Design Suggestion: How to fix Crafting in SWTOR

[Sabarok]

Currently It feels like there is no real reason for using Crew Skills in SWTOR other than Biochem (I am speaking from an end game perspective), as even after the nerfs it is the only Crew Skill that offers any sort of end game benefit. All other crew skills become irrelevant due to:

 

A) Money saved while leveling from infinite use BioChem med packs.

B) Infinite use adrenals/stims are still the best end-game stat boost over all other crew skills.

C) Dropped gear tends to be significantly better than crafted gear at end game.

D) All decent gear from Crew Skills is BOP, negating the social aspect of taking up crew skills.

 

A) In leveling purely solo from 1 to 50 I have never spent any credits on med packs. Trying to create purples, that's expense. For leveling, Biochem is as much a money sink as any other skill save Slicing. That's pretty much the only part of your whole post I disagree with.

 

B & D) Yes. I agree that BoP should be removed. If the Biochem stuff was available to all crafting classes, it wouldn't be considered "unbalanced" and players wouldn't feel that there is a "correct" crafting class. It also means that these BoP recipes are really only good once. You go to all the work of unlocking the recipe, and you only get to use it once.

 

How to address the curret limitations of Crew Skills across the board:

 

1) Remove all pre-installed mod/enhancements/armor etc.. from end-game dropped items. The benefits of raid/PvP gear would then become unique look of the gear and bonus stats associated to the gear (i.e. deep purple with base +30 endurance, +20 power etc... and 3 empty slots).

 

By doing this you have now made Cybertech and Artifice relevant. As even people who obtain end game raid gear will now seek out these two professions in order to get the best modifications/enhancements etc.. made to slot out their equipment.

 

I like it, and in addition, there can be rare mod/enhancement etc drops. Some of the already existing rare drops are ingredients for crafting recipes for the best stuff, but that's little more than a gimmick to try and throw crafting skills a bone.

 

Crafted equipment should primarily fill a niche between being fresh to 50 and getting the Raid Armour. Ideally, it's what a player should be using in order to get the best raid armour.

 

I do agree that each crafting class should also have a role beyond simply crafting soon-to-be-obsolete armour. Give the other crafting classes their own consumables. Here are some ideas for consumables that give temporary buffs, much like biochem adrenals. These should all be on a shared cooldown with adrenals, and not be BoP.

 

Armstech: hyper-infused gas chamber which increases damage output

Artifice: Force enhanced power cell that increases force power

Armortech: Quick-dry metaplast coating that increases armour

Synthweaving: Cystalized difusion spray that reduces incoming damage

 

2) Remove Armor slot creation from Cybertech, and split it amongst Synthweaving and Armortech(Force/Non-Force). Cybertech already has the ability to make Mod slots, and moving Armor slots to Synth/Armor would keep in sync of the fact that Hilts are associated to Artificing and Barrels are associated to Armstech.

 

I love this idea, and I've also thought about it myself. Biotech has the best crafting skills for useful items, but when it comes to the ability to craft things, Cybertech is overpowered.

 

3) Allow Armortechs/Armstechs/Synthweavers to be able to add Augment slots to gear.

 

Do you mean manually? AFAIK, they already have the ability to add augment slots through crits.

 

One of the things I'd like to see is a progressive RE. Keep the luck aspect mostly intact, but Bioware should determine a mean average number of REs needed, and create a progressive scale that has a similar average, but with fixed boundaries. An example would be if RE'ing an item produced between 5% and 100% of progress towards a success. Each failure slowly builds towards a success. In the case of 5% to 100%, the upper limit is 20 failures in a row but the average would be around 2-3 REs on average to learn the next tier. I use this only as a demonstration of the concept.

[naidfetg]

One of the things I'd like to see is a progressive RE. Keep the luck aspect mostly intact, but Bioware should determine a mean average number of REs needed, and create a progressive scale that has a similar average, but with fixed boundaries. An example would be if RE'ing an item produced between 5% and 100% of progress towards a success. Each failure slowly builds towards a success. In the case of 5% to 100%, the upper limit is 20 failures in a row but the average would be around 2-3 REs on average to learn the next tier. I use this only as a demonstration of the concept.

 

 

* I agree with the OP. The only thing that all crafts (excluding biochem and cybertech) are mostly useful for is soon-to-be-obsolete gear for leveling toons. This has almost no profit as even gear obtained through the flashpoints are better than what can be crafted and it's too bloody expensive to RE T2 gear. Which brings me to my second point.

 

* The above quote is spot on. I have maxed sythweaving. It should not take me 50 RE's to get a level 100 item to T2. I could understand this if I was working on obtaining a level 400 T2 schematic. There should be increased liklihood of discovery with each failed RE. With my skill at 400, every RE should produce a new schematic up to, say level 180. This is a reasonable reward for maxing the skill. If a higher skill has no effect on lower skilled schematics, other than crits, then it has been leveled for no reward.

 

* The other thing that kills me is the fact that I can RE and discover the same schematic twice. This is beyond foolish. Once a schematic is discovered, it should be removed from the pool of possibilities. Remaining schematics should then take slightly longer, depending upon the skill require to craft the item and the skill of the crafter. There should always be forward progression, instead of the stagnant randomness of the current system.

[RJMazz]

Making special ammo mags to be used as a consumable for armstechs,

 

Special temporary armor plating for armormechs,

 

Temporary force focus boosts for artificers,

 

Temporary... Something? For synthweavers.

