278 réponses à ce sujet

[AbsoluteApril]

if we can break down items, I'd like to know what it's going to break down into beforehand so I can determine if the better value is to sell it. (playing FFXIII right now - dismantle a high level item only to get one low level resource - doesn't make any sense)

[Lordfitzer]

I thought DA2's system was great for potions and poisons, being able to find the plants and stuff, I wasn't that gone on the whole rune side of though, I didn't use runes that often.

A great example of an equipment crafting system is Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning's smithing and sagecraft. You had compulsory and optional compotents that you could use in a wide variety of weapons and armours.

Something like this for Dragon Age, with some epic top tier/endgame components, would be great. Being able to salvage weapons and armour you find and then craft your own awesome gear is always fun, but I do think stats and appearance should be left seperate for the player to decide, or else let the player adorn their armour and weapons post-creation.

I also think that a bit of randomness, like the chance for similar compotents or compotents salvaged from unique and rare weapons to create some awesome legendary weapons, would be really, really cool.

Modifié par Lordfitzer, 27 août 2012 - 11:52 .

[Sibuya Sempai]

Jessica Merizan wrote...

The ability to tailor the way an item works (stats)
The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual)
The ability to upgrade an item (runes)
...
Limits on what you can craft based on skill
Limits on what you can craft based on class

"The Winter Forge" mod for DAO handles this pretty good.
Carefully crafting weapons or armor, only to find "ooh shiny" around the next corner and have to throw it away feels like a frustrating waste, so having the option to simply upgrade (stat restricted materials) what we've got is always welcome.

Looks are almost as important as performance, but I look for flexibility and role-based-usage in crafting if I can get it. For example, if I have a mage I may want to equip a longsword. While the longsword has the same physical look, the same visual heft, the mage isn't using it specifically to lop off heads like a warrior would but as a focus for spells (similar to staves). I remember outfitting a 2H warrior in Oblivion with clothes instead of armor (albeit mildly ugly clothes) to increase evasion rather than damage absorption, and had fun with that. Coming back to the point, lots of visual options are great, but should still fit the character role somehow.

As for runecrafting, DAA had some intersting ideas but the interface wasn't as effective as it could be. Some kind of branching tree interface, logically organized, could help it out. Also, systems that tell you what you can do with the materials you have (or what you're missing) rather than having to figure it out on our own (and shuttling back and forth between the crafting and shop screens) tend to work a little better.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
Collecting lots of things to use in crafting
Randomizing the process (so you aren't guarenteed to always craft exactly the same thing; stats/visual variable etc)
The ability to buy crafting materials
No crafting materials

Crafting materials are a curious thing. KoA:Reckoning's and similar crafting systems rely on salvage, but can be stored in a separate "backpack" which doesn't use up otherwise valuable carrying space. Buying crafting materials sounds good at first, but relies on amassing gold, in which case you're again carrying heavy salvage even when just starting out. Diablo III provides materials based on the difficulty level rather than character level, which means you won't get the weapon or armor you want to make now, until you've reached a similar point on a subsequent run through; in which case the equipment is no longer as strong or pretty as what you can get off a random drop. DAO and DA2 seem to have merit, but returning to a specific area to collect materials is tedious, and ordering from home is (though convenient) awkward.

Better crafting material experiences would seem to be: be able to salvage some, collect others (as appropriate); once a source (ore/flora) has been found, we shouldn't have to travel through vast empty landscapes just to gather more; provide storage separate for known crafting materials (perhaps a vault near the forge, if not in the backpack; accessed when you craft without having to use a separate interface); collected materials should be level/skill appropriate; place crafting controls in a logical place (e.g. asking Sandal for enchantment!).

