Weekly Dev Activities: 7/30/07

[dragnmoon]

I can understand how people can be upset about this... They are taking away your guaranteed 2 Raid loot items per quest, and now make it better for larger groups to have a better chance of more loot.

I like this.

Raid loot is some of the best items in the game.. It should be hard to get it.. I like that they are making it harder.

I Love grouping... the more in the group the more I enjoy it..

I am also Hoping this will cut down on the Roll for loot idea.. I always hated that.. If i ever went into a group that said " if a names item drops we roll for it" I left right away. To me the chest already made that roll for you, and the Raid loot items just ruined that and forced a roll off.

I can see not needing the item and more then 1 other person wanting it then doing a roll off. Otherwise I hope this gets rid of that concept.

Everyone getting something from a chest was always a huge reason why I loved DDO and one of the things that made me hate the Raid Loot.

Also think of it this way. You have more of a chance of getting Raid loot then a Named item from a Chest that spawns it.

[Gimpster]

I like the new raid loot system. No more rolling!! As long as there are guaranteed 2 raid items in the raid chest, nobody should gripe.

But there is not a guarantee of 2 items. There will frequently be less, but almost never be more. That is the reason behind the complaints you're seeing.

[BlackPantha]

I COMPLETELY agree, there should always be at least one raid item, I cant imagine flagging for the dragon von1-4, von5 then doing von6 and no one getting a piece of raid loot.

This is ESPECIALLY troublesome for smaller guilds, forcing interaction between puggers, and probably getting screwed out of it.

I.E. No one but the pugger gets any loot, and its the dragon helm, which x person called as one of his choices of loot. And the pugger simply takes the item and keeps it, instead of reassigning it to the person who called the item.

So I see a potential problem with the system, a much larger problem than with the raid loot system beforehand.

[Venar]

As long as there are guaranteed 2 raid items in the raid chest, nobody should gripe.

I invite you to read it again then. An unlucky raid could get zero.

[Gimpster]

It certainly has issues and is a bad thing for 2-main raiders. It is potentaily a good thing for the more traditional 12 man raid and is more in keeping with other game mechanics.

I seriously doubt a 12-man raid is "traditional" in DDO. I think that aside from Tempest Spine they're a real minority of all raid runs.

It would be very entertaining to see Turbine's statistics on the number of players present when each raid is completed, and how that changes after the loot patch. (Right now, I expect that raids of 7 and under are the majority, but 12-man raids are probably more common than 9 to 11)

[Flicken]

I invite you to read it again then. An unlucky raid could get zero.

And a lucky one could get 6.

[Capstern]

And a lucky one could get 6.

No lucky raid could get 12 actually

[Muirtach]

Only the Raid Items are bound. Any normal treasures generated will continue to be unbound just like every other treasure chest.

I'm assuming the answer is yes, but are the Tomes and Manuals going to bind as well?

[Morgoth_the_Enemy]

I'm assuming the answer is yes, but are the Tomes and Manuals going to bind as well?

They have in the past, and I can't see why that would change...

[Aspenor]

But there is not a guarantee of 2 items. There will frequently be less, but almost never be more. That is the reason behind the complaints you're seeing.

I don't need you to explain it to me Gimp, I understand completely

[Gimpster]

In addition, the primary warded chest creates the list of characters that are allowed to loot the chest at the time chest spawns. This list contains all the members of the raid at the time the list was created. Characters not on the list do not have treasure generated for them when they open the chest and may not have items re-assigned to them.

Note that the change to raid loot contains separate modifications which could have been described independently. The primary one is that there is a 1/6th chance per player of raid loot, instead of a fixed 2 loots per party. But this second part of the change is a fix for some assorted exploits where someone could come in and get raid loot without having really been a member of the raid group. It's a good fix, regardless of problems with the other aspect of the change.

[tekn0mage]

WRONG!!!

jk bro

I like the new raid loot system. No more rolling!! As long as there are guaranteed 2 raid items in the raid chest, nobody should gripe.

That's just it. There aren't going to be any guarantees anymore.

Sure there's no limit, but the chances are weighted differently. We will hear about zero-raid loot chests far more than we will hear about 3-4 item raid loot chests. That's a given.

[Mad_Bombardier]

• NEW - The metamagic system in Dungeons and Dragons Online has undergone significant changes in Module 5.0: Accursed Ascension.
  
  The biggest change that casters will discover is that each metamagic feat other than Heighten Spell now has a fixed spell point cost increase rather than multiplying the spell point cost of a spell as they did before Module 5.0. These surcharges are as follows:
  
  Empower Spell: +15 SP
  Empower Healing Spell: +10 SP
  Enlarge Spell: +10 SP
  Eschew Materials: +2 SP
  Extend Spell: +10 SP
  Maximize Spell: +25 SP
  Quicken Spell: +10 SP
  Heighten Spell: Special (Changes base cost of your spell to that of your highest level spells)
  
  These cost increases are cumulative if multiple metamagic feats are active simultaneously, so a Quickened, Maximized, Enlarged Fireball would cost:
  20 (base) + 10 (Quicken) + 25 (Maximize) + 10 (Enlarge) = 65 Spell Points
  
  Improved Metamagic enhancements have all been changed to flat cost reductions on these surcharges. Sorcerer Improved Maximizing III, for instance, has become "Using the Maximize Spell feat costs you 9 fewer spell points." Wizard Improved Heightening II is now "Using the Heighten Spell feat costs you 2 fewer spell points per level of heightening."

