Randomness

[agent12345]

This is of course not a Diablo-type hack&slash game but I was wondering how much randomness there will be in the loot and encounters (or even availability of quests or even the structure of dungeons?). This also includes random encounters when resting (if there's resting) or traveling overland (if that will be in). Will it all be very static (only combat rolls are random) or do you plan for random events too?

[Tychoxi]

I hope randomness affects pretty much everything. Not by A LOT, but just enough. It could be managed by a luck stat or equivalent or not. And for skills too, the better the skill, the lesser it's affected by chance failure. I don't like "thresholds" as skill-checks, the better my skill the more chances I should have of succeeding and the less it should be affected by chance (stat-checks should be thresholds though hah!).

[Rostere]

I would love to have some randomness, but I'd like to have Baldur's Gate style looting system as the starting point. If I loot a magic sword, then I want that sword to have been used by the character I just defeated - not like in Diablo where the loot has nothing to do with the enemy in question.

[Gorth]

I would love to have some randomness, but I'd like to have Baldur's Gate style looting system as the starting point. If I loot a magic sword, then I want that sword to have been used by the character I just defeated - not like in Diablo where the loot has nothing to do with the enemy in question.

Heh, reminds me of Kotor2. I always wondered what the automated gun turret I just killed was using those jedi gloves of wisdom for. I do like the idea of being able scrounge a dew pennies and maybe a (second hand) item or two off my now defeated opponent.

[LadyCrimson]

I'd definitely like some randomness to loot. And some random encounters on the road (either combat or mini-quests or even just humorous etc), where you might not encounter them all in one playthrough is always nice.

 

In terms of resting ... if resting is an option ... I don't mind if there's a chance of being disrupted/attacked while resting out in the "open", but I don't want it to be a super high chance. I remember playing some games like that, where the result was almost every single time I rested in the woods, I'd be attacked. Then after I beat them away with my sticks, I'd try resting again, and I'd be attacked again. And so on. It just became ridiculous. Don't want that.

 

(edit) I remember, pre-patches, BG1 had this one spot with knolls that was truly horrible in this regard. It must have been a glitch because in later versions I think it was vastly lessened.

Edited September 16, 2012 by LadyCrimson

[Darji]

Yeah random loot is great but do not give me a level 40 weapon with level 1 to bring up a bad example. Make it still reasonable to your level or maybe stats. That does not mean that it should have your level or the stats but something you don't have to wait 50 hours to actually use it^^

 

Also yes for resting randomness^^

Edited September 16, 2012 by Darji

[Infinitron]

I for one despise randomized loot. I love the feeling of exploring a world that's been hand-crafted right down to the smallest detail, where everything "fits". Baldur's Gate was beautiful like that.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Infinitron

[Humanoid]

I'd cautiously support randomness in areas where it would improve the experience of exploring the game world, and set up some difference in repeat playthroughs. Randomness in terms of skill checks, not so much, though I could tolerate to an extent a minor random modifier (1d4+20 instead of 1d20+4, to illustrate).

 

Specifically though, I'd limit the scope of even the "good" randomness such that its effects can be expected, in terms of balancing, to fall within a fairly narrow range. No random encounters which drop a unique all-powerful weapon, for example (though I can accept an 'interesting' one that might exist as a stylistic alternative to a regular weapon of your level), and any other wealth gain should be dwarfed by that provided by "core" content, to ensure player resources remains within a fairly controlled and predictable range. I'd probably also strongly lean against any of these encounters awarding experience to avoid the grinding issue.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Humanoid

[LadyCrimson]

When I think random loot in this type of game, I'm thinking in terms that creatures and chests are not completely predictable in what pops out of them. Obviously there will be some "static" items (quest stuff, perhaps special items) but I don't want to know that every time I open this chest in that cave, I'll get 5 arrows, 25 gold, and a 2H axe.

 

And it's fine/preferred to not have a mage dropping giant 2H swords as loot, but I don't want them to always drop the same spell scroll, robe, gems, and tiny dagger either.

[HangedMan]

When I think random loot in this type of game, I'm thinking in terms that creatures and chests are not completely predictable in what pops out of them. Obviously there will be some "static" items (quest stuff, perhaps special items) but I don't want to know that every time I open this chest in that cave, I'll get 5 arrows, 25 gold, and a 2H axe.

 

And it's fine/preferred to not have a mage dropping giant 2H swords as loot, but I don't want them to always drop the same spell scroll, robe, gems, and tiny dagger either.

I fully second this.

[aVENGER]

When I think random loot in this type of game, I'm thinking in terms that creatures and chests are not completely predictable in what pops out of them. Obviously there will be some "static" items (quest stuff, perhaps special items) but I don't want to know that every time I open this chest in that cave, I'll get 5 arrows, 25 gold, and a 2H axe.

 

And it's fine/preferred to not have a mage dropping giant 2H swords as loot, but I don't want them to always drop the same spell scroll, robe, gems, and tiny dagger either.

 

^ This. Having random loot is fine to a certain degree, but please avoid nonsense like having a huge, armored warrior wielding a magical Greataxe dropping a Staff of Fireballs and a Robe of Arcane Prowess.

 

If possible, loot tables should be semi-randomized so that opponents drop items that are appropriate for their class/race i.e. equipment they would realistically possess. Also, if possible, limit the randomness to non-unique items.

Edited September 16, 2012 by aVENGER

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I don't mind randomness as long as I don't loot like 20p an old werthers original and some pocket fluff from a dragon or something.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Moonlight Butterfly

[fixedpoint]

When I think random loot in this type of game, I'm thinking in terms that creatures and chests are not completely predictable in what pops out of them. Obviously there will be some "static" items (quest stuff, perhaps special items) but I don't want to know that every time I open this chest in that cave, I'll get 5 arrows, 25 gold, and a 2H axe.

 

And it's fine/preferred to not have a mage dropping giant 2H swords as loot, but I don't want them to always drop the same spell scroll, robe, gems, and tiny dagger either.

QFT. Assuming this is the game begging for multiple playthroughs, knowing that you should visit that room and loot that chest to get this particular nice sword does not exactly add to fun.

Random loot, of course, should not be important per se. Instead of item randomization I'd rather see randomized locations/possessors of certain moderately important (side-quest level) items, preferably backed by at least some writing.

Edited September 16, 2012 by fixedpoint

[D3xter]

Aside from the basic items like "Chain Armor", "Longsword" or whatever I want preferably hand-planted, custom-designed weapons/items with a backstory to them. The "X weapon of Y + Z" doesn't particularly give the feel of having found anything special and has imo made any game I know that isn't just a looting farm-simulator like Diablo and Torchlight worse.

 

Loottables like in Icewind Dale 2 could also be fine, but no pure randomness that creates a lot of "Meh Items +2".

[Oerwinde]

Be it random or carefully placed, I don't want to lose interest in looting halfway through the game. The last few major RPGs I've played I actually stopped checking chests and such because I didn't care what was in there because I knew it wasn't better than what I had and I couldn't spare the inventory space.