Talk to the team: Loot Revamp

[Amarie Ancalimon]

As we announced in the Developer's Desk a few weeks ago, one of the projects for this fall is a revamp of the loot system. The team has some questions as they begin work on this monumental project.

PLEASE READ THE RULES GOVERNING THIS FORUM! This is not an open discussion of the loot revamp in general or for suggestions. In this thread please respond to the specific questions only.

As part of the upcoming loot revamp we're discussing ways to give loot a little more predictability and more reasons to go fighting and looting. One part of that involves techniques. Currently, nearly all lower-tier (1 to 3) techniques drop as loot and are also available for purchase from Quartermasters.

We value your input and would like your honest (and concise) responses to the following questions concerning techniques as loot and as purchasables.

1) Would you support a system in which some techniques were only available as loot and others were only available for purchase?

2) If you would support #1, how would you divide up the technique categories? (Ability, Adventure, Armor Dye, Craft, Defense, Spell, Statistic, and Weapon Dye)

3) Would you prefer the same separation for Tiers 4 and 5 or would you prefer they remain all as loot?

4) What types of monsters would you expect to most drop techniques? Aegis, Animals, Elemental (Golems, Treants), Insects, etc.

[Shian]

1) Don't we already have that in a sense? T4-5 is drop only T1-3 is purchased and dropped.

2) Well, if I understand what you are saying, I would prefer craft, dye and stat to be purchase only. (meaning you can purchase T5 craft techniques without leveling adv?) Would love to see armor dye purchase only. I use dye kits 90% of the time the time on my bipeds anyways so they're a disappointment as a loot drop.

Adv, Defense would be drop only. Not sure which category I would put spells in. I'd lean towards purchase.

3) I would love to see T4, T5 craft techs, dye and stat all to be purchasable

4) Golems and Treants.

[LungTien Temeraire]

1) Yes.

2) Loot: Ability, Adventure, Defense, Spell. Purchase: Armor Dye, Craft, Statistic, Weapon Dye.

3) Same separation.

4) Aegis, insects.

[awdz]

1) I support whatever winds up in game. Because of the player base being sporadic about getting looted items onto the consigners' shelves, I'd prefer a system where all items are available both as loot and for purchase (extreme nadia prices but possible to get).

2) Technique categories IMO should be either by tier or function. Tier is easier for me to remember, but I have most techniques that I can use.

3) See 1)

4) Aegis undead of the living races I'd see dropping any techs because they use tech'd gear; others I'd see dropping the techs their components are used for.

[Nahdian]

1) I like the system for tier 1-3. The techs are expencive off of quartermasters. If some were only availible that way for tier 1-3. It would make beginer crafting even more difficult. Adding unnecessary hardship to new players. Why?

3) I think tier 4 and five seem to make sence as drop only. At this point in the game you should be tradeing for them and participating with the comunity as a whole to obtain them. And too at this point you would have some coin to spend on techs and forms at quartermasters.

4) I dont see why one particular breed of baddy should be more likely the the others. But if I have to answer. Id say Aegis makes sence.

[Tcei]

1. No. Simply because it'd be too frustrating to get that one tech you need/want by just hunting, similarly if you could only get it thru purchase only, particularly in the early game. The system we have now for t1-3 is fine IMHO. The idea of some being loot only wouldnt be so bad if the economy were beter. As it is, there is either such a glut of techs that its not worth trying to sell the ones I get. Or there are none on and noone is buying, making it a waste of time to sell on the connie.

2. N/a

3.I wouldnt mind seeing some (craft, adv, spell) of t4-5 techs be both drop and bought, just make them extremely expensive, to make players prefer to get them from the connie, or directly from other players.

4. In order from most to least: Elementals, animals/insects, Aegis (but only because they have blighted armor/weapons and crystals as incintive)

[jerk-o]

1) If all tiers had the same techs available for sale instead of just tier 1 through tier 3, than yes I would.

2) Stats, Craft, and Dye techs for sale, the others as drop only.

3) I'd prefer the same separation for tier 4 and 5.

4) Aegis, and whatever mobs don't drop lots of trophies or hoard items.

[Shadina]

1. No. Except in cases of rare, potent techniques, all techniques should be purchasable, and should not be loot.

2. N/A

3. These should be purchasable as well.

4. The few rare and potent techniqeus I indicated in answer 1 could be dropped by Aegis, but maybe by the likes of Ogres, Pygmise and Treants as well, or perhaps by whatever would be most appropriate for that technique.

[Shinkuu]

1) No. They should all be able to be purchased because there are far too many to get them with any reliability from Monster drops. Excepting Rare/Unique type techniques which should only be available from kills or quests.

2) Not Applicable

3) Not Applicable

4) Aegis and Golems make the most sense to me.

[Holth]

1. For tiers 1-3 no. It has been my experience that if players don't see things in the loot tables at early levels they don't realize those things are even in the game. Weapon dye techs have been available for purchase for months now and I'm finding that most low level players don't even know they exist. For tiers 4 & 5 I think the current system of techs being loot drop only is preferable.

2. Tier 1-3 techs have just been revamped to tiered quartermasters. The only change to this I would recommend is adding dye and weapon dye techs to the appropriate tier QMs.

3. The current system of tier 4 and 5 tech drops seems to work fine.

4. The current system of random drops keeps one type of mob from being farmed exclusively.



Thaalia of Order

[Akrion]

1) Yes, but only if the drop rate were increased. You'd want to make sure new players wouldn't have to spend much time trying to get low tier techs, and you'd want a clear way for them to figure out where to look for them.

