Random Loot Crafting / Cannith Replacement

[Xionanx]

I'll keep this as short as I can:

Every random item has the potential to have three things (4 is you count empty sockets):

Bonus = Bonus Augment slot (Bonus Augment Comes in +1 to +X Varieties)
Prefix = Prefix Augment slot (every random item prefix becomes a prefix slot)
Suffix = Suffix Augment slot (every suffix becomes a suffix slot)

These slots would be collectively known as "Random Effect Slots" and function in a similar fashion to the Color/Colorless slots with the following exception:

1. Removing these Augments from an items costs PP equal to Enchant Level of Affect x 10,000 (IE. Removing +5 would cost 50,000 PP, Removing Feather Fall would cost 10,000 PP)
2. Augments, once removed, become BTA on Aquire. (you must sell the ITEMS, NOT the Augments)
3. Items that you have removed and slotted Augments into become BTA.

Example: A +3 Holy Longbow of Pure Good has 3 slots; the +3 Bonus Slot, the Hold Prefix Slot, and the Pure Good Suffix slot. Its also has the potential to also roll an empty COLOR/COLORLESS slot just like all current random loot.

To remove the +3 and slot in a +5; remove the +3 and the item becomes BTA (bound to account), it cost you 30,000 PP to remove the +3. Slotting in the +5 is free, however you did need to remove a +5 from another item, costing you 50,000 PP. You now have a +5 Holy Longbow of Pure Good, for a total cost of 80,000 PP in removing and slotting Augments.

What this solves:

1. Random Loot now becomes more valuable, as "rare" prefix's and suffix's will be sought after. (potential economy boost)
2. Future Proof "Crafting" System. As "new" random effects are added to the effects table, no need to go back and redo Cannith crafting again and again.

Potential Problems:

1. NEW Players may be barred from using this system due to the cost in PP is beyond what is readily available to new players. One would hope that this issue can be offset by new players taking advantage of a potential new market for items, as even low level items have a chance to have effects people want to remove and move to a new item.

2. Too easy to craft exactly the item you want. While this is true, the "Ease" of crafting items will be directly reflected in the drop rate of effects and their availability on the market. Right now, the AH is not exactly overflowing with "Good" random loot, as most of it is just vendor trashed by IMO the majority of players.

3. Invalidates "Cannith Crafting" : So what to do with the existing Cannith system? The players who poured time/money/effort into gaining "crafting" levels? Well.. honestly, I don't have a good solution for that. I suppose you could tie the ability to remove "Random Effect" augments to the XP levels. But IMO I think it would be better to give players who invested in Cannith "Something" as an "apology" and just be do away with Cannith Crafting and everything associated with it. (or, leave it in place but any "new" item made using it will be converted to the "new" system, giving players a way to convert their stockpiles of shards into the new system).

IDEA EXPANSION:

A) Potential to allow "upgrading" named items.. as a +1 "Named" item could be allowed to become a +5 "Named" item.
B) Potential to treat an "Empty Color" socket as an "Upgrade" to be moved from item to item as well. (maybe adding empty color slots is what you can do with Cannith Levels)

[Xionanx]

Addendum to the Cannith Crafting XP Problem:

Having discussed it with some people in game who I respect their input, I have come up with what I believe is an equitable solution.

If you look at your "Crafting" tab on your character sheet, you will see a number for "Total Crafting Experience". The idea, to not invalidate effort spent on crafting to date, is to create "Levels" of crafting associated with your Total Crafting Experience.

So.. Divine, Elemental, and Arcane would go away to be replaced by a Single "Crafting Level" determined by total crafting experience.

This "Crafting Level" would determine the max ML of item a character can craft under the proposed "Augment" system OR the level of Augments the character can add or remove. The character would continue to gain "Crafting XP" by "Studying Items"; To "Study" an item, take it to an "Enchantment Altar", then spend CHARACTER XP to "Study", converting it into "Crafting XP", which grants crafting levels. (which are permanent). This process destroys the item being studied as its magical energies are torn asunder in the process.

The idea behind spending CHARACTER XP on this is that in doing so, we would HOPE players be allowed to spend enough XP at once to level at a fairly FUN pace. (vs the tedious grind that is Cannith Crafting leveling now).

