I've already mentioned design of fishing skill there - http://www.tomenet.eu/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=743 It wasn't really good cause of complexity of its design. I wanna propose my new idea about crafting.
Of course such system is a huge work to implement but we could start from basic - essential gathering skills:
1) Fishing
2) Mining
3) Woodcutting
Today I wake up and thought that crafting would be perfectly fit in TomeNet if we design it minimalistical. As you could know there are several ways to implement crafting skills in MMORPGs:
1) crafting skill level based at overall experience (so when you raise lvl you could put some points in crafting skill, but you sacrifice your combat skills for it)
2) crafting skill value based at skill use (when you use skill - you have % chance to gain it per 0.1 for example, so you need a lot of attempt to raise your skill)
3) my idea (didn't meet it in any MMORPG) - SIMPLEST to develop for TomeNet: no special crafting skills at all. Success of crafting attemp is based at area difficulty (10 zones, see picture below) and some other factors via simpe formula.
- crafting-zones.png (347.65 KiB) Viewed 308 times
So there wouldn't be any new skills for characters in-game (no need to change TomeNet skills system). Success of using crafting skill could be based only at area lvl: the furthest you got from 32-32 coordinate - you could get more interesting items (but also more chance to to summon powerful monster after attempt - risk VS reward concept) - really simple formula.
In future its possible to make it a bit more complex if we would add different types of instruments (its hard to get mithril with rusty pickaxe), race influence (elves good at woodcutting, dwarves at mining, people at fishing...) & etc. It would be quite simple formula still. No need to change character development system and game balance!
What exactly is needed to develop this system:
1) add several new items:
a) 3 instruments - fishing pole, woodcutter axe, pickaxe
b) some "decorative" items to sell them to NPC
c) add some fuctional items which is totally duplicate potions and scrolls effects (see explanation below)
I've already wrote an example (draft) list of all this items. Its below.
2) add a new option of using instruments near certain types of objects (fishing pole at water, axe near tree, pickaxe near). Blue, is it possible to add such condition in TomeNet? Its most hardest thing here as I see (with my newbiew programmer eye).
3) perform an action based at certain simple formula. Options of actions:
Fishing - use a fishing pole near water:
1) nothing changes (0.5% that your instrument could be broken)
2) generate a fish in inventory. Fish works as healing-type potions like cure, restore abilities & etc, no need to reinvent the wheel! Eat fish - gain result.
3) low chance to get a special item. Generate in inventory a random item - shoes, rubbish... super rare could be magical rings
4) summon monster (aquatic), sometimes even several of them. People cant just go fishing and afk. Crafting is dangerous in TomeNet
Mining - use a pickaxe near mountain or rock:
1) you got nothing (or your instrument could be broken)
2) you got an ore. There are several types of ore. For a mining there could be special feature - not generate item, but just add to you purse an equivalent of ore which you found as silver (as when you dig a vein in dungeon)
3) low chance to get you got special items - magical gems which could work as potions (except healing-type - they are for fishing)... again no need to reinvent the wheel - just use potions mechanic and there would be any harm to TomeNets' game balance)
4) you got monster! orcs and goblins, elementals & etc. Don't dig afk, my friend
Woodcutting - use a axe at tree
1) you got nothing (or your instrument could be broken)
2) wood (different types). As wood can't be added to a purse as ore, you have sell it to NPC. Elven wood could cost a lot
3) low chance to get special items - bark, sap & etc. They acts the same as magical scrolls)
4) summon forest monsters.
Сatch for fishing (names of fishs could be changed to real ones like perch, roach, eel & etc):
Name / effect of potion / where to catch
1) Lake fish / works as food ration (rare as lembas?) / catched at 32 32 - zone 1
2) River fish / cure light wounds / zone 2
3) Deepwater fish / Cure Serious Wounds / zone 3
4) Sea fish / Cure Critical Wounds / zone 4
5) Jellyfish / Restore Life Levels / zone 5
6) Ocean fish / Curing / zone 6
7) Octopus / Healing / zone 7
8) Ancient fish / acts as Sprig of Athelas / zone 8
9) Dark fish / *Healing* / zone 9
10) Magma fish / Life / zone 10
// note that catch a fish - its not simple thing to do. When you fishing in high-end location - you could catch fishes from previous locations, so ancient fish and higher-tier fish is very rare. Its general rule of all crafting system: you get items from previous locations: in zone 10 you get items from zone 1 sometimes. Also at high-end location its a big risk of summoning pack of dangerous aquatic monsters while fishing. Although zones close to Bree quite safe though (rarely you could catch not really dangerous monster).