Animations for forging are nice, but should either be appropriate or left at the wayside. I see the same mallet pounding a hot metal ingot in Skyrim whether I'm making Massive armor, or leather gloves. Something as simple as the player lifting and inspecting the finished product (not much unlike Sims 3 clothing) could be more satisfying. Shepard's armor interface in ME2/ME3 provides a good preview, but since (s)he is an unmoving doll throughout the process... there's a slight tinge of oddness to it. I would think perhaps, look at the crafted item (if equipment) when crafting, and the character inspecting / fitting once crafted.

"No materials," "wealth centered," and "open effect" crafting each potentially unbalance the game (in different ways) to the point of losing interest. While I do like to make specific changes to equipment to fit the character, like "the Key" in DA:Legacy, being able to make a "gauntlet of kill everything with one punch" goes just a bit too far.

Well.. that's all I can think of at the moment anyways. 

[Zack_Nero]

While the DA:O had more of a variety craft based on skill, I would like to see it based on class. Example, warriors can only craft weapons and armors. Rouges can only craft poisons and potions. Mages can only craft runes, enchantments, and staffs. class based just seems more diverse to me.

Modifié par Zack_Nero, 28 août 2012 - 12:07 .

[reaver killer]

being able to craft weapons ,armor,runes & ect would be good.
being able to upgrade weapons armor,rune & accessories.choose how the look & there stats.
being able to improve your skill would be good too.

[Alodar]

I have really enjoyed crafting systems that allow me to change the colour of existing items -- whether through dye or tint. It allows me a level of personalization for my characters that is otherwise missing.

I like crafting systems that allow me to upgrade my weapon. From a role playing perspective I like the idea of a family weapon, or a weapon designed especially for me that I can upgrade as the game progresses. I'm not a big fan of throwing away your father's sword because you found one that does +2 more damage.

SWTOR is the first serious crafting I've ever done in a game and I really like being able to send companions to gather materials. Harvesting nodes is fine too but it's nice to have the option.

Another aspect of the crafting I really enjoy in SWTOR is different characters being able to send items to one another. I have four characters currently crafting for the character I am playing and he has amazing equipment. It's a nice reward for those who are really into the game.



Alodar

[Zjarcal]

Sibuya Sempai wrote...

Jessica Merizan wrote...

The ability to tailor the way an item works (stats)
The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual)
The ability to upgrade an item (runes)
...
Limits on what you can craft based on skill
Limits on what you can craft based on class

"The Winter Forge" mod for DAO handles this pretty good.

A built in "Winter Forge" like crafting system would really cover any crafting desires I've ever need. I just loved being able to make that pretty armor I loved that had stats I didn't need, become useful to me by giving it the stats from other armor sets, or just being able to customize the stats.

As for the most important stuff, the ability to alter stats would certainly take the top spot, with the ability to alter visuals taking the second one.

[WhiteKnyght]

Being able to smith your own weapons and armor and stylize them sounds fun. It'd also be neat for different classes to be able to create different effects for weapons.

Examples

Mages - Can summon fade spirits/or demons and house them inside of the weapon to draw on their powers(with a boost or penalty on the type of spirit) for different effects.

Warrior - Will be able to automatically adjust the stats to best suit his build.

Rogue - Will be able to make lighter weapons with less of the required materials than normal.

Also having weapons and armors that wear down and break after continued use if you do not repair them adds to the realism of the game.

As for the actual crafting.

Being able to customize the weapons themselves with different grips, hilts, guards, blades, colors, etc would also be fun to have. You could buy or find designs for pieces and make your own custom weapon. Also for fun, you could make lookalikes of weapons from other series' as easter eggs(kinda like how you could create Kos-Mos in SoulCalibur 3's character creator.) Some fun examples would be the Sword of Omens from Thundercats, the Master Sword from Legend of Zelda, Zangetsu/TensaZangetsu from Bleach.

Same with armor. you could mix and match cuirasses, pauldrons, gauntlets, greaves, but unify the pattern so it doesn't look like such a disgusting mix and match like it did in origins.

