Crafting is available. However, sadly it's not really crafting (as in, you have to actually focus and put effort in, in RL) ..but it's not a clickfest either.

Basically, if you have alot of cash in game that's all you need to progress. You stand in front of equipment and tell it how much to produce of a certain item, then you just watch the animations as it does so. You can also do crafting quests to skill up if you don't want to produce useable items, but want to gain experience.

The process is very boring and lackluster. I would say that the crafting part of the game is a serious disappointment for those of us that actually like to craft. It's not about skill at all, but rather more like...I need some dinner, let me set myself up to craft while I do that.  I can't say this continues at the high end of the game as I have not gotten that far yet, but I imagine it's the same throughout.

Harvesting is something everyone can do as they are out and about. The goods you harvest never move (they spawn in the same spots), though the rare of that type of item might show up instead.  You will need alot of harvested goods to create items. So if you arent into the "watch yourself craft" style, and don't mind harvesting, then grab them as you fight. They will sell well to those leveling crafting. Remember though, you have to level up your harvesting skill, so be sure and harvest regularly if you want to collect the higher end mats.

I can say that the items produced in crafting do have value and the merchanting side of the game is very active. Their auction house is horrible to use, but the Pshops do very well for sellilng the goods.

Originally posted by SwampRob

Just to offer another point of view; I never pvp.    Never.   I played Wow for four years, turned down challenges from others dozens of levels below mine, refused duels even from guildmates, etc.   

For me, I don't feel good about winning a fight with another player, and I certainly don't feel good about losing one.    And, while I'm not trying to sway anyone's opinion, to me, open world pvp'ing is the equivalent of online bullying.

For those that enjoy pvp, have fun.   Personally, I'd like to see at least one MMO where there was no form of PvP whatsoever.

In many ways I agree with you. I too do not appreciate PvP in it's current forms and think that your turn "bullying" is an exact fit. I have played some PvP over the years and generally find it more annoying, than entertaining.

So many games are geared towards PK and gankfests. These types of PvP are simply NOT fun. The people at the top of the heap are generally the only ones that have "fun" and in order to get to the top, you have to fight through the sludge for weeks getting pissed off and tossing things around the room in real life. Then you have to focus so hard to stay at the top, that you have no time to do anything else.

• What I hate about PvP is, losing gear...period. Losing gear that took ages to get or craft or whatever, is a serious turn off to me.  (read more below on my suggestion to fix this)
• What I don't mind about PvP is, capture the flag type of scenarios. However, many of them are no longer fun as they are more like a herd of cattle running from one end to the other rather than any strategy.
• What I like about PvP is, gaining titles and gear for accomplishments. NOT simply kills, but TYPES of kills that involve strategy to accomplish.  Can you imagine getting a piece of gear for being the top rated fireball tosser? Or maybe the best DoT healer?

I will not play a game that only has PvP. This is a gankfest waiting to happen. I will consider a game that has an "option" for PvP or arena type challenges. I will choose a game with PvP if my entertainment is in my control and I can decide what style of PvP I want to be involved with (if any).

Honestly, I don't care how many "kills" someone has against my realm. Even though the person may have truly worked hard, used strategy and been honorable...I don't see that. What I see is this person is likely a PK jerk. This is not the players fault, it's the developer for building games over the years that made us feel this way.

I would prefer to see what isnt so obvious, like...how many times they used a particular skill. That gives me the chance to use some strategy when I face off with him/her (useful for arena styles). Lets see, they tend to use fireball alot, ok...what is something I can use to defend myself etc.

Maybe PvP should be different each time you play, maybe only a random set of skills will be useable. Thereby giving everyone a handicap, forcing them to use their minds instead of just their guns/swords/fists. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying take away important skills, but rather, have skill pools. Each player can select which skills they want in the pools, those are the skills that may, or may not come up when involving themselves in PvP. It will be random. Can you imagine if you are a Mage and suddenly you only have direct damage spells to use and no DoT's? That would surely make life more interesting.

