I can't believe that the "Chains of Eternity" tradeskill recipes wasn't suppose to have more? Saw the preview, and it really stinks, especially for carpenters. Just the 90-92 recipes books alone had over 77+, where the next 3 levels are only giving 26+ total? This is bad planning and is the biggest reason why I am very disappointed in this expansion, since not a lot of time was given to the tradeskillers to even add new cratfing quests or more furniture recipes or even more color options in armor. There is no excuse for the lack of it either when comparing to the last few levels of this tier. Where are the stairs people would actually have in a home, the see through windows, the counters with sinks and upper cabinets, bathroom fixtures, more variety in building blocks like logs, various lumbers in triangles and even more doors with frames would be nice. Would be nice to see more seasonal trees like for 'fall' like the ones added in Darklight Woods would be great or winter ones that are through out Velious added and more flower typr bushes. Are we only going to see this request's through sc because some player designed it? I sure hope that isn't only way. Why isn’t more appearance armor being add to armorers and tailors? Even jewelers can have some appearance jewelry recipes added in too. Give the armorers/tailors/jewelers something to sell after players outgrow MC armor.
Unfortunately you are right, CoE is what it is, and lacking in several areas. Let me preface by saying the job the Team has done with the resources they have are tremendous and appreciated, although the lacking in the expansion is not their fault but in the resources the game is allocated as a whole. CoE lacks in crafting as you cited, raiding (difficulty/longevity), as well as some classes prestige abilities still feeling not quite done (specifics are noted in beta boards). The art in the expansion is great, along with the storyline which I enjoyed. Different people will grade this expansion based on what matters to them. I so far give it a 7 out of 10 on what I have seen.
I would have to agree with rating of 7 too. The art work done for these zones is excellent but I have to wonder if he spent to much time that he didnt' have time to make more furniture because if I recall he is the one that does that too. I love his work and I only hope that it was an oversight because he got too busy doing the other art that thier will be make-up of some sorts because of it I hope.
I think crafting is taking more of a backseat in comparison to other areas of the game. It doesn't seem as if the company is alotting the amount of time on these crafting projects. There is not just a "tradeskill dev" anymore as they are pulled into other areas of the game too. I don't blame the devs for the work they do, I blame the company for being cheap and not hiring more staff to cover all bases properly. It'll catch up in the long run when the player base who are here for crafting find another game that actually cares. Granted, it's a smaller player base than raiders and adventurers, but I'm willing to bet it's us "silly decorators" and other tradeskillers who spend the most cash in their precious SC store on fluff items.
I was disappointed, too. I love the AA changes and prestige abilities for crafters so I give high praise for those changes. But where is the content for crafters? There are no crafter quests, no writs/rush orders, very few recipes for house items (and some that were on beta have since vanished from the recipe books with no explanation), no crafter factions, and essentially nothing for crafters to do except grind a handful of last tier's writs/rush orders to 95. It was a very sad beta experience for me. Even more so than the Skyshrine game update was and I thought that was hugely disappointing as a crafter. At least the Skyshrine GU had a very small tradeskill quest line. Very little was better than none.
It's all about the money ppl... SOE just wants you to rush your a** to 90 so you'll buy it. They really don't care if you are disappointed in the crafting or anything else lol. Subs are dive bombing and they need money for nothing. Fluff items and bs.
I agree that the attention to crating AAs is very nice and I couldn't be happier about finally having mass production. But, the lack of a tradeskill questline for content was really disappointing : / I sincerely hope that tradeskills in general see a bit more love now that this expansion push is over and they leave our poor dev alone to just concentrate on this area for a while.
Recipes |= Content, it's true. We did get some very nice new mechanics, however. I for one am probably going to spend a lot of time on Experimentation, it appeals to the olde-schoole crafter in me. I'd still rather have content than "features," but I don't feel like we were forgotten this time. While I was muttering to myself the we didn't get any writs, it occurs to me that adventurers didn't either.
That's correct. Adventurers haven't had writs either, since the cap went up. I've heard crafters will eventually get their writs. I assume the same will happen for adventurers.
True, but the adventurers can use the quests to level. We crafters don't even have that. We have past writs and the past questlines (if not yet done). Meh, I'm being grouchy, I know...I'm just very disappointed in this. The lack of even a meager questline. It's as if it's a sudden drop back to old school from launch...no quests, fight for your advanced books on the broker or try to set up trade/barter, and general "red-headed stepchild" treatment. Okay, a bit harsh, but how I feel.
There was a whole thread in the old forums asking for new recipes to not be introduced with a quest line. The whole thread boiled down to a "we don't want to be forced to do quests" request and I believe the dev's listened. What I think we'd like to see is a set of repeatable quests that are "fun" to do. Some delivery quests, maybe a mystery dinner quest (like clue, except your asked to buy dishes for a romantic dinner from various vendors for a picky suitor), a harvesting quest, and a few restocking quests that work like writs. All of this could be done in the main cities so you actually have people using these zones on a regular basis. Or on the isle of Mara so you don't double the work needed to produce the quests. Heck, put the new quests in Thurgadin since that zone is a ghost town anyways. (and add a crafter reward that is a call to thurgadin).
I actually enjoy the questlines. But I do not think they should be the exclusive way to get a recipe book.
I utterly missed that. I'd have voted for questlines. I like them, gives me a bit more of lore to the world. Like the Butcherblock ones, how they give a good nod to the adventuring quests. And the whole Thurgadin deal with the Blessed Prayer Shawl. And they'd not have to be forced to do the questline, the books did still drop in the world as usual, the lack of being forced to do a quest was still there. Kinda feels like things were voted on and we all got voted off the island. >_<
From what I remember, all of the advanced books could still be gained via adventuring from drops, or the broker. The faction and questlines were a means to gain them without having to put up with difficulties if you needed them right away such as for Scholars.
You are correct. That is, until the Withered Lands quests. Unless it changed over the weekend the level 91 and 92 books required you to do the GU63 tradeskill quests.
For what it's worth, I will still take this expansion's tradeskill content over apprentices plus recipes. The new Prestige skills actually have me very interested.
I admit that I like the questlines. I hate hunting the books in the wilds and trying to find the cheapest on the broker. I'm going to be spending a lot of time killing mobs beyond what I'd use for quests to supply my 12 crafters. I know some have far more than I do. Now if these also dropped in the solo instances (I have no idea how chests etc work there, never got to that point in beta), that would make things easier. Also having the advanced books drop in Withered Lands where there are L94 and L95 mobs, that would help as well. Maybe the dev(s) will take pity and make the drop rate high to the point they wind up cheap on the broker and make it easy to outfit crafters. Who knows. I'm just being grouchy...I need tea. >_<
