Why do I craft?
If you know anything about me, you know that I am a HUGE crafter.
My total time crafting in Everquest 2, in just the last 12 months, is over 200 hours.
To put that in perspective, I leveled a Shaman in WoW to level 50 in just over 300 hours.
In the premier episode of Witty Ranter, the very first topic was about why on earth would anyone waste time crafting. Well, let me tell you why….
“Hey there, this is Isanox, I’m a guild mate of yours”
“Hey” he replied.
“I haven’t seen you before”
“Yeah, I’m new”
“How do you like the game (AC2) so far?”
“No to much, my character (an archer) keeps dying. I am quitting once this month is up.”
“Come back to town, I craft bows. I bet I have a better one than what you are using”
… a quick trade later…
“Wow”, says the guild mate, “ this does about twice the damage as the one I was using. Thanks. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. I don’t charge guild mates”
…time passes…
“Hey, remember me?”
“Yeah, I made a bow for you didn’t I? How’s it working out for you?”
“Great, I already made almost 5 levels. I’m really enjoying myself. Thanks.”
…time passes…
Location: Las Vegas for a real life Guild meet up
“Isanox, hey nice to meet you. You made a bow for me back in AC2. Let me buy you a beer….”
Why do I craft?
Very early on in my EQ1 days, I came to the realization that I will never be uber. With a wife and two kids, I just don’t have the time to raid or even consistently group. I will never be the top person on a server. I will not get the first kill on a named. I’m not going to have epic armor or weapons. And you know what, that’s ok.
In turns out that what I am is a hard-core player who micro-plays. What is micro-playing? I literally play in 20 minutes sessions. In a two hour time period I will get call away an average of three times. That is the limiting factor in my gaming. To be honest I probably should just stick to single-player games. But I just love the social aspect of the game. That story above, did actually happen. Someone didn’t quit a game because of the bow I made him. To me, that’s better than dropping Onyx any day.
I can sit in my crafting zone, chatting away with guild mates and craft my little heart out. If I need to walk away, I will still be alive when I get there. Give me 10 minutes and I can do a rush order crafting writ, make 10-20% of a level and contribute a few thousand guild points.
What should I do instead? Hunt? Adventuring is such a selfish activity. It is all about making ME better, stronger, faster. Crafting is such a selfless activity. It is about making the PEOPLE around me better.
In Horizons, I was the craft Baron for my guild. I had about 40 guild mates who crafted, and at least that many who gathered resources. I would make sure the formulas and mats got to the right person. I was also in a tie for the second highest jeweler on the server. On top of that, once a month, I would run a building night, where we would try to build a major land mark such as a bridge, or the satyr cave.
To me there is nothing better that when I am in a guild meeting, and to know that I made at least one item for every member of the guild.
To me there is nothing better to see a sever-wide broadcast, that a guild mate just killed a named, and to know that I made his weapon.
The Satyr cave? Yeah I built it, enjoy playing the new race.
I am Samuel Colt. I am Thomas Edison. I am Henry Ford.
Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up. Someone has to build the rocket.
