Making entire items out of nothing would be a little more complicated to code.
Currently items are only stored as names and the .itemsx file that matches that name is checked for the effects.
If all items are stored in the save game file, it would bloat it more extensively.
This is kind of a moot point because every girl is already stored in the save game so a little more clutter would not make much of a difference.
Yeah, I could definitely see that.
Would it work to have the nouns/adjectives recognized as a part of a static reference number?
Basic version:
Let's say there are weapon mod tags that give +combat bonus (which is stored as, say, a "001" mod) and +Toughness trait (which is stored as, say, a "002" mod). A girl randomly makes a battle axe with both of these mods. The item is stored as "Battle Axe.itemsx[001, 002]" (as opposed to either no bonus, or a blank "[000]" mod).
The 'craftbonus' itself pulls from a different file, each entry of which has a prefix-name, suffix-name, stat mod (or mod set, as the case may be), and descriptor, so when it calls the item name from "Battle Axe.itemsx", it calls uses the prefix-name from the first mod and suffix-name from the second (in this case, "Intrepid" and "of the Boar"), tacks on any extra item description ("It hums with power (+# Combat). Holding it makes you feel like a manly man (+Tough)."), dictates the value of the mod, and adds/removes stats accordingly when it's equipped/unequipped.
If you use a single attribute type for each mod, you could also add a multiplier based on creator skill level to give it a little more variability (so stat/skill enchantments on shitty items would only be 40-60% effective (and valuable) and stored as "BattleAxe.itemsx[001(1.42), 002(1.56)]" (or however the appropriate syntax would go--I haven't touched programming in over a decade and a half), whereas enhancements from master item makers will start pushing 150-250%). If it'd make stacking and storing a little easier, you could just make them static jumps, so shitty-crafted mods are always 40% effective, and master-crafted ones are always 250... mind you, if it's all random, then I don't imagine you would be crafting many identical items anyways.
I'm not sure how easy it would be to add restrictions to the more useful item types (like weapons and armour, which are less common in the game, and rings, gloves, and trinkets, which allow multiple equips), or to lock out certain mods for users of a certain skill (to make sure your 0-skill derper doesn't accidentally make something with +Incorporeal while your 100-skill master item smith keeps cranking out items with the "-120 Health, +Herpes" mods.
Not to mention the immersion mods, like having psychics be the only ones who make "Mind Fucked" and "Broken Will" items. (I'm sure, if you're keeping the mods in a file, it'd be easy enough to just have 4 fields (Min Item Skill, Max Item Skill, Skill/Stat Condition [IE "Combat >30"], Trait Condition [IE "Psychic = False"]... it's just a question of whether or not there's a way to check those when your bitches be craftin.
If you can make a list of variations and a logical path for them to be created by girls, have at it.
Not sure if this is what you mean, but as a starting point:
So you wanna be a crafter?
Item Skill Check - Do you make anything at all?
No - Failure. (Slave + some skill, no item made)
Yes - Proceed
Item Skill Check - What item types can you make?
(Randomly choose from item types based on skill)
Item Skill Check - How many mods?
(Randomly choose from range based upon skill)
Compile List - Which mods can you do?
(Compile all the mods you can make with whatever restrictions are programmed into the mods file, pick however many from there)
For each mod:
Item Skill Check - Mod Intensity?
(All numerical values of the mod are changed by this one percentage, randomly chosen from a range that's based on item skill. This could still apply to Trait mods to change the sell value change of the item, even if doesn't technically "only give you 80% AIDS".)
Output: "[Slave name] has crafted an [Item Name]!" (but not worded quite so lamely. It could be fun to change the text based upon item value, so that your girl can be extra proud of making a 'Legendary Buttplug of the Apocalyse', or super ashamed for ruining a perfectly good battle axe.)
(Slave + some skill, item added to inventory with mod references added.)
Whenever the item displays, it would use the first mod (whatever was randomly chosen first) as the prefix, the second mod (if any) as the suffix, and any further mods only showing up in the description.
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In this case, the item would need the following lines, for the following functions:
Call/Display:- Reference name/number
- Prefix name
- Suffix name
- Description [it would be great if we could have this dynamically call the calculated value--so a 50%-quality 10-str item could say "(+5 str)" instead of just "(+some strength or something I guess I don't know)"
Craft Conditions- Item skill range
- Secondary skill condition
- Trait condition
- Item type restrictions? (Not obligatory, but could make for more immersive items... and saves you from having to explain why a girl can't put on those magic slippers without poking out her own eye. Also, I now want to make a magic item called "Scissors of Running", which is basically a dagger that gives your girl "Fleet of Foot" and "Eyepatch".)
Stat Modifications- Base value for stats/skills (which are then multiplied by quality bonus)
- Add Traits
- Remove Traits
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Is that the sort of thing you meant? If the 'modular modification' described above is workable, I can start cranking out some tables of single-stat and single-trait mods.
Oh, as an afterthought... it would make logical sense for you to be charged for the base cost of the item they're modifying, just so that failures don't literally print money anyways.
