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Crafting COULd be fun - it's not

1
AuthorMessage
Geographer
Nov 22, 2010
836
I understand the developer's attempt to reflect that it's hard to make certain item.s

however

The developers need to stop developing and just play the game for a while. Each developer needs to be required to have 5 normal characters with no ability to cheat, and learn first hand why everyone is screaming about crafting. How frustrating it is, how annoying, how UN fun it is. Why the final reward of the crafted item is almost not worth the effort put into it, especially for the high level crafted equipment.

This game needs stuff to do that isn't just run around, kill stuff, get xp and level. Crafting COULD be one of those things.

However it's not.

What possesses the development team to think that it's a good idea to restrict required treasure cards so much that they are next to impossible to obtain is beyond me

The same for various rare reagents.

And it never fails.

New stuff to craft comes out with this innane restrictions, the community screams bloody murder, the developers reluctantly capitulate and adjust things so there's a reasonable chance of finding whatever it is.

How about the development team STOP with the attempt to be too restrictive in the first place, play the game they are designing themselves (a lot, like the players do) and not put us through the headaches with every new release?

Survivor
Jan 06, 2011
19
I use to feel/think the same way until I really got into doing it. I still grumble and fuss about things but that is with anything that is a challenge to us, which is the intent with crafting. It is a challenge and it is for those that want to do it and really enjoy it. For those that don't enjoy it - they find something else in the game to do instead that they enjoy more. That is one of the things I like about the game. There are many different things you can do. There are always going to be people that love something while just as many hate it. We are people and that's how people are. Nothing wrong with that.

I think the developers are doing an outstanding job and should just keep on doing what they are doing. I wish I could do what they do!

Cyrilla

Survivor
Jan 31, 2010
31
crystalwizard12345... wrote:
I understand the developer's attempt to reflect that it's hard to make certain item.s

however

The developers need to stop developing and just play the game for a while. Each developer needs to be required to have 5 normal characters with no ability to cheat, and learn first hand why everyone is screaming about crafting. How frustrating it is, how annoying, how UN fun it is. Why the final reward of the crafted item is almost not worth the effort put into it, especially for the high level crafted equipment.

This game needs stuff to do that isn't just run around, kill stuff, get xp and level. Crafting COULD be one of those things.

However it's not.

What possesses the development team to think that it's a good idea to restrict required treasure cards so much that they are next to impossible to obtain is beyond me

The same for various rare reagents.

And it never fails.

New stuff to craft comes out with this innane restrictions, the community screams bloody murder, the developers reluctantly capitulate and adjust things so there's a reasonable chance of finding whatever it is.

How about the development team STOP with the attempt to be too restrictive in the first place, play the game they are designing themselves (a lot, like the players do) and not put us through the headaches with every new release?
Well, ACTUALLY crafting is for getting stuff for free, in case you had no gold or anything to trade . Or, crafting can be used for if you do not want to sell anything OR get money. You can also do it just for fun, or craft somethings you can't buy with gold, only with crafting. Now i just think you should stop showing off your opinions and stick to the questions. other people like it, and you should to.

Historian
Jan 05, 2011
658
Crafting isn't a requirement. if the item isn't worth it, don't craft it. i like the challenge of being like 'how the heck am i gonna be able to do this?' and then finding a way. the process is not fun, i agree with that, but i always find the end result to have been worth it. -elijah darkthorn

Illuminator
May 22, 2009
1310
I love crafting. Having recipes with hard to find ingredients makes them rare and more unique.

Since crafting began, KI has made crafting many things easier. Yes, that is correct, EASIER.

At the start of crafting, each quest required five of each item. We could not put reagents in shared bank. There was no transmutation recipes and we could only hold 99 of each reagent. One of my wizards completed the DS crafting quests during that time. Was it hard? YES, but when you saw someone with that Master Artisan badge you know they earned it.

As for the new equipment needing cards that can't be crafted...Each of those cards can be obtained through gardening, which is what KI may have intended. If you don't garden, ask someone that does. I am sure some of the gardeners, like me, have tons of cards they don't need.

