What will your worth be as a crafter in Star Wars The Old Republic MMO?
The question I want to pose to you today is;
What will your worth be as a crafter in Star Wars The Old Republic MMO?
I think on this subject a lot because to me it is very important. I derive great pleasure from being able to learn all the details about a crafting system in a massively multiplayer online game that I call home away from home.
I then achieve even more pleasure when I am able to take that knowledge and produce the finest items available to me as a master of that craft, in the most efficient manner. Provided that the game system I am in will allow the crafters to produce top-tier items. When I do however find a game that allows this, it is a joy to be a crafter because I know the fame that awaits the diligent, the methodical.
I have been called a “min-maxer” before and that’s ok. To achieve greatness and fame in a crafting arena one must be efficient, and creative. One must use a crafting and in-game economy to maximum effectiveness to be considered a true master.
I love being able to take my skill in that system and outfitting my guildmates in the finest gear. To know that as we as a group ride to battle in a raid or war zone they will be dealing death and be defended from it because of the items I have created for them. That gives me a great sense of accomplishment and pride. To know that it isn’t always just about the “drops” and that I as a crafter have a significant impact towards the quality of gear my guildmates carry to battle.
To know that I as an individual can have an impact on a in-game economy through an auction house style system. To know that through using an auction house mechanic or by in-game transfer of items to other players for in-game currency, that I can fully fund all my wildest dreams through my crafting ability. To be able to use these mechanics to allow me to be self-sufficient even if I do not have the backing of a guild.
To be sought out on a server by individual players because of the famed and legendary items I can create. To have the ability to significantly enhance the gameplay of another person through equipping them with superior gear for their level range. To allow them to enjoy their experience in the game all the more, to allow them to take on tougher foes and brave wild new areas to explore.
I think those are some of the most prevalent methods or situations by which I gauge my success or my “worth” as a crafter in a MMO.
How do I feel it will pertain to the role we will play in SWTOR you ask?
All throughout the developer interviews, I find common sounding themes that hopefully show me that (I personally feel) they are on the right track to making my methods of gauging my success as a crafter a reality. Starting back in first half of October when information on the “crew skills” system was first released by an interview Darthater had with Damion Schubert at GDC we heard this statement when asked to elaborate on his and his teams duties in regards to crafting:
“The itemization speaks to the balance, and we want to be sure that crafting is important in the game. It is really important to us that crafters are a viable and important part of the economy so we need to make sure they fit into the balance there.”
Then as the next two months went on we find ourselves now in the last part of January hearing statements such as these from various interviews like this from the dev tracker of the week of November 15th Damion Schubert said:
“The real test of the value of crafting is less about whether companions or players are swinging the hammer and tongs, and more about how the itemization of crafting is balanced in a way that the gear is useful. Crafting is important to the systems team, and we’re devoted to ensuring that crafted gear has a place in the economy, especially at the endgame, and doubly especially for the devoted crafters.
It’s worth noting that we really want the system to support the casual crafter (the guy who is taking crafting largely to outfit himself while leveling up) and the devoted crafter (the guy who wants to be known as the best Armormech in the galaxy). Supporting the former means making the system accessible and easy. Supporting the latter means ensuring that hard work can allow you to provide goods and services that almost no one in the galaxy can. The systems design team is striving to satisfy both groups of people.
My own personal goal is that some crafters can get so good that players all over the server seek them out. My problem being a crafter in most other MMOs is that you tend to become a guild’s pet at some point, and you’re expected to do all of the work for free. We want those devoted crafters to be exceptional enough that they can actually demand a price, and that people will actually break out of the guild in order to pursue those goods and services. The system isn’t there yet, but we have plans…”
then in the developer blog “closer look at crew skills” in the first week of December, Patrick Mallot had this to say when talking about the “prototype and artifact” quality level of blasters:
“In The Old Republic, we want the crafting of such items – especially at the end game levels – to be a significant accomplishment. Our goal is for players to want to seek out renowned crafters who have learned the rarest schematics. Prototype and Artifact quality blasters will be exceptional, and their appearance and effectiveness will speak to their rarity and power.
Players progressing through The Old Republic will always desire better quality items, and crafters certainly want to provide those items to make a profit. We’ve worked hard to ensure that crafted items have an important place in The Old Republic’s economy, and that crafters will be well-rewarded for the effort they put into the Crew Skills system. In future updates, we’ll go further into detail about how we plan to address crafted items in the economy!”
then in Darthater’s interview with Daniel Erickson part 2, we heard this:
“People who want to be a master at crafting — and really want to be those who are the go to people on the servers — they are going to put a ton of work into it they will be in demand as crafters and it will not be something you can casually do.”
then at massively they also had an interview with Daniel Erickson and we heard these statements:
“I was always a huge crafting fan in all the different games. There were games that I was just a full-time crafter in; that was all I did. And what’s great about crafting? The prestige is great, saying like, “Look, I can make these amazing things.” The social aspect is amazing. I want people coming to me and saying, “Hey I heard you’re the guy to do this.” I want to be able to support my friends; I want to be able to do all this. The exploration and the complexity and learning the system is really fun — I want to get deep into crafting, I want to learn how to do recipes that nobody else can do, I want to sort of master my system. The financial output, if it works well, is nice, right? Saying, “Hey, I’m actually good enough that I can make some money at this. I can do this piece.”
and then:
“[I] can’t talk too much about it, but you are going to be able to make stuff that is among the top stuff on the entire servers. And there are going to be people who know things that almost nobody else on the server knows how to do.”
and then:
“People who are really into crafting have a huge, complex system that they’re going to be able to go into and become masters at.”
and then:
“The best stuff is always going to come from other players, and then be made by other players. There will be stuff that you can craft that is among the best stuff in the entire game. So very close to the top-tier that you could get for anything.”
These statements assure me that in this stage of development, my methods by which I usually gauge my worth as a crafter in a MMO are being addressed. That I will get the opportunity to be “the go to guy” and that I can “make stuff that is among the top stuff on the entire server” and that I will have the ability to “support my friends” and fund myself through my abilities.
These are the things that make me smile, these are the things I look forward to when thinking on my worth as a crafter in SWTOR!
Thanks for reading!
Comments Off on What will your worth be as a crafter in Star Wars The Old Republic MMO?
