Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Publish 9 Feedback: Loot Kits
Ragnaat
Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:55 am
#144
To the folks using my completion of the glass top table on test as any kind of evidence of anything I just have to say please don't exaggerate my efforts, or try to use phrases like a "5 week head start." Things like this just don't translate well to live. First, I don't think the entire quest was active from the start of the patch so you lose some time there. TC waas down for 5 days not to mention the afternoons of no combat working or the regular days with multiple patch shutdowns so knock off some time there. And on top of that I really didn't start looking into these until after I had finished a few other thigns including the hero of tat quest so in reality I probably worked about 3 weeks of broken up play time on these - included in that a break for the TC1 downtime. So 5 weeks is just wrong IMO. Additionally, in that time I have also gathered the parts to almost finish all the others as well as being one pending trade away from completing a 2nd table as well. Haven't yet, but I'm close. Point being, the time spent should not be considered as devoted solely to making the glass top table, that just happened to be the first one I found all of the parts to.
The other issue with taking my experience on test and using it as a basis for praises or complaints on this "Quest" content is that Test Center is a much lower volume server then any live servers - and with this patch the low volume lowered even more with players split between TC1 and their free padawans on TC2 and a few other ongoing issues. Now, you may say that with the higher volume on live also comes a greater amount of people fighting for the parts, and with that I'll agree to a point, BUT, when we're discussing being the first to make these items there is also a certain amount of time needed to get the parts in circulation to even be able to make an item. Just pulling numbers out of my ass here, but say it takes 25000 NPCs killed to get all 50 parts spawned on a server a well populated live server might do that in 2 days, but TC would do that in 8 or 10. There is also the larger volume of looters who don't care about the parts resulting them being on the market to be bought or bartered for, something there was much less of on TC. (hell, I've logged into bria 3 times since the patch and have bought 4 or 5 parts on the bazaar)
With that said, given my experiences and observations I am expecting that some small guilds or some dedcated powergamers (or coronet spammers) manage to make a few of these by the end of the holiday weekend.
---- NOW FOR THE FEEDBACK FOR TH ----
THE GOOD: I've already provided the devs a fair amount (mostly though Vass) of mostly positive. It is definitely something to help make the faction mission grinding more exciting. At times its been a motivating factor to find someplace else to kill things in hopes you'll get luckier with mob type X. I've also looted 4 aakaun rings and a few crystals and mastered fencer on one of my toons in the process so I'm happy there.
THE BAD: My main concern is that the drop rates aren't balanced enough on individual pieces causing a fair bit of frustration towards the end of a build. A feeling that you've hit a brick wall and cannot really do anything yourself to progress, you just have to kind of back off and let it come to you (usually by trading/buying from the "lucky" one). Not all that bad, and probably not bad at all on a server with more volume as you can probably just throw money at your frustration to fix it, but even still it seems that theres a bit of a sense of hope you get at around the 6 or 7 piece mark that seems to fade rather fast when you realize that theres literally no one who has the parts you're looking for yet.
THE NOT AS BAD: My other issue - not nearly as important - is that I don't really like the fact that the tool you get from the junk dealer is no drop/no trade. This combined with the fact that you cannot retrieve parts out of a partially full tool, and that you can only have one loot kit at a time means it is quite easy to make a mistake early on that you regret later. On test I could deal because I have 3 chars, but on live, if you start out thinking you want to make the blue rug and have 3 parts in the tool then down the line you still have 3 blue rug parts but you have all 10 orange rug parts you either have to sit on the orange parts till you're done with the blue or delete the blue tool and the parts in it and get the orange tool. You are also sunk if at some point you decide just to not bother anymore in that those 3 blue parts could never be traded or sold or in any way used by another player who might benefit from them.
