Hi I am sketching out a few preliminary ideas for an upcoming project, and I have decided that one of the elements I would like to include is crafting, or combining several objects to create one. Ideally I'd have a few base items that could be combined in several different ways to create different weapons, or perhaps tools. For instance: Rope, Stick, Blade, Ball Stick & Blade = Scythe Stick & Rope & Stick = Nunchuk Stick & Ball = Mace Stick & Rope & Ball = Flail Stick & Rope & Ball & Blade = Spiked Flail Stick & Stick = Boomerang etc. The different components (as well as some sort of crafting skill) would determine the speed, accuracy and damage of the weapon. Are there any well-established, intuitive ways of doing this? I know Diablo II has a crafting system but that seems to revolve more around magic than common sense. I'd like some sort of interactive process if possible, like attaching different parts to each other - but that doesn't seem particularly feasible. I'm also thinking that perhaps particular weapons could double as tools - for example, a staff could let you pole vault, or a whip could let you grab something indiana-jones style. I've an idea of how this could be implemented in my system, but I'm unsure as to whether it's too complicated a concept. Your comments would be appreciated!

Sorry, perhaps I should clarify - currently I'm not looking for code patterns or methodologies, just the general way in which this system might work in terms of the user's interactions with the system. I'm treating the code itself as a little black box at the moment, something that I'll come to at a stage when the concept is fully formed.

I recommend reading about how weapons are made in the real world and model a simplification of that.

When it comes to crafting systems, there's always going to have to be a base resource all other items are crafted from, sort of a base for players to expand upon.

So, for boomerangs, that would be wood.

For swords, metal.

For guns, pipes and tubes.

You know, attribute a weaponry class to a particular material so people don't accidentally go and farm a resource they can't actually use.

Pipes and tubes are made of metal...
Also, what you mine is ore. You need to refine it. Metalworking is an art.
And making a blade is not so simple as plugging a bit of metal. Blacksmithing is an art by itself too.

OK, I'll give a more explicit example behind my idea:

During gameplay, you find a nice, sturdy stick lying around. Let's say it's a broom-handle.
You also find a nice, sharp blade. Let's say it's an elephant tusk.

You combine the two to produce a weapon.

I want to give the user the impression that they can 'customise' this weapon somehow, and that their customisations have an impact on its performance. Obviously material can be built-in, but that's not relying on the user's interaction with the object. I want them to be able to see that if they attach the tusk to the end of the broom-handle, it's a much more effective weapon than if they were to attach it to the middle of the broom handle.

Again, it seems to me slightly unfeasible in a small-production game, and I'm just throwing it out there in the hope that someone's implemented or considered a vaguely similar concept before.