H1Z1 senior game designer Paul Carrico, in a recent blog post, discussed some of the strategies that went into the creation of the crafting system for the post-apocalyptic zombie-survival game.
With the intention of creating a crafting system that emphasizes the feeling of being a scavenger in post-apocalyptic conditions, you're only chance at survival is to scavenge and use everything at your disposal. Though you'll start off creating simpler items like bandages and campfires, you'll eventually learn to create large scale items like bases, makeshift weapons, and even explosives.
"Almost everything found can pass through crafting. Most items have multiple uses, which require an additional layer of decision making as to what is being made," Carrico said.
Ultimately, it comes down to a crafting system that's designed to be "easy to do, and extensive in the number of things that can be created." According to Carrico, even players who do not typically like crafting in games will find H1Z1's system to be easy to use. On the flip side, the system is also deep enough to cater to those who enjoy delving into deeper recipes.
Carrico admits that some recipes will be functional, even though they don't necessarily seem realistic. For example, to make a metal sheet, you first need to find scrap metal and then melt it down in a furnace. After you have the metal bars, you can then "inexplicably" form them into metal sheets with your bare hands.
"The crafting system is based on realism when possible but some recipes are implemented in ways that offer more sensible gameplay versus realism," Carrico justified.
I last played H1Z1 back in August during SOE Live, and while I'm sure changes have been made, the crafting system seemed fairly straightforward. I'm interested to see how things may change once H1Z1 enters early access.
