Lumiya said:
On to one of the side topics though, the RL analogy given by the OP bothered me enough to make my first post on these forums. That is a -horrible- analogy and anyone who thinks it fits lacks any real crafting experience, any real life schooling, or just didn't think it through. To the exact example that bothered me, you have a problem with your car and you go to the mechanic. You need to replace your alternator and subsequently your factory battery as a result of the alternator dying; this is your synthesis. You purchase the two synthesis items(radiator and battery, excluding all minor parts needing replacement as well), and you give them to the dealer repair center; that is your trade. The dealer repair center has multiple technicians who have spent hundreds of hours, if they are new, working on vehicles like yours to repair them efficiently and thousands of hours for the veterans; these are your crafters. Some have formal schooling prior to being a mechanic and are more knowledgable and the ones you really want working on your car, 100+3 craft. They repair the problem, return your car exactly as it is supposed to be using your parts, and call you into the service center.
Guess what? You're spending hundreds of dollars on the bill, despite you buying the parts. Why? It's called labor. You are paying for the time the mechanics have spent learning, the time the shop has spent furthering their education, and the quality of their work; how is that any different then crafting? If something goes wrong with the installation and it turns out the PCM is shorted also, guess what? You have to pay extra. Of course you can choose not to and get back your already broken car and then pay them to uninstall the parts they already installed for you. It will all cost you money though, because you are paying for a service.
Guess what? You're spending hundreds of dollars on the bill, despite you buying the parts. Why? It's called labor. You are paying for the time the mechanics have spent learning, the time the shop has spent furthering their education, and the quality of their work; how is that any different then crafting? If something goes wrong with the installation and it turns out the PCM is shorted also, guess what? You have to pay extra. Of course you can choose not to and get back your already broken car and then pay them to uninstall the parts they already installed for you. It will all cost you money though, because you are paying for a service.
The difference is your car doesn't have a random chance of suddenly exploding into a million pieces beyond repair (critical break), and does not have a random chance of suddenly turning into a Mercedes Benz (HQ). These things are not in the crafter's control whatsoever.
