As a MMO crafter- I enjoyed the SWG model most compared to other games.
While gathering resources was not my favorite passtime (I eventually just purchased them from dedicated harvester/traders)- I did enjoy finding materials that added some variety to the items created.
For example, will we just have 'mithril' or will there be regional viens of it with every so slightly differing properties. They would still hold true to the classic properties players will expect to see in their mithril items, but also have some slightly different things tied to them. (hue, bonus extra weight reduction of 1-5%, as well as other minor bonuses)
Aside from the materials used, I also liked component construction, or stages. So instead of tossing leather straps, a chunk of metal & the click of a button- tah dah- you now have a longsword. I would like to see a quality blade creation system, as well as assembling the rest of the parts. This could be the time comsuming factor instead of waiting for a 5-10 minute 'creation' bar while you take a bathroom break.
I'm still on the fence about interactive crafting... I realize your skills should be a factor, but having to juggle creation like some sort of battle (EQ2, FFXIV) needs to use more character skill than player skill at button pressing.
Lastly, stock vendor items vs dungeon loot vs player crafted items.
I think the balance here should be the customizable aspect. You might get a random +1 martial weapon of blah bane that you could use, but are not focused/specilized in as loot from a dungeon. But if you go to player crafter, you can request a specific weapon with the enchantments you want on it. Sure you could find exactly what you are looking for adventuring (or find something someone else may want & sell it)- but there needs to be some balance so both are good ways to get gear. And not have one method be far more efficient than the other. This is a concern as a crafter (and an adventuerer) - that one way will be far better than the other.
