I would like to suggest that we be able to dismantle items for their base resources.
It would be similar to present-day recycling. Cutting up a shirt to get rags, recycling old jewelry to get the valuable gold metal etc.
* I see no reason why this concept cannot be used in a game that employs the creation of items.
Obviously it would not make sense to get ALL of the original resources out of the item, but a portion would be useful. Even soulbound items could be dismantled (thus preventing the actual item from being passed on). This would allow people to get more out of a useless item than just 100 gold from the store. We could cut up a pair of boots for 2 leathers (not the 4 leathers it takes to make it). This way, items that people find can either be used, sold or dismantled. If I use an item and it is no longer useful (because I have found something better), I could get 50% of the base resources out of the item.
Limiting the amount of resources obtained from dismantling would prevent people from simply crafting and dismantling endlessly until they get a special crafted item. I think 50% of the crafting resources and/or reverting some of them to their un-crafted status would be fair.
This could be as simple as us dropping the item onto the existing Scissors icon, or it could be an added function of the Crafting abilities. The more experienced crafter you are, the more resources you can extract from the item.
For example:
dismantle an emerald rangers ring = 1 raw emerald and 1 bar of some metal
dismantle a pair of boots = 2 leathers
dismantle a bow = 1 crafted oak and 1 raw oak
etc. etc.
I think it would add an interesting dimension to the game.
(thinking of the implications)
If people would have this option for their items, then there might be less junk in the auction house. This would make it harder to find simple items like an average ranger's ring. This could potentially increase the sale value of ranger's rings when found or crafted (if demand > supply).
Because of the dismantling of junk items, people would then have more resources at their disposal, decreasing their value (supply > demand). Presently, there are some resources that are more valuable alone than they are when crafted into an item. (For example - I can sell a small stack of light hides for more than several crafted boots).
If the resources are more plentiful in the game, and the crafted items are harder to find (because many will be dismantled), then the value of the crafted items will increase and the value of resources will decrease (which makes real-world sense).
Let me know what you think !
