Please, Please, Please make master writs better!

FlopsyPrince

I tried to clear out a bunch of master writs over the weekend.

I put all the information from the ones I had in a Notepad file on my computer (near my PS4).

Then I went to make things.

Of course I still had troubles making the right things for the writ. I got something off on 2, wasting the improvement items. I accepted one to only then realize I didn't know the style as I thought. Fortunately it was "only" 40K at a guild vendor, but that might not have been true.

Several things are desperately needed:

- Show whether I know the style for that item or not in the writ information. Don't require me to look things up and/or go to a station to see if I can make it.
- Guide me better when I am making it. Having a "craft writ item" would be ideal, since I could make exactly what is needed, assuming I had the right stuff in my supply.
- Let me accept (and make with the item above) several of the same kind of item. Don't limit it to 1. Tying the "make item for writ" to the writ rather than the item would be ideal.
- Make it easier (with the things noted above and any other good improvements) to go to a guild house with all the crafting stations to make things.
- Make it easier to find if the styles are being sold someplace. Revamping the guild vendor system probably won't happen (though it should), so at least let me look for only new styles and make it easier for me to find the style I need for a given master writ or even all the master writs I have.

I will edit this if good ideas get added later in the replies.

VaranisArano

The last time I did a bunch of Master Writs, the info needed to craft a single item simply overwhelmed my short-term memory. I had to write down all the style, set, trait, item, and quality requirements in a notebook and check each one off as I crafted it in order to keep it straight. I'm on PC, but didn't use any add-ons to help.

Now, that huge amount of info might be intended by ZOS, as sort of a "A master crafter should be able to keep track of what they are crafting" idea. I dunno. ZOS also probably didn't expect me to roll into the guild hall and knock out 50+ Master Writs at once, so some of the information overload might be my own fault here.

But still, it was incredibly time consuming and frustrating. Having to take pen-and-paper notes to avoid crafting the wrong thing and wasting mats is a big part of why I haven't done Master Writs since I bought my housing storage chests.

The simplest change that would help me is to activate a text box with the writ requirements when I use the correct crafting station so that I can see what I'm supposed to be crafting. For example, if I have a writ for shoes of Julianos, I would activate a Law of Julianos clothing station and see [Shoes of Julianos, Barbaric, Nirnhoned, Legendary]. That way I can see the writ requirements without having to back out of the crafting screen to check the writ again or write it down with pen and paper. I'd still have to select the correct options to craft the item, but that's fine by me.

Come to think of it, a text box would be a really nice chance for regular crafting writs, too. I'm always like "Was it one rubedite greatsword, or two?"

Feric51

VaranisArano wrote: »

The last time I did a bunch of Master Writs, the info needed to craft a single item simply overwhelmed my short-term memory. I had to write down all the style, set, trait, item, and quality requirements in a notebook and check each one off as I crafted it in order to keep it straight. I'm on PC, but didn't use any add-ons to help.

But still, it was incredibly time consuming and frustrating. Having to take pen-and-paper notes to avoid crafting the wrong thing and wasting mats is a big part of why I haven't done Master Writs since I bought my housing storage chests.

With the material crafts I've found scrolling through my list and taking pictures of the TV screen with my phone so the items are listed in alphabetical order by set to be the most efficient. This way I can reference my phone as I progress in an orderly fashion around the guild hall's stations (which are also arranged alphabetically). I delete the photo as soon as the item is fully crafted so I don't accidentally create a duplicate.

Now, with things like enchanting and alchemy where I often have multiple master writs requesting an identical item, I still write those out and then put hash marks to denote how many of each I have to craft. I even have a spreadsheet for every possible alchemy master writ that includes a list of the cheapest possible reagent combination. This comes in extremely handy for leveling new characters by stockpiling the alchemy writs.

VaranisArano

Feric51 wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

The last time I did a bunch of Master Writs, the info needed to craft a single item simply overwhelmed my short-term memory. I had to write down all the style, set, trait, item, and quality requirements in a notebook and check each one off as I crafted it in order to keep it straight. I'm on PC, but didn't use any add-ons to help.

