Automated mode and skills for knapping, smithing and pottery

[Skru]

Personally I like the implementation of knapping, smithing and pottery - at least in the early stage of the game. In my eyes this is an interesting feature that should be kept. Later in the game I sometimes get annoyed by this manual and repetitive work and wish there would be an easier way. As far as I have read, this feature is often discussed. Some would like to have the feature removed or have an easier mode, others want to keep it.

I thought about a compromise that would suit both criticizers and defenders. I thought about a skill system and an automated crafting mode. They are separate features but could work together.

 

Automated mode

The automated mode would be an additional crafting mode you can select when you press F. As long as you focus somewhere at the tool you want to craft, the automated mode picks the microblocks automatically automated without needing you to aim on them..

For pottery it works similar to the copy mode. As long as you click, 4 microblocks are added/removed. But instead of copying the blocks from the last layer this mode would simply first remove all unnecessary blocks for the layer, than add all required blocks, than perform the same for the next layer until the craft is completed.

For knapping the removable micoblocks adjacent to blocks of your future tool are automatically identified and removed one by one.

For smithing, it is calculated which microblock should be moved to which position and they are automatically hammered towards their final position. Spare microblocks are automatically removed at the end until the tool is completed.

For each skill, the time to perform an action to a microblock keeps the same. Each knap and hammer stroke are single actions. Automated knapping and smithing would be as fast as an experienced knapper/smith would need to create the same tool. Only pottery would be slightly faster, because you don't need to change brush sizes and to aim that much. You still need patience and have to wait until your craft is done. For smithing, you would still wear off the hammer over time. You are always able to switch to one of the manual modes and do the whole craft or parts of it by yourself. The only advantage of the automated mode is that you don't need to concentrate so hard on what you are crafting and may be more passive.

You can turn this mode on/off at world generation or by command. So if you don't want to use it, you can forbid it.

 

Skills

You can train skills for knapping, smithing and pottery. Each object you create gains you one point in the respective skill. Each skill has a maximal number of points after which you have completed it.. The more points you get for a task, the faster you can craft. As an example, with skills turned off, one action takes 100% time. With skills turned on, one action takes e.g. 150% time at the beginning and 75% time with the completed skill. Also, when the skill is completed, you get the automated mode as reward (assuming automated mode is activated).

Maybe, also the resource usage could reduce slightly. As you become better in pottery, you might need less clay to build something. Or in smithing you are more experienced how to handle a hammer and with each stroke you have the chance (e.g. 25% on completed skill) that this stroke doesn't cost a point of the hammer.

At world generation, the option for skill could be: Off, fast training, normal training, slow training. When you activate automated mode and skills, you would be able to use automated mode only after completing the skill. If skills are turned off, you can use automated mode from the start, if you activated it.

[Sukotto82]

this sounds a lot like the "easy napping" post and my post there is the same as what I'll say here so I just copied it and going to past it here....

I like the napping a little bit it was interesting the first few times I did it but after breaking tools several times and constantly remaking them it has become a bit of a hassle for me a little bit. 

I agree. I don't think they should get rid of it at all. that being said.

how about when pressing F you have an extra option "auto mode" or something. basically the same as the "copy previous layer" option but instead of copying the previous layer it does whatever is needed for the current layer.

I feel this would work for everyone. I think it would keep knapping in the game let people do it 1 dot at a time if they want but also give the option to just have it done automatically but not instantly much like the "copy" mode but this would be available not just on multi tier objects like clay Knapping but would be available for all knapping so it takes the same time and still requires some interaction rather than a timer mode but gets rid of the tidium of moving each thing yourself especially after youve done it about a million times before.

 

basically seem to be the same topic.

This would also pretty much cover this but without the need of added skills and everything to. a more simplified solution.

Edited October 27, 2020 by Sukotto82