Started new campaign to try smithing specifically.
Making Two Handers for 1k right off the bat. Not too imbalanced because of materials cost and time but still pretty good money with no investment into the skill at all.
Then, after a few unlocks, making Hammer Head Polearms by day 5 for 4-6k a pop with rando companions for almost no materials.
I think the issue is still how sell price for weapons is calculate. A slow swinging piece of wood stuck to a piece of wood is selling for more than fancy fine steel weapons. Length and damage seem to matter more than the overall quality of the weapon and its stat balance. The material cost and skill of the smith still makes little difference.
Something could be done without messing with weapon prices at the broader level. For example, why not something like:
First, a base sell price that is capped at [Base cost of mats x1.5] + [smith skill x10]. Now materials and smithing skill simply factor in no matter what.
Then factor in the + and - stats in creation. 10% bonus or reduction to price using the above sell price as base.
So I make a weapon that costs 1000d in materials. [1500d]. I have 50 smithing skill. [1500d+500d=2000d]. I craft it well and it gets +5 stats total. [2000d+1000d=3000d].
But if a weapon costs only 100d in materials with 10smithing skill: 150+100+ = 250. But I am making a weapon with poor skill and it gets -5 stats. 250-125=125. 25g profit still but of course I have a meager 10 smithing and am slapping bits wood together. This means my cheap crap polearms no longer sell for 6k but I can still achieve solid sell price weapons as a decent smith, like in the example above.
Of course this is a super crude example and the numbers and formulas would need more thought and trial and error, but you get the idea. This would pretty much make smithing less about spamming specific recipes and more about quality of the materials and skill of the smith, in a simple, understandable, straightforward manner, no?
Making Two Handers for 1k right off the bat. Not too imbalanced because of materials cost and time but still pretty good money with no investment into the skill at all.
Then, after a few unlocks, making Hammer Head Polearms by day 5 for 4-6k a pop with rando companions for almost no materials.
I think the issue is still how sell price for weapons is calculate. A slow swinging piece of wood stuck to a piece of wood is selling for more than fancy fine steel weapons. Length and damage seem to matter more than the overall quality of the weapon and its stat balance. The material cost and skill of the smith still makes little difference.
Something could be done without messing with weapon prices at the broader level. For example, why not something like:
First, a base sell price that is capped at [Base cost of mats x1.5] + [smith skill x10]. Now materials and smithing skill simply factor in no matter what.
Then factor in the + and - stats in creation. 10% bonus or reduction to price using the above sell price as base.
So I make a weapon that costs 1000d in materials. [1500d]. I have 50 smithing skill. [1500d+500d=2000d]. I craft it well and it gets +5 stats total. [2000d+1000d=3000d].
But if a weapon costs only 100d in materials with 10smithing skill: 150+100+ = 250. But I am making a weapon with poor skill and it gets -5 stats. 250-125=125. 25g profit still but of course I have a meager 10 smithing and am slapping bits wood together. This means my cheap crap polearms no longer sell for 6k but I can still achieve solid sell price weapons as a decent smith, like in the example above.
Of course this is a super crude example and the numbers and formulas would need more thought and trial and error, but you get the idea. This would pretty much make smithing less about spamming specific recipes and more about quality of the materials and skill of the smith, in a simple, understandable, straightforward manner, no?