But still, it was incredibly time consuming and frustrating. Having to take pen-and-paper notes to avoid crafting the wrong thing and wasting mats is a big part of why I haven't done Master Writs since I bought my housing storage chests.

With the material crafts I've found scrolling through my list and taking pictures of the TV screen with my phone so the items are listed in alphabetical order by set to be the most efficient. This way I can reference my phone as I progress in an orderly fashion around the guild hall's stations (which are also arranged alphabetically). I delete the photo as soon as the item is fully crafted so I don't accidentally create a duplicate.

Now, with things like enchanting and alchemy where I often have multiple master writs requesting an identical item, I still write those out and then put hash marks to denote how many of each I have to craft. I even have a spreadsheet for every possible alchemy master writ that includes a list of the cheapest possible reagent combination. This comes in extremely handy for leveling new characters by stockpiling the alchemy writs.

Thanks for sharing how you do the writs! It's really interesting how we both used out of game media to keep track of what to craft.

I wonder if having the picture of the writ show up in game might not be a better option than just text? More info and visuals are probably better!

delta_mystic

I just take Screenshots of each MW I am able to do. I then delete them after Crafting.

also, here are some links to help with Alchemy MW:

SD Alchemy Master Writs

TJ Alchemy Simulator

delta_mystic

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

- Let me accept (and make with the item above) several of the same kind of item. Don't limit it to 1. Tying the "make item for writ" to the writ rather than the item would be ideal.

don't accept any of them before crafting. Use notes/screens to see requirement info for the ones you want to do then craft them all. Go to the MW turn-in NPC and accept each MW in your inventory one at a time. A quest marker will appear above his head and you can turn one in. Repeat till they are all turned-in. Still a bit of a pain to dig through Inventory but way better than running back and forth from Crafting Station to turn-in.

I like to do my writs in Mournhold because the MW turn-in guy is right by the Crafting area, Guild vendors, and Wayshrine. So handy! No need to run around to find each like in other cities. Most cities Crafting Writs turn-in area don't even include a MW turn-in NPC.

Edit: typo and clarification

Dusk_Coven

Automation like Lazy Writ Crafter is really a reasonable implementation and something like that should be available for Console.
Imagine if you had literally over a hundred writs to do. It's very possible on PC where people farm crafting with a lot of alts.

But if they did implement automation, then really they should change how master writs and daily writs are handled altogether.

For starters, why would you receive a master writ that you could not actually do if you had the materials? No client would want to wait till you spent a month researching a trait or got lucky and found a motif page. Neither would a client with a special commission reasonably let you try to sell it. It's a special job and they chose you specifically for it.

Automate daily writs into a job where your character keeps doing emotes in random order until all their certified crafts have earned their daily allotment of Inspiration. During that time, if you qualify, you may get a special commission (master writ) where you have to spend additional time and are awarded vouchers for it. No materials required. Payout would be less than what it is now because of the automation and no materials required.
Essentially you get to AFK for a few minutes and collect Inspiration and possibly vouchers.

It's close to that right now with how Provisioning and Alchemy works anyway since you can pre-do the items and just turn them in.

katanagirl1

Sorry, I don’t want all the time I invested into trait research, learning motif styles, and gathering mats to get Master Crafter so that crafting daily writs is one button press.

Haven’t we hashed through this same argument in another thread?

Why are you insistent on trashing the one thing that actually rewards players for investing more than one full year of their time and tons of gold?

We should not be rewarding players for taking a shortcut because they don’t want to make an effort instead of actually learning the game.

FlopsyPrince

I don't like, but can certainly live with and understand the value of getting writs for things I don't know.

I just want the writ to:

- Tell me if I know all the needed details to make the thing ahead of time.
- Guide me into making the right thing, not something that is a bit off and thus wasting mats.
- Make it easier to do a bunch so I can do them in a guild house with all the stations and turn them all in at once.


I should not have to use my computer to properly (most of the time, errors still happen) do my master writs on my PS4. It should be self-contained there!

katanagirl1

I always do a trial run at the appropriate crafting table to see if I know the style (if unsure) and have the style mats already. Then I open the master writ once that is verified and craft the item.

