Crafting
Learning paths through this topic
Work out the total raw materials for an item made in several steps
A chair needs planks, planks need logs, and one batch makes several planks. The shopping list on screen is often wrong, either too short or too long, and a recipe that needs itself freezes the game. This entry builds the correct list and catches loops.
Unlock recipes by skill and by earlier recipes, and find the ones that never unlock
A recipe that needs another recipe that needs the first can never be learned, and nobody notices until a player is stuck. This entry shows what is ready, what is locked and why, and what can never unlock, so the list in the menu is always honest.
Let players take items apart without creating a free-material machine
Craft a dagger, take it apart, get the materials back, repeat. If the numbers are a little off the player gets richer with each loop, and rounding is the usual culprit. This entry shows the rule and a check you can run over every recipe.
Stop two co-op players from crafting with the same wood at the same moment
Both players press craft on the shared team stash, each sees five wood, each needs three. Both succeed and the stash goes to minus one, or one of them loses the ingredients and gets nothing. This entry reserves materials first and commits only when the work is done.
Split a boss's crafting drops between co-op players without losing a piece
Five scales drop and three players fought, so who gets what? Dividing evenly gives 1.67 scales each, and rounding either loses some or invents some. This entry splits by effort, hands out every single piece, and rotates the lucky remainder so the same player does not always win it.
Drink a crafted potion when a stronger or weaker one is already active
The player drinks a small speed potion while a big one is still running and the big effect disappears, along with the potion that took ten minutes to brew. Or a second sip at full time wastes the bottle. This entry decides when a drink counts and when the bottle stays in the bag.
Switch to crafted fire rounds mid-magazine without destroying the old bullets
The player crafts special rounds and switches to them with seven normal bullets still loaded. Where do the seven go? If they vanish, players learn never to swap; if the new magazine overfills, they get free bullets. This entry moves the rounds back and forth correctly.
Craft a one-of-a-kind key item and bring it back if it falls into the void
The player crafts the only grappling hook, then drops it while hit and watches it tumble into a bottomless pit. Now the game cannot be finished and the hook cannot be built again because it already exists. This entry makes the item unique and recoverable.
Check that an upgrade really makes the weapon better before it is sold
An upgrade adds damage but shrinks the magazine, and the player pays good materials for a gun that kills slower. The numbers on the card look bigger, the fight feels worse. This entry compares two builds by what they do over a whole magazine and reload, not by one stat.
Let the player undo an upgrade without creating a material machine
A refund sounds kind until a patch lowers the price and players upgrade, undo and pocket the difference, again and again. Or rounding hands back more than was spent. This entry refunds what was really paid, only from the top level down, and never a unit more.
Let a worn weapon land its last hit before it breaks
The sword has one point of wear left, the player swings at a boss and it shatters in mid-air with no damage dealt. Or one sweep through five enemies wears it down five times. This entry decides when a weapon breaks, how much a swing costs and why the last hit still counts.
Stack weapon attachments so three small bonuses never break the gun
The player crafts three barrel upgrades that each add a bit of fire rate, and suddenly the weapon fires faster than the game can draw it. Or two of the same mod are worn and count twice. This entry decides how bonuses add up and where they must stop.