Items we wished were different:

[janave]

Overall: Item design in DDO is a relatively complicated task. When creating any item (and especially weapons or armor), there are a lot of different settings, effects, and properties that can be adjusted to make the item unique, and there are hundreds (possibly thousands) of named/unique items introduced over the last decade or so that the new item will inevitably be compared to. With each named item being hand-designed and hand-created, each one is (in one way or another) unique.

Thats mostly PR talk,

Spell power/lore changes were probably not hand re-designed on each item, they do seem to follow a pattern locked to mlvl, why could not the older stuff follow the pattern, with a condition that raid equipent gets treated as ml+1 for SP/lore effects.

If the task of creating an item is complicated, then why not make the process simpler? helping yourself in the long term.

Treasure in DDO is mostly usatisfying because you hand out too much! This showers us with junk gear instead of making a "find" meaningful, and rewarding. So you instead introduced exceptional loot = named items, so each update brings new farmable static gear that outclasses but maybe the very best of randgen.

Basically pre +6 gear, lvls 11-MC9, should preferably be clean items, that means no absorb 2% element + 1% whatever uselessness. If an items has a very low tier/esp % based, consider them showing up at a later phase of the game, like you had with old vorpals +1 at lvl10, so can have meaningful benefit.

After you reach the mark of +6 items, you start getting augments and 2nd affixes.

Reduce the amount of junk in randgen please! Looting other than named gear spawning chests is a bad experience, unfulfilling inventory clutter... im sure you understand this

[EllisDee37]

we need more named rapiers and shortwords please! I really like my swashbuckler but feel silly using a dagger from L15-18 (Guardian of the Liturgy) so far but it seems to be the best available. The Envenomed Shortsword is close with it's paralyzing, but dps is less. Still I use it when soloing for a little CC, and use the dagger in groups, well, because dps.

Guardian of the Liturgy is nice, but it's not in the running for best swashbuckling weapon for 15-18. See this list to find the best. (Pretty sure it's between Forrester's Brush Hook and Skullsmasher, though I personally prefer Widowblight.)

[Oxarhamar]

Hey, everyone. Still out of the office for the holidays, but saw a few interesting ideas in this thread and thought I'd take a little time to chime in.

Overall: Item design in DDO is a relatively complicated task. When creating any item (and especially weapons or armor), there are a lot of different settings, effects, and properties that can be adjusted to make the item unique, and there are hundreds (possibly thousands) of named/unique items introduced over the last decade or so that the new item will inevitably be compared to. With each named item being hand-designed and hand-created, each one is (in one way or another) unique.

If you take the "Comparing Apples and Oranges" metaphor, it often feels a lot like "Comparing Apples, Oranges, 542 Other Kinds of Fruit and Possibly a few Vegetables". If it falls on the low side, it's regarded as "useless junk". If it falls on the high side, we're "invalidating the loot we worked so hard to get". Rarely are new items perceived to be right in the middle.

Not every named item is going to be spectacular for everyone, or even viable for everyone. Some may be a lot better for new players (who may not have farmed that one thing from that one old pack) than for vets. In the end, we always try to make new loot interesting, and useful to at least some builds at some levels, and a little different than what's out there for that item type at at that level.

To specific questions:

The power of this item is in its versatility. Would it be overpowered if it had no minimum level? No, probably not. However, it was not our intent to create an item that you would want to equip every life from level 1 all the way to level 28, which would be the case for some if it had no ML. It also keeps design space for other augment-slotted trinkets open in the future.


I believe the Eveningstar ones are fixed either for U24 Patch 1 or U25; we'll take a look at the Cannith ones in the near future.



To an extent, that has a lot to do with the D&D 3.5 base stats of Greatclubs. I'd still wager it's the best non-Raid Greatclub you can get at level 24, however, and that's what was being aimed for there.

Admittedly, I'm a bit confused by your comment, though; the last feedback I can find from you about the Splinter called the last round of changes to it:

We really do pay attention to the feedback on items, even if we can't always make certain changes. I'd be interested in hearing more about what changed your opinion on the Splinter between then and now.


Exactly. Augment-slotted Random loot aren't necessarily going to be the strongest things out there, but their power lies in their versatility.



The specific instances you mentioned usually came with a level cap increase.
CITW was a level 24 Raid at a time when the highest-level Raid was 20.
Fall of Truth came next and was level 25, but there wasn't a ton of overlap between it and CITW's items in terms of item slot.
The Thunderholme raids were the first level 30 Raids, with gear up to ML28.
Sentient Items, while still early in the design process, will be a part of the level 30 endgame.

So yes, as the level cap got higher, the loot generally got stronger; it would be odd if it didn't. We do try to spread out some of the types of loot we put in Raids (take Mark of Death, which had no weapons), but weapons do have a general appeal to some players that other item types don't.



This is another tough bit about item creation in DDO; we have a lot of weapon types, and often times lesser-used types don't go over well when proposed (see above Greatclub) unless their power is skewed relatively high. That said, we've been trying to get more of the lesser-used item types in lately, and I'll make a note about Great Crossbows.

