You get it!

Keep in mind that, even in Trek, there are SOME things you can't replicate.

Latinum
Gold
Dilithium
Antimatter

and so on. Some rare or dificult to get items still have value, or the Ferengi would have been out of business (literally) a LONG time ago.

I think the things we currently pick up by scanning anomalies, etc, could be worked into a crafting system (Since a lot of it is actually just "data" even though it still takes up space in our inventory)

I think Customized Kits would be fun...build your OWN combination of skills from your specialty, or use up extra materials and space in the kit template for some abilities OUTSIDE your skill area.

Since you already have the "upgrading" feature at Memory Alpha. Why not implement some sort of Augment feature? You can take your ship weapons or ground armor along with data samples you collect and maybe even some other odds and ends(that they can add in the game). Then with the materials you would add bonus stats on your current gear to increase weapon damage/effects or improve healing on your kits. Just an idea I'm tossing out there some might like it some might not. I think it would add more of a player progression sense and keep people playing to get that little edge on other people.

The problems I've had with crafting in other games boil down to it becomes the only way to get the best equipment. If it doesn't, then the crafters complain that nobody wants their stuff because they can get better items by looting, which is a real problem for games where crafting becomes a separate class (such as SWG).

So, either everyone can craft what they need, in which case you are cutting out player interdependency in favor of expanding content for everyone, or you are restricting crafting to a particular class, in which case you promote interdependency at the expense of broad content.

The other problem with crafting in MMOs is that it inevitably leads to debates regarding decay. A crafter only gets so much business if he can sell an item once to another player. Once a player has the best equipment, he doesn't go back to a crafter without a reason. Potential solutions are the periodic release of new and improved equipment to craft, the development of consumables, or decay. Each of these options has a drawback.

If you keep releasing new, craftable, better gear, then players have to keep replacing all their gear simply to keep up, and eventually they come to resent that. Furthermore, eventually you exhaust the pool of new things to make.

If you go the route of making consumable buffs, then eventually the content has to take that into consideration. That in effect establishes a barrier to participating in any new content. Without the buff, you can't do it.

If you go the decay route, then you open a whole can of worms between the class of players that want a sandbox game, and the class of players that want an adventure based MMO.

I'd love to see a game that balances all that out against the adventure aspect. Crafting is really engaging for some, but I'm just not into it.

Earth and Beyond had a decent crafting system that was based on reverse engineering ... the standard stuff you would find could be ripped apart and if you where successful you could create improved components that would make the item better overall. It also attached the crafters name so you got credit. you could only rip apart regular items not blues or greens. if you limited what could be crafted (like you can only specialize weapons, shields or engines) then this could be really good and even drive the exchange.


Just a thought.

Just picking out this one thing in the event that Cryptic does do a traditionalist crafting system--have you played a game where you had to schlep everything all over creation? It was a total nightmare of not-fun in EVE.

Oh, neat, I had fun mining and chatting with people, fighting the odd player or NPC pirate for 3 hours one evening. Let's see, I got 175,000 units of Unobtainium for my share of the trouble in the starbase in Sector 245. Where can I sell it for the best return nearby? Let's see, Sector 251 has a good rate. The best close by!

You load up your cargo ship. Which can carry only 20,000 units. It takes you 15 minutes each direction.

*insert phaser in mouth*

OP,

Cool idea. Should have been integrated into the skill system though IMO. And plenty of 'crafting' occurs in ST. There are miners, farmers, merchants, etc, etc all over ST.

I think you should be able to buy base materials from various merchants, be required to have certain skills to use those base materials, and then be able to make stuff.

All the "crafting" I can recall from TNG and DS9 and even Enterprise has been of 2 types:

1) "Tuning" the item you specialize in. Be it better Warp fields, or a reconfigure of a warhead to improve on the design. I'd consider a crafting system that ran separately from level, and simply allowed each player type to "tune" a set of devices, weapons, systems, consoles to become better. Similar to Memory Alpha, but with more focus, and an ability to do it on board

2) repurposing found, borrowed, or loaned technology. Be it a new torpedo system that wasn't meant to work with Federation gear or a loaned or salvaged cloaking device. This type of jury rigging runs through the more recent series and is as important to maintaining the right "feel" for a Star Trek game.

Anything else? Doesn't feel much like Star Trek.

Other than Quark or Mudd, there really weren't many "Uncle Owen" types in Trek.

I agree with the OP. My thoughts on the matter were thus:

I like the anomaly nodes we scan already. Instead of having a barter system make it so that we input them into the computer and it updates a research database. The more of a certain item you plug in, the more data that is unlocked. This in turn would allow you to refine weaponry, gear and perhaps even skills.

Something like that... Im trying to tie it into the research crafting that Homeworld 1 and 2 had. Anyone ever played that? Youre a race of people that left their planet after gaining thier freedom and travel across the galaxy to their origin... during the journey you have to upgrade your motherships computers and ships and weaponry through researching tech. It was really alot of fun.

Any more depth in the crafting would be more than welcome.

Personally, I'd like to see reverse engineering for ship components.