Crafting

This is going to be a little Twitter-heavy, and I apologize for that. The @PantheonCrafter account, posted a survey today about crafting: Would you prefer the crafting mechanics for @PantheonMMO to be turn-based (like Vanguard or FFXIV), real-time (like EQ2), or Click-to-Craft (like WoW)? Feel free to reply and say more! #mmocrafting — Pantheon Crafters (@PantheonCrafter) August 18, 2020 I just had to question the whole idea of crafting. It’s become a checkbox item – does your MMO have… [x] crafting? [ ] fishing? [ ] dance emotes? ...

I pretty much gave up on crafting when I received the first Dragonspyre crafting quest and realized how many hours of gathering I would have to do. More than I wanted, and if Malistaire had once needed some special high-level crafted item to fall in defeat, his re-nerfing meant he needed that no longer, so I let it lie for awhile. ...

Proving again just how awesome they are, KingsIsle will patch in some reagent and crafting changes early tomorrow morning. I’ll have an “in game” report about the changes tomorrow evening. There will be an update to Wizard101 July 8th at 3am Central US Time that will include the following important updates! **Enhanced Boss Encounters Update ** The bosses of the Spiral have been taught a lesson by Merle Ambrose, and they will no longer interrupt your combat! All the Enhanced Boss Battles are back to normal, but the bosses have kept their knowledge of Power Pips, and they will earn and use Power Pips just like a Wizard. ...

With the Grizzleheim expansion, KingsIsle also brought crafting to the world of Wizard 101. The crafting system chosen is the most … um … unique(?) … that I’ve seen in any MMO. Crafting in the real world was once the domain of skilled artisans who devoted years to learning their craft, and then spent the rest of their careers making items of art and utility for their customers. A good craftsman’s name was known far and wide, but every village had a smith, and larger towns and cities would have entire quarters set aside for the crafting trades. ...

I probably shouldn’t have titled this post “First Night in Grizzleheim”, because I hardly went there after doing the quests to open it. At 50, Tara doesn’t get any experience rewards from defeating monsters or completing quests, nor are any of the gear rewards any upgrade, so she has no reason to go. Allison, my Balance wizard on my second account, just hit 30 and is a perfect level for Grizzleheim – but she’s been partnering with my level 13 Myth alt, Marissa. And level 13 is too low for Grizzleheim – she can’t get any of the quests yet. ...

It’s been bugging me for awhile that my Woodworker, Eraindiel, never mastered apprentice woodworking. She just leveled out of the area too soon, and needed to get making journeyman and now expert weapons – without mastery, so not as good as they could be, but good enough. Last night, Windfola was acting up and moving around was difficult, so largely we stayed in the Bree crafting hall. I felt that would be the perfect opportunity to finish off master apprentice woodworking so that at least the journeyman-level weapons I was making for kinsfolk would count. ...

While I love MMOs, the idea of playing a game where wanton killing is the only path of advancement just seems morally wrong. If anyone acted like that in the real world, they’d be shut away. Yet in MMOs, it’s meant to be heroic to kill as much as you can, until killing itself becomes so humdrum and ordinary that nobody ever talks about it. Even killing a god is just a means to an end. At least EverQuest had the decency to be shocked when players finished killing the pantheon of Norrathian gods, when Druzzil Ro reset time itself so that it never happened. The gods remembered, though, and left Norrath rather than serve as the Raid Target of the Day for a new generation of adventurers. ...

No, really, I’m sure there are millions of puns out there about “crafting” and “tradeskills”. No laws against them. They aren’t WEA-PUNS of LAUGHS INSTRUCTION, after all. So, yeah. Still shocked and awed by the coolness of the Shadow Odyssey crafting quests. No killing. NO FRIGGIN KILLING. I had a quest to rebuild a cannon for some quick ballistic travel between a couple of areas, and after gathering ore, it asked me for a wire from a sweeper bot. “Okay,” thought I, “finally some killing!” ...

EverQuest 2’s game update 49 is pretty much the most exciting single update since Kunark. As the last (I believe) update before the launch of “The Shadow Odyssey” expansion, they seem to be rolling out a lot of their new tech to prepare for what we’ll be seeing live in November. During “Raising the Banner” (GU49): A team of dedicated excavators and researchers have begun to uncover a remarkable find in the dunes of Sinking Sands. They have numerous tasks for any recruits willing to help defend the site, excavate relics, maintain their assisting clockworks and provide crafted supplies for the team. They cannot fathom how important this project is and how it is fated to reshape the world of Norrath for years to come! ...

Just a taste of the new low level crafted outfits. They add bunches of colors for all tiers, and some real choices for leather and cloth wearers — up there are some of the choices, including some vest styles for even more options. You won’t have to be look boring if you’re a caster. Lots, lots more!