 

Just get creative. My suggestions. Make consumables that increase armor and damage as well.

[Dyvid]

I do think it sucks that planet commendation are normally better than what players craft.

[Dan_McMan]

I love the idea of each armor/weapon crafting profession making the related armor mods or weapon mods. Synthweavers make might/guardian armoring, that sort of thing.

 

That said, Cybertech should probably keep all the mods, and get something else to keep that skill viable.

 

Perhaps some flavor items like an emergency dephibrilator to revive people when a Rez has been used too recently. Just a thought.

[TheOnlyKyrenS]

i read up till infinite biochem med packs and got bored. i personally think crafting is alright right now.

[Squeets]

Not a single comment? Does everyone really think crew skills are okay in their current state?

 

I think they should simply add in Armstech schematics first since none currently exist.

 

And then after that go the route of WoW crafting.

 

That is: Every profession that makes something, can make something useful for entry into that tier.

 

ie:

 

Armstechs, for example, can make Columi equivalent weapons for entry into the raiding scene, but can't make Rakata gear or actual Columi gear (apart from with drops like now)... With all professions. This makes it so that you get geared, but you aren't getting the set bonuses without raiding and the likes...

 

And every skill gets a bonus that only those with the skill benefit from, such as what WoW did (and what Biochem and somewhat Cybertech do)... Biochem gets the reusable stims and medpacks, etc... Cybertech gets the grenades (though having such long cool downs doesn't really do them justice...)

 

What WoW did was make every profession get a unique bonus (ie: alchemy had flasks that lasted twice as long, jewelcrafters got unique gems, etc)... They need that here... For example, Armstech can make unique stat boosting scopes or barrels, armormech can make unique stat boosting armor attachments, etc...

 

That is what I think should be done.

 

Makes it so you personally benefit from having said crew skill, and every skill is valued since all craft-able items are sought after for end game.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Squeets

[Yukondoit]

Maybe its just me but yeah, its tough to get in a constructive mood when bioware doesnt even seem to acknowledge a lot of the major complaints in the first place.

 

*Glances at giant banners denoting Dev responses on Ilum PvP Issues and Ability Delay*

 

*Glances at Patch Notes on the PTS*

 

Yea dude, they're like...totally not acknowledging anything or anyone.

[hammarus]

"Biowhere?" is fully aware of the state of crafting.

 

Its intentional.

 

To view BW's stance in any other way, implies ignorance on your own part. You don't create a game, a major MMO, and not itemize. It was done, they knew the value of crafting and they don't care! They don't care about crafting, they don't care about you. The only thing of interest to them is money.

 

If advertising that the game has crafting, (and it does), pulls players in then its all good for BW. They never said anything about it being good. Or did they?!?

 

I love the PVE in this game, but the other two stool legs are not broken, they are just missing, and its intentional. PvP and Crafting. They were never meant for anything other than "draws" to get people to buy the game, as if the Star Wars IP wasn't a big enough draw.

 

Oh and suggestion box?! Really BW! You obviously have seen the cartoon image of the bottomless suggestion box with the trash bin underneath. GG BW.

 

PS. ...and, so this post appears to have some token crafting suggestion, so as to not be deleted for being off topic. Here are some suggestions: make crafting viable!. Remove all pvp, raid, commendation, vendor gear and make it all craftable. Have the mats drop in the applicable zones, instances, raids, pvp areas. Have not only item decay, but item destruction, even pvp, raid gear. Have mat drops in pvp.

Edited January 24, 2012 by hammarus

[RenegadeArcher]

Great idea. I have several level 50s and have found out the hard way that crafting seems useless once you hit 50, unless you were lucky enough to come across some end game recipe you can use to make money off of by crafting/selling the item.

[chrisjamesfox]

The top tier would not be craftable - Top tier drops from PvE & PvP would have stat bonuses already on the gear. So you'd get a Deep Purple Rakata Crown of Ownage that had +30 Endurance & +20 Power w/ Open Slots for Mod, Enhancement, Armor.

 

Thus - you could then go to a Cybertech, an Artifice, an Armormech/Synthweaver and get them to make you purple mods to put into your gear. Turning the item into one of the best piece in the game, all the while also incorporating crafting and making it a social and functional part of the game.

 

Hope this helps explain the basic idea a bit better.

 

And/or have resource nodes inside raid instances, which would require a guild crafter or going through the GTN

[Darth_Nox]

For crafting to be viable, really there are only a few simple guidelines

 

1: crafted items should be desirable

2: the added value should be the player behind the character, not a random roll or twinking

3: a character should reasonably be able to produce abundant gear of their own level, to both equip themselves and to sell to players of a similar economic scope

4: no craft skill should produce lateral advancement (e.g. bio), or it becomes yet another character development facet.

 

most of these guidelines are very easy to meet, and only partially met in swtor right now.

 

What I am saying in general is stuff like -

 

give end/aim and cunning/aim armoring to armortechs, give wil/end and str/end to syntweaves - let cybs keep making all of them

 

give both syntweaves and armortechs the ability to create orange items from regular items, and to create recoloring kits, appearance changers or costume slot items

 

widen the diversity of crafted item stats - such as adding end-heavy mods to cybertech.

 

these aren't intended as specific examples, just as low hanging fruit in an infinity of possibilities.