Criticise the game you're playing right now!

[Loony BoB]

I do recall feeling like crafting was demoralisingly bad in FFXI when I played it in 2008. I feel like it involved just repeatedly trying to craft stuff and hoping it works (RNG)? Is that right?

[Wolf Kanno]

I do recall feeling like crafting was demoralisingly bad in FFXI when I played it in 2008. I feel like it involved just repeatedly trying to craft stuff and hoping it works (RNG)? Is that right?

Essentially yes. There is a an RNG factor but the higher your skill level with that particular craft, the more likely you will succeed. The issue is that it takes forever to level the skills. We're talking like a 0.1 increases maybe every other attempt if you try. The other issue is that failure always results in one of more materials being destroyed, so now you're also dealing with the inventory system if you want to level and while some crafts can be easy like say smithing and woodworking, which both require two materials at most with one being a crystal, stuff like alchemy and leatherwork require three to four materials just to make basic stuff that is needed for other crafts. Heaven help you if an item requires two or more craft skills to make.

Also, you can't craft materials outside of your skill range, so even if you wanted to just test RNG and try to make some high level item, the game flat out won't let you. There is also an advanced crafting system called Synergy that involves an NPC group and I believe other players to actually do, but I am not even there. I've been playing for two months now and I don't think I have a single crafting skill above lv. 4 at this point. I will remind people that the guilds don't start really recognizing you as a member until after you reach lv. 10. I've got two jobs close to the game's original soft cap at this point and I'm at the midpoint of the base game campaign. I feel like I should at least be lv. 10 by this point in a few of the crafts, but I'm barely anywhere with any of them.

[Loony BoB]

Ah, yep, that's the system I played too then. Pretty hard to make a crafting system I won't enjoy but FFXI managed it!