If you do garden, a quick search of these forums or the ones at wizard101 central will tell you what plants you need in order to get the cards you need.

Hannah Lifebringer Level 60 Life


Geographer
Nov 22, 2010
836
superluther wrote:

As for the new equipment needing cards that can't be crafted...Each of those cards can be obtained through gardening,


which is where it appears KI is taking it - force everyone that doesn't wish to garden and spend the time doing so to do so anyway.

No, crafting isn't required. That wasn't the point. Crafting COULD BE FUN. it isn't.

It doesn't matter if it's easier now, that it was horrendous to start with.

What matters is that the development staff seems to go out of their way to turn a possibly enjoyable activity into misery until forced to undo what they shouldn't have done in the first place by the community screaming at them unto they do.

Take tempest cards as an example. If they had just left the cards be available, there never would have been an almost major revolt and a need to fix things. But there was and eventually they kind of did. Kind of.

And all the various reagents. No real thought, just a 'let's make this really rare' and then the players up in arms till it was made so that people had a reasonable chance to find it.

Now it's all about grow the right plant. Great, for those that WANT to garden. Not so great for those that do not wish to be forced into that activity.


Illuminator
May 22, 2009
1310
crystalwizard12345... wrote:
superluther wrote:

As for the new equipment needing cards that can't be crafted...Each of those cards can be obtained through gardening,


which is where it appears KI is taking it - force everyone that doesn't wish to garden and spend the time doing so to do so anyway.

No, crafting isn't required. That wasn't the point. Crafting COULD BE FUN. it isn't.

It doesn't matter if it's easier now, that it was horrendous to start with.

What matters is that the development staff seems to go out of their way to turn a possibly enjoyable activity into misery until forced to undo what they shouldn't have done in the first place by the community screaming at them unto they do.

Take tempest cards as an example. If they had just left the cards be available, there never would have been an almost major revolt and a need to fix things. But there was and eventually they kind of did. Kind of.

And all the various reagents. No real thought, just a 'let's make this really rare' and then the players up in arms till it was made so that people had a reasonable chance to find it.

Now it's all about grow the right plant. Great, for those that WANT to garden. Not so great for those that do not wish to be forced into that activity.


No one is forcing anyone to garden or craft.

As I said in my previous post...You don't need to garden. Ask someone that does. They may have the cards you require. I lost count of all the tempests, regeneration, stormzilla, and judgment cards I have given to my friends when they needed them for recipes. All those cards I obtained from gardening. I am sure there are other gardeners like me who has those cards.

If the difficulty of several recipes upset anyone, then maybe crafting is not for them.

Hannah Lifebringer level 60 Life

Squire
Apr 30, 2010
521
Out of all my wizards, my life is the farthest along in crafting. She is in CL but she is stuck on the DS crafting quest. My other wizards are stuck in the Marleybone crafting quest. My last wizard I'm not bothering to do the crafting.

Historian
Jan 05, 2011
658
i hate the idea of having to garden as much as anyone could, i'm sure. i sell every seed i get, i don't even talk to farley (i only know his name because i see it on my quest list every time i sign on), and when someone asks me if i want to see their garden i think to myself 'if i'm so bored that i would want to see your garden, i'd be better off if i stopped playing'. if i have to garden because my friends won't trade me the cards i need for all the times i busted on them for wasting their time gardening, then it looks like i'll be picking a spot for plants at my house. so, with that being typed, how would you make crafting more enjoyable, since that seems to be the thought of your topic?

Survivor
Jan 06, 2011
19
tweetybird - why are your wizards 'stuck'? There are many of us on here that would love to help if you need help.

In my situation - I have several wizards that are in at various levels and as they are questing, I put the regents that they get (and i pick everything up) into my shared bank. You would be surprised how quickly they add up. So when one wizard needs something, there are better chances that it will be something that I already have. I also transmutate vs sitting in the bazaar. It is less costly and less frustrating to find tons of stone blocks for example and make sandstones - then make them into sunstones, than it is to sit there for hours hoping for a few of them to pop up. But, that is just me. My son is perfectly happy sitting in the bazaar and gets his that way. It is not impossible and I rather enjoy the challenge of the whole thing. If all of this was too easy I probably would get bored and not want to do it at all.

