Hello!
This is going to be a bit more of an effort-post on my part, in order to try and shape the game’s crafting into state I’d be happier to buy it in.
So, to begin with, let us slot in an image to see what we are looking at, taken from a quick google-search;
Bars. Stat bars, in fact. I am not really opposed to this randomized bonus on top of the weapon’s base stats. However, I think it is a fundamental mistake to lock them in place as the game has done so far. I propose, Devs who may either be reading, skipping past, or whatever it is you do with the thousand+ user suggestions, that you make these stat bars upgradeable.
Now, there must be limitations, absolutely! I understand where you may be coming from, in the vast gulf between ‘Everyone should be able to get the weapon they want’ and ‘We want players to put some time into the game to do that’.
So, what solutions can we bring to the table? First, I would say that improving the stats should cost Ordo Credits, and Plasteel, eventually including Diamantine. Second, limit the thresholds that you can upgrade those stats by weapon tier! A Grey-tier weapon should not be able to have its base stats artificially improved beyond a certain limit, which would of course be raised if you upgrade the weapon to the next tier. The amount upgraded is the dev’s choice, or course, but don’t let it become too costly and tedious!
Leave the base bonuses intact, so a valuable 380 Grey is still going to be a rare and prized find, but let players have a little agency in fixing the small misfortunates of finding a weapon with stats that are just ‘not quite’ what they need/want. See the above pic where the ‘defenses’ stat is at a deplorable 68%, when 1 point higher could make all the difference!
A theoretical table;
Grey: The maximum a stat should be able to be upgraded to is 40.
-This should require Ordo Credits alone, without other resources spent.
Green: The maximum a stat should be able to be upgraded to is 50.
-This should require Ordo Credits , and a small measure of plasteel.
Blue: The maximum a stat should be able to be upgraded to is 60.
-This should require Ordo Credits , and chunk of plasteel.
Purple: The maximum a stat should be able to be upgraded to is 70.
-This should require Ordo Credits, some plasteel, and Diamantine.
Orange: The maximum a stat should be able to be upgraded to is 80.
-This should require Ordo Credits, plasteel, and a meaningful amount of Diamantine.
The Mythical Reds: ??? (We don’t know about this. Maybe they have all stats at 100? Maybe only a few? But they should definitely be maxed at 80 in all categories by default, at the very least.)
Locking Traits/Blessings;
Let us be up front. Very few people enjoy the thought of a trait being locked. But, if it has to be done, I propose turning it into something not entirely a negative!
First, when a Trait/Blessing is locked, it should either become upgradeable using Currency, so you are not permanently stuck with a Tier 1-3 Trait, or automatically be upgraded in Tier according to the Character Level of player, and Grade of the weapon it is currently on. A Mastercrafted Orange-Tier weapon of a Level 30 player shouldn’t have to be thrown aside, because the RNG rolled poorly for them, and the weapon is now robbed of its future potential, and there’s little point in spending more on it.
The Blessings Themselves;
Obligatory ‘What do these mean? Brittleness, Impact, Rending?’ A way to look up what effects they have in game would be much appreciated. Perhaps a short glossary in Hadron’s shop would be appropriate, as the tech-priest has to write down the simple information for the poor, silly varlets.
‘But potential customer,’ you might say, ‘We already have a plan for Blessings being able to be taken off of weapons, and then being able to place them on other weapon indefinitely. Why would we allow a system for upgrading blessings, instead of relying on you finding Tier-4 Blessings in the armory and Sire Melk shop, and offering up that weapon?’
To that I would say ‘Because it would respect the time and effort I would put in the game, and the weapon itself, in order to upgrade it all the way to qualify for getting that Tier-4 blessing on the weapon. That I might then chose to offer up, in order to have that Blessing potentially permanently.’
In summary, inside the system I have described, a player would be able to;
-Take a weapon they received at low-level, carrying it with them throughout their playtime of the game, and modifying and upgrading it according to their needs, with a role-defining decision made of their own choice of which Trait/Blessing to lock in.
-Purchase a random weapon according to their Player Level/Gear Rating/whatever system Fatshark uses to decide the stat-bonus distribution of weapons available in the shop, and upgrade its deficiencies, until it becomes a top-tier Orange/Mastercrafted weapon suited to their needs.
-Seek out rarely-found and higher-tier Blessings on weapons found in the Armory/Sire Melk’s shop, and offer them up for access to those powerful Blessings, to be used on their choice of weapons.
-Massively extend the amount of meaningful goals they can work towards (Upgrading stats, rerolling locks to their preferred Trait/Blessing pair, upgrading those Traits/Blessings,) , rather than logging in for several minutes to check the shop for a small chance of an item that hits 4-5 different points of failure, quickly losing interest, and becoming unmotivated to play further.
I doubt this will even be seen, looked over, or taken into account, but here is an attempt as someone who deeply wishes for this game’s eventual success and to purchase it when it gets better, to do what little I can to improve it.
Cheers, fellows.