Making things from components.
WHAT CRAFTING PROVIDES
A use for gathered materials Player agency over equipment A reason to explore
WHAT IT REQUIRES
Materials with clear sources Recipes the player can discover or learn Outputs worth the effort
WHY THAT LAST POINT DETERMINES EVERYTHING
If crafted items are worse than found ones, nobody crafts.
WHAT MAKES CRAFTING TEDIOUS
Gathering that is repetitive and unengaging Recipes requiring many trips Deep component chains Inventory pressure from materials
WHAT REDUCES TEDIUM
Crafting from storage rather than carried items Bulk operations Clear indication of what is missing Materials that stack generously
WHAT RECIPE DISCOVERY OPTIONS EXIST
Given on progression Found in the world Deduced by experiment
WHAT EXPERIMENTATION REQUIRES
Feedback on failure, or it is guessing.
WHAT TO AVOID
Crafting as a mandatory tax on progression Randomised outputs that waste materials Systems requiring external references to use
WHY THAT LAST POINT
If players must consult a website, the system failed to communicate.
WHAT TO TEST
Whether a player crafts voluntarily.