General Statement - If it's too hard, don't do it. I you don't like it, don't do it :-) That goes with anything in the game or any game for that matter.

Cyrilla

Community Leader
Maybe crafting isn't for you? I for one enjoy it very much I craft all kinds of things from houses, furniture to gear. All aspects of the game together.

I have found crafting is much easier if I start with a new wizard and begin at the beginning, as you go to each new world Take the next set of crafting quests. What I am saying is I have fun with crafting, gardening, housing, pet training and questing.

Survivor
Jul 14, 2010
2
Jaquline Sparkleheaven
Level 60 Ice
Both of my level 60 wizards are crafting,Ice needs diamonds ,I search everyday,my count for ore is 336,diamonds 3? Frustrating to say the least.

Geographer
Nov 22, 2010
836
icequeen4u21 wrote:
Jaquline Sparkleheaven
Level 60 Ice
Both of my level 60 wizards are crafting,Ice needs diamonds ,I search everyday,my count for ore is 336,diamonds 3? Frustrating to say the least.


That's actually not too hard to fix. Go buy the transmute diamond recipe from the treasure card vendor in Celestia and make them rather than hunting them.

Explorer
Aug 21, 2010
79
I have read so many posts here and on the wizard central forums that say how difficult and impossible it is to craft, so much that it put me off crafting - until i thought i would try and see how difficult it actually is, yes it is difficult but it is also a challenge which (being a storm wizard) I am glad of, finally its not just running around killing things. I'm grand master artisan now.

But one thing you said crystalwizard was that maybe the developers should put in some more parts to the game other than crafting, like some end game.
When you have 6 legendary accounts that are grand master artisan with all the equipment, and Warlord in PvP there is nothing more to do is there?

Why can't KI introduce some kind of minigame where you play against other wizards, where you use tactics, sometimes I wonder were the fun is in this game, when I only complete quests and worlds just to complete a goal, not for the fun in them.

In short I think there should be more end game for us to do once we have finished the game.

Defender
Oct 31, 2009
175
Crafting is fun farming for mats is pretty fun. I love finding a new crafting vendor and finding a pattern I want to make!

Sitting at the Bazaar trying to buy mats or TCs not fun! Farming would be better if there were locations identified where I know I can go to get the mats I need to craft said item.

Places like celestia I know where the best spot is for pearls and black lotus and I can farm them all day and make a good profit posting in the Bazaar. But any other mat I struggle to farm efficiently.

I love that more TCs are being offered from gardening this helps me get cards I normally wouldn't have access too. But more need to be added still.

I feel right now I have great gear and it is all crafted! My deck, hat, robe, boots, anthem, ring, even staff all crafted items and I had a blast making them!

Hero
Jan 24, 2010
705
I'm a little disgruntled that I have to garden to craft level 56 boots, but I am doing it. Luckily, I always garden anyway, so I already had the set up. It's not difficult, but I do hate to wait for the plants to yield their final harvest. Oh well, patience is a virtue.

Crafting becomes much easier as your wizards grow and contribute to the shared reagent bank. My first 2 wizards found crafting to be a challenge in Marleybone, Mooshu, and Dragonspyre, due to scrap iron, black lotus, and black pearls. However, my 3rd wizard was able to use shared scrap iron and some black lotuses, cattails, and ore from her big sisters. My 4th wizard, Moira, is level 36 and just finished the Master Artisan recipes. She's ready to go to CL for the level 55 quest. She made all of those items within a couple of days, because her big sisters had contributed so many reagents to the shared bank. She had to make no black pearls, for example, so it was very easy. She will craft level 44 robes when she can actually wear them. The same will be true for the level 55 recipe, because most of the necessary items are already available to her. So, you see, crafting is very rewarding the more you do it :-D

My only complaint about crafting is this:

I don't think the gear recipes are well calibrated to the levels at which wizards are able to craft them. For example, the DS crafted robes are level 44, when the average wizard is able to craft them at around level 48. If KI would balance this issue out, I'd be a very happy crafter ;)

Historian
Jan 05, 2011
658
I lucked out. the only item i liked enough to craft was the myth hat, and i found a bunch of minotaur cards at the bazaar. thankfully there's still no garden at my house! -elijah darkthorn, legendary conjurer

Survivor
Nov 13, 2010
33
no offense but those of you who are whining and saying crafting is hard and they should make it easy and all that.......

