Comments on: Crafting: Core System or Diversion?

By: Nerfbat » The Role of Crafting in Massively Multiplayer Games

Nerfbat » The Role of Crafting in Massively Multiplayer Games — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 04:35:18 +0000

[...] The role of crafting in massively multiplayer games is not clearly defined. In some games, it is a very important part of the game itself. In others, it’s more of a diversion from the game and doesn’t really need to be there (i.e. it?s not a core mechanic). In this post, I explore the role of crafting in MMOs and will elaborate on a previous post of mine, Crafting: Core System or Diversion? [...]

By: Rayvne

Rayvne — Wed, 10 May 2006 08:40:53 +0000

The article raised a lot of interesting issues with crafting in different MMO’s and how best to handle them.
Myself I am someone who likes the idea of crafting in mmo’s but doesn’t enjoy doing them himself because the timesink has never had enough reward at the end of it.
A system that meshed together ideas from EQ1 and EQ2 I think would work well. Allow a crafter to level up and make decent quality items using harvesting materials and time, lots and lots of time (like in EQ2). But also allow the crafter to make very high quality items with loot from mob drops (like in EQ1).
This system would allow a “pure” crafter to level up using reasonably easy to obtain harvesting materials but would depend on adventuring drops to make really great gear. You want a good quality T7 breastplate then I need 8 droag scales. I think they drop in xxx zone on yyy mob. Make the dropped scales bindable to the person who loots them in such a way that even though he can hand them to a crafter to make the item they can only be used to make gear for him, no one else. Making them bindable would mean no farmed drops at inflated prices in bazaars and brokers. No having your main go and kill 8000 of a mob to get the drops for a baby twink, etc….
With this system the crafter has a important role since they are needed to make the uberish gear. Making it so that the adventurer has to go out and kill mobs to get the drops to make the uberish gear will keep the adventurer happy since he had to work to get the gear and anyone else wearing it had to do the same work he did.

Just a couple thoughts.

By: Grouchy Gnome

Grouchy Gnome — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:09:36 +0000

I’ll eventually tackle the mechanics aspect. This was just intended to theorize whether a game should include a deep or streamlined crafting system.

By: Chris Brainard

Chris Brainard — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:57:16 +0000

I feel your article is kinda of vague and really doesn’t tackle the mechanics of crafting systems themselves. It would be cool if you went more indepth as your vision makes sense but I think we need some concreate examples.

By: Massively Multiplayer Online Round Table

Massively Multiplayer Online Round Table — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

s more of a diversion from the game and doesn’t really need to be there (i.e. it’s not a core mechanic). In this post, I explore the role of crafting in MMOs and will elaborate on a previous post of mine,Crafting: Core System or Diversion? You will also find posts by other Knights of the MMO Round Table, Moorgard and Aggro Me, on this very subject. We plan to write more of these Round Table posts to give you multiple perspectives on the same subject without influencing each other

By: Aggro Ganker

Aggro Ganker — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

To do this, first it requires that crafting be a core-component in the inital design of the game. Ryan Shwayder, (aka Blackguard aka Grumpy Gnome) of Nerfbat fame actually has discussed this topic in depth atCrafting: Core System or Diversion?