Crafting view from a new player - needs an overhaul

The crafting in this game, early on, is a bit counter-intuitive in design. I'd like to put forth what I see as it's flaws, and what I think should be done to correct it.

Remember...this is from a new player perspective. First impressions are lasting ones.

That said...

1) Items are counted individually, your not given slots.

Materials should stack and count as one item. Almost every game on the market has it this way. The fact that this game does not causes an entire host of problems that are not necessary.

2) Drops for crafting come to early in the game, intro also comes too early.

Crafting is pretty dismal in this game EARLY ON and next to useless sub 30. It should not even be introduced IMO, nor should materials drop prior to level 30 IMO.

3) Benches are in one spot, Vaults are too far from benches, recipes only count what is on you, not what you own (what is in your bank).

This is a big pet peve. This is not the only game that is like this, but other games at least offer a bit more with respect to crafting and storage. This game is pretty limited with both. Not good to throw in running back and forth to try and get the right mats.

4) Only source for mats is mobs.

This is a big one. The only way you can get mats is by killing mobs. In almost every other game on the market there are other ways to get mats. Sub 30 this is probably not the best way to do it, later it isn't an issue.


REMEMBER...we are talking about sub 30 crafting now. Not crafting after 30, where not only does it benefit the player more, players tend to find ways at that point to deal with shortcomings.

We are talking about first impressions.


Now, my primary suggestion would be to remove any clue to crafting from the early game, prior to perhaps level 25, including mats. No mat drops or references to crafting before level 25.

Naturally you would still have enhancements and the like that drop for income or use.

Save that, I would ask that items stacks be counted as one item (or make it 30 slots instead of 30 items), you have the ability to craft in more areas besides the academy and recipes count items you have in your bank as on your person.

Thanks for reading.

1. There are other sources of mats. (AE most noticably, plus the market itself).
2. Crafting is not useless before 30. It isn't always the best bonuses you can get, but it is often better than the alternatives.

Level 10 IOs are better than anything you can get from TOs. Level 15 IOs are better than DOs. It's not until level 25 IOs that SOs are actually arguably better -- but by 25 you can be frankenslotting.

I do agree that the very restricted inventory is pretty frustrating.

Can see the points of some of your issues. Thankfully we can at least email things to ourselves now. Back before we could, it was a real pain having items stored on different servers and sg bases. Agree that item stacking in inventories would be nice..as well as some kind of account based bank.

Not really on the topic..but waaay back when I started to play, around i8 I think, one thing about the in game enhancements really got me annoyed. This way back when we just had SO's, and had to upgrade them every 5 levels. The money made in that five level period was NOT enough to actually finance they new SO's you had to get. Just seemed like shoddy design to me..you should have earned enough to kit out your toon for the next few levels.

So going by that system..the crafting at least works. Mostly.

Remember, I say this from the perspective of a new player. Yes, I understand you can get mats from the market and AE. But that really isn't what I meant. There should be somewhere to BUY the mats you need other than the market, like some kind of vendor...grant it it would be for the very low level mats, but still.

And yes, it does seem that money early on is hard to come by, though once you make a toon or two and can mail to yourself that makes making new toon easier (it took me a bit to figure out I could mail extra stuff and influence to myself, giving me access to it on my other toons.).

I still feel that early on crafting isn't really needed, and the mats and such shouldn't even drop until much later...you can just get enhancements instead.

If I were to go even further I would say that things like free costume changes and certain temporary powers (like rocket packs) should be easy to make early on if any crafting is offered at all. Add to that temporary Auras to wet ones whistle for those things, as well as teleports to things like your bank and the nearest quartermaster.

Finally I would have things like cars, motorcycles and the like craftable (temporary of course) as well as custom weapons. Again, to tempt folks to either buy the permanent ones from the store or sub to VIP.

