Hey !
The idea is very simple. Basically, I've played Wurm Online recently, and I really liked their way of improving stuff.
So, the main principle is : you got an object of quality X, and you want to improve it (note that all objects are not improveable obviously, but most of them are). Well, the game asks you to use a particular item to keep improving it. And it's like that for a lot of items, and since they made tons of little tools from hammers to needles.. even water can be used as a tool (I'll go back on that later).
So, you got the item in your inventory, or within a reachable container in the case of water or big objects. In Wurm, you simply select the item you want to improve, the item you want to use, and bingo, it starts improving. Note that the amount of improvement you give an item and the chances you have to improve an item successfully depend both on the skill you have in the profession originally used to craft the item, and the item's current quality (so you can't improve an item all the way to QL 100 with 0 skill).
This system by itself is already pretty good, but they exploited it GREATLY. They made things a little different for blacksmithing, for example.
In wurm, when you forge, let's say, a sword, no matter your skills, you get a quality 1 sword. Then you basically need to have a few tools, water, extra iron.. to improve it to the quality you want. You have to use a hammer on it, then you got to temper it, then you got to heat it up, then you got to temper it again, then polish it.. and many other things. Note that the order of the stuff you need to do is random, so sometimes you got to add iron to it after polishing it, which makes little sense, but hey, brings diversity I guess.
So, what would it change to LiF ? Basically, blacksmithing, or any other activites that involves crafting an object, like tailoring, would more be about IMPROVING gear rather than mass producing it. It doesn't make much sense that a blacksmith can make a Ql100 sword in 5 seconds. There are factors you can't control, no matter your skills. Also would bring a reason to add a lot more tools, maybe more reasons to stock up water..
And it would change trade a lot, also. Want to sell very fine products ? Fine, but you either have to have a lot of help, from very skilled people, and have a lot of money to buy all the very fine goods you need, or you will have to make low quantities of that very fine stuff, so more skilled players can't simply outcompete lower skilled players. Very high quality armors, weapons, tools, or any objects in general will cost a lot, because it has taken a lot more time for the crafter to complete it, and same goes for the ingredients the crafter used !
What I think is, if you keep the current system, no matter how hard it is, players will eventually be able to make QL 100 items. And when that happens, it will spread, and since, as long as you got the skills, it is almost as easy to make QL 100 stuff than QL 1, players that do not have max skills will be worthless crafters on the market, which is very bad, and will drive away a lot of newbies that want to trade stuff.
What do you guys think ? If you do not agree, please post why bellow, I'll be happy to consider, and reply to the points you make !