MGRza wrote: »

Number one, they will not remove any materials that could go into ESO+'s crafting bag; that is precisely the only selling point with ESO+ atm, since new content comes with the content pass and is not part of ESO+. So for them to remove materials in the game so that there's less makes the crafting bag less appealing, especially for new players, as they quickly realize just how many different crafting items there are.

Are some of those systems outdated? Yes, they could do with a makeover; however, on a personal level, there are systems that are in much more need of work than the crafting section.

Pretty much the same for trait items, they won't change that because of the crafting bag... I may be wrong, but given how we actually have a crownstore simulator with mmo aspects, I doubt that will happen

I agree ZOS is not incentivised to make the inventory manageable, they may be interested to know that inventory fatigue is a thing for new players that don't use addons to auto sift the trash. It hinders new players, experienced players either use addons or may get ESO+.

I'd like to see ZOS find a middle ground that for such common items that bombard new players, that they get some attention. It is one thing to be spammed with trash at CP160, but to be spammed with trash that simple becomes totally redundant 5 levels later, then you get a whole new set of redundant trash to deal with is absurd. It is like new players get the brunt of it as that is how the material structure is designed. Removing the level orientation will at least allow some of these items to stack and not become redundant for new players.

Honestly I find really, really difficult not to be sarcastic when I read one of these posts, and they pop up really often.
Game developpers have spent years thinking and testing to craft working game systems, and functioning balance, and every now and then, a random player who is convinced he (let's be honest, 99% of the time it's a he) has just reinvented the wheel and propose major changes that, most of the time, would have unpredictable consequences on a system that currently works fine.

I really understand your problem, I have hundred of trait stones too, to the point that after the daily writs I don't even keep them, I sell everything, including lower level materials since I don't need to pile up materials except level 150/160 ones, and the problem is the same (or worse) with runes, since even master writs, by definition, require ONE specific rune each (plus one for the level and one for the raise/decrease effect), and the rest of the time you just pile up dozens of fire, ice, alchemy or power runes that won't be used.
So, really, I know this problem of materials that pile up by tons for nothing, but I kindly disagree about, well, everything you propose.

The existence of style stones is justified both by the lore (each race/style has its own way of doing things) and the gameplay - you must go to specific locations to find specific cultural styles and associated materials. For example, you won't find outside of the Systres archipelago certain styles related to insular Bretons and druids. If ZoS releases a new Chapter and out there you can find the exact same materials that already exist in the base game... what's the point ? It's interesting to find out what these new people and cultures use to craft, and it's enjoyable to complete dailies in these regions just to get new style pages and materials. If the same materials are to be used everywhere on Tamriel, what's the point of having new regions at all ? They won't offer new contents anyway.

For the rest of the materials, in my opinion, it's both a matter of skill - you feel a real progression when you get to use more advance materials because you've leveled up your craft - and gameplay - it really wouldn't feel logical to have such a diversity of possible effects, potions, poisons and all if there were, like, a couple materials in each craft. It doesn't make sense at all.
What could be interesting and would, at least, delay the piling up of materials, would be a system in which materials were unlocked as your craft gains skills. I explain : if you're level 1 enchanter or alchemist, you only have access to a reduced number of runes and plants, and you can't even pick up the higher level ones (exactly the same as raw materials for gear crafting), and as you level up, you have access to a larger diversity of materials OR the higher level materials just replace the first levels ones.

But overall, even if the stocking problem you explain does exist, in my opinion it creates two possibilities in terms of gaming style. I think that, as the developpers see it, either you have an adaptative handling of your materials, you sell most of what you get, and when you randomly need specific materials (for master writs, for example), you buy what you need, preventing you from piling up huge amounts of useless (most of the time) materials, OR.... you subscribe to ESO+ and piling up materials isn't a problem at all.

That's what I think, I may be wrong but in that situation, I genuinely feel that there's balance and a working system around materials supply in the game.

I like crafting as it is.

lillybit wrote: »

Crafting is mostly fine as it is. Removing the skill system in favour of a chance of failure wouldn't help anyone, certainly not beginners. I've recently started playing on PC and mats are precious. I'd hate to lose any, especially while I'm still levelling crafting.

I could maybe see a reduced number of tiers across the board, so the other crafts match the 5 of jewelry crafting. Mostly because there's 3 (4?) levels you never need again once you get to 160cp. It took me less than a week to get there once I hit level 50 so that's a lot of mats devoted to such a small window.

Agreed i don't want gacha mechanics. The chance to fail doesn't work for me.

As long as they keep creating new styles and motif pages to go with them, there will be master writs that require those crafting materials, so no.