Comprehensive player's ideas to fix PoE's RNG problems and make it rewarding

There is a lot of flitter here and there about how the random system of upgrading and loot works in PoE.
Because most of the argues tend to went toward a quarrel based on two arguments:
1. "I love RNG, I want it more which means i'm a hardcore gammer and you are noobs"
or
2. "Don't make noobs of us because we hate the rng system. You are noobs."

..I've decided to make a constructive topic not on who likes and who does not the rng in PoE, but based on constructive proposals to make the system less punishing.
It means:
- the proposals are NOT about removing randomness form crafting or loot systems.
- the proposals are about cutting the edges/intensity of the randomness to make likers have the cake and haters eat the cake.


1. Cutting the edges the rnd works in crafting (Martinezz123's proposal)
Proposal:
I understand that randomness in how orbs work gives the piece of thrill to the crafting situation. I don't deny that. However in my and some people opinion this thrill transforms to rage because of the amount of randomness in the system. So the proposed solution is:
- make the orbs work on only one feature of an item not on all of them at once. So if you've got an item (a rare one for example) you use an orb on it and only one feature is randomly changed - the one you click on - not all the six ones.
- make the orbs work only on one slot on a gear not on all of them at once. Means using an orb (a chromatic one for example) on an armor, randomly changes the colour of only one slot (the one you've clicked). So if you acheive the colour you neded, you can play with another slot not worrying about loosing the change you've just made on the previous slot. The same concerns all other orbs and other gear.
- if you like to keep the current currency make an additional one which works like that.
- make currency which allows to remove the class from an item.
- lower the bias toward a class consistent slots on an item (its now safe to do that if orbs work on one slot only) - to allow more flexibility.

Result:
- This system steel allows for playing with random output of an orb on an item. Steel you can have worse output than your actual combination. So You will be encouraged to do it several times on one feature of an item. Gathering drops is steel an issue.
- Reduces the insane number of combinations to acceptable levels - less features to change at once = less combinations.
- Removes the punishment level for crafting a gear. You can not loose the features which you've worked out for last hours. You can not waste your gear totally.
- Adds constant progress effect to the game - you upgrade your gear one by one feature - until you exploit it's possibilities. Then you change it for one with higher ones. That's gratification.

2. Adjusting the quality of loot to the level of the player and the mob (johnKeys's proposal).
This proposal comes from realizing that whatever the level you are at the same crappy and RANDOM loot you get. The proposal does not intend to remove the randomness of loot. It intends to make more reasonable bias for getting more reasonable loot.

Proposal:
- bias enchantment RNG according to the level of the item.
- bias item and currency drop RNG according to the level of the mobs in the area

Result:
- The probability of being stuck with progress diminishes.
- The situation when you are at 80 level using weapon from the time you were at level 30 should be substantially diminished.
- The gratification and happiness level on killing bosses should be substantially increased.
- The feeling of sense of doing it should be substantially increased.

The second idea is not contraindicative or a replacement for the first one. The second one is about loot and the first one is about crafting. Therefore the two of them could be easily implemented in the game.

3. keeping a history of failed rolls and biasing RNG accordingly (Courageous's proposal)

This proposal comes from realizing that pure rnd function independent for each time you make the roll can lead to thousands of loses for an unfortunate player.
A well balanced game should:
- Track loses an wins in rolls of a player.
- Cumulatively bias the probabilities to break any loosing or winning string.

Result:
- This would definitively diminish the rage amount while playing with the rng in the game.
- This would definitely diminish let's say "social stratification " between gamers where one lucky player has a lot better gear being on a much lower level, just because he is constantly lucky.
- This would satisfy players' belief that after a period of loses there should come a period ow wins (which on current state doesn't happen).

4. New active skill tree and runes with passive bonuses (Torin's proposal)
This proposal comes from the idea that there is too much RNG involved with using active skills. RNG in aRPG is good, but not when it influences your build as much as it does currently. The author also notes that his proposal is about keeping the current socket rng same, just basing it around runes which are less key to basic character building then gems are.

Proposal:
- Introduce runes which grant passive bonuses. Bonuses are applied while runes are placed in gear sockets, and augmented in linked sockets
- Introduce a new active skill tree with red, green, and blue nodes in which skill/support gems are placed. Gems can no longer be socketed in gear as this is the function of proposed runes. Current Passive Tree remains functional and unchanged.
- Character level determines the maximum number of skill/support gems which may be placed into appropriately colored nodes on the new Active Tree.
- A given skill gem will be supported only by any chain of support gems which are linked directly to the skill gem, with no other skill gems inbetween. To keep balance similar to current system, the maximum number of support gems which may support a given skill gem will be restricted by character level

The precise numbers proposed to balance this proposal and the discussion is here:
http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/315259/page/1

Result:
- making the new active tree and the runes would make the game more complex.
- making the new active tree and the runes would allow probably for counterbalancing the lacks in he rnd system and the pssives.
- It would allow for more progress an play with upgrading - therefore more gratification and feel of progress at the end.

ps. Please, authors of the ideas, if I've mixed up something in your ideas tell me in PM.

you summed up my idea nicely.

I will need to read Torin's posts again to see if you got his proposal right, and I remember Courageous having more than one solution concept, so he'll probably contact you and ask you to write those in.

all in all, putting many proposed solutions into one thread is a great idea that is more likely to get GGG's attention. well done man!

I would be happy if you explain your solution again, though. I didn't quite understand it.

Actually my proposal comes from the idea that there is too much RNG involved with using active skills. RNG in aRPG is good, but not when it influences your build as much as it does currently. I also must note that my proposal is about keeping the current socket rng same, just basing it around runes which are less key to basic character building then gems are.

nice ideas!

Add an Orb of Undoing. Have the game remember the last states of an item, and the orb of undoing will return the item to its past state.

That way, when you're crafting items with the alt -> regal -> exalt, exalt, exalt method, you won't get 2 exalted into the item, get a terrible mod, and need to scour and start all over, when you have already sunk hundreds of alterations and dozens of regals to get the proper first few affixes to begin with.

This still makes crafting somewhat random, as you still need to gamble with exalteds in order to get something good, but it doesn't make it relentlessly all about the RNG. Currency would likely be used even more, as this would make players be more inclined to craft.

Nice anthology. Bonus points for the serendipitous order- I would rate how much I liked each idea in the same order they were presented (#1 the best to #4 the least).

I like the game's RNG as is, and I personally believe the root of the problem with RNG has more so to do with balancing the overall game itself (i.e. mob damage among many other things).

I personally would not feel as excited that I got a 6 Link with 1 fusing if I knew that using 1000 guaranteed that I got one any way.

I could apply the same or similar logic to all the other suggestions.

I've made some changes in the initial post, according to your feedback, guys.

Excellent post! RNG is inherent in many games, and the ARPG genre is sort of built upon it moreso than others; but this game is indeed like RNG Inception, and I think of Xzibit quite a lot while playing (yo' dawg, I heard you like RNG!). Hopefully the devs give your post a good look, and you avoid too many childish flames.

bump