I probably wasn't too clear last night for some reason or another (ended up passing out around 8pm and didn't wake until 9am - strange) so let me offer an example of what I'm talking about:
Let's say I have two varieties of the same Choice materials - Shu fiber from the Lakes, and Shu fiber from the Desert.
From what I understand, their statistical qualities are dead-on equal. There is no difference between the two samples' statistical strengths and weaknesses; only difference's in which race's crafting plans can use the fibers. (Tryker for the former, Fyros for the latter).
If that's the case, I'd argue it's little more than a basic application of the concept. Shu fiber is Shu fiber is Shu fiber. Where it's harvested should have little, if any, bearing on its usage in a crafting plan. Otherwise, it's as if I'm being told that Desert Shu is so radically different from Lakes Shu that neither Fyrosian nor Trykerite craftsmen are capable of using anything other than material from their own lands in order to make their own weapons.
If RL manufacturing were like this, the world would likely not find itself as advanced as it is. America, for example, is a very poor source of diamonds necessary for worldwide jewelry and industrial applications, but we still make diamond-tip saw blades using material from other countries - in this case, we usually use African diamonds.
However, we don't assemble those saws using an African Diamond-Tip Saw Blade crafting plan. We use our own "crafting plan", or manufacturing blueprints, and simply make use of the foreign materials.
Now, if the African diamonds were so wholly incompatible with our own manufacturing blueprints that we could not use them, I'd have a better understanding of why Lakes Shu fiber cannot be used in a Fyrosian crafting plan, but diamonds are diamonds no matter where they're from.
Since Shu fiber (and other materials) remain Shu fiber no matter where they're dug, I don't understand why fiber from the Lakes can't be incorporated into a Fyrosian (or Matisian, or Zoraii) crafting plan as well.
As to the slight bonus-consequence aspect of the suggestion:
Say I use Choice Lakes Shu fiber as the handle for the sword I want to craft using a Fyrosian weapons plan. Maybe instead of giving the expected Sap Load bonus, it actually HARMS the Sap Load bonus in exchange for, say, a bonus to Durability or Adversary Dodge Modifier.
I understand that it would probably shake the status quo and possibly upset one or two players that might like things just the way they are, and that's fine. I didn't write this with the intention of offending anyone's sensibilities. I'm just writing this because I see massive potential in the harvesting/crafting aspect of this game that simply hasn't been realized yet, and was wondering if either this suggestion might help, or if there were other suggestions like this before it where a conversation has already taken place and a decision reached (which I would LOVE to read if that exists).
Let's say I have two varieties of the same Choice materials - Shu fiber from the Lakes, and Shu fiber from the Desert.
From what I understand, their statistical qualities are dead-on equal. There is no difference between the two samples' statistical strengths and weaknesses; only difference's in which race's crafting plans can use the fibers. (Tryker for the former, Fyros for the latter).
If that's the case, I'd argue it's little more than a basic application of the concept. Shu fiber is Shu fiber is Shu fiber. Where it's harvested should have little, if any, bearing on its usage in a crafting plan. Otherwise, it's as if I'm being told that Desert Shu is so radically different from Lakes Shu that neither Fyrosian nor Trykerite craftsmen are capable of using anything other than material from their own lands in order to make their own weapons.
If RL manufacturing were like this, the world would likely not find itself as advanced as it is. America, for example, is a very poor source of diamonds necessary for worldwide jewelry and industrial applications, but we still make diamond-tip saw blades using material from other countries - in this case, we usually use African diamonds.
However, we don't assemble those saws using an African Diamond-Tip Saw Blade crafting plan. We use our own "crafting plan", or manufacturing blueprints, and simply make use of the foreign materials.
Now, if the African diamonds were so wholly incompatible with our own manufacturing blueprints that we could not use them, I'd have a better understanding of why Lakes Shu fiber cannot be used in a Fyrosian crafting plan, but diamonds are diamonds no matter where they're from.
Since Shu fiber (and other materials) remain Shu fiber no matter where they're dug, I don't understand why fiber from the Lakes can't be incorporated into a Fyrosian (or Matisian, or Zoraii) crafting plan as well.
As to the slight bonus-consequence aspect of the suggestion:
Say I use Choice Lakes Shu fiber as the handle for the sword I want to craft using a Fyrosian weapons plan. Maybe instead of giving the expected Sap Load bonus, it actually HARMS the Sap Load bonus in exchange for, say, a bonus to Durability or Adversary Dodge Modifier.
I understand that it would probably shake the status quo and possibly upset one or two players that might like things just the way they are, and that's fine. I didn't write this with the intention of offending anyone's sensibilities. I'm just writing this because I see massive potential in the harvesting/crafting aspect of this game that simply hasn't been realized yet, and was wondering if either this suggestion might help, or if there were other suggestions like this before it where a conversation has already taken place and a decision reached (which I would LOVE to read if that exists).
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----------"What doesn't kill me gives me XP. :-p" -Sherkalyn