As for runes, how about take what the tranquil at ostagar said. The more powerful the enchantment, the higher the price. Well, more like conversely, the more money/resources you spend, the more powerful the weapon can be.

Also have an in game screenshot feature(which saves to the hd/memory device) so we can show our creations off to others. (Note: This feature would be invaluably convenient in many other ways as well.)

[MissA-Black]

I must confess I rarely used the crafting/runes system during both DAO and DAII. Awakening was different, because I actually found interesting the quests Wade gave you to obtain legendary stuff, like the sword, Vigilance, but the downside was that some of the materials required had to be acquired back in Origins, or from other DLC's (if I'm mistaken, please correct me).

Having said that, I prefered the way the runes looked like in Origins and how their effects were visible on the weapons they were equipped to.

[The Night Haunter]

I prefer Origins 'crafting' i.e. Vigilance and Starfang (and the bow and shield). I liked that they were the best weapons in the game, but required some effort (for vigilance at least) to get, and it was only one item. I also like Skyrim's crafting, but I dont think that would work for DA.

In terms of nonwep crafting I like DAO's noncombat skills.

[Ms .45]

"Remember, this is to call out the BEST things that you've seen in crafting systems or how you enjoy engaging with this feature."

I did read this, but I feel I have to say that I hate crafting and avoid it if possible. So I suppose the "best" things would be a simple system where you just drop in a rune or an upgrade to add a little bit of oomph to an already-good item with available slots.

Having said that, I did actually like the quests in Awakenings where Wade would make you something awesome if you brought him the right materials - it was a good combination of easy to find stuff with materials that you worked hard to get (the golem shell or dragonbone), to make something that was really high powered and customised.

I'd still rather win a great piece of kit in a really interesting boss battle than be forced to make it myself, though.

[WardenWade]

Jessica Merizan wrote...

 Hey everyone! 
It's time again for another Dragon Age Question of the Month! Apologies for the delay this month - we've just returned from Geek Girl Con and Gamescom, and getting ready to go to PAX and Dragon*Con. Eee!!! 

This time, we want to ask you about crafting! What are some of the best things you've seen in crafting systems before?

Some examples: 
The ability to tailor the way an item works (stats)
The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual)
The ability to upgrade an item (runes)
Collecting lots of things to use in crafting
Randomizing the process (so you aren't guarenteed to always craft exactly the same thing; stats/visual variable etc)
Limits on what you can craft based on skill
Limits on what you can craft based on class
The ability to buy crafting materials
No crafting materials
etc etc etc

Remember, this is to call out the BEST things that you've seen in crafting systems or how you enjoy engaging with this feature.

Toodle pip! Looking forward to you answers! As a reminder, this thread will be open until next Monday!

I should go.  

I like the idea of being able to tailor an item's stats and aesthetics, as well as being able to use runes once again.  I personally would prefer that runes be salvagable after removal, as well.  I enjoyed finding crafting items and also having some for sale if needed, as in DA:O.  Limiting what you can craft based on skill makes sense, but personally I like the idea that everyone regardless of class has a chance to craft what they want or need if they have the requisite skill (such as poison making or herbalism), and skill level, for it.  I personally like knowing what I can expect from a crafting recipe rather than having randomized results.

Regarding changing the looks of an item, would this include weapons and armor by chance, by way of another method to change out companion armor a la Origins and increase customization?

Thank you for the question, Jessica!

Modifié par WardenWade, 28 août 2012 - 01:34 .

[Sir Ulrich Von Lichenstien]

Zjarcal wrote...

Sibuya Sempai wrote...

Jessica Merizan wrote...

The ability to tailor the way an item works (stats)
The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual)
The ability to upgrade an item (runes)
...
Limits on what you can craft based on skill
Limits on what you can craft based on class

"The Winter Forge" mod for DAO handles this pretty good.

A built in "Winter Forge" like crafting system would really cover any crafting desires I've ever need. I just loved being able to make that pretty armor I loved that had stats I didn't need, become useful to me by giving it the stats from other armor sets, or just being able to customize the stats.