Thanks everyone!

We appreciate the feedback however we grow tired of this randomly popping in to answer a few questions in a random thread then popping out again until the mood hits.

We need a place where players can ask questions and get answers as it is now its a **** shoot if you get an answer or not and it seams that the squeaky wheels threatening to quit get answers more often than others.

[Powskier]

ddo has artifact type powerful items ,but not sets of unique items ;didn't want it to look like diablo loot,is all I could guess? They did try in that direction kinda with the evestar comm sets. DDO abandons every loot system they put out?

[Monkey-Boy]

DDO abandons every loot system they put out?

Yes, they do. it's what happens when the people in charge change every 6 months

[HatsuharuZ]

Thats mostly PR talk,

Spell power/lore changes were probably not hand re-designed on each item, they do seem to follow a pattern locked to mlvl, why could not the older stuff follow the pattern, with a condition that raid equipent gets treated as ml+1 for SP/lore effects.

If the task of creating an item is complicated, then why not make the process simpler? helping yourself in the long term.

Treasure in DDO is mostly usatisfying because you hand out too much! This showers us with junk gear instead of making a "find" meaningful, and rewarding. So you instead introduced exceptional loot = named items, so each update brings new farmable static gear that outclasses but maybe the very best of randgen.

Basically pre +6 gear, lvls 11-MC9, should preferably be clean items, that means no absorb 2% element + 1% whatever uselessness. If an items has a very low tier/esp % based, consider them showing up at a later phase of the game, like you had with old vorpals +1 at lvl10, so can have meaningful benefit.

After you reach the mark of +6 items, you start getting augments and 2nd affixes.

Reduce the amount of junk in randgen please! Looting other than named gear spawning chests is a bad experience, unfulfilling inventory clutter... im sure you understand this

Steelstar isn't a PR guy, he's an actual developer who makes actual items. I think he was trying to explain, not placate. But I do agree with you that there is a lot of clutter in randgen.

My issues:

1) While running a wizard or sorcerer, I don't see any spellpower items except as equipped weapons, putting me at the mercy of finding the proper weapon, and ONLY the proper weapon. Spellpower does not appear on any other slot, unless you have a few select names items.

2) The number of possible mutations on robes and armor is very low. Both my paladin and my wizard see the same kinds of mutations on the randgen armor they get.

3) The variety, potency and availability of offensive wands has not changed over the years, but the rest of the game has changed. The last thing I want to see in my level 14+ quest loot is a caster level 10 Wand of Force Missiles. No, the last thing I want to see is a Wand of Chilling Touch at the same quest level, but the Force Missiles wand comes in a close second.

[Steelstar]

We appreciate the feedback however we grow tired of this randomly popping in to answer a few questions in a random thread then popping out again until the mood hits.

We need a place where players can ask questions and get answers as it is now its a **** shoot if you get an answer or not and it seams that the squeaky wheels threatening to quit get answers more often than others.

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

[dunklezhan]

We appreciate the feedback however we grow tired of this randomly popping in to answer a few questions in a random thread then popping out again until the mood hits.

We need a place where players can ask questions and get answers as it is now its a **** shoot if you get an answer or not and it seams that the squeaky wheels threatening to quit get answers more often than others.

What sort of place did you have in mind?

If whenever someone asked a question here on the forum half a dozen forumites didn't appear to pick fault with the way the question was asked or explain why the question is stupid etc etc... then that place would be here. But they do, sometimes they even help Either way, there's a lot for staffers to read through to spot something they can reply/contribute to. They read as much as they can, some of their comments prove that, but they can't read every post in every thread. They just can't.

For there to be a place "guaranteed" an answer, you'd have to have some kind of vetting or a rights management system on who could post there to keep it manageable (and how would you decide who had that right? Ugh).


But if you've got a better idea how the devs can do what you want, given the number of people who might want to ask them questions... I'm sure they are all ears.

Only thing I can think of is a forum area where folk could post new threads, but not replies - so if you started a thread only a staffer could actually reply. But that would have to be policed and people's rights taken away if they abuse that. And they still might not be able to answer everything.

[Oxarhamar]

What sort of place did you have in mind?

If whenever someone asked a question here on the forum half a dozen forumites didn't appear to pick fault with the way the question was asked or explain why the question is stupid etc etc... then that place would be here. But they do, sometimes they even help Either way, there's a lot for staffers to read through to spot something they can reply/contribute to. They read as much as they can, some of their comments prove that, but they can't read every post in every thread. They just can't.

For there to be a place "guaranteed" an answer, you'd have to have some kind of vetting or a rights management system on who could post there to keep it manageable (and how would you decide who had that right? Ugh).


But if you've got a better idea how the devs can do what you want, given the number of people who might want to ask them questions... I'm sure they are all ears.

Only thing I can think of is a forum area where folk could post new threads, but not replies - so if you started a thread only a staffer could actually reply. But that would have to be policed and people's rights taken away if they abuse that. And they still might not be able to answer everything.

