^truth. It's not trolling. This is a crazy aspect of the loot tables. Why would a crafter for one side be spending his time arming the opposing faction?! This makes no sense within 'story' which is so central to the game design for SWTOR. Further, it makes those schematics of nearly zero use to the crafter. You can't sell / use it within any meaningful market. I want to be supplying my guild, or my buddies, or others on my server I may actually be interacting with. There's no way I want to be arming/outfitting the enemy.

On my server, the REPUBLIC GTN is littered with crafted items that can only be equipped by Imperial characters. When I do my underworld trading (desperately waiting for that rare prop of an orange schematic return) there's a very good chance that all of that time and credit expenditure is going to give me a schematic for and item which can only be equipped by Imperial players. I can neither use nor sell this item. I don't get it. Is this a bug, or just poor planning? Are the Imps getting a flood of Republic only schematics as well or is it just the republic crafters that are wasting their time and credits on schematics they can't use/sell.

Um yeah. And as a bonus I don't have to look like a clown with mis matched armor or be forced to wear the dresses that they try to force consulars in to. It's not all about stats. It's not QQing its a discussion about valid concerns and observations by people who have a great deal of MMO experience not only as consumers but power-crafters. If your hypocritical take is that your observations and preferences are the only valid ones, that all others should be silenced, and you'll just go ahead and preemptively call everyone else a liar then your value to this thread was achieved before you posted to it. Thank you for your time.

Great post Sapphon: I like this too, but it does not create a market for the crafter as its BoP. My fundamental concern here is lack of market. I love this idea. Repair kits worked pretty well in SWG actually. (also would like the ability to craft paint/die kits, but that's another topic entirely ) I'd even argue that hilts/barrels should be exclusive to arms makers and armoring mods exclusive to armor makers. The armoring mods that favor force wielders should be synthweaving for example. The other mods (which apply to both armor and weapons) would stay with cybertech. I've not experienced level 50 yet, but in concept I like this. Agreed. It could even be buffs which do things like slow durability loss, or add an ammo tick etc. wouldn't have to be buffs that compete with biochem, but any that did could be very slight and still be desirable if they stacked.

Yes, this would fix several issues - especially for consumables. I'm not sure what the fix for weapons/armor is. I LOVE customization and want more of it. I love being able to keep the gear that I like the looks of. But it does create a less than compelling argument for being an on-going crafter of such items. At best it creates a great argument for crafting the mods that go in to these items ... but the mods are too easily obtained for that to be a worthwhile past-time either.

Firstly, flash Points are only one example. Stims and medpacks are valuable while questing too. There are players who don't do Flash Points. Crafters should make items that people want, and people should feel compelled to find their wares. Secondly Biochem is only one example. Synthweaving is useless as people only need mods for their orange gear they love. Crafters aren't needed for Mods because commendations get them for next to no effort. Also, the statement "If you can't be bothered to hoof it over to the GTN while on the fleet, you certainly aren't going to be bothered to buy overpriced, low quality stims from a vendor." is a non-sequitur. One will be less effort than the other. Currently using the vendor is less effort as a) I will pass several on my way to the fleet b) I will find one at the Flash Point Entrance C) there is likely to be one within the Flash points D) none of these require a detour or my asking the group to wait E) inferior or not, the items from the vendor are sufficient for the task at hand. F) more expensive or not - they are exceedingly affordable. I've no reason to go browse the GTN. none.

That's true, and I am one of those Altaholics but one gets orange gear pretty early in the game. Once that happens (assuming you like the looks of the orange gear), synthweavers need not apply. All I need are Mods (even in end game / high level, I'll go for the purple mods over the purple gear). I still don't need a Mod crafter, however, since as I level I'll have more mods than I know what to do with thanks to the commendation vendors. Yeah, but the vendor can give me stuff 'good enough' for what I'm about to do and its right next to me - all the time. Even if I'd prefer crafted goods, I'm not likely to go seek them out. I've got a group waiting on me, and the 'good enough' stuff is right here and easily affordable. I'm not motivated to seek out a crafter.

but again, that doesn't really matter. The ones on the vendor are effective enough for whatever flashpoint fights I'm about to go do, and even if I can assume biochems on my server are selling vastly cheaper back at the fleet ... am I really going to run all the way back there rather than just pay for 3-4 stims on this vendor right next to me? No. I mean as a crafter I want that answer to be yes. And even if MY answer was "yes of course I would". Most of the players out there won't bother with that trip.