Not great for level 1 spell staples such as MM.
Currently, Max/Empowered MM: 10 + 10 + 20 = 40 SP. New System: 10 + 15 + 25 = 50 SP. 1.2x cost.
But, Max/Empowered Scorching Ray: 15 + 15 + 30 = 60 SP. New System: 15 + 15 + 25 = 55 SP. ~0.9x cost.
Max/Empowered Fireball: 20 + 20 + 40 = 80 SP. New System: 20 + 15 + 25 = 60 SP. 0.75x cost.

Kind of goes along with the slower cooldowns on level 1 spells in making them less than desirable. Not that high level mages should go around flinging MM and nothing else, but every spell has it's uses. Now, those uses will cost us a little more. But, for high level spells... woo-hoo! Max/Empowered Fire-specced Sorc can throw 15 each of Scorchers and Fireballs on a single rest (even before the Improved Metas). That's a whole lotta damage spell love!



P.S. +2SP for Eschew? Really, why bother? If it was +0SP, mages might take it to be free from encumbrance. I doubt it will be considered by most players.

P.P.S. While I love the new SP costs, I too was dreaming of spell hotsets. For example, I'd love to be able to heighten Soundburst, but not BladeBarrier.

[Aspenor]

That's just it. There aren't going to be any guarantees anymore.

Sure there's no limit, but the chances are weighted differently. We will hear about zero-raid loot chests far more than we will hear about 3-4 item raid loot chests. That's a given.

Well of course we'll hear more about it here on the forums. NOBODY comes to the forums to announce how happy they are that 6 raid items dropped. 85% of people come to forums to complain, not to be happy (estimated).

[tekn0mage]

Well of course we'll hear more about it here on the forums. NOBODY comes to the forums to announce how happy they are that 6 raid items dropped. 85% of people come to forums to complain, not to be happy (estimated).

Well its pretty obvious to me that Turbine is not bothered by all the complaints, since they keep doing things worthy of more complaining.

To me, that sounds like they can handle a bit of criticism.

[Capstern]

AIIIEIEIEIEIE DROW WILL BREAK THE GAME!


Ok that out of the way.
I do think the no guarentee will be hard to get used to but I am kind of looking at it another way:

I raid a lot - how often do I get stuff I just put in the bank and never use? Well considering I have 67 pieces of raid loot - um a lot.

So I look at it from the gamblers perspective - I get a shot a a raid item everytime. Thats fun to me. And maybe I get one and someone else gets one and we can swap or whatever. Either way to me I guess I just feel the odds will all even out in the end - in DDO you get lucky or you dont. Thats it.

I will take my 1 in 6 each run thats ok - and sure this makes big raids more reasonable and yes people will work towards filling with friends they can work deals with.

If you pug a few spots and make the deal that if item X drops it goes to player such and such then you know that going it...I call it the Rule of Kargon

Its not nasty its just part of how you work it. Like when we raid now if we bring someone in we find someoen that doesnt need the same loot I do and then we all get happy. Thats what will happen you would bring someone who has the titan belt or no need and make a deal in advance if I get X you get it If you get Y give to me - much more social....

What you are all missing is the boneage to clerics

If I read the meta magic right it makes casting big nasty spells cheaper...ya...but screws my casting of level 1-3 healing spells while empowered....where the cleric can now cast cure light for like 12 sp - this will make it cost 20 but now my cur mass mod or serious is way cheaper...thats nice but why cant EMPOWERED scale by levle or something

like
Level 1 empowering is +1sp
level 2 +2
level 3 +4
level 4 +6sp
Level5 +7 sp
level 6 +8 sp
level 7 +10

or somerthing like that?

[Gimpster]

This will not go away because Gimpster (or anyone else for that matter) says it is good for the people.

Could you please pay a little attention to what's being written? I am NOT saying it is good for "the people" or for anyone. I have not been in approval of this change at all, but you are attacking me simply because you apparently like to attack me on general principles.

[tekn0mage]

I foresee a great many people not happy with the raid loot changes. This will not go away because Gimpster (or anyone else for that matter) says it is good for the people.

[Solstice]

Thanks Turbine

you did the merge server for "increase the number of players founding groups for run quests", and with this change on raid loot, you KILL the pugs in raids... just KILL.

Nobody will run without have some chance of get your end reward in a PUG.

as we told in Brazil, "deu uma de Pelé e outra de Macalé", that's can be translate on English for "one moment of God and other of newbie at same say"

[Aspenor]

Following my last few previous posts, Graal I think you should consider flagging the chest to drop MINIMUM 2 "raid" items. Maybe a minimum of 1, whichever seems fairest. But to complete a "raid" and not get any "raid loot" will be extremely frustrating.