One really odd crafting and harvesting system I liked was, believe it or not, Free Realms. The crafting consisted  of mini Tetris and Gems like games. I would like to see such a system added on to one of those watch the bars slowly progress systems found in VG ,SWG or EQ2.

Should be:

1. SWG

2. EVE

3. Vanguard

rest

Haven't played all those games but I can't possibly see how any of those have a better crafting system then Wurm Online. Not only does Wurm Online actually let people discover new things by combining different items, the entire world is player built.

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Originally posted by Larsa

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Originally posted by Tukieu13
4 out of the 7 were SOE titles.

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Nice observation. I reckon the author has a Sony Station pass. :) The only non-SOE titles on the list are Eve, Darkfall and Fallen Earth.
I also reckon the author never played any of the older or more Indie titles like Wurm, Ryzom, Horizons or Tale in the Desert.

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I think you hit the nail right on the head there.

Originally posted by Lanfea

defently missing: ryzom and istaria

I would have to agree with you and I would put Istaria Horizons in third or fourth place because it was one of the first to involve team/group crafting and as it's free to play people should go look at it and see what I mean. Was very poor graphicly but that's not what makes a game it's the mechanics and thats' why it was very good.

Vanguard crafting was very intense and a whole game on it's own which I liked personally, but I can see how it would bore the pants off many others.

EQI + II bit of the same imo they just got II deeper with lots more recipes, but it did make people get involved and you would have to either by the bits you needed of group/guild  help to get the rare stuff.

SWR well what can you say about this, it did what it said on the can and you could pretty much do what ever you wanted and make pot loads of money, but I was never a fan of SWG so I never bothered after testing it.

There are far more crafting systems out there which should of got a mention and some that should not of got in this at all imo. It would of been better to do all of them in a top 100 and post the good and bad of all of them and that would of been a better debate imo.

Originally posted by Deerhunter71

I started LOL when I saw Darkfall on the list....  It is dull as hell and even the active players gripe how plain and boring it is...

Its a site requirement that darkfall make every list unless its a list for a negative.

Havent tried any of the systems people think are more deserving like ryzom,atitd,istid so cant comment on those. If the list is based off crafting systems that produce worthwhile items, no arguments here. If however its based on fun, engaging systems, then ummm no.

A solid list, FE is the most modern release in the list. Crafting is not a MMO design priority, has not been for years. I cannot see how it can do anything but decline further, a real shame.

I don't understand how EvE made it on this list about crafting systems. In EvE you just buy a plan, create a copy of it, take more or less raw materials and more or less time to create the same item every else does who owns the same plan you just bought. So no player creativity involved.

Integration into economy is good though.

Ryzom should have been high on that list. Not only do the overall level of final stats depend on the quality of the ingredients but each ingredient modifies particular stats. What it lacks is craftable components that are ingredients for items from other craft skills.

Most crafting systems, even some of those mentioned in this article use preset recipes. Sometimes they throw in a mini-game or add vanity items you can craft.

Roma Victor should get a posthumous mention.

FFXIV has a high degree of crafting skill dependencies, forcing either cooperation with players or extreme dedication.

Aaah,this list DEFINETELY lacks Ryzom and Tale in the Desert IV!

I like FE's crafting since you had to create every component to make something plus it forced you to wait on something so you had to plan ahead. Another that should have been on the list was LOTRO since you had to create components also along with having a chance to proc for a better version of an item. It made the crafting system more entertaining for the most part for that to happen.

I had a huge wall of text breaking down all the beautiful synergy of SWG. But you all know it already. BEST crafting/economy system ever made in an mmorpg. Period.

Anarchy Online would deffiniately be on my list as well.

