Revisited - Equipment: Durability & Spawn Rates

[Thalric]

I totally agree with Tor!!

Then we need to revisit held spell enhancers as well. They'll have to dull the same rate as any top tier weapons, if changes are to be made.

Or is this still about balancing only what you want?

What do you mean with "still"?
As if everyone but me are completely selfless in all they write here, and are all only promoting stuff that are good for everyone.

[Mirandus]

Keep it cordial.

[Quantum]

I think I'm at the opposite end of Tor on some of those points. Yes I only want to use exclusively top of the line items. I think I earned it by putting in the hours.

But then I also get annoyed seeing heroes wielding items they clearly did not get themselves. So maybe some sort of wielding requirements. Maybe top tier non-dulling is only for people with full supreme stats? That would be fun. Imagine the outrage from 99% of players not being able to use them.

Then again...it would be nice if there was something that only the biggest players can use. Keep regular magic items unrestricted but add some requirements to those listed as artifacts?

You could also make all non-dulling dull, and then always have the best items on all npc's. Then we'd wear out items, but be able to go and get new stuff. Instead of wearing out the non-dull killing something 50 times without a drop. Remember - it's a game, we're supposed to play it because it's fun. Nothing dropping isn't actually considered fun. Balanced? Possibly, but I'd rather have fun than balanced. I must be getting old.

[Rache]

You could also make all non-dulling dull, and then always have the best items on all npc's. Then we'd wear out items, but be able to go and get new stuff. Instead of wearing out the non-dull killing something 50 times without a drop. Remember - it's a game, we're supposed to play it because it's fun. Nothing dropping isn't actually considered fun. Balanced? Possibly, but I'd rather have fun than balanced. I must be getting old.

I agree 100%.

[Rache]

Keep it cordial.

Apologies, edited to promote discussion.

[Thalric]

A new thought...

How about all weapons were a lot more random in their stats?
Only upwards to a certain extend?
Then you could be lucky to find a splendid sword with stats like mergulas...
Which would result in everyone "having to" slow down and actually examine weapons, instead of just selling everything. If they didn't want to sell something potentially awesome.

And it would accomplish what Tor said, a greater diversity in the items used..

[Mirandus]

Interesting idea, Thalric,

I have tried to implement this in my items. Not huge randomness, but in many of them, certain things are better or worse depending on the person who has it.

Let's take the Great War Trident from the Lizard King. Some may say it's not very good. I would say those folks likely aren't able to use it to its full potential.

I like it when weapons have certain qualities they look for in a player. So, they are better in some instances or worse in others.

What did you have in mind concerning randomness? Something like this? Or just setting values using a random number?

[Thalric]

My initial thought was an option for up to X% extra on its current base stats.. 50%, perhaps... enough to make oldschool good weapons optional for awesomeness.

But, if they are to compete with the current insane arms race, there would also be a need for optional other effects.
Such as extra damage, haste, non-dull (which I would rather be removed), bonus use for x race or against x race.
All those options other weapons might have, beside what might come as imbuements.

I do realize this might be a huge thing to do, but it could also just be an addon to the base weapon code for all weapons with stats below 90% of max. Or whatever.

And in theory the same could apply to armours.

[Brentan]

So something like a masterwork quality of item. Very similar to the current imbuement system but make the masterwork item non-transmogrifiable and not droppable (can be dusted with a command or sold for money). The only problem I can see with this system is that the masterwork items would need to be better than the current end-game gear to be worth using (or the current end-game gear would need to be nerfed). Also only allow mundane items to be masterwork quality candidates. No masterwork Flaming Black Broadswords.

What about if a new-found masterwork item could be taken to a masterwork forge in Sparkle. The masterwork smith could take a regular end-game item from the world (like an excellent halberd or a long black dagger) and forge the properties of the regular end-game item into the masterwork item and then also allow the player to pick a masterwork quality in addition to the new infused item to make it better. Make masterwork items undroppable, unauctionable, and not-transmogrifiable. Also make them unique so that a player could only ever have one masterwork weapon/held and one masterwork armour item on their person at a time (forged or fresh) so they can't farm and horde them.

So as a dagger user I go out into the world and find a masterwork keen dagger by killing vigilant humans in Kabal. I want the masterwork keen dagger to have the properties of a shimmering longsword. I go get a shimmering longsword and take both the masterwork dagger and the shimmering longsword to the masterwork smith. He forges the shimmering longsword into the masterwork keen dagger and I ask the smith to also make it grant haste. I then have a masterwork keen dagger that has the same properties as the shimmering longsword and also grants haste.

I go out into the world with my shimmering keen dagger and soon enough loot a masterwork black bandana. I go out and get a crumpling hat and take it to the masterwork smith and he forges the crumpling hat into the black bandana and I ask the smith to also give it acrobat skill. I now have a masterwork black bandana that works as a crumpling hat and grants acrobat skill.

Now I go back out into the world with a masterwork weapon and a masterwork armour piece and find, lucky me, a masterwork crude scimitar. It immediately crumbles to dust because the forging process of the masterwork keen dagger I already possess corrodes the masterwork quality of all other weapons in my inventory.

Just halfling thoughts.
BB

[nils]

Please never put random stats on weapons in genesis. That's for games with numbers.