Essences (lesser and greater) could be turned in for crafting XP as well, for those players who have stockpiled them.

This solves:
1. Players who have already leveled crafting are rewarded for past efforts
2. New players have a readily available and easy way to "catch up" in their crafting levels
3. Places some limitation system in place to "tier" the crafting system

[General_Gronker]

No. This is as bad an idea as Cannith Crafting was in the first place. You solve nothing and only introduce new problems.

[Wh070aa]

So what you want is more easily available cannith crafting shards, of stuff.

I can get behind that, if its in less convoluted manner.

[Xionanx]

So what you want is more easily available cannith crafting shards, of stuff.

I can get behind that, if its in less convoluted manner.

Well, how much less convoluted can you get? Currently Cannith Crafting requires:

Purchasing of "Reagents" to breakdown items
Collections of Essences (2 different types)
Keying a piece of gear
Creating Crafting level shards then applying them to an item
Creating "effect" shards and then applying them to an item

All of which require hours of mindless grinding to gain "crafting" levels.

What I propose uses the already existing "Augment" system, which is easier to understand and a whole lot less convuleted. I attempt to bypass the need for "Jewelers Toolkits" by charging Platinum directly for removing an Augment, which yeah.. that portion might seem a little hard to grasp.

Now.. of course I would PREFER to just be able to socket augments in and out willy nilly with no cost or associated experience level required... but I know thats not going to happen, so there has to be some "cost" associated with this.

My "Goal" is to sew the seed.. the idea.. that the game needs a COMPLETE and FUTURE PROOF crafting system, that doesn't require the developers to revisit it every few years to "update it" to the current state of random loot in the game.

If all random loot simply came with 3 "Augment Slots", (Bonus, Prefix, Suffix) and you can swap those around however you see fit, then there you have a complete crafting system that is future proof. Any "new" or "Changed" random loot would already be a part of the system.. no need to backtrack and update crafting.

IMO, there are a lot of system in DDO that no longer serve a useful function, and sadly Cannith Crafting is one of them. But its not the ONLY one, the Auction house is also abysmal at this point, and finding the item you want or need is not exactly easy. DDO needs THIS crafting system to allow players to make, what used to be easily obtainable with a quick jaunt around town hitting the item brokers and the Auction house.

I understand that some players may think that this makes it "too easy" to get twink gear.. but guess what, thats exactly what NEW PLAYERS need. Because finding it isnt nearly as easy as it was for us years ago, when the servers were populated and players were using the item brokers. Veteran players on the other hand, wont really be affected by this much at all, as we all mostly have banks bursting at the seems with named loot and twink gear.. I know "I" do.

This is just one way of solving several problems that currently exist in the game:
1. Poor crafting system
2. Poor access to items due to failing economy
3. Poor access to items due to lower players numbers

[EllisDee37]

Every random item has the potential to have three things (4 is you count empty sockets):

Bonus = Bonus Augment slot (Bonus Augment Comes in +1 to +X Varieties)
Prefix = Prefix Augment slot (every random item prefix becomes a prefix slot)
Suffix = Suffix Augment slot (every suffix becomes a suffix slot)

Random items have the potential for a fourth thing:

Augment = Colorless, Yellow, Green, or Colorless+Yellow augment slots (accessories)
Augment = Blue augment slot (armor and shield)
Augment = Red augment slot (weapons)

The character would continue to gain "Crafting XP" by "Studying Items"; To "Study" an item, take it to an "Enchantment Altar", then spend CHARACTER XP to "Study", converting it into "Crafting XP", which grants crafting levels. (which are permanent). This process destroys the item being studied as its magical energies are torn asunder in the process.

The idea behind spending CHARACTER XP on this is that in doing so, we would HOPE players be allowed to spend enough XP at once to level at a fairly FUN pace. (vs the tedious grind that is Cannith Crafting leveling now).

Clever. I particularly like that this lets you gain crafting xp by questing.

As a secondary (awesome) side effect, it would let characters unbank xp to allow them to lesser reincarnate. For example, my heroic challenge farmer stays level 16 forever, but he's run so many challenges that he could take 18 right now if I wanted. (He got to the limit of 1 xp shy of 18 then earned some MM xp, which isn't capped.) So right now on live there's no way for me to LR him without taking 18.