Things to consider | Crafting

[coyotecraft]

Alchemy. Synthesis. Fusion. Trading. Whatever you choose to call it.
Ultimately it's a system of exchange. How you make those exchanges can be a bit arbitrary. What difference does it make if you're bartering with an npc or mixing things in a cauldron? The barriers to completing an exchange will characterize your system.

Item Farming
Harvest points. Monster Drops. How abundant are the materials? What makes something rare or hard to obtain. What are the limitations? Inventory space, Item stacks.
Can you save time and sacrifice money to buy materials instead?
Recipes
Considering the usefulness of the resulting product - Is there a reason to repeat a quest/mixture? Is there even a reason to complete the exchange in the first place? Maybe just to proceed to the next quest/mixture.
Location
Where do the exchanges take place? More padding for playtime.
From left to right in order of convenience:
Anywhere(menu). Save Points. Workshops(towns). Static NPCs. Variable NPCs (random appearance, day/night or other time restrictions, or other requirements.)

 

[coyotecraft]

I think it's advisable to balance creation systems with some kind of Entropy.
It's possible with smaller games that the exchange system becomes irrelevant after a certain point.
Weapons & Armor can be a one time thing, unless they have depleting durability points.
Capture/Breeding systems can be subject to player interest, you know, once they have their desired Albino Dragon Cat for themselves, they might not have an interest or a use in raising anything else, unless pets are unhealable and subject to perma-death, have limited lifespans, or a under contract (think demons) for so many battles.

Consumable items would naturally deplete themselves. But not if they're substituted with magic spells. I've honestly found antidotes and eye drops be to pretty worthless when the status effects only last a few turns, or removed after battle, Or there's always a healing spot nearby that's more efficient than using a turn in battle or navigating menus.