The PHAT LOOT Poll

[DemonKing]

Poll time kids!

EDIT: For some reason I can't edit my poll questions, so apologies for the mispelling of "properties" and "concentrate" above.

 

[JrK]

BG style. But it must be RARE, unlike BG2's +3 weapons all over the place.

 

[kingcomrade]

What I want is for magic items to be unique. I want to be able to acquire them in unique ways. I realized this playing PS:T. It had some generic magic items but it also had great sequences like biting off your own finger (or something) to get that Biting Ring. Magic items as quest rewards just doesn't cut it (thank you for taking my letter across town, here is a ring of healing that I have), I want magic items to be more organic to the storyline or narrative or whatever you want to call it.

 

[obediah]

What I want is for magic items to be unique. I want to be able to acquire them in unique ways. I realized this playing PS:T. It had some generic magic items but it also had great sequences like biting off your own finger (or something) to get that Biting Ring. Magic items as quest rewards just doesn't cut it (thank you for taking my letter across town, here is a ring of healing that I have), I want magic items to be more organic to the storyline or narrative or whatever you want to call it.

I can't be bothered to read all this, but props for keeping it real (pink).

 

[Inziladun]

I kind of like the KOTOR idea, although it'd certainly have to be expanded tenfold before i'd except it over something more akin to the Baldur's Gate methods.

Customising/upgrading a single weapon throughout the game seems better than simply dumping your inferior weapon everytime you get a newer, better one.

 

[Bloodeyes]

I wanted to vote for the first two. I voted for the first one.

 

[Hazelnut]

It entirely depends on the game.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'm a bit undecided between BG style, the unique stuff that has its own interesting backstory, and the Jade Empire style which focuses more on story and romances as rewards than just loot. I took the BG style though.

 

[Dpayne]

I sort of like a combination of BG and KOTOR. I like being able to find unique and interesting items with a history (although there should be an equivalent uber item for each weapon type, and they should be balanced for power), but I also think customizable items can be pretty enjoyable too. I guess what I mean to say is that I'm an indecisive piece of shit.

 

[sportforredneck]

(thank you for taking my letter across town, here is a ring of healing that I have)

You mean you don't find rings in barrels all the time?

 

[JarlFrank]

I sort of like a combination of BG and KOTOR. I like being able to find unique and interesting items with a history (although there should be an equivalent uber item for each weapon type, and they should be balanced for power), but I also think customizable items can be pretty enjoyable too. I guess what I mean to say is that I'm an indecisive piece of shit.

Why decide when we can have all of it in the same game?
Phat Loot Overkill!

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

I wonder if Mass Effect will be an EXTREME Monty Haul...

 

[Jasede]

Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 had excellent, very balanced loot. It -is- true that in BG2 some random encounter thieves had a +2 sword, but those were level 8 thieves and it's quite likely that they just stole it somewhere. +2 weapons aren't all that uncommon in most FR campaigns I know.

Many people claim BG 2 had overpowered loot all over the place. A bigger lie has never been told. There IS a very powerful +3 sword near the beginning, however, it requires a lich to be killed or cleverness. There IS a powerful +5 staff, however, it requires a rare gem and fighting the hardest battle in all of BG 2. There are a few +3 weapons in town, but they're all unique and interesting and mostly make quite a lot of sense, like the Katana in the noble's house. Not unthinkable he collects rare weapons. +4 weapons are -extremely- rare in BG 2, +3 weapons aren't thrown at you as some people claim.

Damnit, I've certainly replayed BG 2 about five to six times and an abundance of loot never struck me. In fact I think BG 1 is actually the game with the best loot balance I've ever seen, except maybe for the boots of speed.

So, Baldur's Gate style all the way. I actually -read- those flavourful, interesting descriptions, and I'm always disappointed when a game doesn't have those.

 

[Romanian_Dude2005]

I would realy like it if games would put more emphasis on constumization, KotOR was ok, Arcanum was better, Space Simulators are da BOMB yoh!

What I want is for magic items to be unique. I want to be able to acquire them in unique ways. I realized this playing PS:T. It had some generic magic items but it also had great sequences like biting off your own finger (or something) to get that Biting Ring. Magic items as quest rewards just doesn't cut it (thank you for taking my letter across town, here is a ring of healing that I have), I want magic items to be more organic to the storyline or narrative or whatever you want to call it.

Word!

 

[Dpayne]

Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 had excellent, very balanced loot. It -is- true that in BG2 some random encounter thieves had a +2 sword, but those were level 8 thieves and it's quite likely that they just stole it somewhere. +2 weapons aren't all that uncommon in most FR campaigns I know.

Many people claim BG 2 had overpowered loot all over the place. A bigger lie has never been told. There IS a very powerful +3 sword near the beginning, however, it requires a lich to be killed or cleverness. There IS a powerful +5 staff, however, it requires a rare gem and fighting the hardest battle in all of BG 2. There are a few +3 weapons in town, but they're all unique and interesting and mostly make quite a lot of sense, like the Katana in the noble's house. Not unthinkable he collects rare weapons. +4 weapons are -extremely- rare in BG 2, +3 weapons aren't thrown at you as some people claim.

