Would like to see the addition of time based weapon/armor crafting

bluntobjnub18_ESO · May 2014

I would like to explore the idea of a time based crafting system as an expansion of existing crafting. I'm not sure if this idea has been posted before (i'm probably not nailing the search terms), but it would be an adaptation of the existing research system to flesh out crafting and inject a time based element into the mix of dropped vs craft.

The basic idea would be to develop a system where weapon/armor parts are created with the same time based system as trait research (the weapon stats/abilities/enchants increase the time to forge). This system might also use techniques, similar to recipes or motifs (could also research these? Perhaps a crafting quest? would prevent farming)

You would be able to have 1 item going per crafter (or three, like the research skill?), and the time investment could be significant, perhaps a week, 14 days, etc. Possibly allow crafting of pieces with dropped set traits? But the time required to even assemble 1 full set might be a month+.

I agree with the assessments of crafting being quick and shallow, and inferior to dropped gear. Why not then significantly extend the time requirement (but in the same manner as research where it occurs offline) to allow for a far more customizable, deep, and powerful version of crafting that has reasonably sane requirements, unlike GW2's legendary weps, but more in line with EVE manufacturing of T2 or T3 equipment?

Woolenthreads · May 2014

I dunno, the Eve Manufacturing System, and skill system to enable you to use it threw a lot of people off.... hmmm.... it would make for a more realistic economy base though because fewer people would spend points on crafting making items sale-able....

Iluvrien · May 2014

Although I like this idea a great deal in principle, I see one major issue with it.

In the time that it would take to assemble a full armour set, a character would have levelled to the point where it either needed to be changed or was fundamentally useless. In the 2-and-a-bit months that this game has been out my main character has gained 36 levels. I have not been hurrying and have actually spent a considerably larger amount of time gathering and crafting with him than levelling. Yet still at my slow pace I am at 36.

To make the above idea reasonable either:
1) Equipment has to be tier based (1-10 is a single armour set, rather than 4, 6, 8, 10... etc) so that a new set has to be produced less often.
2) People will be pre-ordering the armour sets they will need in a month's time now.
3) Levelling has to be slower.

Two of the three options above will require significant investment of both time money by ZOS as they will have to fundamentally change either crafting or levelling... and may well lead to disgruntlement with regards to those who had access to the crafting system that preceded it.

Still, nice idea though. I do think crafting has a tendency towards being shallow. I am just not sure that this fix for that is entirely practical.

Vantor · May 2014

It's a nice idea overall but i'd rather it would coexist with the current system. The difference would be that the timed crafts would be much more powerful than the instant ones (for example timed white would be equal to instant purple in terms of power).

RylukShouja · May 2014

Even if a crafted item took 24h to make, I would need to pre-make gear five (or more) levels ahead of time. Even at the VR levels, by the time I could make a whole set (assuming one piece per craft, 24hr times) it would take five days. I've gained a new VR level by then.

@Vantor has a good idea, but then the timed crafted sets would need to take a good chunk of time...and be extremely powerful.

Woolenthreads · May 2014

Iluvrien wrote: »

Although I like this idea a great deal in principle, I see one major issue with it.
In the time that it would take to assemble a full armour set, a character would have levelled to the point where it either needed to be changed or was fundamentally useless.

I think it would have to be some new sort of trait that was then applied to the Armour or Weapon because you're right about this, unless it was something that at maximum took less than a day to make, meaning you could leave it to "cook" overnight.