Weaponsmith Archive

I still support the "no multi-capping" idea.

Now, crafted weapons should ALWAYS be capable of being better than looted weapons, else the profession is completely dead. So, that must certainly be taken into account. But even so, if you can cap all three stats, then those will be the only weapons that mean anything. In that sense, everyone will have the EXACT same weapon.

However:

If the weapon caps changed in relation to one another... now THAT would create some variety in the weaponry. Just talk to various weapon customers--some of them BEG for speed, while others are ALL about the damage, and still others say "SAC before anything else." People have strong opinions on which stats are most important. So by forcing people to choose which stat to cap, you force variety in the weaponry that can be refreshing to a smith AND to the game world as a whole.

I say that the three main stats--damage, speed, and SAC--should be on a shifting cap scale. The first stat to cap should be at 100% of the normal cap. But once a stat is capped, the next stat should cap at 85% of the full cap. The third stat should then have a cap at 70% of the normal cap. The cap on each stat lowers as you cap one of the other stats.

So then players would have to choose which order to prioritize in, and that choice would have REAL consequence. "Okay, I really want capped damage... but don't let the speed go too low. Whatever's left, put in SAC, I've got some Pixie to make up for that." "Well, I'm always running low on Action, so make mine with a low SAC. I'll want the speed--I can make up for the lower damage against the slower players I'm usually fighting." There would be more combinations possible AND called for.

It puts the CRAFT back into our profession. It's not just a loot competition. We have enough of that game with the resources. Each smith would either have to do custom orders or make a decision as to which weapon style to factory produce, and they'd have to be able to justify it in their sales talks. "Why don't you max your damage??" "How come the speed isn't capped?" Anything that creates more variety and interaction can't be bad.

Shysty