Research and Development

Having to research how to make items (besides a few basic knowledge items, maybe available in a crafting book you start with?) is a way to tier the game and/or slow the pace. The thuamacraft mod is an grate example of a very good method for this. It has a research tree that you can work though by braking down items at a research table to examine the base qualities that make that item up. It creates research notes then from paper and ink and you can use those notes to further the research by braking down more items until you understand enough about properties in the notes to make a brake through and the notes become papers you can use to unlock part of the research tree.

Now this kinda method don’t need to be used but what ever method of research is used requiring some one to do there homework so to say before they can make something helps pace the game. Allowing people to write down notes on how to make various items can let people teach research topics to other people, however having to do it one at a time in an order that fulfills the requirement of said research makes helping some one do so a good bit of an effort. On the other hand sharing research notes can help a group of people learn a lot faster. (I have done this with thuamacraft, it is a very rewarding social exspirance that is fun.)