Crafting Dreams

[Midkemma]

Hi all, I've played this game for a while now, first came across this when it was chunky and buggy, love the work that the devs have done continuously! I love sandbox games and I get right into the mechanics of how to do things, for all the great fun 7D2D offers, the crafting breaks my head. It feels too shallow and 'gamey'.

 

I have two thoughts on this;

 

1.

Remove crafting from players and allow us to rescue NPC survivors and then train them in crafting. Simple AI on these NPCs. 3 locations to move between (so requirements for obtaining them), place of work (crafting station), bed (sleep at night) and campfire (when not working or sleeping).

We players need to find and give books to the NPCs (so get raiding!) and they have the skill.

NPCs can be killed and their actions raise heat, no more magical workbenches which craft while you're out killing.

 

2.

Introduce crafting mechanics that is more than click and forget for X period of time. This is more complex (from my perspective) as each crafting station could do with something 'fun' to do to allow for immersion while keeping the time sink which also adds to the immersion plus aids in adding value to the item. Easy to say mini games but how I don't know which would fit this game best for TFP vision. I will point to crafting in FFXIV as a place for inspiration for me, having actions to perform which cost points, those actions are divided between raising the quality of the item and progress in crafting the item. The item itself will have a form of HP which restricts how many actions can be made before failure due to each action taking from that value, other than actions for quality and progress, actions for restoring this value to allow greater number of actions in total... Easy to google FFXIV crafting and see the inspiration. All of those actions could be replicated and themed for 7D2D and made so we have to find the books to teach us actions other than the basic action for progress (not the quality side).

 

For me, 7D2D is more of a survival than crafting game. Building a base is kinda crafting and base building is big... but crafting tools and weapons, that feels kinda nerfed with better items being found than crafted. With this in mind, I think option 1 is my favourite for 7D2D but I do like a good DEEP crafting mechanic that produces equal to the best that can be found.