Looting -- The official thread for discussing the loot system. Updated 18th March, 2013.

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Nicirin wrote:

There are plenty of ways to avoid the "dirt-bag" online player.

The problem with FFA is only partly greedy dirtbags.

The other half of the problem is that it takes a lot of mental effort to keep loot distribution fair in FFA.

As a person very interested in fair distribution, I have to keep track of everything that drops and remember it. So when an Orb drops, I have to remember how much loot I've gotten vs how much loot my partymember has gotten to figure out who is supposed to get that item.

It's a lot of work, it's not fun to do, and I'd rather it be automated.

I actually really like this idea. It would make it so that if you're in the midst of a big battle and something drops... you have to choose in an instant whether or not you want to grab the item or let it go because a wrong move could kill you.

I guess another fairly simple mechanic would be to only allow items to be picked up when there's no combat happening near them.

All of these features sound very appealing to me, I am very excited for this game to be released. I hope to see everyone online.

Lets hope I get in the beta.
Brandon.

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Chris wrote:

It's important to us that Path of Exile has a cut-throat feel where players are not only competing against monsters, but also their fellow players. We do not feel it is an option to arbitrarily hide items from players who have not been allocated them.

Read it all. This got me the most though. I rather see each player get there own loot.

If you want a cutthroat game. Then you should Enforce PVP. Enforce Item loss at death. Enforce hardcore. Very few people would enjoy it though. Except for the people that like to cut other peoples throats.

What I would prefer to see is a system (or at the least a league option) that loot would be apportioned separately to each player.

It doesn't break the game for me. Just will make me wary of partying.

Maybe a league for cutthroat play and a league for cooperative play. See which one wins the majority of the player base. :)

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Lebowitz wrote:

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Chris wrote:

It's important to us that Path of Exile has a cut-throat feel where players are not only competing against monsters, but also their fellow players. We do not feel it is an option to arbitrarily hide items from players who have not been allocated them.

Read it all. This got me the most though. I rather see each player get there own loot.

If you want a cutthroat game. Then you should Enforce PVP. Enforce Item loss at death. Enforce hardcore. Very few people would enjoy it though. Except for the people that like to cut other peoples throats.

What I would prefer to see is a system (or at the least a league option) that loot would be apportioned separately to each player.

It doesn't break the game for me. Just will make me wary of partying.

Maybe a league for cutthroat play and a league for cooperative play. See which one wins the majority of the player base. :)

I agree. I do not want to play with people that are going to stop attacking when the boss is about to die ready to loot everything the second it drops. I know some people think that fighting for loot with others is fun, but when everyone has the same right to the loot, it's just annoying. I don't care if the system is single draft, need before greed, roll, timers, etc. I just don't think FFA is going to appeal to the majority of the player base.

So, nearly 100 pages later...

I am not so sure this applies to me...

I only play hardcore.
I play and value all the diverse playstyles. I am fascinated with my Necro and with that said, I already have the issue of loot distribution peering down at me.
I also really love melee, and working in groups as opposed to soloing at a snails pace with a party of zombies.

That said, I have already experienced the "fairness" issue, and have not really had a hard time with it coming to terms with it. I don't get too serious about loot when I am in combat, and my buddy Reelix and I have more or less implemented a "loot now, separate later" doctrine.

But what happens after release, where system dynamics and pick up groups become more essential to the health of the game? I can see that this is a serious issue for PoE, and the well being of the developer and investors as a whole.

The only real save for me, is that hardcore is a pretty tight knit group, and we are pretty supportive of one another, but...

The main issue with loot distribution and fairness is with non class specific items that have a true value to them, more specifically, orbs and the sense of entitlement that is associated with them. Elite drops as well but in a group setting where players truly support one another, you want your supporting parts of the whole to have the best, so that they can support you as well as they can.

So, whats my vote?
Well, I don't believe a loot meta-game contributes in any way what so ever to the cutthroat feel of the environment. I feel it is simply a background mechanic like the rendering engine behind the real gameplay, which is "action role playing". I say "we" distribute loot manually and behind a curtain.

It truly pains me to say this because I am so devoutly chaotic, but I can't foresee one way where this proposed system can be unbiased while not wholeheartedly breaking immersion. I totally love HC, and CT, and fully support the pursuit of generating the ruthless feel of that environment, but in a party setting, I propose that is at best a silly and irresponsible dynamic to be mortaring into the architecture of the party system.

So, IMHO, make it allocated throughout parties, with loot type options to cater to different play situations, including the option to conceal drops that are not allocated to others, completely. This is one place, "clutter" cant possibly exist if you ask me.

I don't look forward to resenting a comrade in arms for "depriving" me of loot, whether it is merely perceptual or not.

Loot is a pivotal part of the game, yes, but absolutely secondary to combat. That said, in a PvP cutthroat environment, we should incite camaraderie... There will be plenty of time for killing others kill others and looting their corpses, without having every good drop suggesting we do so. That should be decided by the role playing part, not the combat action system dynamics.

I will be playing hard core cutthroat either way, but if you want to see a leaderboard completely dominated by traditional tanks, I highly recommend should look to the current convention that has found its place at the pinnacle because it is the most reasonable and reliable system.
Now, That is not to say we would "settle for it"... this is not a compromise, this is a sound design based command decision that all executives are faced with at one time or another.

To those of you who disagree with me on this, please explain to me your logic and the philosophy behind it.
As an aside, in my own game design documents, the issue of item distribution is never entertained. There is no "loot", simply objects that can all be possessed should one seize them, player characters included...
So, please don't think that I don't appreciate the argument for such a game dynamic... I am just personally not designing an action role playing game... more of a reality simulation with twisted physics.

Lastly, I would just like to reiterate that in my opinion, "looting" is not what makes any RPG an action combat game.

Signed,
Nazaxprime

why are non beta players posting in here

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Mmcheetos wrote:

why are non beta players posting in here

Because we are able to.

The input they requested doesn't require any experience with this game. It just requires a knowledge of how the poster likes to play.

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Chris wrote:

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Oasisbhrnw wrote:

When an item drops, how do you decide who gets the temporary allocation?

Randomly among nearby players.

I like this proposed system, 1sec seems short, although 5secs would be wayyy too long. Test it out and find the perfect balance of time.

However I dont think the random allocation seems to work. You say you want a cut-throat kind of feel to the game, why not allocate it to the character that does the killing blow (rather then most total damage as an alternate). That way players would be trying to quickly switch enemies if one enemy is low on health so they can one hit them and score the allocation.