As for the most important stuff, the ability to alter stats would certainly take the top spot, with the ability to alter visuals taking the second one.

I agree, I loved "The Winter Forge" mod for DAO and as stated above, it covered a fair number of the points and the creator even went as far as creating codex for it too.

I consider most of the points as important in combination with one another, although I don't think there really should be a limit on what you can craft due to class although it makes sense for them to be able to make specific items better that are more related to their style of combat.

I would say I would prefer to be able to craft an item with the look I would prefer my character to be wearing matters most with how it works a close second, whilst being restricted by what can be crafted by the skill level of the crafter.

[Saedius Asicus]

Crafting should give a real sense of artisinal craft. First, you have to sacrifice for it (skill + material). Second, it should be something that you can't just purchase from the store or find on every third bandit (thus invalidating the first point). Third, you should be able to customize just about everything about it (without breaking the game of course). That may appear to be three things, but they all go back to that first sentence. It's more about the experience (think Skyrim without the grinding, or the Witcher 2's weapon and armor crafting) than about some gimmick feature (a la the book of potion delivery service from DA2, or the Witcher 2's potion crafting)

[artsangel]

The problem with crafting in a game like Dragon Age is that there is a limited amount of materials available - especially those that drop from enemies. Unlike Skyrim, enemies in Dragon Age don't respawn. Once you've killed everything in a level, they don't come back. You can't farm for ingredients, or afford to mess around with what you have, because it's not replenishable (and being forced to buy from stores just isn't fun).
This isn't really the sort of crafting I particularly enjoy, I'm afraid. Unless Dragon Age plans to move towards a more open world with constant monster spawns and regrowing plants etc? Of course that changes gameplay a lot, because it allows for xp grinding etc.

Generally speaking though... I really want to see the ability to craft armor and weapons with customisable appearance and especially colour

[The Six Path of Pain]

Wouldn't mind having control over the way weapons and\\or a piece of armor looks.Deciding the stats meh I'd rather you guys handle that,otherwise we'll all just have overpowered weapons.
Upgrades-Just use the system in Origins or something similar.Just don't make us have to destroy runes like in DA2 it's such a waste of money having to rebuy runes over and over again.Let us remove them as we see fit.
Crafting based on skill-YES!!!!!Make us have to work if we want to craft the best equipment.
P.S.Bring back skills in general,like pickpocketing,trap making,survival etc...Don't know why you got rid of them in the first place

[Augoeides]

I'm fine with going out and looking for the specific materials but not the extent of the White Knight Chronicles games where one has to grind out some of the items, and I'm not sure that would work in DA with its (so far) encounter limit.

Visual customization of weapons and armor is always nice, allowing one to get a character's aesthetics down pat, that said they have to look good. I think of Fable 3's weapon morphing and cringe at some of those options. Randomness that comes to my detriment as a player is never fun, particular when something should end up looking a certain way or having a certain stat at a certain level and doesn't rendering a whole lot of effort and time moot. I mean obviously there's the process of re-loading but I really do not want to spend hours trying to stop the RNG goddess from ****ting on me and my dream equipment.

Augments/runes are nice but should always be supplementary never utterly defining for a weapon.

I detest being restricted in what I can craft by class or worse skills, especially when getting those crafting skills comes at the expense of being able to use others. In this respect I came to dislike the crafting of NWN but liked Skyrim's Blacksmithing and Enchanting.

Gamebreaking equipment like in Skyrim or Kingdoms of Amalur is a sure way to kill the fun of combat for many.

[daddybassman]

I've always thought it would be cool that when you upgraded an item it looked like something was done to it. Nothing major, just a minor change to the look. Yes, get a stat upgrade but change something in the appearance as well. Like in DA2 where your companions could get armor upgrades, they listed what they were but you never saw anything different about their appearance. Skyrim does the same thing; all armor of a certain material always looks the same. Even if you use runes to enchant weapons or armor, show the runes. Make them stand out.