I would like to see a full crafting writ quest info interface with the crafting station, instead of 3 seconds of the details flashing up on the screen and disappearing. That is a basic need for consoles. Any other changes should come after that.

The worst thing about master writs right now is the prevalence of low-voucher epic ones and the small number of legendary ones. I have also noticed that two identical legendary writs with one in woodworking and one in blacksmithing, same traits and same style, that the wood one was only half the number or vouchers. Purple wood improvement mats are harder to find and more expensive, what is the rationale for them giving fewer vouchers?

FlopsyPrince

katanagirl1 wrote: »

I always do a trial run at the appropriate crafting table to see if I know the style (if unsure) and have the style mats already. Then I open the master writ once that is verified and craft the item.

I would like to see a full crafting writ quest info interface with the crafting station, instead of 3 seconds of the details flashing up on the screen and disappearing. That is a basic need for consoles. Any other changes should come after that.

The worst thing about master writs right now is the prevalence of low-voucher epic ones and the small number of legendary ones. I have also noticed that two identical legendary writs with one in woodworking and one in blacksmithing, same traits and same style, that the wood one was only half the number or vouchers. Purple wood improvement mats are harder to find and more expensive, what is the rationale for them giving fewer vouchers?

I do a lot of prechecking and still make mistakes. I started this thread after writing everything in Notepad and still making some things wrong because what I wrote (or what I read from it) still had errors. I was much more successful with the same process the second time, but it should never be this complicated!

Hotdog_23

I wait until I have a bunch to do. Take pictures with my tablet of all the writs I intend to make. Take the picture already zoomed in and full screen as possible so I don’t need to mess with the picture on the tablet except swipe to the next one. The reason I use a tablet is the screen is bigger and easier to see for my old eyeballs. Go to guild house and play crafting game.

It would be a QOL if the master writ or daily writs would show in the craft window whenever I interact with a crafting station. But on the other hand, doing a lot of master writs like I do it would not help for the crafting window to show I needed to make since I make and turn in a lot at the same time. Generally, do at least 100 master writs at a time.

Be safe and have fun

Dusk_Coven

katanagirl1 wrote: »

Sorry, I don’t want all the time I invested into trait research, learning motif styles, and gathering mats to get Master Crafter so that crafting daily writs is one button press.

Haven’t we hashed through this same argument in another thread?

Why are you insistent on trashing the one thing that actually rewards players for investing more than one full year of their time and tons of gold?

We should not be rewarding players for taking a shortcut because they don’t want to make an effort instead of actually learning the game.

Over 1 million downloads of WritWorthy show that people want automation.
They already have to deal with manual crafting for gear they want and furnishings they want.
They don't have to do it for dozens of writs eating up hours of time.

If you researched traits and learned motifs just to do master writs and nothing else then that's a different problem with the system. Maybe most of the sets are worthwhile only as randomly generated trash in exchange for vouchers. Maybe trait stones are obsolete because everyone just uses the style station. Maybe the whole system is screwed up and needs an overhaul.
Maybe what people want in highly popular AddOns is a huge clue as to what people find fun and not fun in exchange for their time.

FlopsyPrince

Hotdog_23 wrote: »

I wait until I have a bunch to do. Take pictures with my tablet of all the writs I intend to make. Take the picture already zoomed in and full screen as possible so I don’t need to mess with the picture on the tablet except swipe to the next one. The reason I use a tablet is the screen is bigger and easier to see for my old eyeballs. Go to guild house and play crafting game.

It would be a QOL if the master writ or daily writs would show in the craft window whenever I interact with a crafting station. But on the other hand, doing a lot of master writs like I do it would not help for the crafting window to show I needed to make since I make and turn in a lot at the same time. Generally, do at least 100 master writs at a time.

Be safe and have fun

I will try the photo at some point. It still remains a pain, especially since they are not sorted at all (that I can see), so running between tables would still be necessary.

Dusk_Coven wrote: »

katanagirl1 wrote: »

Sorry, I don’t want all the time I invested into trait research, learning motif styles, and gathering mats to get Master Crafter so that crafting daily writs is one button press.

