Right, this probably falls into pet peeve / general irritation as opposed to anything amazingly constructive, so apologies. Suggestion : Make sure that any class skill that involves crafting has any relevant recipies that contribute towards it's skill. Example : Tinkerer's goggles. Reason : It's bad enough relying on random chance for the relevant items to make such an item appear, with the new crafting system, you are also dependent on a bookshelf with the right recipe to be in the dungeon too. This creates the crafting version of 'dependency hell' which is enough to make anyone internet angry at the best of times, so imagine how someone will feel if they can't access the 6 skill tinkering recipes because the bookshelf with the bloody goggles doesn't appear?
I'll elaborate. Some tinkering recipes require tinkering : 6. These recipes cannot be created unless you have maxed out your tinkering skill -and- obtained the tinkerer's goggles (+1 tinkering). Tinkering maxes at 5, so this potentially creates the situation where you get a handful of tinkering 6 recipies, but without the goggles it is literally impossible to create them. The goggles currently ALSO depend on a drop recipe. This feels ... slightly insane
Tinkering goggles can also be bought or looted, if I recall. Anyways, I'm starting to really like the idea that I'm not guaranteed a clockwork crossbow every playthrough with a crossbower, but then again I'm moving on to random characters instead of specific builds more and more, since I'm a fan of chance (not the slot machine variety, mind you, but the "if life gives you lemons..." kind, GR/PD has never been so fun and diverse).
I believe that's correct, but it smells dodgy if there's no means of at least HALF reliably getting to the point of accessing the top tier crafting recipes. The idea that you won't get the clockwork crossbow recipe each and every time I have no issue with, what my concern is, is that in making a dependent recipe random, you risk locking off a swathe of recipes completely by chance/accident. To use a slightly hyperbolic example, it'd be the equivalent of making the brass mechanisms recipe a random (no, I am not suggesting this happen >.>), whilst this is perhaps the extreme end of the scale, it should highlight the issue. Lack of ingredients is one thing, not having requisite crafting recipes for "necessities" is another.
I've played many games and I don't think I've gone once all the way to the end without getting goggles as a drop or a Brax item. I get the feeling they're a common drop, rather than an uncommon or rare. I wouldn't be surprised if it's they're designed that way.
