Suggestions for creating a system that might be a good idea for this game.
Hello, everyone,
Below is just a proposition for how I think the best crafting system might work. The information provided does not contain any details that Ashes of Creation has provided in the past or will provide in the future. It is simply a proposition for how I would like the crafting system to look.
Can you guys let me know what you think about this idea??
Recently, I've been contemplating the absence of a crafting system in any of the MMORPG games I've played in the past, including MMO games. I believe this system would work well with Ashes of Creation, given that the progression system would be present from the game's launch. Below, I have outlined how a crafting system might function for the Alchemist class.
/edit1: Since Ashes of Creation has a story in which players explore abandoned lands, it would be beneficial for them to discover everything from the beginning. Therefore, it is recommended to provide players with only basic recipes that can be used at the start, while more advanced recipes could be obtained by looting bosses, chests, dungeons, or through player rediscovery.
/edit2. You might also think that some of these components exist in modern games, but they do not delve into details; it's mostly just clicking, and the item is created. I also have another idea where players might have to play mini-games, and depending on how well they perform, the item might be created. This could be used for advanced crafting, where players can only craft higher-tier gear items in this way.
/edit3. As the World/Nodes progress, it would open up possibilities for players to discover new crafting materials such as ores, flowers, trees, and others, thereby expanding the potential for new discoveries. Additionally, it would be interesting to introduce special titles for individuals who discover recipes, such as granting them the title of "Genius Crafter," which could provide a percentage bonus for finished goods. However, this feature would be limited to ensure that those who actively contribute to the crafting narrative excel above others.
/edit5. After some discussions I have made some changed to overall design.
The crafting system would consist of several components, each of which would have its own progress bar to represent the quality of the end product:
1. Gatherer: This role is exclusively for gathering, and each stage of progression allows them to gather more materials.(higher change to gather more rare flowers)
2. Processor: Processors can also gather materials, but not as efficiently as Gatherers. Meanwhile, they can use the materials they gather to craft products that can be used by other players.
1. Gathering wild herbs/flowers: The progress/skill bar would determine the quantity and quality of the goods obtained by the player. Gathering should be separated from crafting because it might be too much work, and some people don't want to craft; they just want to gather.
2. Processing the gathered goods into materials for crafting (e.g., turning flowers into powder). The skill/progress bar, reflecting the crafter's proficiency, would determine how quickly and efficiently the crafter can produce powder. Crafters might also face restrictions when processing higher-quality flowers, or these flowers might have a lower success rate
The processing should include testing the flowers to determine their uses, which can later be used to create potions. Each tested flower may require several attempts before the Alchemist fully comprehends it. (A similar approach might be taken by a blacksmith, for instance, when determining the melting temperature and strength of various metals.) Testing the product helps the crafter become acquainted with the crafting material, reducing potential waste in the processing phase. (The rarer the material, the more challenging it is to learn its uses.)
4. Crafting might be divided into two categories: basic crafting and advanced crafting. Basic crafting would allow the use of recipes created using advanced crafting, but the end product would be of average quality compared to advanced crafting. Basic crafting would also incorporate other recipes found or learned by the crafter.
Advanced crafting could be used to create higher-quality items/products, and the quality of the item would depend on the crafter's skill.
In basic crafting, the process involves selecting a recipe and pressing "craft" if the crafting materials are available to the crafter. Meanwhile, advanced crafting would involve multiple mini-games.
4.1.1For example, a blacksmith, would start by placing raw ore into a furnace, where they would have to use the "trial and error method" to determine the ideal temperature for a specific type of ore.
4.1.2 The next mini-game could involve shaping the armor or weapon, requiring the crafter to hammer it a specific number of times. If the hammering is excessive or insufficient, the product's quality would be lower.
4.1.3 Finally, the last game might involve sharpening the weapon or assembling the armor. The final product's quality would be based on how well the crafter performed in these mini-games.
Crafting potions using known recipes acquired from vendors or chests. - The vendor would provide low-tier recipes and nothing else. Crafters would have to discover the recipes themselves, creating competition among crafters and guilds. Guilds would need to invest in skilled alchemists to progress faster than other guilds.
