Making random loot armors a viable option

[daniel7]

It would be nice to see the general public of Stormreach sporting new outfits. The best way to do this would be to allow players to enhance some unpopular armors to make them a viable option. Here are a couple suggestions to make this happen.

1. Create recipes that can only be used on randomly generated armors. Effects such as elemental absorption, skill boosters (command, persuasion, shadow etc), fearsome, deathblock, heavy fort, clickies of shield etc.

2. Create recipes for specific types of armors for flavor and balance issues.

First lets discuss suggestion number 1.

For balancing issues I would recommend one of two options for Turbine.

1. The easy thing to do would be to allow just one effect to be on an armor at any given time. Boring.

2. The more complicated option would be to group the affects into categories so that you could have more then one affect on an armor. I will further break this down with two models.
A. Simply create 2 or more categories of affects and only allow one affect of each category on an armor at anygiven time. The purpose of categories is so you don't have too many affects that are too powerful on one armor...like Turbine has done with the runes on DT.
B. Rate the affects with a number. Stronger effects have a rating of 3 points(something like GFL or SFL) and the weakest effect has a rating of 1 point (something like Shadow or move silently +10). All armors can be upgraded with effects that add up to a certian number of points...let's say 4 points. This means you can put four level 1 affects on that armor OR two level 2 affects OR one level 3 affect and one level 1 affect etc.

Now lets further discuss number 2, specific armor type affects.

Some armors in Stormreach are so undesirable (b/c they are inferior) that no one will wear them (scale, hide, splintmail, etc.). For these extremely unpopular armors I suggest one of two things.
1. Better affects for these armors (the same recipe that gives mithral fullplate GFL gives splintmail SFL for example).
2. If model A is utilized then for these more undesirable armors two affects of the same category would be allowed on the armor. If model B is utilized then the maximum number of enhancements allowance will be higher (an allowance of 5 points instead of the standard 4).

The other reason for the armor specific affects is flavor. Fullplate simply should never have move silently +15 and padded armor shouldn't be able to get adamantine dr-5. Again certian recipes could have different effects on different armors (one recipe could give move silently +5 to full plate but +15 on padded armor or might give command to hide armor but persuasion to breast plate.

Other suggestions.

1. The armor must be bound to character.
2. The ML of the armor goes up with each modification OR for model B the ML goes up accordingly with the number of points spent on the armor.
3. Allow the player to change the way the armor icon looks on his/her toolbar. This should cut down on the "oh no wonder I died I was wearing my haggle robe and not my heavy fort/magic damage reduction robe".
4. Your suggestion.

[AestorTheKnight]

Good suggestion

[Impaqt]

I'd rather see the entire DT Armor system get revamped. This sounds like your just fishing for a way to avoid Reavers Refuge.

[daniel7]

Oh no I'm not avoiding reavers Refuge at all. I am however sick of seeing the dt armor. One of the main reasons for my suggestion is to get people to wear not just different looking armors but different types of armors.

[Impaqt]

Oh no I'm not avoiding reavers Refuge at all. I am however sick of seeing the dt armor. One of the main reasons for my suggestion is to get people to wear not just different looking armors but different types of armors.

Then wouldnt adding the ability to Skin your armor be easier than creating a whole new random loot Crafting system?

[daniel7]

Then wouldnt adding the ability to Skin your armor be easier than creating a whole new random loot Crafting system?

Well I wouldn't be completely against changing the skin off your armor but I personally would rather that be random. I definately don't think you should be able to change the skin of named loot.

When this game first came we all wore the best thing we could loot from chests. I just want to get some of that back. Probably 80-90% of the population of level 20 characters on any given server is wearing DT armor, Icy Rainments, or an armor from VOD or the Hound.

[ArichValtrahn]

This is a great idea. What we need is for a few quests to drop runes. They would be bound to character and you wouldnt know what bonus they would give until you use them. (Sounds so exciting!) We could have 3 tiers of bonuses and 97% of them would be worthless to any given character.

They should implement this at once.

[daniel7]

This is a great idea. What we need is for a few quests to drop runes. They would be bound to character and you wouldnt know what bonus they would give until you use them. (Sounds so exciting!) We could have 3 tiers of bonuses and 97% of them would be worthless to any given character.

They should implement this at once.

/sarcasm off

Hehe.

Yeah I'm not suggesting more random affects. Instead I would suggest something like a collectable or some kind of ingredient. You would bring your armor to a crafting NPC and he would show you your options with what ingredients/collectables that you have with you.

[AestorTheKnight]

Well I wouldn't be completely against changing the skin off your armor but I personally would rather that be random.

Players should be able to choose their appearance. Thats all there is to it. Having random armour and equipment appearances just leads to dissatisfaction among the players, due to them being cut out of the loop of their characters appearance.

I definately don't think you should be able to change the skin of named loot.

Named loot will always be more powerful than loot you find in chests. Consequently people will always wear and use named loot. Which will always lead to the situation you have described, that of:

Probably 80-90% of the population of level 20 characters on any given server is wearing DT armor, Icy Rainments, or an armor from VOD or the Hound.

The inability to change named loot appearances will simply re-enforce this situation.

The simplest and easiest solution is just to allow all players to change any armour and equipment appearances to any other appearance available in the game.

[daniel7]

Well you could simply add a feature to change armor skins but everyone would still be wearing the same armors. I would like to see changes that make random loot viable.

[jwdaniels]

Well you could simply add a feature to change armor skins but everyone would still be wearing the same armors. I would like to see changes that make random loot viable.

The only change that would make random loot viable is to change the random loot so it's comparable to named loot. This would eliminate the need for grinding p2p content, so it's not going to happen as it's both a time sink and a profit center for DDO.

The best thing to hope for, if you don't want everyone to look the same, is a system to change the skin on the armor.

[AestorTheKnight]

The only change that would make random loot viable is to change the random loot so it's comparable to named loot.

I guess in essence that is what the Op is suggesting. And its really a good suggestion in my oppinion. But yeah...

This would eliminate the need for grinding p2p content, so it's not going to happen as it's both a time sink and a profit center for DDO.

Yep - thats the crux of the matter.