The forge I feel should be used for buffing current items to do what they do better, and maybe adding on an extra bonus, For example, Adding damage to a hammer or weapon, Adding AoE to a tool, Adding glow to a tool so you can see in the dark, they are all things that improve the current tool, while retaining its original function.
I don’t feel like the forge should be used to change the original function of the tool, bombs that now give short buffs to players, the liquid breaker, The Transformation boon, Autodoor, for example.
I think such cases are missed opportunities to add in new tools into the game, I think that adding new tools into the game would be more exciting to players then making it so you can alter a current tool into something else.
I want to know how other people feel about it.
Is forging more exciting then crafting a new item that may or may not even have new crafting materials to collect and sell?
Is there some economic upside to adding things to existing tools?
Is there something else I am not considering that either makes adding new things on to current tools a good idea, or that makes adding new tools into the game a bad idea?
Well when people have suggested new things for the game it has often been focused on expanding on the forging rather than introducing a completely new item in the game.
Like we could have got a shotgun style weapon instead of a multi-shot Boon for Slingbows (I don’t even like the art style of the weapons in this game).
I feel like that emphasis on adding more to the Centraforge is more or less people grasping to expand on something that they really like in the game without considering other aspects that the game can offer.
No matter how you want to chalk it up the game needs more items. Adding more stuff to the Centraforge doesn’t contribute to this in the least bit and a lot of the stuff that it does could have been completely new items brought into the game. It would have been nice if it was more of a way that players could place stat boosts and unique effects onto items while new items could do some of the existing Boon effects; like the previously mentioned multi-shot boon.
Heck, we don’t even have proc effects on Boons either. Everything is a flat stat increase or passive effect. Not saying these are bad things but they’re ultimately really boring even for a simple item enchanting system.
I feel like that is the same thing that we have now excempt you would further separate items at their base form. When we had this separation in EA, tools like Emerald were not used very often and tools like diamond were extremely sought after.
Tools today retained some specific traits(swift, balance, heavy) and also different flexibilities. This makes most gems useful regardless which one you have. I strongly believe if they were going to do an approach like you mentioned they should have thought of that from the beginning, and spread resources with this feature in mind.
You got me there… I don’t disagree with this, however the only issue I see is that my load out occupies half my inventory as is… If we were to get new items that may be completely different from any that we have and won’t smart stacks it would cause some major inventory issues…
I personally like to forge different traits on my tools… Both to sell and use. Before the forging system, the crafting mechanics felt lame, boring, and just shallow… I do think some stuff should change like smart stacking doesn’t get effected by the masscrafting skill and ultimately uses a lot of forging materials. Ridiculous timers on forging tools… I think those are unecessary.
I only think that the addition of new traits would simply devide the tools once again and render some useless. Right now it comes down to how quickly you can get certain gems over others.
I don’t think the addition of new tools is a bad idea, I would welcome as long as is an well thought out item that fits well with the Boundless world. For example, spray cans with the dye system… I think they look out of place and I really wish they would have added something more unique… I dont like it, and hopefully one day it’s change to something else. Whatever is added, I hope is something unique… (why spray cans tho?)
Edit: some words as it sounded mean when talking about spray cans…
I am however not opposed to always expanding forge abilities as there is a difference between “content” and “ability”, and I pretty much want “content” for building but “ability” for doing what I need to get the stuff I want to build what I want.
I can see people might respond that time spent should be in ratio to what we get for it (from the devs side), and I think some people would rather have farming than a new tool line. Of course, the opposite is also true.
Any new content will also be met with the reaction that we need to grind more to craft more to get 10 different tools for the job we could do with one - As I said I’m in favour of more building materials and anything that doesnt fill up half my gatherer’s backpack just to set out exploring
I’ve wanted and even asked a few times in various posts for a full rework of the machine part of the game. We need more of them in the context of tools we see in the real work sort of. Plainer, saw, grinder, etc. or something that makes it interesting. We should have base parts to machines (like engines) and then the attachment part. Linking of machines, less coil need and just small medium large design. I’m not sure if machines are really just meshes but we have a lot of space left in the game file size to make meshes. Our workshops should feel more like one. Our kitchens should feel more like a bakery. Etc.
If all of that is too big of a change for people to deal with then at least move the obvious small adjustments to our current tools away from the forge and to an add on machine.
A great as it would be to not have to use the forge for new tools like the liquid breaker I do appreciate that my liquid breaker tool will stack with tools I am already carrying. If it didn’t I would have to choose between losing an inventory spot or not caring to tool and missing using it.
Another solution could have been to make liquid breaker and solidifier in to augments for the totem, but I think that opportunity has past.
I wonder how much of a headache it’d be to allow certain different things to stack. Like if liquid breaker was a separate tool but could still stack with shovels. Because I tend to agree with @Trundamere but the inventory concern is a good one, especially when heading to exos.
Inventory space should have means to expand it at some point. It’s pretty much a necessary thing in games where you acquire a lot of stuff on material runs to go craft a bunch of stuff to use to build a bunch of stuff or to help assist you in acquiring more stuff. We should also have way more storage options available to us as well. If we could craft backpacks or pouches that can increase inventory space or even better yet be used to filter out certain items or to store certain items (tools comes to mind) then we should advocate and suggest that.
Whether pieces of content would have been delayed for us to get new items I think is a completely irrelevant point. I’d much rather have a drill than a hammer. Chain saw than an axe. But anyways, that is getting a little off topic.
I am a firm believer in giving players more stuff to make, play around with, etc. that’s an actual item than a stat boost or item effect. 3x3 AOE with tools could have been a default effect on certain tools, like a mining drill (the drill would basically replace the hammer and shovel) or chain saw, but allow for players to add other things on them. A good example would be raw stat buffs, such as Strength or Energy increase. Some of these are already Boons but some of them compete so much with other Boons that it makes it difficult to want to get one effect over another. I can imagine people wanting to get Action Speed and Durability on a tool that already comes with 3x3 AOE.
I don’t think these kinds of Centraforge changes would really hurt the game and all existing tools could be turned into legacy ones that aren’t affected by these sorts of changes. It would be nice to associate items with an item number when they are crafted and then updated if they are forged.
And even if these sorts of suggestions would take a while to make, I think it would be worth it. The longevity of the game is more valuable than the short term. I don’t think taking shortcuts in implementing new stuff is a really wise decision. Adding a new Boon instead of a new item is, to me, an unnecessary and unwise decision. The Boon doesn’t actually really add anything significant to the game. A new item does though.
I’ve always assumed it’s because new assets don’t just come out of thin air. We get the features faster if it’s just a forge boon. I wonder if there’s plans to separate them later on when they have the dev time to do so.
excempt you would further separate items at their base form. When we had this separation in EA, tools like Emerald were not used very often and tools like diamond were extremely sought after.
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