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Should Peons Drop Purples?
centkin
Member RarePosts: 1,527
This is a very simple question that has very large consequences in an MMORPG.
Different games have handled this in different manners....
In some games Peons drop garbage loot from 1->cap all the time. When you are levelling you know that the 25 orcs you are killing for their scalps to hand in will drop nothing of any use to you.
In some games Peons consistantly drop garbage loot, but very rarely a Purple People-Eater Peon will spawn that could drop something interesting.
In some games there are world drops -- sets of items that can drop off ANY monster that happen to be blue or purple. IE instead of a green valor item in rift that grunt you were attacking amazingly drops a purple version of the same item.
Some games it varies -- there might be world drops that are purple from level 20 to 58 in a game with a 70 cap but no even tier 1 endgame purples will ever drop off any monster.
----
The answer to this question defines the flavor of the game.
Everyone loves to get that uber item that came out of nowhere -- but if they are so rare that you will likely never have more than one of them at any time, or if they do not exist at all -- it will tend to prod players into the dungeons. If a decent set of rare items can drop, then people are more likely to solo where they can.
Not having the rare great drops off peons also makes the levelling process a lot more boring as you remove the slot machine from it.
If you take the rare monsters not rare drops path, then you often see known areas they can spawn perma-camped.
Comments
Just a hint: never, ever write that "everyone" loves something. If you like it, that's okay, that's your preference and please say so but never assume that what you like is what everyone likes.
As to the question in your title: No, peons should drop worthless junk, junk that no merchant will want to buy.
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I like the feel of ultra-rare world drops. It's quite a thrill to see one when they only drop once in six months of active gameplay.
I used to like the "'lottery" aspect of random world drops in Lineage 1, really did make grinding much more fun IMO.
So I vote yes.
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If it's rare then I vote yes.
I've gotten some gold/orange drops in Tera from regular mobs. Really "made my day" so to speak.
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I think he is safe. I really doubt you could find someone playing a loot driven game who would be disapointed getting an epic drop when they least expected it.
I think everyone likes to breath....see it works sometimes
When my first character in WoW was level 38, I got the Bow of Searing Arrows off a raptor in Stranglethorn Vale. It was the only purple I ever got on that character. It also was the best weapon in the game at the time for a hunter between levels 37 and 55 so the fact that I was a hunter and only level 38 made it particularly awesome. The item is soulbound and is now worthless to my hunter who has far outleveled it, meaning that it wasn't game breaking or anything, but it remains the coolest drop I've ever seen across any game. I never quite looked at kill quests the same after that in WoW - knowing that around the next corner could be the Item of Amazing Awesomeness That You've Never Heard of but Always Wanted!
In short, yes. I think purples should drop off normal mobs.
http://www.wowhead.com/item=2825/bow-of-searing-arrows
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If we're relegated to static loot tables, then world drops work well for me.
If the interest is in having 'awesome' happen occasionally, then I'd much rather dynamic loot so that 'awesome' has a chance to happen anytime from any mob.
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I vote yes as it adds to the fun factor. I would add a system to prevent farmers from brute forcing it.
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Really?
I consider ultra rare drops a reward for the generally insane amount of time people spend farming content. It gives people motivated to do something like that a reason to do it ... keeping them playing the game instead of complaining about how bored they are because endgame content doesn't get released fast enough.
But I suppose that takes us the whole "Everybody should have the same access to everything regardless of time invested in the game" argument.
Yes Fing really.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
As long as it is extremely rare then sure.
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-- Herman Melville
Spoken like a true mainstream MMO developer.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Slightly off topic but I don't understand why you would want useless items added to a game?
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
I would say "Yes" but their should be different degree's of purples. Low grade purples from peons and high grade from bosses.
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One of the reasons we have so much trouble moving away from a lot of these ridiculous game mechanics is because people have grown so used to them that they are considered normal or even necessary by many, despite how odd they are.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I agree... An occasional rare purple makes grinding and exploring much more fun.....I know alot of people though that think purples should only be awarded for killing bosses in raids...
I disagree...The first thing that came to mind was some lowly orc coming across some amazing dagger during a patrol or something, and keeping it to himself. Imagination. Why shouldn't it be there?
Oddities are often overlooked if they make a game more fun.
A loot jackpot is commonly considered fun (unless the loot is poorly balanced; like if it's a best-in-slot item where players feel forced to grind for it.)
Much like animals carrying treasure: although it can be cleverly designed around, people don't mind being rewarded when they kill a lion which clearly wouldn't be carrying a Sword of Slaying.
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I completely agree. The mechanic I was referring to is loot that serves no purpose at all other than to sell to a vendor.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I never got this either, I guess its one way of just giving you more currency randomly without making it consistent but couldn't you just give the mob a higher range to drop X currency? I think the better idea here is to make more crafting items that vendor for a decent amount of money in case you don't need them for that purpose. Loot that is useless outside of vendoring just seems like it should have a funny gag reference to it. Take this example from wow: http://www.wowhead.com/item=25402
Its a reference for players who played back in the classic days when the unstoppable force was a commonly seen item on characters who pvped quite often. A clever reference.
I guess it's psychological. Instead of giving you a bit more money and removing the junk drops, they leave them in because it has higher impact to sell that junk and get 50 gold let's say all at once, instead of getting the same sum over the period of time in which you killed stuff. Makes it feel more worth, to see a big number at once.
If you are playing a game that would be "boring" if it wasn't for a rare chance of getting some sort of gear drop, maybe you should consider playing something that is actually fun.
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I will play no more MMORPGs until somethign good comes out!
IMHO it depends on the game some games wouldn't really see this as a plus unless it was rare style not stats. Depending on the gmae time invested could be minimal if you were actually good at the game. What i mean is some games reward for over coming difficult content that is actually not very long while others reward you for sticking with content that is not very difficult but very long. If the game is grind driven then sure add em if not dont do it.
The answer for me is simple...yes.
Any game that makes loot a goal is a weak game. I should not be doing a dungeon or a quest for the reward, I should be doing it because its FUN.
Loot is a carrot...I dont like carrots...carrots are needed to cover up weak gameplay.
Ultima Online did not need a carrrot.
Asherons Call did not need a carrot.
SWG did not need a carrot.
Those are the only 3 games to hold me for 2 or more straight years. Sure I have played a few other games for a few years total, but not straight...they required expansions to make me come back for a while.
Loot = a focus for weak games.
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