A type of ask the Devs sticky thread

And yes I understand it has its own problems

[Oxarhamar]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

Then there are questions that just seam to get ignored while players go to bat in thread after thread (some which might get closed by a Dev for fighting still with no answer)

A fine example is fury eternal recharging Adrenaline with ranged. While adrenaline list works with ranged in the descriptor fury eternal list only melee.

The forumites go head to head which is WAI or exploit without an answer since Fury of the wild was introduced.

Though these threads have died down with the changes in PRR/MMR Swash & Holysword champions are the new distraction.

Really it's not about the questions but, about a place to put them where they could be addressed.

[Forul]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

When i see a developer make a post like this it makes me want to come back to the game =)

[axel15810]

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

Awesome to hear this. Thanks for your extra work, it is much appreciated

[janave]

My issues:


2) The number of possible mutations on robes and armor is very low. Both my paladin and my wizard see the same kinds of mutations on the randgen armor they get.

That remind me when i turn on the reward/class option in the gameplay options i regurarly get towershields, bastardswords and other not very wizard themed gear, with 20 wizard levels.

I would expect a list of staffs, scepters, and robes, maybe rings with spell power/spell lore as a semi deviated random loot. It would help casters slot multiple effects.

[Thar]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

Happy new year to you too. Thanks for putting in some extra for love of the game. We are all looking foward to ToEE.

[Loromir]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

Steel...please don't become disheartened. Most of us are grateful for the work you guys do. Unfortunately there are folks who will always have some complaint and will always lay that at the feet of the Devs.

I think we all realize there are "warts" on this game (as with any MMO)...but there is no other game out there like DDO. I've looked...and I always comeback.

Just realize those that grief you are in the vocal minority. Keep up the good work.

[DarthCaedus]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

Happy new year! We appreciate your responses, extra work and friendly responses to these questions.

[DarthCaedus]

Then there are questions that just seam to get ignored while players go to bat in thread after thread (some which might get closed by a Dev for fighting still with no answer)

A fine example is fury eternal recharging Adrenaline with ranged. While adrenaline list works with ranged in the descriptor fury eternal list only melee.

The forumites go head to head which is WAI or exploit without an answer since Fury of the wild was introduced.

Though these threads have died down with the changes in PRR/MMR Swash & Holysword champions are the new distraction.

Really it's not about the questions but, about a place to put them where they could be addressed.

How to win friends and influence people right here.

NOT

[Gremmlynn]

ddo has artifact type powerful items ,but not sets of unique items ;didn't want it to look like diablo loot,is all I could guess? They did try in that direction kinda with the evestar comm sets. DDO abandons every loot system they put out?

That's assuming any named loot was ever considered to be part of some ongoing system rather than just a one off for whatever update they were working on at the time. I've always gotten the impression that DDO development went more along the lines of "where do we go from here" than "how do we get to there". Basically, that they make up the plan as they go along, abandoning whatever doesn't fit and ending up wherever that takes them. Rather than having some long term ideal they are developing towards.

[Gremmlynn]

That remind me when i turn on the reward/class option in the gameplay options i regurarly get towershields, bastardswords and other not very wizard themed gear, with 20 wizard levels.

I would expect a list of staffs, scepters, and robes, maybe rings with spell power/spell lore as a semi deviated random loot. It would help casters slot multiple effects.

That's strange, because my rangers/bards generally see only light armors, light shields and bucklers; my cleric see's simple weapons and my fighters see mostly heavy armors and heavy/tower shields. Not counting named items, as those are in their own category and don't follow the list as far as I can tell.

As for what effects the items have, I don't believe the setting has any effect on that. It just seems to filter by base items the characters primary class is granted proficiency with.

Which to me seems fine. With as much loot as this game hands out, most of it should be vendor trash.

[UurlockYgmeov]

Sorry if the answering of particular questions/threads over others seems arbitrary. We on the Development side try to answer questions that we can (sadly, we can't answer all questions) when we can (only so many hours in the day). If a question isn't answered, it could be for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to):

• Can't answer it because it's part of hypothetical "future stuff"
• The answer has already been mentioned by someone else in the thread
• Answering the question may require discussion from the team first; we do end up discussing questions we see in the Forums pretty often, even if those don't end up turning into posts.
• The dev replying doesn't know the answer; As much as we try (and we do!) we are not all human encyclopedias of all in-game and under-the-hood knowledge simultaneously. A lot of you ask big and deep questions that require research.
• And finally: The question wasn't asked politely.

With the earlier post in this thread, I happened to be reading the Forums while away on Vacation, saw some good questions that I could answer, and decided to do so. Nothing more to it than that.

Today, I'm in the office on a non-work day fixing bugs and making stuff for the Temple of Elemental Evil, because I genuinely want to improve the game. Which may sound like "PR speak", but it's true.

Anyway! Happy New Year, all.

All your hard work is appreciated (and that goes for everyones hard work!)

Have a 'Evil' '15 in the Temple of Elemental!