Haven’t we hashed through this same argument in another thread?

Why are you insistent on trashing the one thing that actually rewards players for investing more than one full year of their time and tons of gold?

We should not be rewarding players for taking a shortcut because they don’t want to make an effort instead of actually learning the game.

Over 1 million downloads of WritWorthy show that people want automation.
They already have to deal with manual crafting for gear they want and furnishings they want.
They don't have to do it for dozens of writs eating up hours of time.

If you researched traits and learned motifs just to do master writs and nothing else then that's a different problem with the system. Maybe most of the sets are worthwhile only as randomly generated trash in exchange for vouchers. Maybe trait stones are obsolete because everyone just uses the style station. Maybe the whole system is screwed up and needs an overhaul.
Maybe what people want in highly popular AddOns is a huge clue as to what people find fun and not fun in exchange for their time.

I have long argued that any "must have" addon should have its functionality integrated into the game, especially for console users.

Jayne_Doe

Dusk_Coven wrote: »

katanagirl1 wrote: »

Sorry, I don’t want all the time I invested into trait research, learning motif styles, and gathering mats to get Master Crafter so that crafting daily writs is one button press.

Haven’t we hashed through this same argument in another thread?

Why are you insistent on trashing the one thing that actually rewards players for investing more than one full year of their time and tons of gold?

We should not be rewarding players for taking a shortcut because they don’t want to make an effort instead of actually learning the game.

Over 1 million downloads of WritWorthy show that people want automation.
They already have to deal with manual crafting for gear they want and furnishings they want.
They don't have to do it for dozens of writs eating up hours of time.

If you researched traits and learned motifs just to do master writs and nothing else then that's a different problem with the system. Maybe most of the sets are worthwhile only as randomly generated trash in exchange for vouchers. Maybe trait stones are obsolete because everyone just uses the style station. Maybe the whole system is screwed up and needs an overhaul.
Maybe what people want in highly popular AddOns is a huge clue as to what people find fun and not fun in exchange for their time.

While I would welcome such automation for console, the idea of just doing a button pressing minigame for inspiration, esp. if no mats are used, would not be fun, since it would feel pointless and hollow. Granted, many may feel that way about the current system.

katanagirl1 wrote: »

The worst thing about master writs right now is the prevalence of low-voucher epic ones and the small number of legendary ones. I have also noticed that two identical legendary writs with one in woodworking and one in blacksmithing, same traits and same style, that the wood one was only half the number or vouchers. Purple wood improvement mats are harder to find and more expensive, what is the rationale for them giving fewer vouchers?

Really? I have several hundred more purple wood tempers than I do blacksmith purple tempers. I don't buy them or sell them, so I have no idea of their relative value vs. the other purple tempers. My supply is strictly from farming and hirelings, and I've never had a dearth of purple wood tempers.

tmbrinks

Jayne_Doe wrote: »

Really? I have several hundred more purple wood tempers than I do blacksmith purple tempers. I don't buy them or sell them, so I have no idea of their relative value vs. the other purple tempers. My supply is strictly from farming and hirelings, and I've never had a dearth of purple wood tempers.

Mastic does tend to be a bit lower from deconstruction (since there are less drop opportunities for purple woodworking items)

Woodworking is all weapons/shields, which only drop from final bosses and chests.

Whereas Clothing is all gear, which can drop from all.

and Blacksmithing is a mixture of both.

That said, from farming and hirelings, they should be about the same. (With blacksmithing maybe slightly lower, since it shares nodes w/ jewlery)

katanagirl1

My shortage of mastic was due to the fact that crafting furniture uses more wood improvement mats than any other type of crafting by far.

Also, I do master writs from 4 toons and I was getting much more wood ones than the others until my last crafter got more of her 8th trait metal and cloth traits learned.

FlopsyPrince

I will add a note here that I did a bunch of them that had piled up this weekend (only on one server) and it took far too long and still had too much hassle. I even made two things gold that needed to stop on purple.

Really annoying and I would greatly appreciate some quality of life improvements here.