I really couldn't care less about crafting in video games. Anyone else feel the same way?

[FieryTrainwreck]

I started up a new Skyrim campaign recently, and I found myself (for the first time) not harvesting any ingredients. Just walked right on by all the flowers. Then I reached the first town and decided a free dagger and helmet weren't reason enough to help the blacksmith with his day job. By the time I found my first magic item (and promptly sold it rather than saving it for disenchanting), I'd decided something: I wasn't going to use any trade skills.

Not because they're overpowered. Not because I'd already been there and done that. Because I don't find crafting shit in video games fun. At all.

In World of Warcraft, I remember thinking everyone was insane for throwing themselves into their trade skills. It was a dark day when Blizzard introduced exclusive benefits for leveling up your professions. Now the concept is almost ubiquitous in MMOs and RPGs. Interested in slaying some orcs? Then you're probably just as interested in running a forge! Ugh.

Oddly enough, my disdain extends to more complicated and (objectively speaking) valid instances of crafting. Minecraft? Zero interest. Terrarria? Nope. Any sort of town or world-building simulation? Leave me alone.

I'm not trying to denigrate anyone else for their entertainment. I know I'm probably the "outsider" on this issue. But damn. I HATE crafting in video games.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Personally I rather enjoy making my own gear rather than being at the mercy of the RNG (for Skyrim) or secret dungeons (most JRPGs) to get good stuff, which is why I gave up on Terraria, since the gear you make has a random chance of being rubbish (although I'll admit I didn't play that long, so maybe I'm missing something).

And I couldn't even think of walking past all those ingredients and not picking them up. I just have to, if only because I enjoy breaking games as early as possible.

 

[senordesol]

What bugs me is when the game wants me to craft standard game inventory items. I'd have loved if I could inset diamonds and other gems into the hilt of my weapon or in my armor. Or just craft really interesting/creative items a la Dead Rising.

 

[Eve Charm]

Eh I rather have crafting then an extremely low chance of an item to drop. There are to many times in something like MMO's or like monster hunter type games where big bosses or rare enemies will have around an 1% or lower chance to drop an item, and I've killed the boss well over 100 times and got nothing to the point I'd quit on it then have really nothing else to do after.

I rather get "piece of something" and be told kill this boss 10 times, that boss 20, this enemy 5 times, then know I'll have the item I want.

 

[Silvanus]

I'm completely with you on crafting in RPGs/ adventure games/ what-have-you. I spurned the crafting in Skyrim, I spurned the crafting in Dead Space 3 (for the most part), and I spurned the crafting in Guild Wars 2 (until I felt the necessity to get XP superquick).

Too much like hard work.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Yeah, I don't care for crafting or upgrading weapons. I love the old JRPG's that just let you buy a new weapon/armor set at each new town and have more powerful (relative to game progress) equipment in treasure chests. No bug parts, flowers, etc...

I love collecting Heart Pieces in Zelda but feel that the Monster Guts should have been a recovery heart or a rupee. Final Fantasy XIII's upgrade system sucks.

 

[Lucyfer86]

It's case-by-case for me, usually i don't have interest in crafting.
Call me crazy, but i actually enjoy hunting that rare item, hoping gods of RNG favors me.

Edit: To be more clear, in some mmorpg's i enjoy crafting (like Fallen Earth & WoW), but single players i can't remember single game where i have actually put much thought or effort to crafting.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I love crafting in MMOs. I had my own shop for ship parts in SWG (seriously, SWG had THE BEST crafting system ever), I made armour and spells in EQ2,and I made pretty much everything in EQ1 since they let you do that. In truth, I actually found it more rewarding to craft quality items for other people to use than to go out and use them myself. Especially in SWG, where dedication and persistence could result in some truly amazing stuff.

 

[skywolfblue]

Skyrim was just bad at it.

I liked World of Warcraft's crafting to some extent. The running around gathering nodes and getting involved in combat while trying to do so was entertaining as long as you didn't exhaust yourself, it got you involved in the world and made tracing out "gathering routes" interesting. There were some quests around getting some of the materials in Vanilla and BC, which I thought was great, but sadly WoW's developers did not feel the same. WoW did have crafting based perks/spells/abilities at one time or another I remember. I don't know if it has them anymore, but I thought those were a great idea too, though I think it'd be even more awesome if they were talent-style perks where every 10-20 levels of smithing you get to pick between two perks that provide some combat or non-combat bonus. Like walking faster or being able to turn into a giant flower to amuse yourself and others, nothing gamebreaking.

I actually liked the crafting in Dead Space 3. The gun variety was awesome, the resource gathering was on simplistic side, but it did give a reason to "Loot all the things!".