Don't take my gear. Not my PvE gear at least. If you want to have players drop gear, then give them PvP gear they switch to, that they earn and that...and ONLY that, can be taken from them.

 In general, this is my play time, my entertainment. Choices belong there and I should never feel forced to do anything. PvP is a different mindset and in order to make it fun, changes need to be made. Yes, some of you like it the way it is. That's great, but... in order for the developers to gain the market of us out here, that DONT feel the same way, they need to make changes.

What exactly are the losses during PvP (when you die)?  What are the gains to winning?

A Tale in the Desert gets my vote. The level of depth and puzzles for crafting keeps even the most intellectual crazed. It's the best I have found in any game, so far.

As for 2nd place, I would choose Vanguard.

As for 3rd place, probably EQ2 with UO in the running as well. UO was excellent "in it's day".

Atlantica Online is decent, but it's a no brainer. It's more about the merchanting than the actual crafting.

Now, if we could just get Blizzard to work with Teppy (ATITD) we would have the best crafting game all around.

Originally posted by bartoni33

I have to agree. Waiting a few minutes before EA starts to fix issues that have been known for a while is not the way to do business. Is FunCom a part of SOE?

I saw this and had to laugh! Yep, good old SOE has their own start up issues each, and every time.

Personally, I don't mind the 3 hours,. I do find myself wondering though, why...can't they figure out they need more time prior to the last few minutes? I am more sad, than mad and a bit disappointed too.

For some reason, game developers seem to forget what it's like to the the players. Many people plan their day around an opening of  a game.  Gads, I set my alarm!  I gave up sleep! =p

These start-up issues do play a role in how people feel when they walk into the game for the first time. But I will say, if the game blows me away, I will quickly forget about the late start.

$5 is not much cash to play for 3 days. Go to the local arcade and see how long 5 bucks lasts there.  However, it's more the point...if you give early access for a price, then you really should be on time.

Time moves too slow. *cries*

Originally posted by JB47394

All this said, crafting generally doesn't exist in MMOs.  It's actually push-button manufacturing where players pour ingredients into recipe hoppers, press a button and get a manufactured item.  I'd very much like to see crafting implemented in the way that A Tale in the Desert attempts; player skill is involved with the task of creating the end product.  Specific examples there are charcoal production, gem cutting and blacksmithing.

Yep, 100% on that one. I recently wrote a blog talking about crafting and ATITD was discussed.

I have played ATITD each time it restarted (it's on 3 now) and found the crafting amazing. But ATITD is not a fantasy RPG, it's a political/crafting game. There is nothing to kill, so that leaves the typical gamer type, out in the cold.

Don't get me wrong, I love ATITD. Great game, great concept. But it is missing a few things that would make it a truly great game.

It's pay to play, but to me, it's worth it. The depth in the crafting is beyond anything else out there. The politics are cut-thoat at times, but incredibly challenging. The competition to be the first to find that all needed ore is intense.  The developer is known to throw in new systems each tale and this last one, he brought in realistic wine-making. From growing the grapes in the right areas, to crushing and putting them in a barrel, to how long they are eft in the barrel, to the end flavor result (mixing different grapes etc), to leaving them bottled for a while for the flavors to mingle. 

Each and every process in ATITD is a learning curve. You have to figure out HOW to accomplish it. There is no direction, only the players to help each other. Suddenly we open up wine-making, all we know now, is we can make wines and have been given ONE type of grape seed. We have to figure out how to plant it, how to maintain it and trust me...it's NOT an easy process. But if you truly like depth and some serious puzzles to figure out, while creating something cool, this is the crafting system for you.

There is everything from building a compound from grass and mud (via making the bricks), to crossbreeding the grass seeds in order to produce better production seeds, to breeding beetles for artistic beauty and then competing and on and on.

As for merchanting your goods...Well, nope. Not in the typical means. You trade, you barter and you share. Unless someone in the game can actually make money (I mean CREATE it) and actually make it viable, you trade for what you need. It works, and depending on what your focus is, it can work extremely well.

