Environment/Crafting

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

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game, in which, the entire purpose is to collect items and craft items - hence the name MINE and CRAFT. Minecraft has combat, bosses, farming, biomes, and many other mechanics; but the goal is to do something to get an item, to craft it, or turn it, into a different item.

Minecraft's crafting mechanic is fairly complex compared to other games, which was made easier in newer versions. The basic idea is that you start off with a 2x2 crafting grid, which allows you to play 1-4 items in it, in a specific arrangement. At a certain point, the player can create a specific item, called a Crafting Bench, to give them a 3x3 crafting grid, however, they have to go to the location of one of the crafting benches to access it.

Crafting a stick in a 2x2 crafting grid

A 3x3 crafting grid in Minecraft showing the Wooden Pickaxe recipe

Minecraft has a similar mechanic for different types of crafting. They have a "furnace" which can cook/smelt items, for example, 1 piece of coal can cook 8 pieces of raw beef to make 8 pieces of cooked beef. Then there is the brewing stand, blast furnace, smoker, and many other workstations that can convert one item into another. Each interactable utility block in Minecraft is used differently, has its own purpose or ruleset, and is required for advancement throughout the game; but it is just using the same crafting mechanic in different ways to build out the world.

In later updates, Minecraft added a submenu to the crafting UI that allows you to search up what you are able to craft and it will auto-populate the crafting bench in the proper order. Some of the community thought this change was needed because the list of craftable items continues to grow and some of the recipes and steps gets fairly complex. The crafting grid is still there, so the members of the community who don't like the change can still use the "old" mechanic.

Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator is a game that is almost entirely crafting. This game's primary mechanic is crafting different potions to sell. There are different "Picture" scenes you can go to and collect items, people to talk to, and a shop to buy stuff; however the main scene has a couple different tools, like a mortar and pestle and a cauldron. The crafting is very involved, you have to drag a raw material into the mortar and then you grab the pestle and actually grind the material. The cauldron is similar where you have to grab the ladle and physically move it back and forth to stir it.

Potion Craft crafting with a mortar and pestle.

Far Cry: Primal

In Far Cry: Primal, crafting is simple. As you progress through the story and unlock different buildings and NPCs, you unlock more crafting recipes. You need to gather materials around the environment. Most crafting recipes require three different items and when you have the materials necessary, you hold the craft button for a few seconds. The player doesn't need to remember anything or do anything other than just gather the material and have the recipe unlocked.