is hugely important to me. The PvP system now lacks environmental PvP. I played a Priest when I returned, and I had a difficult time soloing. I need "Quests" to be meaningful and fun and apart of the game's overall lore. The end-game in WoW, I have heard, is also a faction-grind. I would never pay money for end-game faction grind to kill the same mobs ad nauseum in the same instance ad infinitum. I heard the raiding is mostly zerging as well; I remember Molten Core was a 40-person instance. I have the expansion but I never really used it. I wish I could get my money back. And in many ways most importantly, community. The WoW community, and your post is an example of it, is just not friendly or mature. I know people will accuse me of being a "van boi" but the Vanguard community is the most mature and friendly I have seen yet in any game.
In my judgment, based on my experience, Vanguard in its current state is a far superior game in every aspect to WoW: solo content, group content, grinding, Questing, tasking, crafting, travel (boats), exploration, player housing, community, etc..
PS
No, I do not mean like WoW; I mean a temporary dmg bonus because weapons (edit: should) wear.
The biggest and most important improvement in my opinion would be to remove the current restrictions for applying dusts etc so that a crafter could build the gear they want. For instance when I first started as a Armorsmith I had the intention of making a full suit of int/spell damage plate for a gnome cleric who I would play as more of a nuker/backup healer. Then I found out I couldn't add int to sheets to make int based plate because the system blocks that, also I couldn't get spell power on plate either because hexes which does both automatically turns to +healing on plate. Which left me with no reason to try and make a gnome cleric because at best I could pump int some but all my gear unless I wear cloth even from drops would be +healing based. Even DK's can't push thier dots and drains because they need spell damage not +healing and plate doesn't come with that. I switched to weaponsmithing shortly after that and before the dual stat powder levels so it may be less of an issue at higher levels but the reason remains the same. I want to decide what my characters wear in gear and the system is there except for some rediculous exceptions. Don't bother telling me thats not what that class was meant for either because I like to play what I want to play regardless of what was intended and if I can't customize at least a little I won't play that game which was the primary reason I cancelled a level 40 weaponsmith account on Woefeather last week. Wow has tens times the customization VG has and that is sad.
The other reason I quit and the other thing I think is most important for crafters period is dealing quickly and decisively with dupes and exploits which ruin the economy. Woefeather at the time I quit was one of the least effected servers from the gold dupe but it still completely destroyed the game for a pure crafter. A pure crafter does two things, makes stuff and sells stuff. To a pure crafter thier bank account is thier end game, they enjoy playing the market and haveing 2 or 3 plat when most people had 10 gold tops was great. Then in short order 12 plat began selling for 30$, the 2 plat I had made honestly was the equivelant of 5$ thats half an hours work at a shitty paying job heh not months of grinding work orders and selling gear on the market with a billion alts jockying between continents for market spaces. The economy right now in VG is so flooded with duped gold that the current servers are unsalvageable to people who care. Boats and such are being so overpriced as the crafters combat the gold buyers that a normal gamer will not be able to buy one without having a friend or guildy make one special. And heres the kicker it is almost a guarantee at this point that when SOE takes over completely that servers will be merged multiplying the problem. I'm sure some people like VG enough to ignore this problem until it gets fixed and then if new servers are opened move to one months down the road however many aren't and there are options on the horizon so I wish VG the best of luck but they let it go to far for me.
Short version:
1 remove the restrictions for applying dusts/powders etc... and let the crafters make the gear they want.
2 fix dupes and exploits quickly or the economy and the crafters will hit the fan.
Stop whining and login so I can kill you!
Oh and one thing I missed saying.
THE LAST THING VG NEEDS IS MORE BUFFS!!!!!
It is absolutely retarded how many buffs they put in that game between consumables and classes with a trillion buffs I could literally fill half my screen with tiny little icons saying +3 dex +2 Str +10 healing +10 mitigation etc... Whoever at Sigil ok'd the system of a billion buffs should never be allowed to work on another MMORPG again.
Q...Oh heres some trivia for ya, A level 50 shaman/ level 50 Artificer, A level 50 Cleric/ level 50 Blacksmith, and a level 50 druid/ level 50 outfitter group up. Between class buffs and craftable consumables, runes etc... how many buffs will each character have total?
A...More than half the MMORPG's made to date have combined. Which is retarded!
The community is pretty cool though in general, far from the best I've been apart of I think AC still has that title for me at least but it was great compared to Wow but unfortuneatly not enough to make up for the state VG is in currently. It's too bad they are going to dumb it down (which they already started with this teleportation system screwing over the big world feel) to attract those gamers which ruin communities.
Stop whining and login so I can kill you!
You are absolutely correct about the restrictions on dusts/powders. However, I would remove the powders from the vendors as a result and move them to the looting system in replacement of crappy armour and weapons. Powders from vendors are too readily available.
Also, personal customisation of armour is another must, as you said. Customising the colour, stats etc.....etc.
The gold dupes that certain servers are experiencing I can't speak for myself as my server is ok, however I agree it should be nipped in the bud. My understanding was that Sigil were doing well at cancelling accounts of anyone abusing the system. Hopefully at relaunch they do something as simple as change the currency completely.
It Worked for Hitler in the 1930s.
Remember buying gold online pays the wages of some child slavemaster in China.
The majority of powders, dusts etc come from deconstructing dropped loot. We buy the crap loot you put on sale in brokers and decontruct it for a chance of a dust/rare/urare etc. So indirectly it already is part of the looting system.
The one they have relies on too wide a range of random factors. So much so that it is frustrating rather than fun. I have yet to meet anyone who crafts in Vanguard purely for the fun of it.
Adventuring is FUN. Diplomacy is both FUN and innovative in its gameplay.
Crafting is just Click and Pray. Spend 75 APs to advance the recipe, score a "fair" and get a 12% advance... Spend 100 APs to do the next advance score a "fair" and get a 10% advance. Huh? The numbers are too sloppy. There is no player skill involved. Just grind and hope.
This crafting system feels a lot like EQ1, but at least there they didn't use 30+ random rolls to arbitrarily decide the fate of my efforts. They used only one roll, and gave a fail/pass.
I hope they address this issue soon, because I really want to love every aspect of this game rather than just 2/3rd of it.
-The Shoveler
This is exactly my point. Crafting can become "Fun" providing the end result is money. It becomes fun if there is a demand for your goods. There needs to be more done to increase the demand for crafted goods.
Those two things alone should just about do it.
I keep hearing this! I have not even started Diplomacy yet. My friends who do Diplomacy keep telling me that Vanguard needs to capitalize on this innovative feature of gaming. It is apart of the lore in a big way and apparently has Quests associated with it.
Thank you for mentioning repair stones; I did not know the game has them. As far as gold duping is concerned, I have just not seen it; I am even looking for it and asked around a little bit. I wonder if it is limited to certain servers or just has had little to no impact on some. Gold-farmers/dupers however exist in all games. I remember when I went to Europe for a month and I let one of my online "friends" play my EQ 1 account (I had a 65 Ranger). When I returned, I discovered my account was suspended for making items and platinum in the game; he was somehow able to create items. Lesson: never let people use your accounts. I have other horror stories about account-sharing.
Good information.
Ive heard stories ingame about gold duping and ruined economies. Talk about caravels going for 30-60platinum (around 60g on my server) about how rare resources have stopped spawning.
As far as BoE for crafted items I think its a good idea.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Lao-Tze
Brilliant suggestion.
As I said, I do not craft but I am surprised that this is not a feature.
Edit: for some reason I just cannot get "into" crafting in any game that I play or have played; I am an adventurer through-and-through. I like the option to craft, though.