Subject really says it all.

What kind of crafting professions would you like to see in Fallout Online?

Just to make it more interesting, lets assume each one has a character stat (ie. STR, PE, EN, CH, IN, AG, LK ) which governs the creation of higher end gear (Luck maybe being a key component in stumbling across new designs).

Here's a couple:

Melee Weapons - AG
Ballistic Weapons - PE
Armor - EN
Metallurgy - ST
Tailor - CH
Electronics - IN

As you can see, I've tried to dived the stats across the board so no one character could be a master of all trades.

Interesting idea, but stat-based professions would be far too limiting IMO.
Basing crafting on, say, INT effectively removes any low-int characters from a whole sub-set of the game (and we all know what fun low-int characters are in F2). In 'The Great Escape' the forger had the worst eyesight among all the prisoners. A ghoul could be a brilliant tailor (or hairdresser ), yet with low CHA would'nt be able to with this system.
It also means you'd have to min-max your character to fit the craft, rather than being able to make the character you want, and take the profession you want. Strong characters should be able to sew, or craft guns just as well as high PER, or low int characters.
And where's the cooking in this? Gotta be able to make the molerat stews...

I do agree that no single character should be able to master all the professions though. I just don't think this is the way to do it.

I'm not against putting stats on the crafting system, mainly because people should be depending on others a small bit, it makes trading go around, if I can craft anything in the game with my mega aggressive brute that have 3 int and 1 ch why would I ever want to trade with others, I could just make what I need myself (unless there is some other crafting system that prohibits it of course.)

Was really just trying to get away from the 'one profession per class' MMO staple.

Setting stats as the prerequisite to crafting professions really just pigeonholes a character build. If your guild needs an electrical systems guy, someone's stuck maxing INT (in given scenario).

I really doesn't hurt the game, assuming any given maxed stat has a viable player build that goes along with it.

Certainly doesn't break immersion to see some max STR melee fighter hauling ore and smelting it or some sharp shooter with max PE crafting guns.

I guess the situation where 0.1% of the games population cares to tailor (max CH) creates a mass shortage of tailored goods.

But the shortage of tailored goods will mean that people will pay more money for it, meaning more players will want to do it and will get rich on it (or some will just do it constantly, hey some people like crafting), while the players who like to pvp/pve dont have to do crafting (assuming they don't like that), that is of course based on the suspicion that the game will have player driven market.

I think a little more flexibility is required. Imagine three years into playing Fallout Online, perhaps you are bored of being a blacksmith, and you want to keep things fresh, perhaps try tailoring, but, hmm, you would have to start a new character to do that given the SPECIAL requirements. That isn't so great.

Certainly characters should not be masters of every craft, there should be limits, but the choice to change skill should be there- Obviously you must admit to having to spend time/caps/materials in levelling your new choice of skill, which in itself is a soft restriction.

Well, yea. There could be the option that everyone can do any profession but they have great limitations. This in particular I think FUonline (no i didn't misspell but its a pun) 2238 handles somewhat good.

The game have different professions (big guns, small guns, armorer etc etc) and all those lets you craft different stuff. You start off with basic crafting, the stuff you can craft is mostly shit but usable in many areas.

Then if you have X amount of caps and the right skill points (like armorer 1 requires 60% repair) you can buy the armorer profession from a certain NPC, now you will be able to create some other armors apart from the basic leather armor. If you further develop skills you can get armorer 2 and 3.

FUonline 2238 only lets you spend 4 (i think) professions points so you cant waste them really.

What could be altered for gamesass Fonline is the skill requirement and the amount of profession points, like make the player have 5 points, the first profession you master will be static and the 2 points left over can be shifted.

EXAMPLE: You get big guns professions 1,2,3 - now these will be static, meaning they will always be there no matter what, but you still have 2 points to set on another profession, like armorer 1 and small guns 1. The 2 latter points can be reset and you can get another profession, but you can never be a master crafter on 2 areas, sure its a bit prohibiting but you can still craft many things.

(the upgraded professions means of course that you will be able to craft better stuff )

Then I suggest allowing the character to embark upon missions/quests that enable that character to cross over into new skills. Or perhaps pay in caps to a guild/clan to be trained. Tailor by day and blacksmith apprentice in the evening at the blacksmith's guild.

In my opinion an MMO lives and falls on its crafting.

Too many MMOs implement it as an afterthought and without proper integration it does not live up to its potential, which is sad, specially when u consider the importance of Endgame.


Whatever way they implement it, I hope they make it exiting, and allow for the best items in the game to be craftable.

But ill stand firmly behind the idea of ONE crafting proffesion per character, u want to try something different roll another class.

-Exo

here are a few i would like to see,

-scavenger ( pretty much mining but you use a metal detector to find scraps n stuff, balls of copper wire, brass shell casings ect)
-hunter ( your standard skinner,)
-gatherer (pretty much your herb man, to find catus fruit, roots, magic mushrooms, wood )
-traqer (i would love to be able to trap and tame some animals of the wase as pets or at end game mounts)

then it would be the standard

black smith, (basic knives , armour parts gun parts.)
tanner (leather ect)
mechanic (mechanical devices knives ect)
gun smith
trainer (someone to train the trapped animals)
chemist ( to make drugs and hypos ect)
carpenter ( makes gun stocks handles n junk.)

i think thats a good list to start. the one thing i would like to see is that most created items are put together by anyone, you just need all the parts, i,e stock from the carpenter trigger mech from the mechnic
barrel from the gun smith. and so on.

As long as people can have multiple characters and the ability to store items in a shared bank similar to how Everquest handles it, I have no real problem with limiting crafting abilities to specific characters. You might remember I'm a huge content must be available to everyone advocate as well. Separating them by SPECIAL is a good idea, consistent with the spirit of the character system and all in all seems like it would be a good way to go about it.

Balance is a terrible thing. Characters should be able to be as good as they want to be at a specific kind of thing without needing to be on par with a completely unrelated ability for another class. If you want to craft something using a skill that requires a stat - use a class/race that has that stat.

The classic Mage vs Warrior balance connundrum is exactly what you need to be wary of. Making warriors deal as much damage as a mage is dumb as hell. Making a mage able to take as much damage as a warrior is equally dumb. Yet a lot of developers wind up claiming in the name of balance that this is how it should be. It's not. Why don't you go as Mom to leave her resturant and cover for Tandi. How well do you think that would go over? Certain races and classes aren't able to do certain things. That's just life.

Screw balance. Individual skills that have set outcomes that are acceptable in their outcome should be assessed without considering other classes or races ability to do similar tasks with a different skill. If you truly want your universe to be diverse and vibrant, the only way is to make individuals actually be individuals.

I love crafting. It hasnt been taken as far as I'd like in a lot of games
I think a character should have to specialize in a few of a large number of professions.
Your creations should bear your name.

eventually there will be respecs I'm sure so your character is unlikely to be 'spoiled' by early choices forever.

I think that along with 'Loot' and 'Salvage', you should also be able to mine/smelt raw materials and reclaim from junk items.