The advanced crafting mini-games for Alchemy might consist of the following steps:
4.2.1.First, the crafter/player would need to taste the flowers or other alchemical materials to determine their uses.
4.2.2 Next, the crafter would engage in a mini-game to grind the crafting materials.
4.2.3 Another mini-game might involve a "trial and error method" where the crafter would attempt to combine different powders or raw materials in the cauldron. The combination of the raw materials would determine the potion's eventual use.
4.2.4 Lastly, the cooking time could be the final mini-game, where some potions would need to brew for a certain amount of time.
These mini-games would contribute to the alchemical crafting process and determine the properties of the resulting potions.
5. Experimental crafting/advanced crafting: Unlocked after completing a quest or based on the crafter's skill level, this feature allows the player to use various herbs to create unknown potions or upgraded versions of existing potions, providing additional stats or longer durations. If the crafter attempts to create a new potion using different qualities of powders and fails, they would receive a message indicating that the composition is incorrect. This message would persist until the correct powder combination is used.
It would also be interesting if the crafter themselves had to try the unknown potion they have created to learn its effects (some potions might inflict debuffs, poison, or buffs). The crafter would then need to experiment several times to understand the effects of each new potion. Afterward, they could advertise these uses and later sell the recipe or potions, thus making money in this manner.
To facilitate this, a system would need to be created to determine the potential uses of various ores, flowers, and other crafting materials. By combining these materials, the crafter would be able to determine the end product's uses or value. (While it might involve a significant amount of work, it would be intriguing to see something like this implemented.)
In the case of the blacksmith, testing different ores could help the crafter determine the durability of certain ores, which could later be used to craft weapons. Some weapons might be crafted with an ore that offers high damage but poor durability, requiring players who use these weapons to spend more gold to repair them using the specific ore with which they were created.
Another example pertains to creating shields or armor. Specific ores might be used that offer excellent protection but slow down the player's movement, while other ores might provide high mobility at the expense of poor defense. This would create an interesting scenario where players must consider what they are wearing and the cost of using specific ores.
One more aspect to consider is that by combining certain ores, such as one with high durability and another with high damage, a balanced combination could be achieved, providing both medium durability and medium defense. (For this reason, the crafting system would need to incorporate a temperature system to determine the melting point and other properties of ores, which would be quite complicated but potentially rewarding (although it might not be suitable for this game since it would required a lot of testing if this is even enjoyable to play with)).
6. Transfusion: Mixing two low-quality potions to create a higher-quality one, potentially unlocked after passing the apprentice level.
I think I did not put in calculation that some people just want to gather good such as Trees, Ore, without doing anything else with it. Now I think the gathering could be separated from crafting since it might be to much work and some complication might go occur. But regarding the crafting for Alchemy processing and creating potion should be still included.
Profession Guilds
Crafters can only advance to the next level of their profession after maxing out their processing , gathering and crafting skills. At this point, they can move to the next tier of crafting which could come with the exam that the crafter has to provide a certain quality potion to the alchemy guild for him to receive a badge which would move him to the next level. After advancing, the processing, gathering, and crafting skills would upgrade to a higher tier and reset to 0, allowing the crafter to progress to the next level (for example, from 0 to 300). When it reaches 300 in all aspects, you would take the exam, and your rank would move from novice to apprenticeship, for example.
This would work well with the existing system in which professions have their own guilds, such as the Alchemy Guild. To become an alchemist, player would be able to decided if you want to be the member of the Alchemy Guild that would give him some start advantage or join traditional player base guild where the guild would have to help grow him to craft product. "It would be interesting if a player couldn't join a traditional player-based guild if they were already a member of the system Alchemy Guild. This would add an intriguing dynamic to see the choices players would make and how it might affect their crafting progression speed."
Regarding the impact of the market, the items sold by the Alchemy Guild system could be provided by other players, known as Gatherers, in exchange for Alchemy Guild Tokens. These tokens can later be used to create commissions within the guild, such as crafting potions or commissioning a blacksmith to create a sword.
