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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperDesignCrafting system input and feedback
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Devr0s
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« on: October 16, 2015, 09:39:15 AM »

Question for everyone regarding crafting systems:

We have a few designs for the crafting system in our 2d, top-down, pixel art, multiplayer scifi based game here but we want to make sure its going to be enjoyable.

In a game like ours (http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=43715.0), how much can you suspend disbelief for a more whimsical crafting system? We want to pattern our crafting off of Little Alchemy https://littlealchemy.com/ where you "fuse" two samples together to get an output.

Our system would be based on the idea that using a tool on everything in the game will break it down and give you a sample. You can combine two samples to get different things. This can result in some non-realistic recipes.

For example:
In our game you can dig up and place grass, dirt, you can craft and place floor tiles, walls, machines and lots of other things.

So, to craft a green colored floor tile you would fuse a "grass sample" with a "floor sample" and you get a green floor tile. To get the "floor tile sample" you would either find a floor tile in the world and use a tool on it, or you could "fuse" one by fusing a dirt "sample" and a "stone sample".

We were hoping to avoid the traditional granular crafting systems you see all the time, but we were wondering if this is what people prefer?

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Devr0s
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« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2015, 06:55:13 PM »

To simplify the question:

If you are a PC gamer, do you prefer a large granular deep crafting system (eg minecraft), something simplified,or something in between? What are some of your favorite crafting systems from games?
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Canned Turkey
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« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2015, 07:05:13 PM »

I prefer to not have a crafting system.
Give me the items I'm going to use.
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Dacke
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« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2015, 08:51:54 PM »

I also generally enjoy fixed items. But with different enough properties so that it becomes a meaningful choice which ones to use. DCSS comes to mind.

But if the crafting system actually feels creating something from my imagination rather than just fulfill predefined recipes then maybe I would love it. I don't know.

edit: But you can't really poll for this kind of thing. I'm sure there are tons of people who enjoy crafting and if you do, then make the game you'd want to play.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2015, 09:01:10 PM by Dacke » Logged

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Kyuugatsu
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« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2015, 09:37:21 PM »

I prefer to not have a crafting system.
Give me the items I'm going to use.

I agree with this. Putting crafting in all the games is becoming a trend, and not always for the better.

Think hard about what you want, then prototype it and have it playtested.

That being said - I have a question for you. Why would someone in your game want to make a new tile?
« Last Edit: October 16, 2015, 09:53:49 PM by Kyuugatsu » Logged

Devr0s
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« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2015, 04:27:51 AM »

I prefer to not have a crafting system.
Give me the items I'm going to use.

I agree with this. Putting crafting in all the games is becoming a trend, and not always for the better.

Think hard about what you want, then prototype it and have it playtested.

That being said - I have a question for you. Why would someone in your game want to make a new tile?

Thanks for the answers! In our multi-player, persistent game in addition to combat there is a building and customization component. Everyone is on a gigantic space ship/station, you can claim rooms in that ship where you can build a base and make things to place in it for defense or for kicks.

As an example, you can create walls of different materials and looks, you can create pressure plates that activate things or traps, treadmill floors, various floor tiling (metal grates, wood flooring etc), turrets and other stuff to customize your base/room.

So, we were going to use crafting to facilitate the building component and incentivize exploration.

That's the idea anyway. We have a working prototype but arent ready to bring players in yet until we have the full game loop in. Crafting and exploration/loot is a big part of mmo's and something that we like in games so we would like to include it. I suppose we could use a tech tree and resource system instead, although I think crafting is still fun as long as the game is not the same as every other one.
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Dacke
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« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2015, 04:57:26 AM »

I think my main problem with crafting is that it usually requires tons of inventory management and menu navigation. Instead of exploring/building/fighting I have to spend all my time doing menial tasks.

At the same time, I like to collect resources that allow me to do cool things (like in minecraft). But I don't necessarily enjoy jumping through gui-hoops to get the item I need and worrying about inventory management (like in minecraft)

I think I would enjoy something more like an RTS resource system:
A tech tree to decide what you can build. All items are "crafted" from a number of semi-abstract resources (like metal, crystal & rare fairy-dust). So I don't have to worry about keeping a billion different craftable items, I just have a few numbers for valuable resources. Things you build would be "crafted" on-demand, so you don't have to pre-craft items and carry them in your inventory. If I try to place a wall I will be able to, as long as I have collected sufficient resources for it.

But unlike an RTS you could make certain resources very scarce so that you still have to hunt and collect in order to build cool stuff.

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« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2015, 05:59:25 AM »

What's the main pull? The base-building, crafting, or both together? If its the last one, I would think you want to make sure the two complement each other adequately. The crafting sounds a little complicated at a quick read, and I'm suspicious that it'll get in the way of doing the other interesting stuff (i.e. base-building.) This is, of course, just me making guesses.

So I'd ask WHY you need crafting in the first place. For instance, it serves a very good purpose in survival mechanics, like being able to circumvent restricted inventory space by making new items on the fly.
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Kyuugatsu
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« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2015, 10:05:11 AM »

There are also other great ways to incentivize exploration, such as the Starbound tech system.

As for making a base I'd really rather just buy what I need with in-game currency, but to each their own. Smiley
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Devr0s
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« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2016, 05:06:56 PM »

Forgot to say thanks for the responses, great info!  Beer! If I left anyone hanging with a question, you said everything I needed in your initial response, thanks again!
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