crafting system Crafting Overhaul

I think crafting skill needs to be buffed a bit but I only see this suggestion detracting from the game. No matter how long you play, finding a really good bp is always exciting, especially when new stuff is added (first deino bp was super exciting.) That being said I would like to see more items having blueprint drops and quality, like structures, à la atlas, the harpoon gun which is pointless amongst other weapons with how easily outclassed by a crossbow it is due to not having bp drops. I would like to see crafting skill effect engram crafts too, maybe your idea could work alongside the current one? BPs would still be more reliably better but perhaps at certain milestones in craft skill a player would unlock ramshackle, apprentice etc with a flat rate of mats (middle to expensive of the average of each tier) but a somewhat random roll in stats. Meaning a high craft character could consistently create ascendant saddles but for a higher average cost and likely lower average quality than the best balanced bps.

What if you could upgrade items, or destroy an item to get a blueprint  (maybe chance of blueprint)? I have a vault full of ramshackle and apprentice level items that I would love to combine to make a single higher tier one. How about 4 to 1 for each tier, with item stats varying with your crafting skill?

Simply add a proffesion system, thats actually A GREAT IDEA! 

Think of the possibelities!  A blacksmith proff / Fishing proff / Leatherworking Proff  etc etc oooooooof THATS A GREAT IDEA !!!!
Tie the bps to the profession, means you craft better gear as a blacksmith that knows that bp ( the higher your blacksmithing skill ) the higher the quality of gear your produce.

This removes the need to mind wipe and put all points in crafting skill ( Stupid design ). 
Tie crafting skill into blacksmith skill,  and the mindwipe has nothing to do with the proff skill. 

^ this needs to be read by Wildcard, this will elevate ark system a lot 

On 8/19/2019 at 8:26 PM, Soldiercide said:

Crafting Overhaul

So, I dislike blueprints.  I think the existence of blueprints detracts significantly from the game, as it doesn't take much effort to walk up to a drop and snag one.  I would much prefer to see a crafting skill system, where the quality of the gear you are able to produce is tied specifically to the time you have invested in

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you could see structure durability tied to progress in crafting the various structure pieces.  Maybe fridges and generators become more efficient the higher your skill is in crafting those sorts of items.  

I do think the crafting needs a little change, but this is WAAAY to much. its MMO crafting. and Ark isnt excactly and mmo like Wow (eg). Sorry I dont think its very Original, you just copy what mmos do... Like this you could also implement skill scaling for things like damage output for pikes, swords etc etc.

I do also think the whole "Wildlife". needs a big buff. Animals to tame (which are always level 10!!! And even when you tame a lvl 150 it has crappy stats) and quality from drops on Island and SE need to be buffed a bit in comparison to what you loot on Extinction and Genesis. Even for a new player you are going to end up buying things from the community or steal from others after only a few days (I play pve because I play solo and am in for the long run, kill alpha bosses etc) The whole "wildlife" seems to have practically nothing to offer anymore and isnt even scary on the smallest level. Everything from dilos to Gigas are just meat you gather for meatruns, nothing endangers your base etc etc.

I just posted a simple idea about twiching the crafting skill a little bit. 

During latest server crashes I had to make expensive items over again, and what do you think, only low rolls so the items are actually useless for what I had in mind to use them for... So I actually came back to the idea that crafting SKILL is actually nothing what it should be. I mean SKILL doesnt mean that when you are going to make something you dont know what its going to end up like. Then you should call it Crafting Coinsidence, or Crafting Luck...

My suggestion is that you should have the system have a function to let items turn into "Example Monsters" so you can turn it into a BluePrint. You are going to lose the crafted item, but you will get a blueprint at higher quality and higher crafting costs. You still are going to use the first blueprint and waste materials on getting a good example monster, but when you are satisfied with a result you can start gathering to make replicas out of the blueprint. Making use of someones crafting skill can get a whole new meaning!

I would really like this and I think it would make the whole crafting business in Ark way more interesting...

What do you guys think ???  

Honestly, nah. I like the blueprints. Sure I wish getting them was a bit less RNG but still. Like a lot of people, there are certain items (namely the higher tier guns) that I usually don't even bother to craft until I find a better blueprint for them than just the primitive ones I can make by hand, and under your new system I would have to waste inordinate amounts of resources crafting subpar pieces of gear that I'm not intending to use, until I can finally make a good one. 

I think the BP system is fun but also kinda boring you're just hunting a higher damage/armor number, I think you need to add set bonuses to armor like if you are wearing 4 pieces of flak headshot damage is increased by 25%. Or you have an ascendant saddle bp that gives 50 armor but increases the all dinos in a small areas hp by 25%.

Also I think we need to be able to target quality and a specific bp we are looking for like frost cave would drop bear BPs and lava cave drops rex bps. Its kind of annoying doing an caves only to get something only slightly better than basic primative. I mean the best should be rare but with some much RNG already and the game being so grindy it makes it pretty frustrating to spend time and effort prepping and doing a cave only to get worthless loot that is better despawned than taking up bag space.

this is getting my vote!