The other issue with taking my experience on test and using it as a basis for praises or complaints on this "Quest" content is that Test Center is a much lower volume server then any live servers - and with this patch the low volume lowered even more with players split between TC1 and their free padawans on TC2 and a few other ongoing issues. Now, you may say that with the higher volume on live also comes a greater amount of people fighting for the parts, and with that I'll agree to a point, BUT, when we're discussing being the first to make these items there is also a certain amount of time needed to get the parts in circulation to even be able to make an item. Just pulling numbers out of my ass here, but say it takes 25000 NPCs killed to get all 50 parts spawned on a server a well populated live server might do that in 2 days, but TC would do that in 8 or 10. There is also the larger volume of looters who don't care about the parts resulting them being on the market to be bought or bartered for, something there was much less of on TC. (hell, I've logged into bria 3 times since the patch and have bought 4 or 5 parts on the bazaar)
With that said, given my experiences and observations I am expecting that some small guilds or some dedcated powergamers (or coronet spammers) manage to make a few of these by the end of the holiday weekend.
---- NOW FOR THE FEEDBACK FOR TH ----
THE GOOD: I've already provided the devs a fair amount (mostly though Vass) of mostly positive. It is definitely something to help make the faction mission grinding more exciting. At times its been a motivating factor to find someplace else to kill things in hopes you'll get luckier with mob type X. I've also looted 4 aakaun rings and a few crystals and mastered fencer on one of my toons in the process so I'm happy there.
THE BAD: My main concern is that the drop rates aren't balanced enough on individual pieces causing a fair bit of frustration towards the end of a build. A feeling that you've hit a brick wall and cannot really do anything yourself to progress, you just have to kind of back off and let it come to you (usually by trading/buying from the "lucky" one). Not all that bad, and probably not bad at all on a server with more volume as you can probably just throw money at your frustration to fix it, but even still it seems that theres a bit of a sense of hope you get at around the 6 or 7 piece mark that seems to fade rather fast when you realize that theres literally no one who has the parts you're looking for yet.
THE NOT AS BAD: My other issue - not nearly as important - is that I don't really like the fact that the tool you get from the junk dealer is no drop/no trade. This combined with the fact that you cannot retrieve parts out of a partially full tool, and that you can only have one loot kit at a time means it is quite easy to make a mistake early on that you regret later. On test I could deal because I have 3 chars, but on live, if you start out thinking you want to make the blue rug and have 3 parts in the tool then down the line you still have 3 blue rug parts but you have all 10 orange rug parts you either have to sit on the orange parts till you're done with the blue or delete the blue tool and the parts in it and get the orange tool. You are also sunk if at some point you decide just to not bother anymore in that those 3 blue parts could never be traded or sold or in any way used by another player who might benefit from them.
Ragnaat
Sun Jul 04, 2004 2:02 am
#145
P.S. I don't really think the drop rates need to be increased or other avenues for parts be formed or anything of that nature that the poster before me suggested. I might even be ok with rates on a few parts DEcreased. I think a *lot* of the frustration is temporary and just like people complaining about the hero quest being camped people need to be a little more patient with this one. Give it a week or two for the parts to get looted and go into circulation on the bazaars, trade forums, trade cities, loot vendors, etc. and then you'll have your ways to suppliment your personal loot rate.
NeKRoMaNTiK
Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:09 am
#146
In 2 buff sessions killing jantas and mokks i have found:
2 parts of the orange rug
1 part of the blue rug
1 part of the table
1 part of the nabooian sculpture
I dont really think this is something you should go out and TRY to complete, because you will more than likley go insane through frustration/boredom.. but rather just get a loot kit and keep it with you just in case you happen to find something that matches. Thats how i see it anyway.
Velisimner
Sun Jul 04, 2004 4:02 am
#147
wow 7 pages of posts, is anyone even being heard by the devs?
DefenderGrey
Sun Jul 04, 2004 8:36 am
#148
No, but it sure feels nice to speak out.
Velisimner wrote:
wow 7 pages of posts, is anyone even being heard by the devs?
Vicotnik
Sun Jul 04, 2004 11:31 am
#149
Velisimner wrote:
wow 7 pages of posts, is anyone even being heard by the devs?
The Death Watch Bunker feedback thread has been ignored much longer than this one.
BastiWan
Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:05 pm
#150
Finding the Junk Vendor is really is smallest problem.
I was searching for those pieces. I found one on Dantooine for my Naboo Sculpture on a Mokk. But what does a Naboo part do on Dantooine??