[Sidney]

Can we vote the best form of crafting is no crafting?

Crafting, among many things, sucks Skyrim into a world of boredom. You do uninteresting things to get resources (unless clicking on dead things and random plants gets you excited), travel past many load screens, and basically point n' click in a boring way to make something. Frankly all crafting games are the same. Gather resources, putz around a lousy inventory screen to manage this junk, then click on an item to make it. None of it involves skill or thought or anything that should be considered fun.

Customizing your character isn't about what they wear and what they use as a weapon. I'm sadly outnumbered on this front but don't waste time and effort letting me make my character look different instead spend those resources to let me play a role that makes my character meaningfully different in the plot and interactions.

At the very least spare those of us without the OCD compulsion to control the color of our underpants from having to participate in this aspect of the game by having found/looted weapons be as good as what you can craft or don't assume I'm gonna craft some uber-weapon when balancing the game.

[carbonickid]

As fun as crafting is, in an RPG it would make more since if crafting was based on a combination of skill, class and level. If you aren't at a level to craft and you want something specific you can always find the pieces and either pay for it or complete side quest(s) in exchange for specific items. The higher the skill/class/level requirement equals more tasks or harder tasks.

Another feature would be the ability to combine features and effects of items. Within this ability should be similar "requirements" as mentioned above.

Lastly, I don't know if "failing" should be a concrete thing. Perhaps there are times things work and perhaps there are times items have a completely random effect way stronger and more volatile or something comical you would not expect. This would help remove a lot of the boredom from crafting.

Just some thoughts

Modifié par carbonickid, 28 août 2012 - 03:01 .

[upsettingshorts]

Three words:

Star Wars Galaxies.

But that had a huge crafting system that also included:

- Prospecting (finding resources)
- Resource gathering (mining, typically)
- Prototyping (creating a blueprint that called for certain materials)
- Factories (using said blueprint and materials to create items)

Something like that is probably far too extensive to expect from a Dragon Age game, but a supplementary crafting ability would be nice. By that I mean, let's say I find a particular armor or weapon I like the look of, it would be nice if I could use crafting to scale that item's properties so it can match later versions. That way I could retain the look I like without having to sacrifice effectiveness.

So short version: For crafting, improving existing items is good. Especially if it means that given the right circumstances (skills, upgrades, materials) I can make a midgame armor as good as a late game armor.

[Asdara]

I like a system that makes sense with the world-scape and involves some player agency. I really like how Skyrim/Oblivion did the crafting and gathering - the one serious downside was inventory management though. The only way I can think to avoid that is to have a separate crafting inventory that is supremely well organized or make the item gathering much simpler, but that can become too simplistic, like what we saw in DA2 where you are basically just activating a resource, not actually amassing it.

Honestly, I didn't use the crafting system in DAO at all (or Awakenings) because there were too many inventory shifting requirements and hassle - get a flask, get a corrosive, get a concentrator, get the ingredients - craft 1 thing... it just never seemed worth the time and effort (this is especially true of players who play on casual with a focus on plot progression vs. challenge of combat modes).

I think, overall, I would lean towards crafting item appearance or functionality over crafting incidentals and consumables, unless that system became easier to access.

Actually, now that I think about it a little more - what would be cool is if there were runes that showed on the item they were applied to - like a pattern, maybe be able to have color based on elements, things like that?  Kinda a half formed idea there, but I sorta like it <_<

Modifié par Asdara, 28 août 2012 - 03:47 .

[Brockololly]

Any good crafting system IMO needs to be tied into the inventory system, the loot system, the game's economy, exploration and the game's menu system. All those things need to come together in the end to make the crafting system, whether its weapons, armor, potions or runes to feel like its worthwhile.

