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

Summary of suggestions on this thread (nothing changed)
Seems like #10 is the most popular suggestion


Settings:
1) Global wise - across all leagues
2) League wise - different league has different looting options
3) Party wise - different party has different looting options


Looting options:
1) Need for Greed (roll between first requester and owner)
2) Extend Timer (set by developers)
3) Extend Timer (set by own player)
4) Free for All
5) Only for Me (not show to public)
6) Only for Me (show to public)
7) Class Points Earn
8) Extend Timer (keep alive in combat)
9) Need for Greed (time limit roll - time limit for requester, and only owner needs to click on need)
10) Extend Timer (set by party leader)
11) Roll between FFA requester (reasonable timer to request for item with indication on participant in roll)
12) MMORPG standard (show to public with timer)
13) No loot or FFA (only currency/gem items?)


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1) Need for Greed (roll between first requester and owner)
Pros:
- Respect the owner / entitle person.
- Maintain FFA, where only first person can roll with the owner
Cons:
- People keep pressing for need, even their inventory is full, and ended up dropping it?
- Take time to implement (both client and server side)
- Remember previous roll winner for points earn in a party
- Those who are far away may not able to get the roll
- Too many popup (too many good items belong to you only) may slow down the game.

2) Extend Timer (set by developers)
Pros:
- You got more time to loot
Cons:
- May still endup in an argument like this, never end.
- Slow down the game as players wait for the time to expire

3) Extend Timer (set by own player)
Pros:
- You can set your timer
Cons:
- Everyone is going to set 99 seconds, and the point is?
- Slow down the game as players wait for the time to expire

4) Free for All
Pros:
- Being more competitive and exciting
(is there more?)
Cons:
- Defeat the purpose of co-op play, reduce party chemistry
- Players stand-still just to wait for the timer, thus, slow the game
- Players looting whatever, inventory being full, then go back to town, thus, slow the game (same as above)

5) Only For Me (not show to public)
Pros:
- Secure items
- No slow down on the game, items can be picked after combat
Cons:
- Wasting items that might be useful for other party members
- Reduce party chemistry, reduce conversation

6) Only For Me (show to public)
Pros:
- Secure items
- Better party chemistry with more conversation in chat (trade, ask for item information, ...)
- No slow down on the game, items can be picked after combat
Cons:
- Other ask for items, may require to go back, and slow the game / wasting item

7) Class Points Earn
Pros:
- Make use of item for the proper class
- Fair to all classes
- Discourage farming character, encourage perfect party (all 6 classes in one party)
Cons:
- Take time to implement
- Problem with the same class on a party
- May not work for rare built

8) Extend Timer (keep alive in combat)
Pros:
- No slow down on the game, items can be picked after combat
- Players can focus on fighting, and encourage team fighting / efficiency
- Maintain FFA option
Cons:
- Requires to wait for owner / whole party to be out of combat
- Implementation time
- Items never expire due to owner wants to keep fighting (with a radius?)
- Too many items that covered the screen before combat is done

9) Need for Greed (Delay roll - roll between requester within a time period, or FFA after)
Pros:
- Everyone has a chance to roll, as you either wait for the timer to expire, or roll with other requests.
- Maintain FFA (once delay timer expired)
- Respect owner / entitle person (anyone click on the item between the timer can roll with the owner)
Cons:
- People keep pressing for need, even their inventory is full, and ended up dropping it?
- Take time to implement (both client and server side)
- Remember previous roll winner for points earn in a party
- Too many popup (too many good items belong to you only) may slow down the game.

10) Extend Timer (set by party leader)
Possibility to set it to infinite ("Only for Me") or to 0 (FFA), with different timer choices in between. Every party can adjust to their optimal balance.
Pros:
- May adjust expectation accordingly
- Add current distance timer on top of party timer
- No more complaints by users (can set according to their likes)
Cons:
- Disagreement on timer settings

11) Roll between FFA requester (reasonable timer to click to mark item on ground to indicate participation in dice roll, optionally influenced by previous player action)
Pros:
- no one need to click need
- no rush for the item (timer may set by party leader)
- show if you are requested for the item (and move on)
Cons:
- implementation time may be long
- abandoned entitle player