One thing to keep in mind in regards to crafting is that it was added to the game relatively recently. Unlike many MMOs, crafting in CoX is not skill-based. Anyone can craft anything, provided you have the recipe and the materials. There is no real reason to sit and skill grind for hours on end. The single exception to this is if you are trying to earn the crafting badges.

Some of the drawbacks you mention actually have work-arounds. For example, there is a vet reward that gives access to the /vault command that lets you open up the vault from anywhere. This makes the distance between crafting stations and the vault reserve a non-issue. Similarly, if you acquire the crafting badges, you can earn the ability to summon up a portable crafting table anywhere (and anyone around you can use it).

Another solution to the problem is the one I use. Create a small SG base, drop in a vault and a crafting table right next to each other. Now, not only is it convenient, but you can craft without the noise and lag from powers being spammed all around you, bots clanking around, demons roaring, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".

I like the base idea. I have as of yet to form a supergroup or join one.

Seems to me, however, something like your superbase idea could be offered for new players as a temporary item to get them started on crafting...perhaps some kind of portal to a crafting hub.

Your impressions are your impressions and as such they can't be wrong. That _is_ what the game looked like to you. BUT:

* It's painfully easy to make "enough inf for starters" with even the most basic marketing tactics. (Almost all my characters are financially independent from level 1, unless I'm really impatient. Then again I like this s***. ) In one hour of fetching and carrying, you can make enough to afford your SO's for your entire career and I can explain how to do that in 5 minutes. And that's using almost the WORST way to market there is.

* The invention system is deliberately tied to the market system and it doesn't work like other games that way. Storage is deliberately scarce, for instance, so you have to "store" stuff by selling it and buying it back when you need it. [usually at a considerable profit.] You may hate that idea, but they did it on purpose and for a reason. You cannot be a rock and an island in this game unless you use SO's.

* They do sell one-time Wentporters. If you go to Steel Canyon the university is one block over in one direction, and the Vault is a block or two in the other. They also sell a variety of craftable temp powers, including jetpacks, med packs, resurrector packs, etc.

* Supergroups frequently have vaults set up right next to their crafting tables. As in "can have both windows open at once."

* There are crafting tables in SG's, in Vanguard bases, and in almost all Supergroups; sometimes your fellow heroes will pop 'em out right in the middle of Wentworth's, although it is a huge amount of work to get Field Crafter.

* There have been at least two situations where having level 20 IO's made a really big difference in play for me.

This game is not like other games. There's no Holy Trinity. Until you hit level 50 there's no "Bind on pickup" loot. One hero can often beat up ten or twenty high-con enemies at once. Money is available very easily in ridiculous amounts (with a little knowledge.) If you judge it by "how well it works like other games" you'll hate it.

Yeah, hopefully no offense, but I really did feel like that was a list of solutions proffered for problems I'd never heard anyone mention before.

Crafting in this game is optional. The idea that people are leaving because of it, and a major part of the contention (based on the solution) is that it's available too early? I think that's bizarre.

If very many people have ever complained about defeats being the only source of salvage, I've certainly never noticed it.

Fair enough, let's put that one to the test. Googling "city of heroes sucks".

First result: http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=3918

He lists a lot of good and bad things about the game. Crafting isn't mentioned directly. The only comment about auction houses and the invention system is a positive one.

Second result: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/foru...City-of-Heroes

Crafting is mentioned, but neither as a good or a bad thing, simply as something you can do.

Third result: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/g...686504#2686504

Quickly scanned through this one as white font on black background is bad for the eyes, the complaints seemed mostly centered around PVP. Ctrl-F for "craft", "IOs", "invention" yielded no return.

Further results are random comments in mostly unrelated threads/articles, and I don't have all day, so that's it from me.

My eight year old, without a whiff of coaching from me, can figure out how to buy and sell material in the auction house. And he doesn't have a character over level 22.

This is a fairly bizarre list of complaints, IMO.

OP overuses the word draconian. Rest of post is hyperbole.