0.9.12w Patch Notes

Party loot system

To minimize ninja looting, consider using an *OPTIONAL* NEED/GREED method with loot tier roll options (normal, magic, rare, unique) as in most MMORPGs (WoW, etc.).

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Laimbrane wrote:

The best way to handle loot is to not try and take a one-size-fits-all approach.

All currency items (other than maybe scrolls of wisdom or town portals) should be granted ownership without a timer. Period. I've never see anyone turn one down, so there shouldn't be frustration on the part of other party members when one player wants to deal with a monster first - they're going to go back and get that chaotic orb, so chill out.

Uniques and 5 or 6 slot items should have a 15-second timer, while rares and 4L+ items should have an 8-second timer. Other items can stay as they do now. This seems like a reasonable compromise, no?

The other option is to create a party collection screen, where all loot is semi-instanced. Let's say that a rare belt drops instanced to Bob. Mary comes along and picks it up quickly. She would be the "controller" of the item, while Bob would be the "owner" of the item (I hope this makes sense - I play Magic, so this is kind of how I think of it). Any magical, rare, unique, or currency loot that is collected by anyone other than the "owner" goes into the party screen under the "control" of the person that picked it up, while ownership is still maintained by the person who had it originally instanced to them. The owner then has 5 minutes to get that item from the party trade screen. If that 5 minutes elapses, the person picking up the loot has 5 minutes to transfer it to their stash before it disappears. After that, anyone else in the party is free to grab it out of the party stash. It's sort of a lost-and-found system, I guess, but seems like a decent compromise so that pickers can still be useful to the party, the party doesn't have to worry about the pickers getting all the loot, and nobody feels like their efforts are in vain.

I'd definitely prefer something like this. I don't have any friends that play this game, and playing with others is a complete crapshoot. It usually just ends up being a rush to the boss and isn't very enjoyable. I'd like options besides FFA, as right now, parties just aren't attractive.

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Laimbrane wrote:

All currency items (other than maybe scrolls of wisdom or town portals) should be granted ownership without a timer.

Its not only about the greedy loot ninjas - there exist very different "playstyles" related to looting: some are mainly interested in rushing and think only about stuff they really could use (and probably take only half of this) others (like me) go more slowly and act as kind of a vacuum cleaner ^^. Especially for lower value currencies, many (fast) players dont even consider to run back the half screen to where it has dropped below my feet... Some play such straight at race events (where time matters most), some play always that style... To make an arrangement on all stuff you're interested in, you'll need time (to type) or a voice chat - both not always guaranteed (races/quick party)

Every system of selection with the need of interaction with one or more players will slow down the general progress and by this dissatisfy many players.

On the other hand, the suggested system of a party-shared screen sounds nice; sometimes it can be very useful to hand over some stuff (portal scrolls as example) to the others without the need to be in the exact same place...

But for automatically sharing/distributing loot it had to need less (time-limited) interaction between the players.
So now, if I imagine a second tab of each players inventory as shared space (accessible to all other party members), this could be used 1) to handover stuff by manual dragging, and 2) it could take every item that is assigned to you (instead of your 'personal' sheet). Now, the other members can see it, and have the chance to sign their interest. The 'owner' now has the first chance to take it himself, but if he opens/closes the bag without taking it, or if he leaves the party without having it taken, the item is reowned to the player who chooses it - or free for all to take or throw away (if noone was interested before). I know, this may sound very complicated first, but its high 'automated' without the need of any timer.

Additional idea: could be made that doesnt matter player grabs the item - it goes to the sheet of who's assigned (until it doesnt fit there). To put it in the page of the grabber, could make it hard to track which items are assigned to you, as you had to check the pages of all members..

serious question:

what happens when you run out of letters of the alphabet?

Nice patch guys ;) hope open beta come soon

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ubix wrote:

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Laimbrane wrote:

Uniques and 5 or 6 slot items should have a 15-second timer, while rares and 4L+ items should have an 8-second timer. Other items can stay as they do now. This seems like a reasonable compromise, no?

+1
would be a good improvement

-1. 15 seconds is a freaking eternity to wait while playing.

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indczn wrote:

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ubix wrote:

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Laimbrane wrote:

Uniques and 5 or 6 slot items should have a 15-second timer, while rares and 4L+ items should have an 8-second timer. Other items can stay as they do now. This seems like a reasonable compromise, no?

+1
would be a good improvement

-1. 15 seconds is a freaking eternity to wait while playing.

Says the chronic ninja looter. Don't play in a party.

No hes honestly correct, the standing reason i hate the timer now is it bogs down team play and make sorting loot between friends and I take forever.

I also NEVER party with people I dont know because of the other reasons i dont like the loot system, game is awesome however single player or with someone you know decently well.

Loot appears to be decided however, onl;y way we will see it change is if the masses decide to hate on it come open beta, lets X our fingers that they do so we can get either

A. Instanced loot

or

B. Something better than this timer shit.

Then it would seem that a party loot screen would be the best overall compromise.

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/53938

So many great ideas to augment current FFA-loot system!

To repeat, FFA kills relaxed mood in a party, being constantly on-guard for an orb or an item drop - takes away from immersion.

Probably FFA-loot type of games are not for everybody