[Mod Request] Salvage Resources From Crafted Items

[Zillvr]

On default, there would always be a surplus of items and tools made by people, newbies and veterans alike on any given server. From pitchforks to hay walls, compasses, grass suits, razors, straw hats, etc. The only logical reason for it, is when players are in urgent need of a sanity boost, prototyping the least useful/important items can help a lot.
 
What I want to suggest is a way for players to salvage a small fraction of the resources used to make the items. Sure, it may sound exploitable or overpowered at first. But that's only because it is still just an idea. I'm all for balance and all that jazz. So below I'll try to list a few of my ideas of how much resources you can salvage from items:
 

Salvaging Tools and Items with Durability: (Item% -> Result)

• Torch:
  • >75% - Gives 1 Cut Grass, 1 Twigs
  • <75% - Gives 1 Twigs
• Pitchfork:
  • >75% - Gives 1 Twigs, 1 Flint
  • <75% - Gives 1 Twigs
• Hammer:
  • >75% - Gives 1 Rope, 1 Twigs, 1 Rocks
  • <75% - Gives 1 Twigs, 1 Rocks
• Thermal Stone:
  • >75% - Gives 5 Rocks, 3 Flint
  • <75% - Gives 3 Rocks, 1 Flint
• Grass Suit:
  • >75% - Gives 5 Cut Grass, 2 Twigs
  • <75% - Gives 4 Cut Grass, 1 Twigs
• 
  Axe: Always gives 1 Twigs
• 
  etc.

Other Items Without Durability:

• Hay Wall: Always gives 2 Cut Grass, 1 Twigs
• Razor: Always gives 1 Twigs, 1 Flint
• Straw Hat: Always gives 4 Cut Grass
• Straw Roll: Always gives 5 Cut Grass
• Compass: Either gives 1 Gold or 1 Papyrus, randomly (25% chance for gold, 75% chance for Papyrus)
• etc.

Unusual Items: These items are excluded from being able to produce the same item that was used to create them in the first place. (Cause salvaging boards back into logs is.. absurd. Unless you want to make use of honey or phlegm to replicate wood glue of some kind. Then that's a different story.)

• Boards: Requires an Axe in your inventory to salvage 8 Twigs, uses 1% of Axe
• Cut Stone: Requires a Hammer in your inventory to salvage 2 Rocks, uses 1% of Hammer
• Papyrus: Requires a Razor in your inventory to salvage 2 Reeds, uses 1% of Razor
• etc.

 
Notes:

• I did a rather robust search in all sections of the forums including the workshops for both DS and DST using the search terms: salvage, recycle, item, items, disassemble. It produced no valid results that was anywhere near what I was thinking of.
• The mod idea does not necessarily add any new items that will let you salvage other items. Unless you are open to that idea of having yet another item.... Well I'm not, cause the character was able to craft those items by hand, why shouldn't they be able to salvage/disassemble it by hand too? If you're going to argue the hammer case, then to that I'll say "That breaks structures, not items. Totally different."
• I am now also aware that the Deconstruction Staff can do pretty much this idea. But I'll still stick to my idea that players should be able to reclaim a small fraction of the resources used to make the item, back. Without any extra modded-in items to do it for them.
• Salvaging will use the longer crafting animation.
• This mod will do either of the following to integrate the idea of salvaging items:
  • Adding a widget at one corner or somewhere close to the hot bar, where you can drop items into it, and it will salvage the said item and spit back out the necessary results. (Suggested by Rezecib.)
  • OR only add a new action(salvage) usable on crafted items by holding a specific key(or set of keys).
    • Pressing a specific key while your cursor is on top of the item will salvage it. 
    • OR shift + ctrl + alt + right clicking a crafted item will salvage that item and give the player back a small fraction of the resources that was used to make that item in the first place.
    • OR the hotkey would preferably be configurable to be set to other keys or combinations of keys.
• My rough formula for deciding the amount of resources returned to you is the following: The resources gained from salvaging an item no matter what it's durability is, needs to be low enough for the player not to be able to continually salvage the item right before it breaks and remake the same item again and use it till it's almost broken and repeat. That is why salvaging Axe in the salvage list above would never produce a Flint. Basically there should be no craft-salvage-craft loopholes.

If the idea sticks and people like it, I'll try my best to continue the list and balance all the other player crafted items. 
 
So if any intermediate/experienced modder picks it up, let me know if you want my specific input for balancing this idea and I'll try to complete the item salvage list asap for you to code it. If not, I don't mind at all if you'd rather balance it yourself. I'd would just definitely like to see this be a thing in DST or at the very least, DS-base.
 
To everybody else who just happens to read this mod request, got any mod name ideas for this? Sadly, I'm not well-versed enough to give it a good name so all I could think of were: Disassembler Mod or Scavenger Mod or Salvager Mod
 
That's all for now, thanks for the read. Cheers!

Edited February 4, 2015 by Zillvr

[Jjmarco]

@Zillvr, I'm pretty sure the Deconstruction Staff already does a similar thing, but it's not craftable in DST because the ruins aren't implemented yet. There are mods that makes it craftable with available resources, though.

However, I agree with you that it doesn't make much sense to not being able to disassemble tools by hand, and this would indeed be especially useful on servers where players leave tools everywhere.

 

I also have a suggestion, why not add the possibility to repair items of the same type by combining them?

That could be useful if you happen to find an old pickaxe and yours is pretty worn out.

 

Maybe I'll try making this mod, it doesn't seem that hard to do. Unless somebody else wants to do it?

[Zillvr]

@Jjmarco, the deconstruction stuff works like a hammer but it gives back all the resources you used to build the structure you are destroying. What I had in mind here was specifically for items and only getting back a small fraction of the items used to make the crafted item.

 

Repairing tools and other items, by combining the same type would be an entirely different idea from what I have here. Though I can see the value on having ways to repair broken tools. For that I'd suggest reworking how the sewing kit works for the hats and vests, and instead of a sewing kit, it'll be a repair kit. The repair kit should be a single item that is crafted using multiples of the basic resources, and can be used to repair any kind of tool...but I digress.

 

Feel free to give it a try though, which ever mod you're referring to(salvaging or repairing). Do let me know how it turns out. Thanks.

 

EDIT: I was misinformed about deconstruction staff. Ignore the crossed out words.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Zillvr

[rezecib]

@Zillvr, I think rather than having a complicated set of hotkeys for it, the nicer UI way to do it would be to have an item like the deconstruction staff, or a placeable structure that you can give the items to.

 

Alternatively, I believe it's possible to have a UI widget that you could drop items into to deconstruct them.

[Zillvr]

@rezecib, I figured shift + ctrl + alt + right clicking seems too much. A widget sounds nifty. I should have thought about it more. Thanks for the input Rez.