How is this an improvement?

[AnEvenNewerNoob]

I don't see crafting as a tool to make multiple items for every single level during a character's life.

I see as a way to make 1 or 2 items at certain important break points to fill in gaps.

Random loot and named loot covers nearly everything already... I will spend the time and effort leveling my crafter just so I can make an occasional item with the 1-2 attributes I'm missing in my inventory set-up at level 15, or 20, or 28.

But I don't see any reason to set up this system so people can easily make 50 perfect items for themselves, and another 500 items for their guild mates.

Pretty much this.

I'm planning in making a few pieces so each toon I play (5 of them) has a "Level 20" gear set since I spend so much time ETRing. And possibly some additional pieces for "end game" (Level 28+). Of those gear sets, I already have a lot of pieces for each toon without crafting. (Raid loot, named items, random loot). I doubt I will waste any resources crafting heroic level gear, it's overkill for content that is already too easy.

It's not really a system where you craft a whole new gear set every level. And that's ok! It's not my dream come true for crafting, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we have now.

[Thrudh]

Clearly, you don't work with many new-to-game players. Have you considered that the Starter weapon from the Grotto is potentially the best weapon for up to 5 levels of a character's life? We've run newly generated character experiments, and gone as long as 5 character levels before an all-melee New Random Loot weapon was pulled from a chest!

My guild has seen over 2,000 players pass through over the last 18 months, and I realize that's a high volume, but the players who are truly 'new to game' get taken care of as much as we can, providing a quick/easy prefix-only crafted weapon with a shard to throw on as suffix later (Prefix-only makes it level 1 wield, adding Suffix typically makes it level 2-4 wield), so the players could 'grow' their weapon with their gameplay.

We see it in our Guild Chat all the time, for the new-to-game players who either hit the lottery ("hey look at this" -- a level 1 Vorpal weapon pulled out like a winning lottery ticket) - or the frustration of new-to-gamers who keep asking why all the weapons in the chests only have spell-casting effects! We've been forcibly helping these new players with the existing (soon to be Legacy) Cannith Crafting system.

So, this new system will bring challenges to the game, not just in the social terms you state, but in terms that equate to Player Retention. I say to you and the DDO Dev's -- "Good Luck With That." (we will need luck to avoid an ever creeping and potentially accelerating Maintenance Mode...)

So you basically take all the fun out of being a new player being excited about random loot pulls from chests. Because you give them excellent "twink" gear right from the start. Which is better than anything in a random chest.

[Thrudh]

we will need luck to avoid an ever creeping and potentially accelerating Maintenance Mode

In the past 12 months, we've seen 5 updates, a level cap raise, a new class, a new race, multiple changes and additions to core systems like crafting, class enhancements, feats, quests, raids, and named items.

Seriously, I get some people don't like this game, but the constant mention of "maintenance mode" is just flat out stupid.

[bsquishwizzy]

Less flexible OK. But weaker? Really? Except at very low levels the increase is dramatic. Your old 6 stat compares to 8 with 3 insight at 15. With a couple of notable exceptions like alacrity.

Ummm...one of my other arguments is that the new CC was introducing a huge amount of powercreep. But thanks for not remembering that.

But hey, I'm willing to watch the forums for the "The Game is Too Easy" posts just to laugh and say, "I told you so".

[AnEvenNewerNoob]

So you basically take all the fun out of being a new player being excited about random loot pulls from chests. Because you give them excellent "twink" gear right from the start. Which is better than anything in a random chest.

Almost any game I play I refuse to join a guild or anything for a good while just so I can find my own stuff, explore, and enjoy the game without some schmohawk power leveling me.

There's time for plently of that later.

[bsquishwizzy]

Or you could say the devs are listening to everyone who says the costs are fine! Hurray devs for listening!


(Or maybe we should wait and see how it plays out in reality, and the devs can lower costs later if needed.... Raising costs later if needed would be much much harder)

I WAY agree that the Devs are listening to players. They are, and have for some time now.

And I'm good with them dropping costs later. Just expect to hear a massive amount of "CC FAIL" and indignant "I will never use CC again" threads. Because the people complaining now are pointing out the obvious.

It is VERY clear to me that whomever designed CC doesn't really use it that much. So they don't have a good handle of how many different ways people use it.

[Nuclear_Elvis]

So you basically take all the fun out of being a new player being excited about random loot pulls from chests. Because you give them excellent "twink" gear right from the start. Which is better than anything in a random chest.

I don't think you really know how Korthos comes off to a new-to-game player right now. As stated in my post, you could go up to level 5 before you pull a weapon you intend to use, that has both the prefix and the suffix with melee specific effects. There's not much "wow" out there for new-to-game players except when they pull a Vorpal (that is dropping at too low a level, and outside the normal Slashing damage type, as reminder), and that's about it. Far too many of the weapons have spell-casting effects and new players actually get confused and ask in Guild chat all the time, as to what is going on with loots.

If you want to blame anyone for "taking the fun out" - howabout you direct that at the Designers behind this New Loot System that is full of so much randomness, it doesn't even make sense at times.

I've been thanked every time I make a new player a level 1/2/4 wield weapon for them, haven't ever had any complaints so far that they were refusing the weapon lest I "take the fun out" for them. In fact, just the opposite, many thank me later, ask for an Enhancement Shard to further upgrade their gear, and they tend to stay in the game longer!

You are an "uninformed" critic - so I encourage you to get informed, go hang out in Korthos with new-to-gamers, help your guild to retain as many as you can, and maybe the lights will go on (and stay on, for this game).