That isn't necessarily true. The orange gear can be upgraded via mods. As a healer the only stats I care about are from mods. I can use a level 7 orange for as long as I like if I keep the mods up to date. I've no reason to go to a crafter to change out my gear. I will have need to change out the mods, but they are cheap from commendations vendors - so I don't even need a crafter for that.

That's my point. I don't have to load up when I go to town. I have 100% chance of passing at least 1 if not 10 stim vendors on my way to wherever I'm going - and once I get there ... there'll be another stim vendor. If I had a biochem maker buddy I was grouped with 24/7 then I might use his, but for most of the players for whom that's not the case ... there's ZERO reason for them to go back to the GTN to give their business to a crafter. As for synthweaving: I'm sure we can create comparable items. But nobody will need or want them. They'll all have their fully customizable orange pieces already. They just need the mods to upgrade them. (which they can grab from a commendations vendor for just about zero effort)

As I’m closing in on maxing out my crafting skill I’m becoming disillusioned with the entire crafting system/concept within SW:TOR. I LOVE crafting, but I’m just not seeing any point to it in this game. Weapons and Armor: Once someone has an orange piece they like they’ll never need or want to change it out. Certainly not for greens and blues that fill up my schematic tree. A purple may interest them, but they are far more likely to go get a purple mod to maintain the orange piece they love. Mods: Crafted mods would be more likely to sell than crafted weapons and armor, I think, but I don’t think there is a need for crafted Mods either. With so many commendations flying at me and so easily obtained, I’ve never found myself wanting for mods which I couldn't just grab from a commendations vendor. Biochem Stims/etc: Consumables. The last great hope for a crafting item that people will want to buy. Not so much. It seems there are stim vendors every couple of meters in this game. They are at every shuttle point, at every Flash Point entrance, at every respawn point, littered throughout ‘the wild’. I could spit in any direction and have a good chance of hitting one. It doesn’t matter if crafters can make slightly better or slightly cheaper stims/medpacs. The vendors are right next to me - all the time. There’s no way I’m going to run myself all the way back to the GTN for stims/consumables when there is a Stim vendor at every single “Point of Interest” (usually several in fact), and littered around in the ‘wild’ as well. What am I missing? Why would anyone feel compelled to work with / buy from a crafter in any of these fields? I'm not sure why I've bothered to skill up my Synthweaving. It's beginning to feel like it's all been such a waste of time/credits.

That's been my take too. From a story perspective I'd much rather be running with Theran (or anyone else for that matter), but he's useless to me as a I'm healing spec'd sage. Qyzen rocks from a performance stand point ... but he doesn't even speak basic. I just can't connect with him. Even if I could get past the language issue .. his character is so one dimensional. hunt for score. hunt for score. yes yes. hunt for score. ok got it. we're hunting for score. blah blah blah. I'm not a hunter - don't care. From a story / personal character perspective I'd trade up in a heart beat to another companion option but the only other companion I have would leave me unable to solo as effectively ... so there's no real choice provided at all. Frustrating.

For clarity: This is incorrect. It's the act of actually grouping and doing the Flash Point that generates social interaction and community. The furious and futile scrolling of "LFG" in general chat is not a social interaction and does ABSOLUTELY nothing for social connections with other players. It's what comes after the group is found that does. I'm a level 32 healer. A healer. I need groups to fullfil my desired play style. I do almost nothing but look for groups. I rarely can find one. At level 32 am only half way to social II. Very frustrating. Nothing about this frustrating lack of functionality is fostering social interactions or community for me.

Well and more to the point the trade off is actually: a) provide lesser-moderated server forums, which may be a source of community frustration to some forum-going players ... but would provide some utility to most forum-going players. b) force these forums to a fan-site with absolutely no Bioware control, which would have AT LEAST an equal (and likely far greater) chance of being just as under-moderated and frustrating to players ... all the while not providing the same level of utility that a Bioware hosted forum would. It's not even a question of losing players. The players are going to use a server forum one way or another. It's level of moderation is moot. Bioware simply needs to decide if they want to have ANY say in that aspect of their player community.

It's an especially dumb reason if they are using resources anyway to 'track' these discussions which they've forced to websites they can't actually control/moderate. I don't get it.

here's the thing ... I would currently be willing to sell my soul to any crafter on my server who could make me a pair of fully-customizable light-armor pants (with actual legs, not a skirt) that doesn't require you to be near level cap to wear. Without server-specific forums, I have ZERO ways to find such a crafter. Trying to find one who just happens to notice a plea - in the moment - amongst the furious LFG scrolling of General chat is unrealistic ... and only points out other usability/communication problems we're dealing with. It's pretty frustrating. I for one definitely feel the need for server forums.