Crafting

[Attackroot]

 

 

The Guiding Principles

• We must support both “popcorn” crafting (simple crafting/repairing available to all players) as well as a full-time “pure” crafter class
• We MUST create a vibrant economy that ensures a key role for the crafter class in the game’s economy
• Economic support systems must be robust enough to replace an Auction House
• Crafting is magic! Embrace magic at the core of all crafting
• Use a consistent interface for all crafting, but customize it for each Realm
  • Use of this interface cuts development time and resources overall, but allows us to “go to town” on the main interface
• System must be designed with a long-term view
  • Crafters must be able to make a profit throughout their lifetime
  • Need to prevent or at least slow down “MudFlation” through use of time and money sinks

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What does “Crafting is Magic” really mean?

• All pure crafters use magic
• Crafters can be treated as combatants for progression purposes
  • With downtime, recovery time, etc. they will not be able to craft 24 hours straight. This will slow progression, and prevent flood of items from well-funded crafters
• Players will use a “Vox magus” in a similar manner that mages use their spellbooks
  • Crafting becomes more challenging, interesting, and visually enjoyable as crafting can become a “performance piece” that people can watch and enjoy

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Popcorn Crafting

• Basic crafting system available to all players
• Based on simpler actions that require little magic and a small time commitment
  • Can engage in low-level mining, harvesting, gathering, etc.
  • Can repair their low-power weapons and most armor
  • Can create basic arrows, repair kits, and other such items
  • Can create potions (Stretch Goal)
• Allows a greater sense of self-sufficiency for the non-crafter, so that they don’t have to run back to town every 30 minutes to find a crafter
• Frees up pure crafters to focus on their own special skills

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Popcorn Crafting – Repairing

• Minor damage to armor and weapons can be repaired, but heavy damage requires the help of a pure crafter
• Combatants can carry around whetstones, repair kits that allow them to do some basic work themselves
  • Sitting down after a battle or two with your mates to sharpen your own weapon or repair armor adds to immersion
• Archers can fletch their own simple arrows if they have the components

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Popcorn Crafting – Gathering/Harvesting

• Wandering around and picking up stuff scattered throughout the world is the perfect example of Popcorn Crafting
• Players can gather or harvest from any field or plot that is either:
  • Unowned
  • Owned by yourself
  • Owned by an enemy Realm
  • Owned by another person or entity which has granted you permission
• Combatants can have their own fields, but they are limited in size

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Popcorn Crafting — Mining

• Unlike fields, many mines are owned by the Realm, which then allows all members of the Realm to mine there
  • Realm-owned mines also come with a limit on what can be taken out per day
• Access to mines works in a similar manner to fields
• Combatants mine slower than crafters, due to crafters’ skills and access to higher-level equipment
• Combatants can mine most minerals, but lack higher-level equipment for some minerals

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Crafting for Crafters—Design Goals

• Treat the “pure” crafter as a mage: A crafter has stats, crafting points, and downtime
  • Crafters are split into three sub-classes, though each can access all three
  • Takers (they take from the land), Shapers (they shape the raw materials) and Makers (they make the finished item)
• Ensure that the system does not require macro-ing to succeed!
  • Crafters should not have to create 10,000 arrows to see their skill tick up one tiny bit
  • Use downtime + crafting time to remove the need to make 10K arrows
    • Reward the player for crafting without the penalty of inducing carpal tunnel!
• Crafters should have stat progression similar to combatants
  • Open issue: Should there be special “crafting stats” or should we just reuse current stats?
• Crafting an item is not automatic; each item takes time and drains resources
  • This helps to prevent rapid-fire crafting of items by guilds
  • Helps slow down the supply of any crafted item

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Crafting for Crafters – Continued

• The Vox Magus (crafting station) is a magic focus object with lots of customization and power options that the crafters use to make their items
• Allow the Crafter to control almost every aspect of the final item
• Integrate the blueprint system from building with crafting
  • If crafters can be treated more like the architect than the laborer, crafting will be less drudgery and more fun
• Allow the Realm to buy items from players
  • Sets a floor for the item, and guarantees that low-level crafters can still make money
  • Encourages Realm pride, as crafters’ contributions are apparent and rewarded

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The Vox Magus

• Based on our world’s pipe organ
  • Pipe organ is a widely known and instantly recognizable item
  • Replace keys, stops, etc. with gems, runes, and other fun stuff
• Players sit at the VM and use both sound and magic to interact with the materials that are placed within the VM
  • You don’t have to read music or understand music theory to play as a crafter. Sounds come from the Vox based on your actions as the crafter
• Each Realm has its own version of the VM, but they work in an identical manner
  • This reduces the amount of time and resources we have to spend on the interface and effects, leaving more time to work on the system’s items
• VMs scale in power and appearance. It is a fully customizable device, which will grow with the player over time

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Vox Magus – Part II

• Crafting now becomes a very visual and visceral process, which can be shared with others
• Easy to learn, difficult to master, as the combinations are nearly limitless
• Ways to shape and make an item will vary both inter-realm but possibly intra-realm as well
• Guilds can have their own Vox that can be customized for multi-crafter use
  • Money sinks (cost, upkeep) will prevent guilds from dominating the crafting system. Small VM’s are more cost-effective to use for small items, and require a cooldown time
• Lots of potential for Easter Egg moments when certain music is played

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Souls and Crafters

• Crafters can use bits of their own (or captured) souls in crafting an item
  • Like combatants’ soul shards that are captured in battle, soul shards are limited in duration and number
  • Crafters can only use a certain number of shards at any one time
    • This limits the amount of powerful items one crafter can create
• Souls can grant additional power to items, and can also make those items more resistant to wear, breaking, etc.
  • Captured souls can act as a beacon to the soul’s owner in RvR
  • Souls can be used to power spells that are engraved in very select items
    • The cliché “Fireball Wand” would be considered a very powerful item, rare and expensive

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Summary

• The crafting system of Camelot Unchained will cater to both hard-core and casual crafters
• The Vox Magus takes the familiar MMORPG concept of a forge to an entirely different level
• The use of souls in crafted items, while not a unique twist, is being done in an original manner that will allow master craftsmen to make very rare and powerful items
  • This will allow crafters to charge premium prices for these items, and rarely will two of these items be the same