An Update on Crafting Surveys - QoL (ESO+ perk)

Spiritrush · August 2022

Since crafting surveys are directly tied to crafting, it would be great if they could all fit snugly into that new magic side pouch - y'know, that special compartment in the new and improved craft bag designed by Shalidor?

After releasing Shalidor's sanctuary from Sheogorath's lingering hold, Shalidor offered you the gift of Eidetic Memory. What you didn't know was that he was also working on an improved version of your craft bag for you - and it has taken him some time to perfect it. Now, still grateful for your service, Shalidor has entrusted you (and only you) with this new and improved crafting bag - one where all of your crafting surveys can be found through an extra, unremarkable, easily-overlooked tab in your craft bag.

The benefits of this new and improved craft bag include:
- crafting surveys are now accessible by any character at any time
- with over 200 unique surveys currently in game (and growing), frees up considerable precious inventory slots for those that regularly complete crafting dailies, which generate surveys
- useable from the craft bag, harvestable by any character at any time when approaching any survey location – no further need to bank, transfer surveys, or change toons to harvest
- accessible to survey location addons, remaining viewable by map location at any time

Conditions for QoL benefit:
- craft bag (ESO+)
- complete The Arch-Mage's Boon quest on any toon

Bonus QoL benefit:
- If you decide to work on this, also consider the conditions under which a player can harvest multiple surveys per node at once. Perhaps those conditions are: (i) Improved Craft Bag and (ii) Grand Master Crafter (9 achievements), Grand Master Crafting Harvester (harvest materials 10000 times), and/or Master of Refinement (refine materials 3000 times) achievements. This QoL benefit should at least be partially earned, a true master crafter.

While this would only be an ESO+ perk, this long overdue QoL benefit would be worth highlighting as a part of ESO+ membership.

Good idea, or bad? Pros? Cons?

Dr_Con · August 2022

If they allowed surveys in crafting pouches then I wouldn't advocate for people to delete their enchanting surveys. +1 to this part of the suggestion

tldr needed, too many other conditions

peacenote · August 2022

I would love this.

I_killed_Vivec · August 2022

They stack, so the number of them isn't the real problem. It's using them that is the issue.

Either allow hirelings to fetch them for you (even if they take a cut) or allow multiple surveys to be executed simultaneously.

They recognized the issue with creating and deconstructing multiples, so why not surveys?

WiseSky · August 2022

What about all those names of mules that will go to waste like:

Hoards-them-All
Keeps-Surveys
All-My-Precious-Stacked-one
Survey Encyclopedia

Other then that... it's a great idea

ZOS_Hadeostry · August 2022

Greetings,

After further review we have decided to move this thread to a category we think is more appropriate for this topic.

Thank you for your understanding

HerrKeinTipp_MrNoTip · September 2022

I would love any of these suggestions: craft bag, hireling, whatever...

However, even with the volume I get from 18 toons I actually find the survey run every week or three quite therapeutic. [snip]

Part of me wonders if hirelings would tank the PCNA economy, but while it would cost me, I reckon I'd be ok with it. [snip]

[edited for minor bashing]

Spiritrush · December 2022

Dr_Con wrote: »

If they allowed surveys in crafting pouches then I wouldn't advocate for people to delete their enchanting surveys. +1 to this part of the suggestion

tldr needed, too many other conditions

Thanks for the response. To your second comment, it's pretty easy to implement. There would only be 2 condition checks (primarily in overland settings), which would fall naturally into a sensible skill progression. Allowing for progression as a result of achievements (rather than just the achievement itself) can become meaningful to player or account progression, especially when it offers utility. I think this is something ZOS should consider - relatively easy implementations that are meaningful to progression and gameplay experience.

Spiritrush · December 2022

I_killed_Vivec wrote: »

They stack, so the number of them isn't the real problem. It's using them that is the issue.

Thanks for the comment. While I agree finding the time to use them is the greater problem for many, the number of inventory slots they take up is a very real secondary issue players talk about. They can take up to 200 inventory slots which are either stored on your "Keeps-Surveys" character, in your bank, or on multiple toons.

Spiritrush · December 2022

HerrKeinTipp_MrNoTip wrote: »

I would love any of these suggestions: craft bag, hireling, whatever...

However, even with the volume I get from 18 toons I actually find the survey run every week or three quite therapeutic. [snip]

Part of me wonders if hirelings would tank the PCNA economy, but while it would cost me, I reckon I'd be ok with it. [snip]

Yes, I understand what you mean here. The first part of my suggestion would not interrupt the therapeutic harvester - I've certainly done that before. If they opted to implement something like the second part of my suggestion, it may simply equate to the therapeutic session taking significantly less time. Of course, if you had not gotten those achievements on on ALT (assuming the fix the ill-advised AWA system implementation), you could complete the harvesting one node at a time on an ALT (something I used to do once my main harvester had reached certain achievements).

[edited to remove quote]

Spiritrush · December 2022

ZOS_Hadeostry wrote: »

Greetings,

After further review we have decided to move this thread to a category we think is more appropriate for this topic.

Thank you for your understanding

@ZOS_Hadeostry. Thank you for noticing this post. Given my opening statement, I can see why you chose to move this post. However, I posted this in the main area as it had much more to do with Quality of Life related to inventory management, gameplay experience, and systems progression - regardless of what activity or environment one is traversing (overland, delves, open-world pvp all have harvesting nodes). I'm not sure how moving this post to the crafting thread best served ZOS, the player base, or the overall direction of the game but in my experience this issue affects both crafting and non-crafting players alike. In fact, the issues noted here primarily impact gameplay when one is not crafting. So, moving this post may have limited an opportunity for creative, unexpected, useful feedback from non-crafters.

Is it your role to ensure these ideas are passed on to the development team? Given the recent announcement by Matt Firor and potential for substantive changes to the gameplay experience now, are you able to bring this idea to the right development team? We as players are generally unclear if or how feedback and other suggestions are listened to. Other major MMOs are a little more transparent about processes and the roles of staff in evaluating, tabling, and addressing suggestions related to gameplay experience. Apologies, if this has been made clear somewhere, I simply do not know.

Thanks, and I hope someone finds this useful.