Item Alchemy Feedback

[pepper-tea]

Item alchemy is out!

So what is it? Basically a system where you take a bunch of items and turn them into another item. It is very much like the current exchanges, but we've added things like leveling and success rates.

Want to try it out? Go here ----& http://www.gaiaonline.com/alchemy
You can even get a head start by picking up the free starter kit.

We want to know what you think! We have been working hard on this feature, so we want to know what makes it good and what could be better. So tell us here!

[I Asche I]

edit:

I was really, really excited for this.

But um, come on guys. I know you don't interfere with the Marketplace & how things are priced. But you can't possibly be blind to the prices of things.

The amount of certain items required for different formulas is ridiculous, and knowing the user-prices of these items, you went ahead with it anyway.
Whut?


The overall idea of Alchemy is very good, don't get me wrong! c:

Improvements / changes on the feature are going to be looked forward to~

[The Superfast Jellyfish]

Wow, it looks awesome! I can't wait to try it. biggrin

EDIT: I change my mind. talk2hand

[Perelka Lyoko]

It looks pretty complicated and like a goldtaker, but I think I might try to try it up~~

[CleoSombra]

Perhaps the amount of experience needed to get to the next level can be shown - and how much experience individual formulas give. o3o

I don't see a start kit anywhere.

[marshmallowcreampie]

It looks pretty awesome. The items are lovely and the fact that we don't lose items when the alchemy fails is a plus. But the one thing that bothers me... Some items use limited items, like CS and RIG items. I'm not big on that. If everyone buys Item A (or multiples of it) to make Item B, Item A is going to become really rare which sucks not only for people who want Item B but for people who just want Item A.

[Damio Roncartia]

She was never this good in bed.
Even when she was sleepin'.



The starter kit link is the same as the link above.
No starter kit was granted.
o ___ o



Now she's just so perfect.
I've never been quite so ******** deep in.

[pepper-tea]

CleoSombra

Perhaps the amount of experience needed to get to the next level can be shown - and how much experience individual formulas give. o3o

I don't see a start kit anywhere.

Damio Roncartia

The starter kit link is the same as the link above.
No starter kit was granted.
o ___ o

Because I am lame and put the wrong link in there D:
I fixed it!

[ThanatosRising]

Hmm..

1) I think there needs to be clearer instructions on how to gain certain ingredients. I have no idea how to get a lot of them, whether they're random grants, or through some other means I'm not noticing.

2) Some easier/cheaper alchemy recipes to start off. Might be offset once I figure out where the ingredients are, or they become more common on the marketplace, but so far I can't craft anything because I can't afford the ingredients or don't know where to find them to.

3) Don't like the use of cash shop items in alchemy. While they're cheap now, eventually as they're used up, they will get more expensive. I think all alchemy ingredients should be -non limited edition- items, even if they are rare.

[Chibi Halo]

Pepper I love you and all but I don't know if you guys really thought things through here. If it's going to be a worthwhile feature then being able to get the items needed for it should be easier. Take the Princess wig recolor for example. It takes two ginger and two flaxen wigs, along with the other items, to make it. The flaxen wig is going for two million on the market right now and there's one wig left. The ginger wig is going for three point one million with only one listed. To get them you have to be extremely lucky to even see an ad that lets you have a chance at getting it and even then the chances are low that you'll get them. While I realize this is supposed to be a system that takes time to complete a formula, not everyone is going to have ten point two million just to get the four wigs they need in order to create the final product. It's not going to go over well with the masses if getting the items needed is going to become next to impossible. I like the whole idea of the alchemy feature but I do think you guys need to make some of the items gained through methods like the special ads a little more easy to obtain.

[S1mbo]

Feature looks pretty awesome, but some of the amounts required are pretty daunting.

I was running the numbers on the Edwardian set formulae, and crafting from red to brown/blue and then to black/silver. Each of these stages can be crafted from a set number of basics (the pink, green and yellow colours).

Shoes:

Red = 20 pink + 20 yellow + 20 green

Brown = 20 pink + 20 yellow + 20 green + 20 red
= 420 pink + 420 yellow + 420 green

Black = 20 pink + 20 yellow + 20 green + 20 red + 20 brown
= 8820 pink + 8820 yellow + 8820 green

I'm not sure what the current drop rates from the ads are, but I'd struggle to get my hands on 8000 ocean summer tops this side of Christmas, let alone a fairly rare drop like these items.

The trousers and tops aren't so bad (with the black sets needing 180 and 18 of each colour basic respectively) but the 20 of each type really builds when each item relies on the one before it to be made.

Essentially, the formula for the black items in the Edwardian set is

Black set = (A + 2A² + A³)pink + (A + 2A² + A³)yellow + (A + 2A² + A³)green
where A is the amount of each colour needed.

Its the cubing that makes it such bonkers numbers (but is unavoidable as the black set is dependant on the previous two colours). Its a fine balancing act making things not too easy or too hard to obtain. But with stacking dependencies anything past 10 and the numbers become astronomical.

[Yume Kara Sasayaku]

I LOVE the concept, it's an AMAZING idea and will add alot of motivation for people to frequent the site. The one major issue I see is the use of limited edition cash shop items in the formulas. This rules the majority of Gaians out of EVER achieving certain items, simply because the ingredients themselves are so rare and are not going back into circulation. Even if I was one of the lucky wealthy few, who had limitless gold to obtain the ingredients, that would still not cause there to actually be any AVAILABLE. The marketplace has already erupted into chaos just since the shop appeared, and ingredient items are already selling all the way out. There has got to be a more fair way to put this feature into practice so that it can be something that could greatly increase the number of new users coming to the site.

I also think the formulas are a bit overdone. For example the onyx princess dress takes SIX of the other dresses, which themselves were RIG items, and rare. By the time I could even look up the other dresses, they had gone from a 200k average range to 600k+, to just plain GONE. I could see perhaps one of each of the others, but 3 seemed over the top for an item that would be no better in quality than the ones lost to make it. A person would spend less at Dernier Cri, on items that have a far more exclusive look and feel than what's being offered by alchemy.

[Saekit]

Looks pretty cool, but I agree with ThanatosRising it would be helpful to see where/how to get certain items that are needed to complete the formulas. Also, some cheaper formulas would be nice too.

[rubiestargurl]

A leveling system on top of the exchange system? I love it.
I can't get too critical yet but so far:

Option to try on items without having to rely on the MP. Maybe I missed something but I can't figure out how to try on the items in store.

If RIG items are needed, either limit the for RIG items or have the failure items dispited in other ways (ala overseer/daily chance/dumpster dive etc). It would limit the rage and would get promote activity in other areas.

Okay, I had a bit more time and found out you guys are selling RIG formulas as well as giving out formulas via giftboxes. This is ******** genius. However, I'm hoping you did understand that without fully explaining this system (that it may turn most items into items to make items) that people will be angry for the time being (until people wise up and stop charging high prices). If I'm really off base, I would like someone to fully explain this system.

[Zukes]

High chance my butt.

It didn't work.

So far this experience has been a bust.