For me, I usually don't do much with game crafting systems. Skyrim was a massive exception however. I loved Skyrim's crafting system because it all felt completely integrated and connected with other systems in the world. It didn't feel like a tacked on element but totally connected to many other aspects of the game- like the inventory, loot, economy, exploration and menus.

With Skyrim, you have the giant open world that welcomes exploration and finding loot. So you can interact with just about everything. You can go out and kill a deer or a bear and it makes sense when you pick up a bear pelt and claws or maybe some deer meat or hide. Most importantly, you can do something with all of the loot- everything has a purpose. You can take that deer hide and take it to a rack to turn it into leather, which you can then use to create leather armor or as part of a dagger. Or you turn the leather into leather strips. In Skyrim you can go mine ore in a cave and turn it into a metal which you can then combine with the leather you got from the deer to make a weapon or armor. You can take the meat from the deer and cook it into a soup or use the claws from the bear to use in a potion recipe. Everything has a purpose and everything exists in a very natural manner within the context of the world which enhances the atmosphere of the world of Skyrim.  That is so ****ing key. You don't have junk loot or 5000 Blank Vellum scrolls clogging up your inventory because you don't know what they're for.

So crafting needs to feel integrated into the world like Skyrim. I hated DA2 where you just had a random shrub with glowing sparkles on it to signal it was important. Again, in Skyrim you can visually identify different things in the world without needing glowy sparkles and that helps the atmosphere of the world. I can interact with and kill that bear or mine that gold vein which looks like gold or collect mushroom that I can visually differentiate from another mushroom or plant. All that makes the world feel more authentic and less like a game. Or at the very least, spend a lot more time improving the menus and GUI used in actually crafting something and the inventory such that you can easily delineate what is what.

Thats another nice thing about Skyrim- you can look in detail at the various things you pick up. Its not just a bland nondescript icon; you can zoom in on the deer meat or mushroom you picked up. When I see that kind of detail at least, it makes me want to explore more and get more stuff- it makes me want to keep going with crafting because its visually rewarding and interesting.

Thats what I really enjoyed about Skyrim's crafting system- it basically takes it out of the menu system where its usually stuck in so many RPGs and presents it in a more tangible way in the actual game world. You have a clear path from catching a butterfly and using its wings to make some potion or collecting ore to make into metal which you make into a badass sword, which you can then name yourself. Thats another thing I loved about Skyrim- you can name your weapons and armor.

As far as other games besides Skyrim, I really enjoyed the questline in Awakening to create Vigilance. Crafting unique items that you can select the stats for is fun. In Origins, I would have loved to have been able to upgrade the Cousland Family sword for my human noble or the ring Morrigan gives your Warden if you romanced her. I like trying to keep items like that which would have a sentimental purpose for roleplaying reasons, but it would be nice if you could upgrade them to make them more useful in terms of gameplay. 

Visual upgrades are fun too as it adds another level of customization and personalization. As others have said, the Winter Forge mod for Origins was very nice in this regard.

I really enjoyed the alchemy system in the original The Witcher game too. You could create your potions, oils and bombs by gathering lots of various ingredients from the environment and either buying formulas or just talking to people who knew the formulas or just experimenting and making random mixtures with various ingredients.

I think somebody else mentioned Two Worlds 2 as well but they had a nice mechanic there where you could break down weapons or armor into their component parts which you could then use to buff your own armor/weapons based on your skills. Or if you had a multiple magical swords of a certain type, instead of just junking or selling them, you could combine them to make a stronger sword. Along those lines, in Skyrim you can break down and destroy weapons/armor to learn whatever enchantment is on that weapon/armor to use as an enchantment. Those sorts of things just give your loot more to do than just sell it for money or junk it. Again, it gives everything a purpose so whatever you're doing it always has a point. You basically eliminate junk loot.

And with a robust crafting/enchantment/rune/alchemy system, you can bring back and make non combat skills more relevant. Or give certain party members as experts or start with boosts in certain non combat skills- like having a ranger character good at survival which maybe makes it easier to spot various ingredients in the world or makes them more effective statistically; or a mage who is good at herbalism or a warrior type who maybe is also a good blacksmith.

