It’s crafting week in the MMO blogosphere. I hated EQ1 crafting, but have been a big fan of it in other games that treated crafting less as a pointless way to dispose of millions of plat and more as an important game mechanic. Tailor in DAoC; carpenter in FFXI Online; tailor and leathercrafter in WoW; alchemist, tailor, armorer and jeweler in EQ2… I’ve spent time on the crafting machines. But I feel strongly that crafters should be able to pursue crafting AND see all the game can offer.
Some MMOs actually do have group and raid crafting - Horizons required community crafting projects to open new content. Dark Ages of Camelot required active and skilled crafting to build siege engines and other equipment to break a keep