This is but a wetdream about mid/end-game and an RP attempt to keep your sanity and live in a post apocalyptic world.
[sup]Disclaimer-
all values mentioned are completely arbitrary and are only there cause i’ve failed to express myself properly
As such, I apologize for my overly ambitious yet poor writing skills, English is my third language.[/sup]
[center]-The way i see it currently- ( intro )[/center]
[size=8pt]By design in the early game, we must scavenge to survive each day at a time
crafting simple tools cloths and implements in a matter of minutes.
stuff that if not all people, any “prepper” would do with their eyes closed.
The mid-game it’s feasible to have a place to camp in a selection of tools and books
and a decent level of experience in different skills of trade that we’ve magically learned from scratch due to our supreme survival instinct.
aswell as a stash of crafting materials on our person or in a handful of stacks on the floor.
while still- we basically craft on the go. No need for tables to work on or a chair to sit in.
we often sit staring at our charcoal smoker for a whole day- and other such activities
some other times we craft things we’ve only read about, with materials we touch for the first time.
This is DIY level craftsmanship, in sub-normal condition. “I’d do a much better job if i had prepared an area to work in” - i keep telling myself.
the end-game. We’re way past the DIY stuff, Having full sets of tools for almost any if not all situations.
We’re working on professional level crafts. Having read the best books ever written on any subject.
We may have renovated a vehicle to live in or dragged some lockers / built crates in our "base"
We may even have access to solar power! And yet.
We take on those massive (excuse me) “Projects” and force them to finish in a matter of a work-day’s time. With no lunch break!
still staring at our charcoal smokers & etc whenever the opportunity arises ( Same “comfort” level )[/size]
[center][!]-The problems i see-[/center]
[!]1 There’s little need for a base beyond a place to store your items securely
[!]2 crafting over a pile of rubbish in a cargo carrier on a hand-made vehicle that’s swaying around on random tires has no drawbacks
[!]2.5 while crafting in a building with tables, chairs, lighting, organized stacks of material has no benefits
[!]3. either forging a katana, renovating power-armor or mixing up dozens of mutagenic serums, we do it all at once. And it doesn’t take all that long. Which it can’t if we have to do it all at once.
[!]4. The experience/recipe model, We craft new things with the same ease we’d craft them for the 100’th time ( at the same experience level or if we’re past the level required to craft it before the first time we do )
[!]5. Some tasks don’t require our whole attention- cooking food, boiling water, distilling certain chemicals & etc
Yet we sit there doing nothing for all that time.
[center][?]-The dream-[/center]
[?]1. The Ability (Feature) to pause crafting! Altho at a 10%(?) progress loss ( I’ll get to how i think that’s plausible to accomplish logically later on )
[?]2. The Ability (Feature, RNG) to spend ‘wasted time’ Actually doing something. Based on what is around you.
- sewing kit / soldering iron / repair kits & etc practice or refresh related skill level.
- books around you ( refresh skill progress / raise moral )
- gadgets around you! mp3 player ( raise moral & possibly raises dodge )
- control laptop ( raise computers skill )
- & etc
[?]3. Ability (Feature) to set up crafting areas with “Y” ( The zone manager in my honest opinion is a mechanic that needs very much love either way )
Binding a craft to a tile or would allow for the progress of that craft to be saved on it.
Logically one could see it as leaving a progress log or a note ( Or literally do so ) aswell as all the crafting components and a description of the tools necessary to finish the job.
The main thing with them is- The ability to pause crafting And the very much necessary increased crafting speed compared to the otherwise insanely more difficult crafting system
[?]4. The need (Balance) to set up a crafting area! Even the DIY level crafts should benefit ( or suffer ) from working in poor conditions
While the low-tier crafts are fine, Anything and everything above should in my opinion take tremendously longer to craft. ( 10x or more )
[?]5. Furniture! (Balance) Furniture should provide crafting bonuses! ( or penalties if they’re not around )
Tables/Desks/etc, a chair, Clean floor! (very important) should all become more and more mandatory as the complexity, material quantity and the length of the craft increase. Either in the defined zone or nearby if none has been defined.
Lack there of would imaginably increase crafting time and failure chance.
[?]6. Clean storage (Feature/Balance) based on item type ( In crafting area or else nearby + in inventory ) -10% crafting speed for every 100volume of irrelevant materials -5% per 25kg of irrelevant materials
[?]7. Learning! (feature/balance) especially crafting something from a book for the first time
It shouldn’t be a blind attempt, or a guaranteed success if your skill level is high enough,
How about a 50% +5% per component -10% per skill level above the recipe requisite worth of failure chance for every recipe we’ve not done before.
And an option to study a particular recipe 50%+5% per skill level above recipe requisite speed ( But no end product ofc )
[?]8. Stats
If crafting were to become as such, There’s no reason why a toon’s stats shouldn’t matter
STR - how much time you’re able to spend working without taking a break
DEX/INT - How likely you are to make a mistake
PER/INT - How likely you are to notice the mistake and not end up wasting materials
[center]-How i see it playing out-[/center]
~ Focus on crafting indoors in the early game, focus on furniture in vehicles / bases mid & end game
~ Generally less “wild” and more through-thought playstyles while both are still viable
~ a new meta for the mid-game of preparing crafting areas 
Construction FTW
~ More need for traps and defences ( Allot more )
~ endgame crafting heavily restricted, If one has not set up a good crafting area, prepared a stockpileof preserved food to work undisturbed - All in a safe place - he/she better go back to looting.
Also, With the ability to bind crafting areas ( or crafting order ) there would be a way to to later implement a way to assign NPC’s to do one’s chores ( Or aid them at the least based on their skill/stats )
So, Any thoughts gentlemen?