Patch change not working so well for me (vent post warning)

[Ysharros]

I don't like this kind of dramatic post, but I'm a HUGE crafting fan, I call myself primarily a crafter, and in the last few days I'm losing all impetus to even get near a table in VG. Which for me translates to not really wanting to play at all, which makes me a sad panda. I had high hopes for this patch and they're currently dashed.

Here's what I've observed this morning, on my level 11 Blacksmith:

-- complications have in no wise reduced in frequency. I made several batches of ingots and sheets this morning and got no LESS than 6 complications each time. That I ended up with As is almost irrelevant - if I'm going to end up with As anyway, can't we have just a little less of the irritation and just a little more of the fun back? The ironic thing is, I get *FAR* less complications at difficult & moderate than at easy; if this is intentional I truly don't see the logic behind it.

-- either I'm doing something wrong, or suddenly I don't know how to craft anymore. I absolutely could not reach A-grade on a low-easy work order this morning, probably because I was getting a complication every time I blinked. I can barely make C-grade moderates, B if it's low-mod and I don't get too many comps. Difficults seem to be D-grade or nothing at all, which now translates to no experience. I wasn't sure about getting experience for D-grades before, but if it's the best we can aim at then 0 x 5 xp is *not* my idea of fun.

Here's what I'd like to see, in the spirit of being constructive now that I've vented:

-- Easy WOs should be reachable as As. There should NOT be 5-10 complications each item - that's really annoying after a while. The xp should be low/very low on them and the rewards should be decent - just like it was last week.

-- Moderate WOs should be reachable as Bs depending on their relative level - on easy-mod I'd like to get lucky and reach A now and then, on high-mod I'd expect mostly Cs and Bs. XP should be decent, which it isn't right now - I'd like to at least get 1% from making a moderate WO item, given that then I'd have to make somewhere between 75-100 of them to level (counting turnin xp). I don't think this is unreasonable. Rewards - I don't know, I turned in a mixed Cs and Bs WO just now and got about 1.2s all told for my troubles. Okay, I guess. Since it was a batch I was kinda hoping for something more. *shrug*

-- Difficult WOs... we should have at least a minor chance of getting to Cs on these, else what's the point of doing them, exactly?

Okay, I'm too bitter to be constructive at the moment it seems. I'll vent this, go cool off somewhere, and come back when I'm not so peeved.

[Drek]

Ahh...I thought it was just the levelling that was making crafting hard.
Thought all the complications and such were level related so I've just been accepting it.
If it's a screwy patch (ooo shocker) then hopefully well see some sensible changes.

Maybe they had to compensate for fixing Mangled Tool.

At 18 I'm still having trouble making grade A tin ingots, which doesn't really make sense to me.

Should be a very basic item for each tier and not something you master when you're starting the next tier.

[kreen]

Originally Posted by Drek

Ahh...I thought it was just the levelling that was making crafting hard.
Thought all the complications and such were level related so I've just been accepting it.
If it's a screwy patch (ooo shocker) then hopefully well see some sensible changes.

Maybe they had to compensate for fixing Mangled Tool.

At 18 I'm still having trouble making grade A tin ingots, which doesn't really make sense to me.

Should be a very basic item for each tier and not something you master when you're starting the next tier.

The only thing they fixed about mangled tool is that you can now clear it if you want to. I still get it every single craft and WO I do no matter what I attempt to make, level 3 copper ingot as a level 11, still get 5-6 comps per craft, just take the fun out of crafting.

[BloodyTeeth]

I don't know maybe 5-6 on easy if its easy for you then you shouldn't have any complications maybe 1, but the more difficult it is the more problems you should have. To be better at it just get better tools/clothes, if you are still using garbage tools/clothes at your level then you should get more complications i think. I definitely don't want crafting to become easy.

[Shinto]

Originally Posted by Ysharros

-- Easy WOs should be reachable as As. There should NOT be 5-10 complications each item - that's really annoying after a while. The xp should be low/very low on them and the rewards should be decent - just like it was last week.

-- Moderate WOs should be reachable as Bs depending on their relative level - on easy-mod I'd like to get lucky and reach A now and then, on high-mod I'd expect mostly Cs and Bs. XP should be decent, which it isn't right now - I'd like to at least get 1% from making a moderate WO item, given that then I'd have to make somewhere between 75-100 of them to level (counting turnin xp). I don't think this is unreasonable. Rewards - I don't know, I turned in a mixed Cs and Bs WO just now and got about 1.2s all told for my troubles. Okay, I guess. Since it was a batch I was kinda hoping for something more. *shrug*

-- Difficult WOs... we should have at least a minor chance of getting to Cs on these, else what's the point of doing them, exactly?

As I understand it, Silius was aiming for Easies to average B, Mods to average C, and Difs to average D. If that was the goal, I'm right on target.

As far as the batch loot, I would like to see less trivial loot, but I get enough real stuff that it doesn't bother me all that much. I've even found a few Apprentice-level dusts.

[Ysharros]

I'm not going to comment on, or do any, crafting for a while. I just busted a gut to get a moderate batch to C, and a rash of comps on the last item dropped me back down to a D. Which means no xp for that item, and poo rewards for the turnin.

I love crafting, and I love VG. Right now I want nothing to do with either. What used to be blackjack has become a crapshoot like every other game.

/peeved in Texas

Time to take a real life sanity break.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by BloodyTeeth

I don't know maybe 5-6 on easy if its easy for you then you shouldn't have any complications maybe 1, but the more difficult it is the more problems you should have. To be better at it just get better tools/clothes, if you are still using garbage tools/clothes at your level then you should get more complications i think. I definitely don't want crafting to become easy.

I've been told that the crafting stats and stats on crafting clothes aren't really making a difference atm.

Have you noticed a difference between crafting with and W/O crafting clothes?

Or has anyone done some experimenting they'd like to share?


I have upgraded my gear recently and have noticed no change really. Same amount of complications.

[Jelonna]

I think what this patch did was make frequency of comps less dependent on station skill I think it was? I didn't do much crafting today but I didn't feel I was getting any less comps.

To me the crafting is a bit tedious. I love that it's a process in which you have the opportunity to customize and produce better quality stuff but...

Work orders are a good idea, but I don't like that I don't really have anything to show for it. Yes some coins and maybe an item but I haven't MADE anything that's going to be used by someone.

I guess it's tough to balance. I understand not getting skill for actual items beyond the first time so we don't have a market flooded with lowbie items nobody wants but... oh who knows. The game is still brand new so I guess we just have to give them time to tweak things around.

[breesha]

I am an outfitter and tried easy wo's. I had a very difficult time even getting them to level C. It certainly didnt used to be this way but am getting so many comp's its just not fun any more.

[SwordMage]

Originally Posted by Jelonna

I think what this patch did was make frequency of comps less dependent on station skill I think it was? I didn't do much crafting today but I didn't feel I was getting any less comps.

When I read that I assumed it meant that high stations skill didn't LOWER the frequency of complications as much as it used to, so getting more now makes sense to me (given the patch note).

Now if the base complication rate could be dropped slightly to reflect this change things would probably fall back in line.