The Alchemy Guild and its counterparts in other professions could serve as a foundation where crafters and alchemists could gather to discuss various subjects and engage in different activities. This system could also facilitate advancements to higher ranks through profession exams and group experimentation. In group experimentation, participants could collectively decide on the next research project, among other possibilities. For instance, research projects could be provided by the Ashes of Creation Developers, and players would first vote on them to determine which project should be added. Alternatively, Developers could provide three research topics, each with its own progress bar. The project that finishes first would be added to the game.
To assist in progressing the experimentation , crafters would gain tokens or research points during crafting which could be used for the Alchemy guild experiments(or other crafting experiments).This would show that every crafting activity a player performs would help them better understand how crafting works, enabling them to create better and higher-quality end products. There are numerous possibilities to explore.
In the traditional player guild, the guild would need to provide crafting materials to the player/crafter for them to progress as an artisan. On the other hand, the Alchemy guild integrated into the system would offer certain advantages, such as bonuses and affordable materials for the guild, while requiring the crafter to perform daily tasks for the guild.
The system would also permit crafters from traditional guilds and non-members of the Alchemy Guild to sell their goods to the Alchemy guild, but they won't have access to certain crafting materials that only Alchemy guild can provide in small amount daily, and the discount won't be applicable to them either.
This is just the proposition that would allow players who do not want to be part of a guild to join some type of community
//edit4
Another idea for the Guild Profession could involve workstation rooms where players/crafters would have to pay to gain access for their corresponding crafting guilds. These rooms might function as instances, where players/crafters enter for 1 hour to craft items ( there might be a different version of this rooms the more you pay the better more on this later in the topic). These rooms would provide crafters/players with buffs for crafting speed and inspiration, allowing them to create better equipment. Workstation rooms could also generate more tax revenue for the city.
It would also be interesting to see how these crafting guilds would progress if a node had a specific type. For instance, a Scientific node could be recommended for Alchemists, while a Military node could be recommended for Blacksmiths and other weapon-making guilds. An Economic guild would be ideal for purchasing materials, and then players would have to transport them to crafting-related nodes to benefit from crafting buffs. This would add another meaning for how nodes progress and how players would have to work together to defend the nodes/cities
Guild progression should also include an option to purchase a limited quantity of crafting materials at higher values. Additionally, as a crafter progresses in their profession rank and completes Profession Guild commissions, they will accumulate profession reputation in the Profession Guild, enabling them to access another ranking system that offers discounts when purchasing crafting materials or using workstation rooms from the Profession Guild.
Actual guilds or freeholds could construct better and more cost-effective versions of workstation rooms, enabling guilds to compete for individual crafters to join their ranks and become exclusive crafters for a specific guild. These workstations could have durability that would require repairs, which could be done using mana stones or materials.
To ensure that novice crafters have an option to craft, there should be a basic version of crafting available for free or at a low cost, allowing crafters to learn the craft.
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Upgrading profession for higher-tier
For instance, when a crafter reaches the Master level, they may need to independently discover a few recipes before advancing to higher tiers. This process should be challenging, requiring players to experiment for at least weeks or even months before they can progress and achieve higher ranks in their profession. For experimentation, the crafter could utilize the same points that are used for guild experimentation.
Buffs when professions collect his crafting materials of their proper professions
While gathering wild herbs/flowers doesn't have to be exclusive to the Alchemist, I believe the Alchemist should receive an extra buff for herb gathering, given their expertise in understanding the uses of various flowers.
Regarding other crafting professions, they might work similarly to Alchemy. For example, Blacksmith to create a sword, the crafter would have to gather the ore, process it, and then craft the sword. Depending on the quality of the ore and the levels of the processing and crafting skills, a different range of stats would be applied to the sword. Lower crafting skills would result in lower-quality swords with lower damage values, while higher crafting skills would lead to higher damage values in the swords.
Additionally, more skilled crafters would have a higher chance of having extra stats assigned to the crafted goods, such as swords (e.g., extra strength, agility, or defense).
