We've tried to use the same argument for Bookbinding. If anything, Bookbinding is even less profitable than Forging, because for forging, you still make monk weapons and shields for the other classes, and do not have gold outlays. Take a look at the response Fain gave when we tried to argue about profitability for Bookbinding.

Edit: You think you have it bad when your goods last 100+ days? Books last forever.

As far as I know, you don't have to drop 100 hours investment of AFK time into making a book, though.

You do, if one page is wrinkled, you HAVE TO START ALLLLL OVER.

I have a really good idea, at least I think I do... but it would require a complete recoding of the system. Since it's been stated (AFAIK) that staff doesn't want to recode the whole system, it might not fly. But here goes anyways. And I've added a bunch of other random ideas for people to support or shoot down.

Basically it involves forging pieces of the weapons instead of the weapon as a whole and/or using molds to aid this process and speed it up.

For instance, a klangaxe.

You would need to craft an axehead, a handle, and a weightstone. The axehead would be your precision, weightstone your damage, and handle your speed (the length of the handle). Make it so you can add or retract specific stats from each piece, and take out the randomness of the forging. Maybe even make it so runes only attatch to these pieces, and you need a forger to attach and remove the runes. The same can be said for armor. Basically, you place these three items in a forge and connect them using a certain amount of forges.

Molds would be a high level skill that would allow you to create a mold using hard to find commodities. This would allow you to freeze the piece in time and recreate it. This could cut the time immensely, and would make forging that perfect axe a lot easier on the AFK. Maybe to balance it out, you can make pieces randomly break when trying to fuse them together. So there would still be frustration, but less.

Another interesting idea is to use molds all the time in place of the pieces. A serrated mold for a wounding axe, a thin mold for a speed axe, or a thick mold for a damage axe. Throw in some dyes, and have it affect the desc when it comes out. For all those that want a serrated red sacrificial dagger, this could be fun and add a lot of personalization. Make the molds cost more for different tiers of weapons.

Make Dwarven Runes better, last longer, add more, and/or make them cost power depending on the goodness. Make them more expensive to put on. Like a rune that you need gold for, and you have to take some time to forge it onto the sword or something. Forgers could charge people for the awesome runes they can put on. Make runes specifically for chainmail so Guardians will actually buy it, and leather so the others will buy. In fact, make it so guardians have a reason to wear chainmail over robes.

Add a certain amount of "slots" for runes on the weapons, and instead of learning them one by one, learn them like the other stuff. Like one level of skill would be "Bronze Runes" and would include a bunch of low level runes that do general things. Next could be "Silver Runes", "Gold Runes," "Arcane Runes"... you catch my drift. Add in a certain group of runes that do magical things. Maybe even make a set of runes the transcendent skill.

Take out Fullplate being only for forgers, and add in a repair skill to add months. I always thought that only forgers being able to wear fullplate was ridiculous - instead, make the transcendent skill Maintenance - your weapons and armor never decay, and you get a small passive bonus to all of their stats. Or a rune that does the same thing, making it bind to you and generally cutting down on coding. Any competent warrior should be able to wear fullplate, but only the best can make it.

Maybe armor for mounts?

I don't even know about polearms. No one uses them. Either make a spec, or just throw 'em out. (insert pitch for spearhunter guild here)

Notice how most tradeskills involve other tradeskills? Put this into forging too. Make it so that people have to get runes enchanted before putting them on, have herb people that need to find that specific iceplant or something to be able to make molds that don't burn, artisans to craft handles, etc etc.

That's true, but as I was noting to Rodngar, arguing from the angle of profitability won't get you anywhere.

I have been told by certain people that 'deflating the profitability' of a trade skill is part of the reason Forging goes unchanged.

Wooooo another skill gets fixed, but ours is still broken.

Not even so much that another skill gets fixed... another skill gets an entire overhaul with new skills added and functionality changed to such a staggering degree that current users were refunded full lesson amounts to re-learn with.

Forging remains untouched.

Makes you feel good, doesn't it?

This is just the latest edition of "Let's introduce new things and hope they'll forget all about the other things that were once new and turned out to be broken".

No it's not... this is the "lets allow the game to be city vs forest if the players want it to be" change that we have been asking for for 3 years.

It also gives bards some fun trade skills!

Everyone wins!

Except the forgers.

And the monks.

And the old enchanters/alchemists (not that I really understand their gripes).

Derail:

I don't HATE the new alchemy/lorecraft, but I do wish we'd gotten a little more than a couple of perfumes and two new potions. Also, the name "Lorecraft" doesn't fit the skill at ALL.

/end derail

Yes it does (it just sounds silly)

You are using your knowledge of nature (i.e. Lore) to craft elixirs and junk (i.e. craft)

The only gripe I can see from alchemists/encahnters is "you broke our monopoly, and didn't give us toys that are shiny enough"

I'm happy with my pentangle and hexangle. Spellcraft ftw.

Lore = knowledge, not knowledge of nature.
Craft = self-explanatory

Knowledge crafting. I create knowledge?

PS. After a while the word knowledge looks like it's spelled completely incorrectly.

Get outta my forging woes topic!

Quick initiation step 1 of the plan!

Estarra mentioned a long time ago a plan was in the works to introduce alchemy to cities and enchanting to communes so that it will not be required to have city/commune team ups. You can't really expect all Lusternia development to come to a screeching halt until forging gets fixed. Or at least, dont expect ranting about it in what was supposed to be an idea thread for improving forging to be productive.

Damn me for expecting a broken skill to be fixed.

If that's how you choose to read what I said. I'm just going to assume the LoR drama is making you unreasonably pissy though.