Not sure if anyone is interested, but I am always looking for ways to try to get as many people contributing as possible.  So I created the following document to see if we can get some new crafting material.  Remember it is usually easier to choose from items that are already in the game. No guarantee that these will make the game but I hope we can have some fun with the salve idea.


Creating Simple Craft Content
Crafting in Planeshift is a series of processes that change one or more items into new items.  The steps for creating simple crafting such as adding new steps to an already existing craft are the same as creating a complete new set of crafting skills.  It is just a matter of scale.

The first step is defining the craft content – how you want the craft to play out.  Then the craft definitions are formalized in the form of a spreadsheet to make it easier to add to the game’s database.  Finally, all the support work is done by different groups of developers; creating new artwork, integrating the craft into the game settings, creating placing items in game, programming the NPCs, etc.

Let’s just talk about the first step, defining the craft. Here are the things we need to define:

1.   Design item.  This is the crafting or recipe book that needs to be equipped.
2.   Final item with descriptions.  These are useful item(s) and the descriptions the attributes that make them useful.
3.   Base ingredient(s).  These are usually somewhat common items that are easily found or bought.
4.   Optional intermediate item(s).  These can also be useless items that lead nowhere.
5.   Process.  The process is how the items are made.  Each process is defined by one or more of the following:
a.   Tools.  Any needed items that need to be held while crafting.
b.   Containers.  Anything used to contain items while they are being crafted.  This includes containers used in combining items.
c.   Skills.  The primary skill needed to perform the craft and an optional secondary skill.

Now we need to describe how everything interacts to create the final item.  One way to show that is in a simple diagram.  For example:
 [Item 1] --- [Process] --> [Item 3]
[Item 2]/

 Let me start.

1.    “Simple Salves.  A large random set of salves collected from many difference sources.”
2.   Jolt Salve.  Does small increase in stamina recovery over a fairly long time.  Also does small amount of damage each time it is applied.
3.   Blessed Nettle Leaf, Sugar, Water and White Oak Sap.
4.   Blessed Nettle Tea.
5.   Processes:
  a.   Seeping.  Combining with water on a small stove with very little herbal skills.
  b.   Reducing.  Cooking slowly on a small stove with very little herbal skills.

Blessed Nettle Leaf --- Seeping --> Blessed Nettle Tea
          Water /

Blessed Nettle Tea --- Reducing --> Jolt Salve
           Sugar /
            White Oak Sap /

It's a little old but this article was the topic of conversation this week among some of the development team.

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20011012/garneau_pfv.htm

Thanks for your opinions.

   Also, for skills such as cooking, it could be a prerequisite for making potions, or alchemy. These potions must be stored in special containers that only skilled glassblowers can make, unless the mage wants to learn these skills himself. The quality of the potions could be restricted by the quality of his cooking skill and the container the potion is put into.

   The same could be done with magical rings. For example, a mage wishes to make a magical ring. He needs a high quality ring to do it, so he approaches a jeweler to make a contract with that jeweler for a very nice ring. The jeweler agrees to the contract, and in turn contracts a smith for gold ingots. He also needs diamonds, so he places a contract with a diamond merchant, which the miners will fill just as the iron ore example above. In addition, the smith, needing gold ore, may decide to contract some gold ore rather than dig it himself.

Rather then "code" your contract idea; we are trying to encourage players to do something similar.  We are hoping as crafting grows, the interaction of the crafts will promote cooperation.  Specifically, with one crafts demands for raw materials being meet by another crafts supply of final items.

So rather then require cooking skills for alchemy (in which some players might want to max out in all possible skills) we are trying to provide some common items.  For example, the armor crafting will require some leather items.  Average quality versions can be purchased from NPCs, but we hope that high quality versions will be available from some experienced leatherworkers.  That way some players can explore specific crafts and always have a demand for their efforts.

We hope this will result in players offering contracts for small numbers of specific high quality items in their particular expertise.  Different parts of towns will be dedicated to some of the crafts.  Players would travel to those sections looking for specific items.  A verbal deal can then be made to supply such products by a specific time.  I would think this would be better then the existing auction method.

As more of the community gets involved with defining craft specifics, we hope to promote more and more of this type of economy.

Yes Aiken is correct - you must achieve one level past where things are possible before the secrets of all the processes are revealed.

Problem has been resolved and server restarted.

A paper is always worth nothing after you read it.

Why live our lives? Lets just wait for the apocalypse. Although we are 'testers first, players second' we are still players. Even saying that the Roleplayablity of the game has to be tested. Also Dev and GM's ability to promote RP has to be tested and improved. It would be nice to see the players more tolerant of the fact that everything the Dev and GM team 'test' isn't going to be perfect, other wise there would be no point testing it would there? However, it would also be nice to see the Devs acknowledge the fact it isn't perfect and state they will do it differently rather than the 'oh well seeing as your making such a fuss I guess we'll tell you that we are going to change things next time.' attitude that appears to come across.

I disagree - you are players first and last.  And our goal is always to try to make the game more fun for everyone.

But yes, I will confess and acknowledge that I personally am guilty of not spending enough time worrying about Feline Prince’s reaction to the features we introduce.  Sometimes we just throw stuff out and see what happens. (This is mostly because the budget for customer satisfaction testing is about empty.)

Possibly we should ban all developers from the forum and leave you all to your own discussions.