Damnit, I've certainly replayed BG 2 about five to six times and an abundance of loot never struck me. In fact I think BG 1 is actually the game with the best loot balance I've ever seen, except maybe for the boots of speed.

So, Baldur's Gate style all the way. I actually -read- those flavourful, interesting descriptions, and I'm always disappointed when a game doesn't have those.

I tend to think Kangaxx is more difficult in a straight out fight because of his immunity to anything but +4 weapons. The battle for the Staff of the Magi is one of those things where it's tough the first time you do it, but after completing it once it becomes a good deal easier.

While I think Throne of Bhaal rectifies this to a degree, you can really get shafted in BG 2 by certain weapon choices, and many +3s just aren't that good at the end of the game compared to other weapon choices. That said, it's not so much an issue until the late game (unless of course you pick Scimitar). I'd like to see the BG 2 loot system show up again in another game. It's always pretty satisfying when you find some fantastic weapon with a ridiculous history attached to it.

 

[Texas Red]

I actually -read- those flavourful, interesting descriptions, and I'm always disappointed when a game doesn't have those.

Why do you say it as if though few read the descriptions? Everybody does. The generic uber loot crowd does not play BG.

But anyway, agree with BG. There were no generic +3 items. Every +3 and even many +2 weapons were all unique with their own little stories. Although from what Ive seen in Throne of Bhaal, the expansion *does* have piles of uber loot. The balance was perfect. The complete opposite of the perfection of BG was NWN 2 OC with the ridiculous number of high level gear. And many of them had an identical description about the dwarf who forged it during the plague.

 

[Jasede]

I must say, before someone attacks my last post, that I've never played Throne of Bhaal. But even if THAT -does- have +4 and +5 weapons that's pretty much ok since it plays in epic levels. [And epic levels suck, as a rule in P&P]

 

[Norfleet]

I'm going with "all of the above". Who says you can't have all of those types of items?

 

[Nog Robbin]

Phat loot just seems to be a way to appease peoples power hungry gaming attitudes (though obviously if you have included creatures or enemies that need a certain weapon to hit them it must feature somewhere).
Rare loot would make it seem far more special when it was encountered. The idea of finding magical items everywhere can weaken an otherwise strong world.

 

[Hazelnut]

I must say, before someone attacks my last post, that I've never played Throne of Bhaal. But even if THAT -does- have +4 and +5 weapons that's pretty much ok since it plays in epic levels. [And epic levels suck, as a rule in P&P]

Throne of Bhaal was the worst value for money game product I've ever purchased... I even played Quake 4 for longer than ToB, and that was a complete waste of £15!

 

[Dpayne]

The only thing I really liked at all about Throne of Bhaal was Watcher's Keep.

 

[Surgey]

BG style. But it must be RARE, unlike BG2's +3 weapons all over the place.

I don't mind them being rare, as long as there aren't goddamn monsters that are just plain IMMUNE TO WEAPONS. Don't have a +2 weapon? Well, looks like you can't do anything! Use Katanas? Well looks like you're not getting any more than a +3!

And yeah, in FR, magic items really are more common than in most settings, including Greyhawk. Really, I prefer it that way. OH NO! You have a +2 weapon! That's like, a +2 to damage! That's totally insane!

That's why I prefer crafting. That way, if magic weapons of your type are rare, then you can just make one. NWN2's crafting system wasn't bad. I don't know why things required "essences," though. Having the spell and the feat is enough, I thought.

 

[Shannow]

I voted for BG2 but i actually like the ToEE system better. Of course i'd prefer some indication what spells i have to know to make certain items

 

[Surgey]

It's usually pretty self-explanatory. The only one that's difficult to understand is why +'s require the spell Light, besides the fact that all magic weapons glow, according to the DMG. But really, for a Fire enchantment, it's Fireball, Flamestrike, or Wall of Fire, for lightning enchantment, it's Lightning Bolt or Lightning Storm, etc. And technically, you don't actually cast the spell, you just need to know it, not to mention it can take months to make magic items.

 

[Koby]

Are crafting/alchemy ingredients considered phat loot? If so then they are my favorite(add to poll).

I'm a customizability fan.

But anyway, agree with BG. There were no generic +3 items. Every +3 and even many +2 weapons were all unique with their own little stories.

All these generic phat loot (+X stuff) that has a description doesn't add a lot to it IMO (if i had 2 griffin clews aka dagger +2 how are they unique?), side effects(fire/cold/poison/other) and the likes are preferred (if i can have them both, all the better).

I'm a customizability fan and a versatility fan.

Diablo II random generation is IMO the worse part in its loot system, it is severally lacking in the "make sense" part, every monster type should had a limited list of the item it can drop, a list that make sense. All the other aspect of the loot system was pretty good, but then again it is a game that revolves around phat loot.

I'm a customizability fan, a versatility fan and a 'make sense' fan.

Rarity? Depend on the game, see make sense part. However i want to stress the following point: I prefer a few, hand placed, items to a shitload of random ones.