Pretty crappy article. Too little info about the systems themselves and it's lacking several games with great crafting. The one that springs to mind is Mortal Online. That game has a recipe-free system where you make the items completely the way you want them. For example, when making a bow you choose the size of it, the shape and whether it's made of a composite material or fully fom one material. Then you choose the different materials and how much you want to use. It's a system where it's not simply about getting the best recipe, but you can actually come up with some great things on you own. It feels like you're actually learning a craft compared to a generic MMO. You can also get famous for being a crafter, and some people choose to play as just a crafter and can make a lot of money on it, since people know they can make weapons that are just slightly better than everybody else's.

LotRO's crafting is pretty simplistic, so is WoW's for sure. However, I feel very much that if you put FE in the list, you should include LotRO and WoW. FE's is not terribly complex, and its overall mechanics for crafting and resource gathering are pretty much the same.

I didn't really like any of the three crafting systems above. To me the best games for crafting, outside of ATitD, are SWG by far, EvE's, DAoC's (from the standpoint of being able to customize gear) and EQ2's. For me the criteria of a good crafting system is of course whether it's acceptably fun, if the crafter gets a decent reward from spending time and ingame money to improve his craft (in other words whether he matters in the economy), and if crafters are seen as valuable to and by the community. UO's was fun but not terribly complex.

Well, I guess NGE SWG is not quite as good now for crafters as it once was because a lot of the social aspects are gone, mainly because there don't seem to be a lot of people left in the game (I'm trying out the trial). If there was more of a population and people guilded up again, it would pretty much be the same as it always was, but only if SoE added back item degeneration, which I think is needed for high-end gear and high level players.

Originally posted by Tukieu13

4 out of the 7 were SOE titles.

 

Huh...I was kinda expecting to see DCUO slipped in there too ;)

Will we see complex crafting systems in the future?

I think not for the simple reason that sand box seems to be on the out becuase no one wants to spend the money and effort it takes to maintain that type of sytem.

Is crafing in the NGE version of SWG borked in comparision?

Not really and only issues outstanding is decay and the lack of opportunity that creates for new crafters.  What really drove the SWG economy was the that gear wore out and had to be replaced on a regular basis.  This created constant opportunity for new crafters and demand for resources.  This decay was removed with the NGE due to the great whine of the general public that did not want to have to replace their gear.

About time people started looking in the mirror when they want to only blame SOE for the NGE.

Sorry, but that article sucks. I thought I'd learn something about the crafting systems of the games there, but I don't. The article just says about each system "it's good and you can craft many things". Why mention all that without even roughly explaining how those systems work? Pfff... That's like reviewing the best MMORPGs and simply saying about about everything "it's good and you can kill many monsters". Oh yeah, I'd have never known that without that article.

Originally posted by Gismoland

You Missed one the Best Craft Systems.. HORIZONS.. Empires of Istaria.. No other Craft System can Compare to that MMO..  http://www.istaria.com/ ... it's too bad they Nerfed the Whole Combat System..

1. Craft the House & LandScape around you..

2. The Fact you could change the Empire with your Crafting..

3. Effectiveness of this system hauled in 1000's of Craft Addicts..

 Until a week ago I would have agreed with you to the end of the earth. Horizon's has always been in my mind the absolute best MMO for crafting. But then I actually got into the game I have been watching for the past couple of years and hoping on, Xsyon. It really is the next step up from Horizon's. If you enjoyed crafting/building in Hz, I highly recommend you look up Xsyon. This game lets your craft and effect EVERYTHING including landscaping the world itself.

I've played almost every game on this blogs list, and some of them are pretty good crafting systems - FE is pretty sweet, the ships in DF too. I honestly dont know why the author didnt include UO in the list, perhaps too dated maybe? It had an excellent system as well. Oh well, another MMORPG blog that misses all but the most popular because they aren't as popular.

Agreed with the previous posts about ATITD, WURM and Ryzom. They should all be on this list.  It's likely they were left off because they are not top-rated games with mid-high end graphics, which is sad. It's also sad, that the best games out there MMO wise, that have crafting are NOT top-end games. Personally, I would love to see if a game has crafting (it should be on the MMO LIST as a tag) as I could care less if it's got PvP or not.  I just want to craft and merchant my items. :)