Yes, I sound like an ATITD fan, and in a way...I am. I love the crafting, and I love the competition to open the different schools in different regions. What I don't love, is the serious boring moments, where the game...feels way more like work, than fun.  But for a dedicated crafter, play this game. It will offer at LEAST 3 months of pure pleasure. After that, well...stay or don't.. It's worth the first few months! Just start when a new tale starts, the rush in the beginning is truly a blast. =)

 Really looking forward to this one. I am sooooo hoping what I listed below does not happen with this game.

No matter the game, each one has fallen into a serious routine of "daily" or "grinding" or  lets all group up and run a dungeon so we can all get the SAME uber loot. This happens at the end of most games, once you achieve the level cap.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a certain amount of repeatable situations, but when the entire game becomes repeatable...it's boring. And no, I don't always want to resort to PvP to fix the problem. I want the game to keep going, to keep alive.  I don't mean add more new areas, I mean...fix the old areas! Change the loot, surprise us with new quests. Hide new secrets and tell nobody they are there. lol

Ok, sorry for the rambling...

Back to the topic! I love the series, so if the game is anything like it, then I will love the game as well.

I considered stepping back into Vanguard recently as well. They sent a notification out, for a free month, that started in December....I never did reload, but I am very curious as to your thoughts.

There are so few games out there right now to choose from. Most are worn out and the same old story over and over.

If Vanguard could just get all those issues they had early on, resolved, I think quite a few might consider returning. Just wish they had listened to their players...sooner.

Anyway, I appreciate your post and your insight. Hope to hear more. 

This game is not pay to play. It does, have GCOINS for the premium items. You do not need these items to enjoy the game and many of them are purchased by other players and put up for sale on the market. So even if you never spend a dime, many of the special items can be purchased in game.

The economy and politics are alot of fun. Hope to see more folks join. 

Its not the rich kids causing issues. To me, its about the big farming companies. I dont mind if someone (an individiual) wants to make a job out of playing a game and selling what they collect.

Personally, I dont buy anything with cash, I prefer to earn what I get in game. Those that want to buy, let them. It dosnt really have much to do with my gameplay. If I group up with a jerk, I dont group with him again. So if someone buys their gear or character, as long as they can play, why do I care how they got it? I play my way, they play theirs. We still have choices.

As long as the developers work hard at making it difficult to camp items, I am okay. I just dont want to truly need something in game...and be forced to either never get it or buy it because its so camped that I cant get to it myself. 

This is already an issue for us small group types and solo folks...there are many things we will never get in game...not because we dont want to, but because we dont choose to join a big guild. So, if someone that solos wants to get a few of those cool items with cash, rather than join an "uber guild", again, I see no issue.

Keep the games so the players that play for fun still have the ability to get what they need and those that want to buy their way to the top can...but at NO cost to the other players. By cost I mean, dont have bottlenecks where farmers spend all their time collecting and no other players can get through.

Whew...=)

Personally, I am happy they pushed it back. I mean, look at EQ and SWG...they came out before they were ready. Sony has the WORST reputation for putting out games that have way too many problems. I would like to see them get that rep fixed a bit by doing it right, just once.

Maybe if they would actually READ the bug reports from beta's, that might help. =p

Is it worth buying...yes, and no.

It's a great game, fun and exciting the first 30 levels. Then, guess what? You get to do it again! Yes, go through the same old mill of mobs, dungeons, quests etc... Why? Because you will WANT to select one of the character types you couldnt get when you first logged on....you have to wait to get those till 30. Then you have to level THOSE. OMG...pant, pant...it was awful to trudge through the same old stuff over again. Yes, it's easier than the first time around, but still...gah, again?

Don't get me wrong, you don't HAVE to choose one of those character types. So you arent required to get on the tread mill...but the skills of the other classes will really tempt you to do it.

If you like crafting...well, don't plan on doing that for a while. It costs a FORTUNE. Plus it's very hard to do overall. In all reality their crafting system is pretty good and it keeps the economy in better order.

I enjoyed this game...then I hated this game. It was pretty sad actually...I wanted to keep going, but the leveling tread mill was simply TOO boring for me to keep at it.