BIG DEAL, its hard, its frustrating sometimes, but who ever said getting what you want is going to be easy? true, not all crafting items are worth it, but those are mostly just the ones for low leveled crafter, once you become a grandmaster artisan the recipes will be very hard but very much worth the work. so stop complaining that its so hard and do some HARD work to get what you want people.

Explorer
Sep 04, 2008
73
Crafting is very fun if you like challenges-like myself,i think KI was smart to put it in, because if you have finished the game, need money, and items you dont have enough money for you could just look for the regents and craft it. Its also fun because you can travel to worlds and find them in the most bizzare places. Its slightly a pain if you have a quest and need regents no one has or is in places your looking,

I am looking for Black Lotus in Mooshu for my 35 life wizard and i cant find any, can you help me by telling me where in MS you'd usually find them?,

Thanks

Edward Dragonblood level 35 life wizard stuck in Mooshu craft quest

Geographer
Nov 22, 2010
836
apdog4 wrote:
no offense but those of you who are whining and saying crafting is hard and they should make it easy and all that.......

BIG DEAL, its hard, its frustrating sometimes, but who ever said getting what you want is going to be easy? true, not all crafting items are worth it, but those are mostly just the ones for low leveled crafter, once you become a grandmaster artisan the recipes will be very hard but very much worth the work. so stop complaining that its so hard and do some HARD work to get what you want people.


Not make it easy, make it reasonable.

Do you really like spending hours and hours haunting the bazaar in hopes you'll find one lousy treasure card?

Or hours and hours and hours growing plants that don't drop the one thing you need even though they have a chance to?

Or hours and hours and hours and hours running around in circles to get a ton of reagents?

How is that fun?

Armiger
May 10, 2010
2080
crystalwizard12345... wrote:
apdog4 wrote:
no offense but those of you who are whining and saying crafting is hard and they should make it easy and all that.......

BIG DEAL, its hard, its frustrating sometimes, but who ever said getting what you want is going to be easy? true, not all crafting items are worth it, but those are mostly just the ones for low leveled crafter, once you become a grandmaster artisan the recipes will be very hard but very much worth the work. so stop complaining that its so hard and do some HARD work to get what you want people.


Not make it easy, make it reasonable.

Do you really like spending hours and hours haunting the bazaar in hopes you'll find one lousy treasure card?

Or hours and hours and hours growing plants that don't drop the one thing you need even though they have a chance to?

Or hours and hours and hours and hours running around in circles to get a ton of reagents?

How is that fun?


If you want something bad enough, you will do what it takes to earn it.

Most of the things to craft are not that hard! Yes, the new special gear, take a bit more effort, why? Because it's special! It gives resistance, critical chance, power, accuracy, everything you want, and a card that stacks with normal and enchanted cards!

Now, you want them to make it even easier? How about they make them as drops or give them to you! I bet that would make you happy!

Come on, we asked for them to make crafting gear better, they have, now we want to complain because it is a little more challenging to make!

LOL, always complaining!

Adherent
Mar 18, 2009
2737
"If you want the prize, you have to build the ladder rung by rung. There are no shortcuts." - Zeke

Sometimes hard work is required for the payoff to be that much greater. The fun is achieving your goal that you set out to accomplish, or show off the crafted item that took you forever to make.

If the issue/complaint is making the process "funner," then that would be something entirely different. I could see making crafting becoming more than collecting and combining (mini games that have you building something for example). But to lessen the requirements or make the ingredients more available won't make crafting any more "funner." It is still the same actions, but less time doing it. Therefore cheapening the achievement.

