Regarding
this and Xillix' advice to stop complaining and offer something better instead.
The problem with skills (I only talk about crafting skills here) is not that leveling is too long. The problem is it's
too b-o-r-i-n-g. Why? Plain and simple, because you guys made it lacking any sense, pointless, completely mathematical/mechanical in nature. No feeling, no pride, no sense of achievement.
No game. Just try to utter the word 'boring' 300 times in a row, you'll feel what I do about my high-level smelting, aside from my swollen wrist (a small hint: i feel like an idiot).
To raise from level X to level X+1. Stamp 150 blades for this weapon group. Smelt 300 stocks of that. No matter how they all turn out, who cares, only numbers really matter. THIS is the ultimate source of boredom, the mindless ceaseless point, click, drag, click, point, drag, point ... ... ...
n process. This is what most people complain about. Mature people, I mean, and it's not about age anyway.
Let it be as long, make it even longer than it is now (nothing like a good challenge!), but please, by the gods, put sense back in it. Craft is about making quality things, so,
by the gods, make it quality-based, bind it back to its natural, believable, enjoyable roots.
For weapon-making. To raise from level X to level X+1.
Make a qYZ blade. One. Not 150 ones of any q, "any-crap-will-do" things. One blade, but
better than I ever made before. Progress, eh?
Use your evil dice to ensure I won't be able to make a blade of such quality in less than 130 and more than 170 tries, no matter what I work on. There goes your beloved 150 number, just don't throw it in my virtual face so blandly. Also make some tiny adjustments to the amount of practice points given for improving things. My alpha blade better than the stock/ingots I made it with? Much better? More practice points. A little bit better? No bonus. Worse? No bonus or no practice points at all (depends on how strong your guys'
hate love for us flows).
Also, make practice points non-anonymous: "you gained 0.12 practice points in..." is better than "you gained
some practice points in...".
Some is not enjoyable, always the same and it doesn't feel like something, it feels like nothing. By hiding
my progress from me you don't make me more interested, really.
Then the moment comes when I actually make the blade of that YZ quality.
I take it in my hands (or paws),
I feel pride.
I bring it to a trainer smith and give it to him/her/kra, the smith says something ranging from "Not that good, but you'll make better if you keep working. Next lesson now?" to "Not bad, not bad. You've been working hard, I see. Want to learn more?", and the darned training window pops up, and I feel joy.
I feel I earned that. By making something
better.
I made more practice points in the process than this level requires? Save part of it as a bonus for my next, X+2 level. It won't unlock anyway until the next objective is fulfilled. Or, maybe even better, also make it transferable between similar skills and, if my sword-making bonus practice points amount to something really huge, let me get one level in knife-making instantly by spending my bonus (and, of course, money and PP) on it. It will give me that wonderful, warm and fuzzy feeling of being in control and making decisions that really matter, another reward for all my hard work.
You can only roleplay what you feel, what you care about. Nobody cares about 'x similar operations'.
Let me care not about how many times I clicked my mouse button, but about my blade, about my ingot,
about what I make with my char's hands. Or paws.
And let it be hard as hell, harder than it is now. Fine! More realism, more commitment and more reasons to stand up to the challenge.
That all being vented, I'm still a great fan of the game, craft included. That's my
why, Virginia
[edit: typos again]