We have spent a bit of time looking at the crafting system in previous articles, and even have a 20 minute video, so we thought it was important to have an article looking at the other side of this system: resource gathering. In order to properly fuel the crafting system, resources need to be collected in some fashion. We feature 2 systems for this and this article is going to focus on the first one: Extraction.
Extraction is the process of removing resources from dead creatures. In
most games the standard extraction method is an ability and the results
are based on the level of the creature. While our method includes an
ability, Corpse Extraction, we do not have a traditional level system
built into the game, instead we focus on the resources' grade. At the
lowest difficulty, a creature can yield grade A results, but the chances
are slim. When the difficulty increases, the chances for a higher grade
also increase. As you extract from a particular species, you gain
Species Mastery, which allows you to more easily extract resources from
that creature. In addition, species mastery can also be increased by
engaging in combat with the species in question.
Extraction is completed using a 2 round process: the first round allows
the player to determine how difficult the extraction will be, while the
second round is used to determine the grade of the material harvested.
Both are impacted by your skill and your species mastery. The more
skilled you are the quicker and easier the process. Driving up the
difficulty during the extraction will increase the chances of getting a
better grade. Various creatures have differing maximum difficulties.
The next step is to increase the grade. The grade is generated once the difficulty stage is completed. Once the Grade stage starts, it will list the maximum available grade that you can reach. Time, as well as your skill, comes into play here.. If you aren’t greatly skilled at extracting, getting a grade A result might be a bit of challenge in the time allowed.
The last choice is the quick option. Choosing Quick will save on button
presses and time by combining 3 difficulty and 3 grade increases in one
click and then finishing the extraction process. If the maximum
possible result for the grade ends up being an A the automatic process
is stopped so you can manually increase the grade. The 3 grade
“increases” done through the Quick method most likely not result in an A
result allowing you to take advantage of the high quality opportunity.
Once the process is finished the system will then check against the
extraction list and spit out the appropriate results. Much like the
crafting system there are multiple possibilities based on difficulty and
grade. At low grades, it is possible that no items will be extracted.
At higher grades, the chance of an item being extracted increases and
additional options might open up as well.
Beyond these changes, there are a few things still on the table to be
implemented a bit further down the road. We would like to add an event
like system similar to what we have with crafting, to allow a bit of
extra randomness and risk taking in the process.
Our next article will focus on harvesting and the options available for non-combat oriented harvesting.