I was not able to complete a set, because there was 1 missing piece when I was playing on Test Center (where I had much much higher loot drops) and then there was the wipe. 
I guess it's a generic problem in SWG, that the loots are just bad, if you ever have one. Just the Uber-NPC, for which you mainly must be a FOTM 
, seem to have good loots. This is needed to be increased, I guess.
, seem to have good loots. This is needed to be increased, I guess.
Veldcath
Sun Jul 04, 2004 5:51 pm
#151
To those who say, "This encourages player interaction! Get out there and trade for stuff!"...
1: I want all the finished objects. If I get a piece, I'm not trading it because I WILL use it eventually.
2: I'll trade duplicates inside my guild first, then I'll go outside or sell. I've gotten four pieces. I haven't seen a duplicate yet. A guildie of mine has one other piece (not a duplicate.) And none of mine fit his kit.
3: At a rate of 1:4 pieces to hours killing, these things won't be showing up on the Bazaar. I've been getting about 1:4, unless you factor in the two guildies of mine who have spent some serious time trying to get pieces, then we're looking at more like 1:6. They're worth WAY more than 6,000 cr. I know someone offering 100,000 a piece. Which means she'll be selling the finished pieces for at LEAST 1M cr. This isn't going to be something you can just **edit** down to the bazaar and pick up parts for. Nope. No sirree.
At this level of rarity, even trading and working within my guild where people tend to pass stuff back and forth pretty freely... it'll probably be close to a month before I SEE my first completed object (in anyone's house, not just mine.)
It shouldn't be easy... but after a cumulative 30+ hours of killing anything and everything humanoid we come across, that really seems entirely low. We're talking about close to a full-time job work week worth of bashing/shooting things and we still have only HALF the number required to finish any given kit and only two are even from the same kit.
-V
WildBil2Me
Sun Jul 04, 2004 6:00 pm
#152
I think these loot kits are fantastic. They add another interesting feature, especially for all those players hooked on collecting everything.
Finding pieces has become a REAL challenge but this is the kind of challange that is fun. Just keep hunting, searching the bazaars, and killing NPCs and sooner or later they'll show up. I love it.
-WB
Dagger20
Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:21 pm
#153
Notice a common vein thru' all these posts?
Something is either in error .....or my cynical side is telling me the truth. How so? Here's an analogy:
Take, for example, any generic brand item for sale that has a great new promotion. Part of the promtion is that inside the product's packaging is a 'winning ticket' of any kind for whatever great thingy. Now, this promotion lasts for, say, 10 weeks. Would you, as the company/promoter put out the product with the winning ticket on the first week? No, I'd wait until week nine or ten. Why risk the winning ticket showing up week one and jeopardize the potential increased sales for the length of the promotion? Keep 'em guessing(looking), eh?
Time is money...the longer it takes....................
Here's a third option: This game has been continually in development since its release...essentially never completed (that's fine, it's a BIG task). In a similar manner, though, I'd venture a guess that the beginning of the item quests has been started/developed...only to buy time until the rest can be completed, because, as of now - they are not.
Meanwhile, there's a lot of people running around in search of ghosts.
wvwildwoman
Sun Jul 04, 2004 8:13 pm
#154
I must agree with eveyone's comments. I took a blue rug kit and have been going to every planet and looting all different NPC's for the past three days. The only kit item I've gotten was one orange rug item.
It's almost not worth the effort.I have tons of locked containers, disks,and CDF pistals. 
Why isn't there any loot in the containers in the caves? I think there should be some loot added in them also based on the difficulty of the cave.
Ragnaat
Sun Jul 04, 2004 9:56 pm
#155
Well, its now late Sunday evening and there are a few screenshots popping up from live folks who have finished these kits. Now I don't know what type of player some of these folks are, but can I call 'em or what
Ragnaat wrote:
With that said, given my experiences and observations I am expecting that some small guilds or some dedcated powergamers (or coronet spammers) manage to make a few of these by the end of the holiday weekend.
Neogame
Mon Jul 05, 2004 1:33 am
#156
loot kits. its a good idea, i've picked up a kit from a junk dealer. but havent found a single part for for it. in 6 days