let's get real about item loot

[Aenor]

There's a lot of panic out there from posters who shouldn't even care. If you play the game to avoid pvp and amass pixel wealth, there are already two servers custom designed for your needs and wants, Red99 and Blue99. Teams99 is not for you. Stop posting. We don't care what you think about Teams99 if you are scared of item loot.

Now, Sirken has stated that the staff intends a different implementation of item loot than what has been tried in the past. Any discussion of Teams99 should include thoughts on item loot that haven't been tried before. Please don't shit up my thread by crying about past implementations of item loot that didn't work, and therefore have no relevance to the current conversation. Go find a support group.

The first question we have to ask is why does Nilbog want item loot on Teams99. I suspect it's because A. Item loot is Classic. I also suspect it's because B. Nilbog appreciates the social experiment that item loot represents. As someone pointed out in another thread, when item loot exists, people are more careful about who they group and guild with. As soon as item loot was removed from Vallon Zek, it changed from a PvP server to LootWhoreQuest, and remained that way until it faded away.

Project 1999 already has two servers that support LootWhoreQuest, the aforementioned Red99 and Blue99. Teams99 should be about something different. Therefore, here is what I suggest:

TLDR:

All items should be bind on equip. As soon as you equip an item, it is flagged as no drop and can no longer be traded or looted. RMT solved. You can farm manastones, but as soon as you equip it, you can't trade it. And if someone kills you before you can equip it, they can loot it. This makes the game about developing your character, as it should be, rather than about who can amass the biggest pixel hoard. If you're farming something you can't equip, others are free to PK you and take it off your corpse (all inventory should be lootable except equipped items and no drop items in your inventory)

[Kergan]

Originally Posted by Aenor [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

TLDR:

All items should be bind on equip. As soon as you equip an item, it is flagged as no drop and can no longer be traded or looted. RMT solved. You can farm manastones, but as soon as you equip it, you can't trade it. And if someone kills you before you can equip it, they can loot it. This makes the game about developing your character, as it should be, rather than about who can amass the biggest pixel hoard. If you're farming something you can't equip, others are free to PK you and take it off your corpse (all inventory should be lootable except equipped items and no drop items in your inventory)

I think this type of thought process is what we need in this discussion. NEW ideas, that make PVP loot meaningful but not destructive.

My idea I've stated a few times is to have a SZ style insignia system. Meaningful gear can be purchased with insignias - duplicates of gear like fungi tunics, manastones, etc. This purchased gear would be flagged as PVP lootable. Regular items would not. Maybe make it so if you aren't wearing any PVP flagged items you default back to a 1 droppable item loot system RZ style?

[Dullah]

Hear hear.

Item loot so good.

[Aenor]

Originally Posted by Kergan [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think this type of thought process is what we need in this discussion. NEW ideas, that make PVP loot meaningful but not destructive.

My idea I've stated a few times is to have a SZ style insignia system. Meaningful gear can be purchased with insignias - duplicates of gear like fungi tunics, manastones, etc. This purchased gear would be flagged as PVP lootable. Regular items would not. Maybe make it so if you aren't wearing any PVP flagged items you default back to a 1 droppable item loot system RZ style?

If the devs want to put a huge amount of effort into a custom insignia system with PvP item vendors, they should go all out and have a ball. I tend to believe that the simplest, most elegant solution is usually the best solution. One simple coding change that flags items as no drop the instant you place that item in an equipped slot is all it would take to implement what I am proposing (well... they still have to code the ability to loot inventory but they've already said that's doable).

Not hating on your ideas. As you said, what we need are new ideas, not a rehash of old ideas.

What my system does is allows you to be a mele and camp your ideal gear set without fear that a naked wizard is going to show up and one shot you and take your bp. And if that wizard shows up and kill steals your mob and loots your bp, you've got a chance to take that wizard down and loot it back from them since they can't equip it.

[Potus]

How ironic you call item loot opponents bluebies.

Who is the one calling for easily acquiring items without any effort?

[Kergan]

Originally Posted by Aenor [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If the devs want to put a hug amount of effort into a custom insignia system with PvP item vendors, they should go all out and have a ball. I tend to believe that the simplest, most elegant solution is usually the best solution. One simple coding change that flags items as no drop the instant you place that item in an equipped slot is all it would take to implement what I am proposing (well... they still have to code the ability to loot inventory but they've already said that's doable).

Not hating on your ideas. As you said, what we need are new ideas, not a rehash of old ideas.

Didn't EQ have a bind on equip system at some point? I can't imagine it would be hard to make all items BOE.

[Aenor]

Originally Posted by Potus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Who is the one calling for easily acquiring items without any effort?

Lack of effort would be not even showing up for the raid, just paypaling the raid leader with some utility money and then logging in to collect your items. You know. Like what goes on on Red99 and Blue99 every day.

Obtaining items would be more difficult, not less, under this system. But it addresses the imbalance of naked casters who are 90% effective without gear attacking mele's who are 30% effective without gear. You can be a mele with a full set of gear and never have to worry about getting your main gear taken away.

[Aenor]

Originally Posted by Kergan [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Didn't EQ have a bind on equip system at some point? I can't imagine it would be hard to make all items BOE.

Zek implemented augments that combined with your gear to add stats and made the item no trade. The augment could be removed later, however.

[Vexenu]

So what exactly would people be looting, if everything you equip once is flagged no drop?

Potions? Bandages? Food? Vendor trash items? Gems?

All your resist gear and utility items (Fishbone earring, Bracer of the Hidden, etc...) would become no drop. There would be hardly anything of value to loot.

So as someone who is against item loot, I would support this proposal. Simply because it's hardly even item loot at all. More like trash loot.

[Potus]

Originally Posted by Aenor [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Lack of effort would be not even showing up for the raid, just paypaling the raid leader with some utility money and then logging in to collect your items. You know. Like what goes on on Red99 and Blue99 every day.

Please tell me how item loot will fix people paying for no drop gear rights. I'm all ears [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Obtaining items would be more difficult, not less, under this system. But it addresses the imbalance of naked casters who are 90% effective without gear attacking mele's who are 30% effective without gear. You can be a mele with a full set of gear and never have to worry about getting your main gear taken away.

How? Melees will lose to casters as soon as they get banded mail and will quit playing. It's happened on every other pvp item loot server in EQ's existence.