The only difference between crafting and buying equipment from the merchant or bazaar is that hours upon hours process. If all the items were readily available, then wizards would have to complain that pushing several buttons (gather, buy, create, etc) is a waste of time instead of just hitting one (buy).

Geographer
Nov 22, 2010
836
kingurz wrote:
"If you want the prize, you have to build the ladder rung by rung. There are no shortcuts." - Zeke


Taking a shortcut has NOTHING to do with it. Crafting currently isn't a matter of trying to climb the ladder rung by rung, it's running all around creation trying to find rungs that almost don't even exist, while battling termites that are trying to eat the rest of the ladder.

I'm not suggesting a short cut. I'm suggesting that the activity of crating by made REASONABLE.

The crafting of items up to and including what you can get recipies for in DS is well designed. The stuff for celestia and wintertusk is not.

And the development staff seems to have suddenly decided that the way to balance out the boosts on the stuff is to remove the treasure cards. Almost completely remove them. No though, no checking to see if what one plant they MIGHT be harvested from actually drops the cards often enough or what one boss actually drops the cards at all. Just 'here, we've got this crafted item, let's make it need this treasure card and let's make sure you can't buy that card or craft it too."

kingurz wrote:
Sometimes hard work is required for the payoff to be that much greater.


Yeah, if it really were just hard work and if the payoff were actually greater. However it's not hard work to stand at the bazaar for hours and hours and hours reloding pages or hardwork to plant crowns seeds over and over and over and never even get the card no matter how many you harvest.

And the boosts on what you're crafting aren't necessarily better than what you can get as drops so the payoff isn't necessarily that much greater.

The fun is achieving your goal that you set out to accomplish, or show off the crafted item that took you forever to make.

If the issue/complaint is making the process "funner,"

Yes, if you re-read the subject line of my original post, that WAS the point. There's very little fun for most people in crafting. There are a small handful that find delight in it, but most of the people I talk to detest it. Are greatly disappointed with it because it looked like something fun then turned out to be almost akin to torture.

The only difference between crafting and buying equipment from the merchant or bazaar is that hours upon hours process..

The grind factor is never enjoyable, no matter what you're doing. You like sitting for 8 hours a day at a mindless, boring job doing the same thing over and over just to take home a minimum wage paycheck? Most people don't, but right now that pretty much describes the process of trying to craft much of anything.

Squire
Apr 30, 2010
521
Cyrilla,
I made all the Marleybone items for my life many times because I accidently sold them. I ended up taking all the scrap iron from my other wizards.
I do the same things with my wizards and shared bank. If there is a reagent I need, nine times out of ten one of my other wizards has it.

Survivor
Nov 13, 2010
33
crystalwizard12345... wrote:
apdog4 wrote:
no offense but those of you who are whining and saying crafting is hard and they should make it easy and all that.......

BIG DEAL, its hard, its frustrating sometimes, but who ever said getting what you want is going to be easy? true, not all crafting items are worth it, but those are mostly just the ones for low leveled crafter, once you become a grandmaster artisan the recipes will be very hard but very much worth the work. so stop complaining that its so hard and do some HARD work to get what you want people.


Not make it easy, make it reasonable.

Do you really like spending hours and hours haunting the bazaar in hopes you'll find one lousy treasure card?

Or hours and hours and hours growing plants that don't drop the one thing you need even though they have a chance to?

Or hours and hours and hours and hours running around in circles to get a ton of reagents?

How is that fun?


1. all i do is haunt the bazaar and its actually pretty dang easy anyways.

2. i NEVER even said the word fun in my post so i have NO IDEA where you got that from.

i told you this already, its hard work, it isnt easy. so do the hard work and get it done and be proud with what you have done. it isnt all that hard anyways. and again, i never even said the word "fun" on my entire post. and it is reasonable as long as your not lazy to not do the work. so there. there isnt much to really complain about, crafting is a great thing even though it isnt fun, its worth it MOST times. so once again, stop COMPLAINING and do the work. (no idea why i did the random CAPS WORDS lol)

1