2) - Ability: Aegis, Skulks, Pygmy, Ogre

- Adventure: Wolves, Ruxus, Arbotus, Treants, Oastics, Aegis

- Armor Dye: Any

- Craft: Mobs associated with resources. (e.g. Golems, Treants, etc.)

- Defense: Golems, Skulks, Beetles, Crabs, Scorpions, Spiders

- Spell: Any spell casters, of any sort. (Aegis, Skulks, Caster Dragons, etc.)

- Statistic: Any

- Weapon Dye: Any

3) Yes, but like my first answer, only if drop rates are boosted accordingly.


4) Any, so long as the tech drop method is more intuitive. Instead of simply fighting almost any tier 3 for almost any tech, one might figure that defensive techs should drop more frequently off of mobs with more defensive stats (Or at the very least seem more defensive, like a golem). Offensive techs off offensive stat mobs, etc.

While it might increase the farming of specific mobs, it should decrease the time spent farming due to being able to farm more specifically, rather than just completely at random across a huge tech table.

[TheGolden Dragon]

1)Yes, it would partially regenerate the player-based market system.

2) Dyes, standard craft: Purchasable, after all, colours are not something of secret power

Unique Craft + the rest: 1-3 Buy-able, rest in form of Loot to revitalize the market.

3) As above, Dyes and standard craft: purchasable, rest is out there for pickin!

4) Aegis (reanimated lost heroes with plenty of lost magical shinies!), Elementals (various powers in conflux)

[Royal]

1) Since money is already a bit pointless. the act of ' buying a technique' will be also a bit pointless? (a little late to start adding money-sinks)

2) n/a

[lightning claw]

1) Yes

2) Well in my mind I Preserve all stats ,adventure and abilities as “Earned Knowledge” meaning throw exploration and battles will these be earned

3) Yes again for adventuring you should half to adventure !


4) Well its more complicated than picking one... because of how our crystal system is set up. For instance Dark emerald gives health so the tech of Health 5 should drop off emerald golems if possible, and it should be applied to the rare loot tables as it is sought knowledge and not easily earned

For biped abilities/ Aegis

Defenses /again relating to the damage type of mob

Abilities (Ie tooth and claw ) should be off monsters with fangs and claws be it wolf or bear of other animal

[rizo/nawkia]

1. Yes.
2. All adv def drop cept basics craft all drop cept basics:)
3. Same for t4 an t5
4. Aegis elementals

[Velea]

Quick reminder of the guidelines for this forum (and a few notes).

First, we know the questions. You don't need to repeat, quote or otherwise include them in your post. Numbering is fine, but anything more than that makes it harder for us to then combine responses into one place.

Second, most questions can be answered with a simple "yes/no" response. And if you said "no" to number one, then you don't have to answer number 2 really at all.

Last, this is about techniques only. Not technique components, not formulas, not other equipment, etc, etc. Please keep your responses on that topic.

The feedback we've had thus far is great and appreciated!

[kynadre]

1. I think it depends on what the tech is for, but if done smartly I'd definitely like it.

2. Drop: Ability, Adventure, Defense, Spell
Storebought: Craft, statistic, and Weapon Dye/Armor Dye

3. Same for T4 / T5, but T6 all loot

4. Aegis

[Nira1992]

1) Yes

2) Statistic and Dye purchase only, all others loot only.

3) Yes

4) Aegis would make the most sense, though that might give them too many good drops. I think all non-aegis should drop the techniques that their components are used for.

[Kessedrian]

1) I like the suggestion of making stat, craft, and maybe dye techs purchased, and adventure, spell, and defense techs drop.

2) Ability - I would actually make these quested from the base (not prestige) class trainers. For example: you could get a quest for the Smash techs from the Cleric/druid trainer since Smash is an ability they use. However if that proves to be too much trouble or beyond the scope of this discussion, then I would make them dropped by the mobs that drop comps used by the techs
Adventure - Dropped by enemies which also drop comps used by the tech
Armor Dye - Purchased
Craft - Purchased
Defense - Drop by enemies that use the damage type the tech protects against and by enemies that drop comps used by the tech (ore golems use crush damage so they would have the crush resist tech in their table.)
Spell - Dropped by enemies which also drop the comps used in the tech, and by enemy casters. If you want to get really specific arcane casters would drop techs for arcane spells, divine casters drop divine techs. Techs that aren't specifically for arcane or divine spells (accuracy, romp, etc) would be on both tables. Of course this would mean that we'd need more enemy dragon casters so that higher tier primal techs would be around somewhere.
Statistic - Purchased
Weapon Dye - um, maybe purchased maybe random drop (no mob preference since they don't use those kinds of comps). This is more difficult since I can see it going either way.

"Dropped by the mobs that drop the comps used by the techs" is a pretty good rule of thumb to go by for the tech scroll distribution.

3) I would prefer the above separation for all tiers of techs. Purchasable techs up to T5 are purchasable. Drop only techs are drop only all the way down to T1.

4) The mobs that would drop the most techs are the ones who carry comps used by the most techs.

[Milandra]

1) Yes I would

2) Loot:Ability, Adventure,Defense, Spell and Statistic
Purchase:Armor Dye, Weapon Dye and Craft


3) I would prefer the same

4) In order (Most to less): Aegis ->Elemental ->Animals -> Ect