So basically, look a lot at Skyrim, The Witcher, Two Worlds 2 and Origins+Awakening.

Jessica Merizan wrote...

The ability to tailor the way an item works (stats)
The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual)
The ability to upgrade an item (runes)
Collecting lots of things to use in crafting

Yes to all of the above. Especially collecting things since like Skyrim it can add to the atmosphere and consistency of the game world. Just accomodate it in such a way with a visually interesting and easy to use inventory screen and GUI. And make it so sorting through those little ingredients is easy and intuitive.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
Randomizing the process (so you aren't guarenteed to always craft exactly the same thing; stats/visual variable etc)

Meh...that doesn't sound that great. If I'm investing in a skill for crafting/alchemy I don't necessarily want random effects. Something like The Witcher is ok where if you're experimenting you can get unknown effects, but maybe like Skyrim where if you eat individual ingredients you discover their properties which then allows you to smartly use them in recipes and formulas.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
Limits on what you can craft based on skill

Sure, if you bring back non combat skills.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
Limits on what you can craft based on class

Hmmmm...maybe, if your party members can pick up the slack. I'd rather crafting be more skill based not class based.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
The ability to buy crafting materials

Definitely, although crafting should work synergistically in encouraging exploration out in the world too.

Jessica Merizan wrote...
No crafting materials

Not sure what you mean there...I'd prefer needing specific crafting materials in specific quantities to make a given item or potion.

[snfonseka]

The ability to tailor the way an item looks (visual) and Limits on what you can craft based on skill.

[Saberchic]

Crafting items and potions can either be fun or frustrating depending on the system.

For armor, I like to be able to tweak stats and visuals.
For instance, based off the runes that we can use in Dragon Age, I can add whatever bonus I like, and I think that works fine. That allows me to customize my stats to my playing style. What I would like to be able to add to this is adding the ability to alter how an item looks. Oftentimes, I will find a robe or leather with stats I like, but the color is horrendous, so I won't wear it. I could not tell you how many times I bought a new outfit in DA2 and found that it looked like the exact same thing I was already wearing. Boring! (Yes, I'm that shallow; it's why I don't wear helmets unless I can hide it. )

With ingredients like potions, I liked how it was handled in DA2 over DAO. That was good for me. As long as I found an ingredient source, I could make a potion. No more running around looking for more elfroot or spending my time raising money to buy 100+ elfroots or lyrium dust. Those things tended to take up space in my backpack, and I didn't like that.

As for items, I think since we never actually see them on our character, it doesn't matter if we can customize them visually or not. However, it would be nice to have a different amount of slots on an item that we could fill with an appropriate rune. For example, you would have a  level 3 ring that would have 1 stat + 1 empty slot for you to fill. As you get more powerful items, the slot amount wound raise, so a level 25 ring might have no stats but 3 open slots for customization (or 1 stat and 3 slots... whatever). You could impose limits like the kind of rune that can go in a slot, I guess, but I much prefer to leave it up to the player.

As for crafting skills, I'm not really a fan of creating a character and then having them have to pick a crafting rune skill or potion making skill. I always feel like those are wasted points. I hated rune crafting in DAA, so I always made sure I had the appropriate runes when I imported my wardens into that game. That left me free to buy new skills that I felt my character could use (like charisma or a new talent).

As for who would be able to do this... that depends. I like having to go to a specific merchant to buy a rune or have them make my armor. I'm okay with keeping these types of skills with the merchants we run into. But I can understand that some people would like to be able to do this themselves. If the DA team decides to go this route, I would suggest basing it off class. In other words, if I play a mage, I should not be cranking out heavy armor. Instead, I could maybe craft amulets and robes while a rogue could do leathers and belts, etc. 

At any rate, I hope this input helps. :happy: