Forging should take multiple heatings

[Spikeball]

In real forging reheating the work piece multiple times is part of the process. To get this effect work pieces need to cool down faster. The reason they cool down so fast in real forging is the anvil is absorbing the heat due to it's high contact area with the workpiece and thermal conductivity from being metal. So I recommend only speeding up the cooling for work pieces on the anvil, not in inventory, ground, or cool forge.

Especially the copper anvil and copper work pieces, copper has about ten times the thermal conductivity of bronze, iron, and steel. (this also means copper should heat up faster then the other metals) It is amazing what a little bit of tin does to copper's physical properties...

[Mantisek]

I agree it's realistic as you state, but I wouldn't want this because it'd adding an extra tedium that doesn't open up any interesting strategies or gameplay, and the forges already devour charcoal as it is.

Maybe if charcoal consumption was slowed down.

[LadyWYT]

What @Mantisek said--it might be more realistic to require multiple heatings, but it adds extra tedium to a process that can already be tedious, without adding anything particularly interesting. I will also note that some projects already take multiple heatings in the forge, such as anvils. In any case, the current system is fun without being too tedious, and the player is able to get their projects done within a reasonable time.

[Entaris]

Oh yes, I'd love to put the average daily input of an electrical power plant into every single one of my smithing projects because coal burns in VS about as long as it does in OBG.

 

/s

[Ethan Gould]

I don't think adding more mandatory tedium would be necessary, but having the same base durability/speed of early game tools, and then you could forge it additionally to make it stronger. That way it's unnecessary but you can do it if you want stronger tools and are willing to invest the time. You could get a special oil somehow that you could use to temper your Iron Tools better, or make your copper tools last a little longer or faster.

Thinking about this more, I think this would serve to benefit early-stage copper tools. I was playing the other day and I remembered forging copper and bronze tools from ingots is actually less efficient than simply pouring the mold. Maybe adding a better system of tempering to the early game tools would be good. It's optional, but another path for you to take if you want slightly stronger/faster early game copper/bronze gear. My idea would be to have the molded copper/bronze tools have the same durability they have now, but if you were to craft them on the anvil you could temper them or forge them in a way that would give them higher durability or better speed. 

Edited October 1, 2025 by Ethan Gould
Afterthoughts.

[Spikeball]

On 9/27/2025 at 2:24 AM, Mantisek said:

I agree it's realistic as you state, but I wouldn't want this because it'd adding an extra tedium that doesn't open up any interesting strategies or gameplay, and the forges already devour charcoal as it is.

Maybe if charcoal consumption was slowed down.

How is forging 4 tools off of one piece of charcoal "devouring"? It consuming so little charcoal is what got me thinking about this in the first place!