I think two things need to happen to make crafting into something more interesting:
1) Less Repetition. No making 100000 iron daggers to skill up, instead leveling points should be rewarded for crafting new and difficult patterns and:
2) Crafting quests. Quests that have you summon special bosses for a crafting material, fish in a certain river after dark for a special fishskin, visit some strange anvil in the middle of nowhere to craft the stuff. And stuff like that.

 

[Someone Depressing]

I preffer crafting my own stuff. I try to do it in Runescape and similiar RPGs, especially in Wonderland Online, where 90% of your stats will come from equipment, and all of your equipment will either be made or bought from other players... who made it.

So, it's a delicate balance. can you buy this thing easily from that guy over there who sells staffs for a smile, or spend hours crafting one for +1 Runecrafting?

 

[GonzoGamer]

At least (in the games I've played) its a completely optional feature...unless you're playing something like sims3 where the whole game is based on crafting.
I kind of like it but yes, they have to make it rewarding. I was replaying Fallout 3 recently and damn, those nuka grenades are spectacular.

 

[Gdek]

I loathe crafting in most any game that has it. I feel like the most important thing about crafting something in real life is the creativity and skill involved. MMO's have found a way to take both the creativity and skill out of crafting and replaced it with a soulless, time killing, boring grind.

 

[gamernerdtg2]

Skyrim was bad period. I can't imagine crafting in that game.

Nevertheless, I have to agree with the OP. I think it's done badly in games.
Blacksmiths should automatically have the ingredients for weapons as you progress through the game. That way, it's a system of unlocks rather than looting for random items all over the place...and then having to configure everything.
The configuration process with crafting is what takes the "fun" out of the game - like you have to match A with B to get C.

I think modern games need more options - like if you really want to loot for all the random items, only to sit in front of screens putting weapons and etc together, you can do that. If you want to do crafting another way, there should be another option. At this point, you can craft or you can avoid the whole system entirely. I think crafting could be something in gaming that is fun - Rouge Galaxy for PS2 was onto something b/c crafting was actually a mini game. It was fun.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

depends on the game and how it's implemented, but for the most part i love crafting, it gives me a customization depth to my character (oh, you just hoarded all those ingredients until now and make "ultra badass face kicker 5000", which makes it so the OP boss down the road won't wipe the floor with you? awesome!) and makes me feel more in control rather than playing a set game.


this goes along with fort/city building, i loveeeee it, but once again, if it is implemented for tedious shit (just to get a stupid dagger that isn't even great) then yeah, it's pretty annoying/shitty.


basically, if a game is able to add more customization for me, i'm going to love that feature, rather than dislike it.

 

[DementedSheep]

It depends if it's a slog or not. Skyrim's crafting is terribly boring especially since you can't just tell it to make X amount of an item.
If it's game where you increase a skill with points rather than repetitively crafting shit you don't use or it doesn't take much to level and it tends to keep up with your current level without you having to grind it's fine. I like having greater control over my gear and making potions, poisons and traps (though in most games traps are useless and you get enough potions just by playing) and like hunting down rare components.

Oddly I do like cooking in GW2 even though I deleted half the crap I made *insert obligatory kitchen joke here*. The other crafting less so which sucks since without crafting you are at the mercy of RNG for top tier gear since they don't let you sell it.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I can't get into a game where crafting is the bread-and-butter but if crafting is necessary to get the easily missed though, penultimate Weapon and Armor of the Supreme Immortal (or whatever) then I'll gladly go into it. I liked how Crafting worked in games like Final Fantasy VIII and, Skyrim because it really wasn't necessary but could be used to augment your character(s). It isn't always the most fun aspect of a game but when done correctly it can be extremely satisfying (I love my Rock-It-Launcher...)

 

[FrozenLaughs]

I like it in games like Fallout, where scavenging and jury rigging are part of the survival flavor. I would like to see it expanded further than just durability. Building custom armors and weapons from broken, piecemeal ones really fits that style of game.

I really like the crafting systems where you break things down into pieces, like swords into blade, hilt, grip. Then craft new things from the combination of those parts.

Most games make crafting a boring chore that only gets good the last 10% when you can use it to basically break the game. The right systems realky add to the atmosphere.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I have to have a reason to WANT to use the crafting system, which is a problem in a lot of games, online or not. I COULD spend X amount of hours farming mats for a spiffy weapon/armor or, I can just keep using what I have right now cause its just as effective.

That said. I Craft TONS of shit in Warframe.

 

[Something Amyss]

I usually find crafting to be tedious. I don't have a problem with the concept, but I'd rather not in practice.