12) MMORPG standard (show to public with timer, item will be FFA after 20 seconds/party settings, item will be disappear in 120 seconds)
Pros:
- enough time to loot, either default at 20 seconds, or set by party
- items will disappear to reduce the number of things covering the screen
- allow FFA and sharing with the correct timer
Cons:
- disappear item could be useful, since it takes more than 120 seconds to visit the vendor.
- nothing new, just like other MMORPG

13) No loot or FFA (only currency items and perhaps only few white items)
Pros:
- good for gems or maps grinding, focus on leveling
- no fighting between players, no delay to game
- easier to navigate on map
- auto loot currency items
Cons:
- lack of items for upgrade


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Please let me know if I missed any points here, or mis-represent any points.

White text items are free for all,
magic items and above are Need for Greed with all party members.

i'll echo muddymushroom

Love this game... but the loot system just makes it so that I play mostly solo... when I was 15, I could waste days playing games like this... now... not so much.. so having to fight stangers for gear, not as much fun. I play with a friend right now, and I do the party thing for EXP runs (but i have to have a really good mental reminder, that I am doing it for just that, XP... takes away some of the fun.)


I agree with providing party leaders with choice between FFA/set loot...

Also... why has GGG not set up a poll on this, like other threads... that would easily size up the community no?

"

SMRD wrote:

The graphic change on the timers from a countdown (pre 9.12) to a progress bar are nice, just looks smoother overall.

Still think pure FFA “no timer” loot would be better, but only because people tend to lay claims to items after the timer ran out and it is tough for others to pay attention to who something used to be assigned in large multiplayer games.

I actually agree with you. People who like FFA should have the option to play pure FFA. It bothers me that even people who like FFA aren't always satisfied with the current system.

Edit: I also like the progress bar better. Just want the option to make them last longer! :)

In the current setting, as the timer is very very fast.
For ranger or caster, It is actually feel like FFA, and try to get whatever left over by Melee, if any.

And it seems it is more important to stay close and run fast to be the first to open the chest 1 screen away, then all the yellows are yours.

Too bad that I am those one screen away caster/ranger normally. Should rolled a Melee for public game loot.

Or can it just automatically put into my bag at least for yellow or some high grade item depends on user settings.

I can't click or think fast enough for those short timer anyway, so it's FFA or just compete to click base on color anyway.

I used to play a game where party members could dice it out. This might be a good way...

Lets say a rare drops...
Looting it would then be locked until all have diced. The person with the highest number gets to loot.

"

Krorkus wrote:

I used to play a game where party members could dice it out. This might be a good way...

Lets say a rare drops...
Looting it would then be locked until all have diced. The person with the highest number gets to loot.

that's way too slow, to reach the same goal as instanced loot (if instanced loot means 0% ffa as I believe).

"

Danthes wrote:

White text items are free for all,
magic items and above are Need for Greed with all party members.

It's been my experience that white items are the most valuable in the game. You're looking for white items that are your level, with the sockets/links you want for your skill setups. Then you buff it to +20% quality, then orb it out to be magic or rare.

I find this especially true at levels 40+. I can kit out a white and make it blue and it will always be better than that yellow that just dropped.

maybe my experience is not typical? but the FFA group loot seems completely backwards.

I'll post here what I posted in the other thread:

PLEASE. . . Do not instance loot.

It would completely ruin this game.

Instanced loot means you have to lower droprates vastly to maintain the current economy. This will reduce the fun of looting because you won't find as many awesome items.

Instanced loot means you have no idea if the loot other people are getting is any good for you. They could have found the perfect upgrade and you wouldn't know... which brings me to the next point.

Instanced loot means no trust or community building... because there is no way to know whether they -would- have shared that loot with you if it was good for you.

It feels really good to see something drop and someone else let you have it. It signals to you that this is someone you can trust and have a great time with.

On the other hand, having someone take something from you instantly signals to you that maybe this person might not be the best person to play with. With instanced looting, you would have never found this out.

The only thing instancing loot does is -remove gameplay-, and pretty iconic gameplay at that. Its a terrible, selfish and poorly thoughtout idea that will ruin this game were it implemented.