Special fishing items which you could rarely catch are based at player lvl. It could be:
1) rubbish - you can throw it away or sell for 10-20 g to General store (good help for a new players)
2) random boots
3) pearls, corals & other decorative staff to sell it to NPC
4) common (non-magical) rings and amulets which you could sell for a good price
5) very rare - resources and reagents from other professions (mining and woodcutting).
6) super rare - magical rings..
Ore from Mining. Name / how much silver / where to get:
1) Iron / 3-5g / could be found at 32 32 - zone 1
2) Bronze / 5-8 / zone 2
3) Copper / 8-12 / zone 3
4) Aluminium / 12-15 / zone 4
5) Silver / 15-20 / zone 5
6) Gold / 20-30 / zone 6
7) Pyrite / 30-45 / zone 7
8) Titanium / 45-70 / zone 8
9) Mithril / 70-100 / zone 9
10) Adamantite / 100-150 / zone 10
// I think it would be interesting to have different style and amount of income for each skill. Mining skill very often has high success of receive some ore, but this ore do not cost so much in compare to fish and wood. So for mining you could stay near the same rock and dig it for a long time, have slow, but guarantee income.. No need to go to town to sell ore to NPC (as I wrote before - its could be made as mechanics of digging veins, when you get silver equivalent of metal). Of course its always a danger to wake up a monster.. Even a Barlog if you are digging for adamantite ore
Special mining items - gems - which you could rarely get. They are has equal to certain potions effects.
Name / effect of potion / where to get:
1) Amber / Heroism / catched at 32 32 - zone 1
2) Citrine / Berserk Strength / zone 2
3) Tourmaline / Enlightenment / zone 3
4) Moonstone / *Enlightenment* / zone 4
5) Malachite / Resistance / zone 5
6) Ruby / Speed / zone 6
7) Amethyst / Invulnerability / zone 7
8) Sapphire / Augmentation / zone 8
9) Emerald / Experience / zone 9
10) Diamond / Learning / zone 10
// Finding a gem - is very rare event. Much rarer then catch a boots when you fish
But its quite rewarding, as you see. It could be protected from harrasment by adding very good chance to summon monster If you found high-end gem. Then you have choice - try to run with your finding or stay and fight.Items for Woodcutting. Name / how much silver would you get for selling it / where to get:
1) Normal wood / 50 / catched at 32 32 - zone 1
2) Oak / 70 / zone 2
3) Ash / 100 / zone 3
4) Yew / 150 / zone 4
5) Willow / 200 / zone 5
6) Willow / 250 / zone 6
7) Maple / 300 / zone 7
8) Walnut / 400 / zone 8
9) Mallorn / 700 / zone 9
10) White Tree / 1500 / zone 10
// As you see, woodcutting has different gameplay from Mining. You have to collect wood and bring it to vendor. Its heavy. But it cost much more then ore per attempt. And of course all this numbers needs to be rearranged, its very approximate values.
Special woodcutting items which you could rarely get. This items could be used as scrolls.
Name / effect of scroll / where to get:
1) Glittering shavings / Identify / catched at 32 32 - zone 1
2) Glowing bark / Word of Recall / zone 2
3) Magical fungi / Wilderness Mapping / zone 3
4) Fresh amber / Remove Curse / zone 4
5) Luminescent bark / Holy Prayer / zone 5
6) Snarling branch / Enchant (random?) / zone 6
7) Snakesprout / *Enchant* / zone 7
8) Mandragora / *Remove Curse* / zone 8
9) Crystal shards / Acquirement / zone 9
10) Fire seeds / *Acquirement* / zone 10
====================================
1) Also it would be interesting to implement in future crafting quests. You get a quest from different NPC to bring him certain amount of resources and he reward you with a deed. For example:
Ja-Far the Alchemist (sells potions and scrolls in Bree) asks player to gather 5 amber.
Luar-El the comely (sells General Items) asks to bring him wood 20 oak wood.
& etc - it would be cool and interesting quest system based at NPC in shops (mayor also of couse
2) Of course this system could be made more complex and interesting in future. We could add some special zones with very special resources. In some zones there could be more chance to find certain resources.
Conclusion:
No need to create something extreamely complex at once. Lets start from simple algorithm which would generate certain items with certain probability at certain conition via standart fuctional.
Example of algorithm:
Player push "m" key (select skill standart fuctional)
Player push "e" (choose "crafting" section of skills)
Player push "a" (choose "fishing").
Then it checks if you got a fishing pole, if you have - its checks is there water around. If its true - you have to wait 5 second and get or do not get a new item in your inventory
There could be -1 stamina for using fishing.For a beginning and tests it could be made only for a zone near Bree. Lets it would be fishing (or any other skills) with very limited functional - it still would be fun to have something to do exept killing staff
Also more options for role-playing!