Environment/Crafting - Revision history

NocturnalDanger: Added the sections about MHW, Terraria, and Warframe

2024-07-15T01:58:39Z

Added the sections about MHW, Terraria, and Warframe

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:58, 15 July 2024
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	What ''Skyrim'' does right is that crafting takes time. When players can pause the game in the middle of a fight, craft a few med kits, heal themselves, and continue the fight; it's just a menu interaction and that takes away from the combat mechanic. ''Skyrim'' requires the player to go to a specific place, select the item they want to craft, and there is a small cutscene of your player crafting the item. That makes it feel important.		What ''Skyrim'' does right is that crafting takes time. When players can pause the game in the middle of a fight, craft a few med kits, heal themselves, and continue the fight; it's just a menu interaction and that takes away from the combat mechanic. ''Skyrim'' requires the player to go to a specific place, select the item they want to craft, and there is a small cutscene of your player crafting the item. That makes it feel important.

			''Terraria'' and ''Monster Hunter: World'' arguably have some of the best crafting mechanics. ''Terraria'' doesn't use skill trees, levels, points, etc. The crafting system is solely based on progression through the game, there's above-ground loot, below-ground loot, enemy drops, etc., and everything is uniquely named. It has a large crafting system and the player is in control. ''Monster Hunter: World'' has an <u>amazin</u>g progression tree for armor and weapons based on loot from monsters that the player kills. The progression makes sense, is in line with the story, and isn't restrictive. Both games have one, very minor, flaw. In ''Terraria'', crafting a legendary item feels the same as crafting a basic item. There is no special animation or sound effect. In ''Monster Hunter: World'', the player doesn't actually craft weapons or armor. They put in an order and the blacksmiths make it. As far as the feel goes, the blacksmiths always look disappointed in the character, even if its high-level equipment. Also, it's disheartening to the player to have blacksmiths do all of the crafting. As Noia Dev says in their video, "If anyone is going to craft a weapon called Demonlord Hellfists, it's going to be me".

			A game that gets a lot of hate for their crafting system is ''Warframe''. To try to convince players to pay real-life money for their in-game premium currency, ''Warframe'' has timers in their crafting system. Some are 60 seconds. Others are 3 real-life days. To put it into perspective, players will spend real-life weeks collecting all of these resources to craft this item they need, just to have it make them wait 72 hours for it to craft. Developers need to make money, but there are better ways to encourage a premium currency that doesn't push players away from your game.

	==== How can I change the crafting difficulty? ====		==== How can I change the crafting difficulty? ====
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	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/550/Left_4_Dead_2/ <small>''Left 4 Dead 2'' (Valve 2009)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/550/Left_4_Dead_2/ <small>''Left 4 Dead 2'' (Valve 2009)</small>]
	* [https://www.minecraft.net/ <small>''Minecraft'', Java Edition (Mojang 2011)</small>]		* [https://www.minecraft.net/ <small>''Minecraft'', Java Edition (Mojang 2011)</small>]
			* [https://www.monsterhunter.com/world/ <small>''Monster Hunter: World'' (Capcom 2018)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210320/Potion_Craft_Alchemist_Simulator/ <small>''Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator'' (Niceplay Games/TinyBuild 2021)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210320/Potion_Craft_Alchemist_Simulator/ <small>''Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator'' (Niceplay Games/TinyBuild 2021)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/ <small>''Stardew Valley'' (ConcernedApe 2016)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/ <small>''Stardew Valley'' (ConcernedApe 2016)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/ <small>''Subnautica'' (Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2018)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/ <small>''Subnautica'' (Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2018)</small>]
			* [https://terraria.org/ <small>''Terraria'' (Re-Logic 2011)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/ <small>''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks 2011)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/ <small>''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks 2011)</small>]
	* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/ <small>''The Last of Us Part II'' (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]		* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/ <small>''The Last of Us Part II'' (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]
			* [https://www.warframe.com/ <small>''Warframe'' (Digital Extremes 2013)</small>]

	==== Media ====		==== Media ====

NocturnalDanger: Updated Sources

2024-07-14T03:22:55Z

Updated Sources

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:22, 14 July 2024
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	* [https://www.minecraft.net/ <small>''Minecraft'', Java Edition (Mojang 2011)</small>]		* [https://www.minecraft.net/ <small>''Minecraft'', Java Edition (Mojang 2011)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210320/Potion_Craft_Alchemist_Simulator/ <small>''Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator'' (Niceplay Games/TinyBuild 2021)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210320/Potion_Craft_Alchemist_Simulator/ <small>''Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator'' (Niceplay Games/TinyBuild 2021)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/ <small>''Stardew Valley'' (ConcernedApe 2016)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/ <small>''Subnautica'' (Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2018)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/ <small>''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks 2011)</small>]		* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/ <small>''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks 2011)</small>]
	* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/ <small>''The Last of Us Part II'' (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]		* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/ <small>''The Last of Us Part II'' (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/ <small>''Stardew Valley'' (ConcernedApe 2016)</small>]
	* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/ <small>''Subnautica'' (Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2018)</small>]

	==== Media ====		==== Media ====
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	* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak Building Better Crafting Systems (Adam Millard - The Architect of Games 2021''')''']</small>		* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak Building Better Crafting Systems (Adam Millard - The Architect of Games 2021''')''']</small>
	* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9IGvSAgIM Crafting Is (Kinda) Pointless (Razbuten 2020)]</small>		* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9IGvSAgIM Crafting Is (Kinda) Pointless (Razbuten 2020)]</small>
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-WQtwb0Unc <small>Designing the perfect crafting system for MMORPGs (Noia Dev 2023)</small>]
	* <small>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/ Ghost Of Tsushima Crafting Resource Guide: What Each Item Upgrades And Where To Get Them (GameSpot 2020)]</small>		* <small>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/ Ghost Of Tsushima Crafting Resource Guide: What Each Item Upgrades And Where To Get Them (GameSpot 2020)]</small>
	* <small>[https://steamcharts.com/app/550 Left 4 Dead 2 (SteamCharts, accessed July 2024)]</small>		* <small>[https://steamcharts.com/app/550 Left 4 Dead 2 (SteamCharts, accessed July 2024)]</small>

NocturnalDanger: Updated Media Links

2024-07-14T03:01:15Z

Updated Media Links

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:01, 14 July 2024
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	==== Media ====		==== Media ====
	~~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak~~

	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~np9IGvSAgIM~~		* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak Building Better Crafting Systems (Adam Millard - The Architect of Games 2021''')''']</small>
			* <small>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9IGvSAgIM Crafting Is (Kinda) Pointless (Razbuten 2020)]</small>
	[https://www.~~gamespot~~.com/~~articles~~/~~ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.~~ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/~~#:~~~:~~text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.~~]		* <small>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/ Ghost Of Tsushima Crafting Resource Guide: What Each Item Upgrades And Where To Get Them (GameSpot 2020)]</small>
			* <small>[https://steamcharts.com/app/550 Left 4 Dead 2 (SteamCharts, accessed July 2024)]</small>
	https://steamcharts.com/app/550

NocturnalDanger: Added section about different ways to gather resources for crafting, added reference for games

2024-07-13T22:43:38Z

Added section about different ways to gather resources for crafting, added reference for games

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:43, 13 July 2024
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	In ''Stardew Valley'', the player has to interact with different mechanics to unlock new crafting recipes. The character can learn new recipes from leveling up different skills, befriending NPCs, completing "special orders", and many other things. Limiting a crafting recipe behind a different - but related - mechanic can certainly make the recipe feel more rewarding and challenging. Do be mindful of what recipe they unlock versus where they are in the mechanic, the crafting recipe should be better than what the player will get from that mechanic.		In ''Stardew Valley'', the player has to interact with different mechanics to unlock new crafting recipes. The character can learn new recipes from leveling up different skills, befriending NPCs, completing "special orders", and many other things. Limiting a crafting recipe behind a different - but related - mechanic can certainly make the recipe feel more rewarding and challenging. Do be mindful of what recipe they unlock versus where they are in the mechanic, the crafting recipe should be better than what the player will get from that mechanic.

	If your game is not open-world, you can limit access to crafting. In ''Doom'', there is a weapon upgrade mechanic but the machine to upgrade the weapons ~~are~~ rare AND hidden; so when the player can find one, it feels very rewarding, and the upgrades significantly improve the weapon. When you make a mechanic that is hard to utilize, you want the reward to be worth it.		If your game is not open-world, you can limit access to crafting. In ''Doom'', there is a weapon upgrade mechanic but the machine to upgrade the weapons is rare AND hidden; so when the player can find one, it feels very rewarding, and the upgrades significantly improve the weapon. When you make a mechanic that is hard to utilize, you want the reward to be worth it.

			Not all crafting has to be from gathering resources. You can make crafting more difficult by requiring the player to master multiple different aspects of the game. You can section resources off by requiring them to be purchased from the shop, from killing different kinds of NPCs, foraging, mining, panning in a water source, fishing, etc. You can make any other mechanic a source of specific types of resources for crafting.

	==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic? ====		==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic? ====
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	==== Games ====		==== Games ====

			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/379720/DOOM/ <small>''Doom'' (id Software/Bethesda Softworks 2016)</small>]
			* [https://store.ubi.com/us/game?pid=56c494ad88a7e3b4508b4567 <small>''Far Cry: Primal'' (Ubisoft 2016)</small>]
			* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/ghost-of-tsushima/ <small>''Ghost of Tsushima'' (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/550/Left_4_Dead_2/ <small>''Left 4 Dead 2'' (Valve 2009)</small>]
			* [https://www.minecraft.net/ <small>''Minecraft'', Java Edition (Mojang 2011)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1210320/Potion_Craft_Alchemist_Simulator/ <small>''Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator'' (Niceplay Games/TinyBuild 2021)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/ <small>''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks 2011)</small>]
			* [https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii/ <small>''The Last of Us Part II'' (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment 2020)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/Stardew_Valley/ <small>''Stardew Valley'' (ConcernedApe 2016)</small>]
			* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/ <small>''Subnautica'' (Unknown Worlds Entertainment 2018)</small>]

	==== Media ====		==== Media ====

NocturnalDanger: /* Introduction */

2024-07-11T02:17:25Z

Introduction

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	=== Introduction ===		=== Introduction ===
	When a game needs you to create ~~more powerful~~ items, it is common for them to have you find the materials required to craft it. Crafting is a mechanic that every game does differently and there are a lot of good examples out there. When most people think of "crafting", they might think of Minecraft's implementation, but that won't work for every game.		When a game needs you to create items, it is common for them to have you find the materials required to craft it. Crafting is a mechanic that every game does differently and there are a lot of good examples out there. When most people think of "crafting", they might think of Minecraft's implementation, but that won't work for every game.

	==== What is crafting? ====		==== What is crafting? ====
	Crafting is a mechanic that the player can use to help progress the story. ~~Crafting is a mechanic that cannot stand on its own.~~ The game loop for crafting is: external - internal - external. Crafting starts with an external mechanic, like exploration and collecting resources. Then, the player uses those resources to interact with an internal mechanic, like brewing a potion. Finally, the player uses that craftable item in an external mechanic, like throwing a poison potion at an enemy.		Crafting is a mechanic that cannot stand on its own. It is a mechanic that the player can use to help progress the story. The game loop for crafting is: external - internal - external. Crafting starts with an external mechanic, like exploration and collecting resources. Then, the player uses those resources to interact with an internal mechanic, like brewing a potion. Finally, the player uses that craftable item in an external mechanic, like throwing a poison potion at an enemy.

	In some games, crafting feels just like another shop. A lot of games use a very similar process for crafting as a shop, where you have your "currency" and you tap a button, and you "purchase" an item. For a crafting system to be good, it needs to feel special, like you are making a difference. The point of crafting isn't to inconvenience the player - it is to give the player a choice. The player needs to be able to make a decision to further the game in their style.		In some games, crafting feels just like another shop. A lot of games use a very similar process for crafting as a shop, where you have your "currency" and you tap a button, and you "purchase" an item. For a crafting system to be good, it needs to feel special, like you are making a difference. The point of crafting isn't to inconvenience the player - it is to give the player a choice. The player needs to be able to make a decision to further the game in their style.
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	Every game will implement crafting in a different way. For crafting to be good, it needs to be designed specifically for the game it is in. A lot of games make their crafting feel like a shop interaction or just clicking through menus, because someone, somewhere, decided that "players like crafting" and "our game needs crafting", but that takes out the joy in the system.		Every game will implement crafting in a different way. For crafting to be good, it needs to be designed specifically for the game it is in. A lot of games make their crafting feel like a shop interaction or just clicking through menus, because someone, somewhere, decided that "players like crafting" and "our game needs crafting", but that takes out the joy in the system.

	Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs is that players might spend hours looking for a specific ~~resource~~ and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision-making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, etc. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.		Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs is that players might spend hours looking for a specific material and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision-making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, etc. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.

	Take ''Left 4 Dead 2'' for example, according to SteamCharts, between 20,000 and 42,000 online players at any given time [July 9th, 2024]. This is a game that was released in November of 2009. Steam has 869,000 total reviews and 847,000 of them are positive. Objectively, this is an amazing game that is still very popular. Many of the mechanics we have today, including crafting, are not present in this game. This is a game whose pacing and item collection define it and crafting would mess up a lot of its balance.		Take ''Left 4 Dead 2'' for example, according to SteamCharts, between 20,000 and 42,000 online players at any given time [July 9th, 2024]. This is a game that was released in November of 2009. Steam has 869,000 total reviews and 847,000 of them are positive. Objectively, this is an amazing game that is still very popular. Many of the mechanics we have today, including crafting, are not present in this game. This is a game whose pacing and item collection define it and crafting would mess up a lot of its balance.

NocturnalDanger: Added L4D2 information, added "What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic" information

2024-07-09T17:59:09Z

Added L4D2 information, added "What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic" information

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:59, 9 July 2024
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	Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs is that players might spend hours looking for a specific resource and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision-making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, etc. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.		Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs is that players might spend hours looking for a specific resource and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision-making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, etc. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.

			Take ''Left 4 Dead 2'' for example, according to SteamCharts, between 20,000 and 42,000 online players at any given time [July 9th, 2024]. This is a game that was released in November of 2009. Steam has 869,000 total reviews and 847,000 of them are positive. Objectively, this is an amazing game that is still very popular. Many of the mechanics we have today, including crafting, are not present in this game. This is a game whose pacing and item collection define it and crafting would mess up a lot of its balance.

	''The Last of Us 2'' does a better job of making crafting feel important. They limit the resources the player can carry AND they make you choose what the player wants to craft. For example, rags can be used to make med kits or Molotovs, choosing between offense or defense. Most good implementations of crafting make the mechanic seem important. You want the player to be able to choose what to craft, you want it to mean something, and you don't want it to be a grinding mechanic.		''The Last of Us 2'' does a better job of making crafting feel important. They limit the resources the player can carry AND they make you choose what the player wants to craft. For example, rags can be used to make med kits or Molotovs, choosing between offense or defense. Most good implementations of crafting make the mechanic seem important. You want the player to be able to choose what to craft, you want it to mean something, and you don't want it to be a grinding mechanic.
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	==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic? ====		==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic? ====
			The biggest thing to ask is if you need a crafting mechanic in the first place. What would it add to the game? There is nothing wrong with avoiding crafting all together, especially if it doesn't add anything to the gameplay and is just another thing for the player to learn.

			You want to avoid wasting the player's time. Pointless crafting mechanics will make the player feel like the game doesn't value their time. You should avoid crafting mechanics that don't give them a choice. To reference ''The Last of Us 2'' again, the game has a limited inventory and crafting resources are sparse, meaning that the player will need to use the resource that they picked up very quickly after getting it, and everything serves multiple functions. In that game, when a player picks up a rag, they need to decide immediately if its going to be for healing or for attacking.

			Another thing to avoid is making crafting not powerful enough. A lot of games will make the player search for a specific item or level up crafting to a certain skill level before they can craft an item, but by then, that player picked up a better item from somewhere else, like a shop or loot, making the mechanic useless.

			Players tend to not like crafting mechanics that involve a lot of grinding. Keeping the mechanic a bit more simple is usually better. If it takes 10 hours to find, refine, combine, and temper an item, it better be worth those 10 hours.

	=== Sources ===		=== Sources ===
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	[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.]		[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.]

			https://steamcharts.com/app/550

NocturnalDanger at 03:49, 7 July 2024

2024-07-07T03:49:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:49, 7 July 2024
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	If your game is not open-world, you can limit access to crafting. In ''Doom'', there is a weapon upgrade mechanic but the machine to upgrade the weapons are rare AND hidden; so when the player can find one, it feels very rewarding, and the upgrades significantly improve the weapon. When you make a mechanic that is hard to utilize, you want the reward to be worth it.		If your game is not open-world, you can limit access to crafting. In ''Doom'', there is a weapon upgrade mechanic but the machine to upgrade the weapons are rare AND hidden; so when the player can find one, it feels very rewarding, and the upgrades significantly improve the weapon. When you make a mechanic that is hard to utilize, you want the reward to be worth it.

	==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic ====		==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic? ====

	=== Sources ===		=== Sources ===

	==== Games ~~referenced~~ ====		==== Games ====

	==== ~~Videos~~ ====		==== Media ====
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7EaryBgak

	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9IGvSAgIM		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9IGvSAgIM

	~~==== Articles ====~~
	[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.]		[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-of-tsushima-crafting-resource-guide-what-eac/1100-6479795/#:~:text=As%20you%20run%20through%20the,particular%20part%20of%20Jin's%20arsenal.]

NocturnalDanger: Updated "what makes a crafting mechanic good", removed "what kind of crafting mechanic should I have" and updated "how do I change the crafting difficulty"

2024-07-05T04:01:17Z

Updated "what makes a crafting mechanic good", removed "what kind of crafting mechanic should I have" and updated "how do I change the crafting difficulty"

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:01, 5 July 2024
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	In ''Skyrim'', most players sit there and craft thousands of iron daggers. To be able to craft better equipment you need to level up your crafting skill. Progressing through the game you always get better equipment from shops and loot than what you can craft, up to a certain point, and at that point, players will spend hours upon hours just crafting iron daggers to get "caught up". Crafting in ''Skyrim'' is a lot of grinding with no gain for however many hours it takes to collect thousands of daggers worth of supplies and to craft the daggers (not to mention the carry limit) - leaving the whole mechanic less than ideal.		In ''Skyrim'', most players sit there and craft thousands of iron daggers. To be able to craft better equipment you need to level up your crafting skill. Progressing through the game you always get better equipment from shops and loot than what you can craft, up to a certain point, and at that point, players will spend hours upon hours just crafting iron daggers to get "caught up". Crafting in ''Skyrim'' is a lot of grinding with no gain for however many hours it takes to collect thousands of daggers worth of supplies and to craft the daggers (not to mention the carry limit) - leaving the whole mechanic less than ideal.

	What ''Skyrim'' does right is that crafting takes time. When players can pause the game in the middle of a fight, craft a few med kits, heal themselves, and continue the fight; it's just a menu interaction and that takes away from the combat mechanic.		What ''Skyrim'' does right is that crafting takes time. When players can pause the game in the middle of a fight, craft a few med kits, heal themselves, and continue the fight; it's just a menu interaction and that takes away from the combat mechanic. ''Skyrim'' requires the player to go to a specific place, select the item they want to craft, and there is a small cutscene of your player crafting the item. That makes it feel important.

	==== * REVISE *What kind of crafting ~~system do I need~~? ====		==== How can I change the crafting difficulty? ====
	~~That depends on~~ the ~~main mechanic of your game~~. ~~If your game relies heavily on~~ crafting~~, your crafting mechanic should be~~ more ~~involved~~. ~~Games with more detailed crafting mechanics usually require multiple~~ items to ~~be gathered, multiple stages to their crafting process~~, a ~~cooldown or crafting time~~ of ~~a few seconds~~, ~~or maybe require crafting items~~ to ~~be placed in specific spots or orders~~.		Crafting difficulty is tied to the other mechanics surrounding it. You can make crafting easier or harder by modifying the exploration and loot mechanics to make rarer items more common or provide tooltips and hits to the player on where to find specific items. ''Subnautica'' does this by allowing a player to scan items to get additional information and different types of items are biome-based, so if a player needs a specific type of item, they know where to go to find it.

	~~If you want a more detailed crafting mechanic, you should look at how many materials you have in your game and how complex you want your crafting recipes. You should assume that~~ the ~~player may want~~ to ~~memorize everything, not everyone enjoys consistently looking up crafting recipes~~. If your ~~recipes have a lot of items or take a lot of steps, you should incorporate something in the~~ game ~~to assist the player with crafting. If you have a few items or the items are fairly common~~, you can make ~~the~~ crafting ~~more complex by introducing different machines~~ or ~~requiring~~ the ~~items~~ to ~~be placed~~ in ~~a specific order~~.		Another way to change the difficulty is to modify the number of resources it takes to craft. This isn't just raw materials - this can also include a character's attributes. If your game has an "energy" mechanic, you can make crafting use energy - or if the player does a lot of crafting it can start to use a character's health (due to "mistakes" made in the crafting process).

	~~Is crafting a secondary mechanic in your game? Then you don~~'~~t want to overcomplicate it. You~~'~~re target audience probably didn~~'~~t choose your game because of~~ the crafting. ~~In this case~~, ~~you want crafting to be a bit minimal~~ and ~~enhance the immersion instead of taking up a lot of the player's time~~. ~~In this case, you may want to have~~ a crafting ~~menu that lists~~ the ~~items needed~~ and ~~just a button to click~~. If the ~~items are easy to get~~, ~~you can increase~~ the ~~time it takes to craft and if~~ the ~~items are hard to~~ get~~, you can make crafting more instant~~.		In ''Stardew Valley'', the player has to interact with different mechanics to unlock new crafting recipes. The character can learn new recipes from leveling up different skills, befriending NPCs, completing "special orders", and many other things. Limiting a crafting recipe behind a different - but related - mechanic can certainly make the recipe feel more rewarding and challenging. Do be mindful of what recipe they unlock versus where they are in the mechanic, the crafting recipe should be better than what the player will get from that mechanic.

	~~Overall, it is up to you on how you want to implement the mechanic but keep in mind the purpose of~~ your game~~. The target audience of an action~~-~~packed combat game probably wont enjoy sitting in a menu for hours just crafting items. An idea might be to lock certain recipes behind a player level~~, ~~until a point in the story, or even make the materials more difficult~~ to ~~obtain and make~~ crafting ~~instantaneous~~		If your game is not open-world, you can limit access to crafting. In ''Doom'', there is a weapon upgrade mechanic but the machine to upgrade the weapons are rare AND hidden; so when the player can find one, it feels very rewarding, and the upgrades significantly improve the weapon. When you make a mechanic that is hard to utilize, you want the reward to be worth it.

	~~A game focused on exploration would do better with a more time-based approach~~. In ~~this type of game you can set up different machines and they might each take some time. Does your player want to~~ upgrade ~~to the next level of grappling hook? You can make the materials more common,~~ but the machine ~~that melts the metal might take 10 minutes. Another option is~~ to ~~make~~ the ~~materials more difficult to get, but require~~ the player ~~to go back to their base~~, ~~put the materials into a machine~~, and ~~show a 15-second crafting animation~~. ~~You can~~ make the ~~player travel~~ to ~~different regions in search of some of the more rare materials~~.

	~~==== How can I change the crafting difficulty ====~~

	==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic ====		==== What should I avoid within a crafting mechanic ====

NocturnalDanger: Updated "what makes a crafting mechanic good" and other spelling mistakes

2024-07-05T03:20:35Z

Updated "what makes a crafting mechanic good" and other spelling mistakes

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:20, 5 July 2024
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	In some games, crafting feels just like another shop. A lot of games use a very similar process for crafting as a shop, where you have your "currency" and you tap a button, and you "purchase" an item. For a crafting system to be good, it needs to feel special, like you are making a difference. The point of crafting isn't to inconvenience the player - it is to give the player a choice. The player needs to be able to make a decision to further the game in their style.		In some games, crafting feels just like another shop. A lot of games use a very similar process for crafting as a shop, where you have your "currency" and you tap a button, and you "purchase" an item. For a crafting system to be good, it needs to feel special, like you are making a difference. The point of crafting isn't to inconvenience the player - it is to give the player a choice. The player needs to be able to make a decision to further the game in their style.

	=== Examples ~~in Games~~ ===		=== Examples of Different Implementations ===

	==== Minecraft ====		==== Minecraft ====
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	Every game will implement crafting in a different way. For crafting to be good, it needs to be designed specifically for the game it is in. A lot of games make their crafting feel like a shop interaction or just clicking through menus, because someone, somewhere, decided that "players like crafting" and "our game needs crafting", but that takes out the joy in the system.		Every game will implement crafting in a different way. For crafting to be good, it needs to be designed specifically for the game it is in. A lot of games make their crafting feel like a shop interaction or just clicking through menus, because someone, somewhere, decided that "players like crafting" and "our game needs crafting", but that takes out the joy in the system.

	Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs, is that players might spend hours looking for a specific resource and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, ~~ect~~. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.		Not every game needs crafting. There are games that if you took out their crafting mechanic, players wouldn't notice. A big problem in open-world RPGs is that players might spend hours looking for a specific resource and by the time they get back to the crafting table, they have found a better item. In ''Ghosts of Tsushima,'' crafting doesn't require any decision-making. Wood upgrades the bow, metal upgrades the swords, etc. You collect everything and once you can upgrade something, you do.

	''The Last of Us 2'' does a better job at making crafting feel important. They limit the resources the player can carry AND they make you choose what the player wants to craft. For example, rags can be used to make med kits or Molotovs, choosing between offense or defense.		''The Last of Us 2'' does a better job of making crafting feel important. They limit the resources the player can carry AND they make you choose what the player wants to craft. For example, rags can be used to make med kits or Molotovs, choosing between offense or defense. Most good implementations of crafting make the mechanic seem important. You want the player to be able to choose what to craft, you want it to mean something, and you don't want it to be a grinding mechanic.

			In ''Skyrim'', most players sit there and craft thousands of iron daggers. To be able to craft better equipment you need to level up your crafting skill. Progressing through the game you always get better equipment from shops and loot than what you can craft, up to a certain point, and at that point, players will spend hours upon hours just crafting iron daggers to get "caught up". Crafting in ''Skyrim'' is a lot of grinding with no gain for however many hours it takes to collect thousands of daggers worth of supplies and to craft the daggers (not to mention the carry limit) - leaving the whole mechanic less than ideal.

			What ''Skyrim'' does right is that crafting takes time. When players can pause the game in the middle of a fight, craft a few med kits, heal themselves, and continue the fight; it's just a menu interaction and that takes away from the combat mechanic.

	==== * REVISE *What kind of crafting system do I need? ====		==== * REVISE *What kind of crafting system do I need? ====

NocturnalDanger: Added what is crafting and what makes crafting good

2024-07-04T05:06:19Z

Added what is crafting and what makes crafting good

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 === Introduction ===
 When a game needs you to create more powerful items, it is common for them to have you find the materials required to craft it. Crafting is a mechanic that every game does differently and there are a lot of good examples out there. When most people think of "crafting", they might think of Minecraft's implementation, but that won't work for every game.
 === Examples in Games ===
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 === Design Considerations ===
-==== What kind of crafting system do I need? ====
+==== What makes a crafting mechanic good? ====
 That depends on the main mechanic of your game. If your game relies heavily on crafting, your crafting mechanic should be more involved. Games with more detailed crafting mechanics usually require multiple items to be gathered, multiple stages to their crafting process, a cooldown or crafting time of a few seconds, or maybe require crafting items to be placed in specific spots or orders.
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 ==== Games referenced ====
-==== Videos watched ====
+==== Videos ====