I would actually love more RPG features in the game. Different character specializations, caves having mini bosses in order to get artifacts, more puzzles in caves. It would be a lot to ask of Wildcard, but, something to consider.

On 9/23/2019 at 2:32 AM, Soldiercide said:

From the standpoint of someone who has been playing the game for 4 years, sure.  From someone starting out, not so much.  If you're just starting out, you would absolutely use what you crafting at increasing quality and durability.  

Like I said, it doesn't take anything to snag a blueprint from a drop.  All you need is something with wings and opposable thumbs.  Having to invest something into getting better gear is kind of the point of a survival game.

The idea isn't a bad one by any means but I feel it would change game play too much. The only reason really to farm drops and such later in the game is the blueprints, finding a similar armor or damage value but with less resources is a big one! I feel needing to farming BPs at least get people out of their bases, that system would just make sitting in base that much more common. With the resources i have in my base i can make anything i want/need without having to farm (i got a little farm happy a while back) and now the only reason I have to leave is to farm meat, bps, and items to do the bosses. I get this may not the be same for everyone but many of the "Alpha tribes" are more than likely in a similar situation. I feel we need more that pulls us out of base. Genesis i feel was done really well in that aspect. The missions are an awesome addition. This is all IMO but figured I'd share my two cents.

Honestly I would be for a bit of a change. I haven't been playing the game for 4 years, but even I have become a bit bored with the current system. 

When you first start out - hunting drops to find the better items, be it in caves or ocean drop spawns - is fun. It really is. But once you reach a certain point, that joy tends to die down when you realize you have managed to gather some of the better blueprints available and no longer feel the need to hunt for them. Sure new creatures and their saddles are a great way to try and re-invigorate that, but it only last so long. And I am sorry, but as a console player- we only get new creatures once or twice a year so it isn't always the best point of reference for us. 

Now the crafting experience change is one way to possibly mix it up a bit, but personally I think adding tiers to the saddles and clothing may help as well. 

• For example, with the Argentavis Saddle; (these are merely examples. Perhaps not the best, but something I could throw together quickly.)
  • Tier One: Basic Saddle
  • Tier Two: Basic Saddle + Smithy
  • Tier Three: Basic Saddle + Smithy + Ability to fix broken items as well as craft them. 
    • Each would have a different look.
    • Those in drops would  be blueprints only and would have upgraded stats.
• For example, with the Fur Clothing; (these are merely examples. Perhaps not the best, but something I could throw together quickly.)
  • Tier One: Basic Clothing Set
  • Tier Two: Basic Clothing Set + Ice Skating ability with boots
  • Tier Three: Basic Clothing Set + Ice Skating ability with boots + Goggles with hood to see through snow storms. 
    • Each would have a different look.
    • Those in drops would  be blueprints only and would have upgraded stats.

And to incorporate the crafting experience concept, you would have to earn a certain level of crafting experience to be able to unlock the upgraded versions of the saddle. Such as using crafting experience to be able to "purchase" the upgraded engram in order to craft the new saddle or that of the blueprint you have found for it. It would be a seperate screen from that of the engrams or could be accessed through the first tier saddle in the engram screen. To mark the increase in level their could be a 3 start system added to the engram or some other marking/coloring. 

It would take a bit of work, but it would give some new items to use, a new system to try out that wouldn't completely overwrite the current system - as the additional tiers for the saddles would be optional, the first tiers all available in the normal engram screen - and it would add a new system that could be used to individualize the usage of creatures, and the character.  

Chasing saddles in drops and crates is half the fun of the caving stage, isn't it?

Crafting system was already nerfed when the 115-123 blueprints would yield a 124 armor saddle. Making all saddle blueprints from 105 to 124 worthless. Since you can just craft a 95-100-105 to get a 124 at a cheaper mats.

On 9/12/2019 at 11:36 AM, GmanPlaysGames said:

Honestly, nah. I like the blueprints. Sure I wish getting them was a bit less RNG but still. Like a lot of people, there are certain items (namely the higher tier guns) that I usually don't even bother to craft until I find a better blueprint for them than just the primitive ones I can make by hand, and under your new system I would have to waste inordinate amounts of resources crafting subpar pieces of gear that I'm not intending to use, until I can finally make a good one. 

From the standpoint of someone who has been playing the game for 4 years, sure.  From someone starting out, not so much.  If you're just starting out, you would absolutely use what you crafting at increasing quality and durability.  

Like I said, it doesn't take anything to snag a blueprint from a drop.  All you need is something with wings and opposable thumbs.  Having to invest something into getting better gear is kind of the point of a survival game.

On 9/13/2019 at 7:30 AM, MouthSpiders said:

Chasing saddles in drops and crates is half the fun of the caving stage, isn't it?

The first 50 times, sure.  After 4 years, not so much.  It's the same monotonous slog it was on the 51st time.  Now, if caves were the only way to acquire better blueprints and they were both more involved and dynamic; meaning, they were more difficult and a bigger part of the game, I'm with you.  Flying around the map going from drop to drop is, meh.