Best way to roll for loot

[Csihar]

There are a couple of ways in which loot is divided. I don't like them.

Need before greed. I like this as lower level with items that aren't worth much. Great for new players (much more fun to loot something than buy it) and selling the items usually isn't really worth the time you put into it. When items starting getting some real value it's not a nice rule any more. However wins it, need or not, can sell it and buy something they do need. End result: player gets item they need. Just a step in between.

The 'It's-okay-buds-we're-all-rich-so-roll-on-everything-I-don't-care-at-all-although-I-do-care-to-roll-lol. Seen it happen in Old Sebilis so many times. 8 items drop, 3 people leave with items.

I think the best way to roll for items in a group is the following:

Whatever drops, you roll for it.
If something else drops that you want, you roll for it as well. If you win, you throw the first item you won back into the group for a roll (you don't get to roll on this).

That way if 6 items drop for a group of 6 players everyone gets an item.

[paulgiamatti]

I'm still a firm believer that EverQuest is itemized so weirdly and arbitrarily that there is no consistently adoptable system for pickup groups. It simply is, as you say, three people leaving with the eight items. And that's on a good day.

Now, I'm not saying never try other systems - if you do, just be forthright about it. Set expectations at the start of the group. The *very* start of the group - not when you're finally at the crypt door or whatever. That first kor shaman you kill could drop a Siblisian Berserker Cloak, and that would be an absolutely shitty time to say, "Oh, did I mention this is need before greed?"

So yeah, absolutely go start a group and do trade-up loot, just make sure everyone knows what they're getting into.

[Videri]

I think the best way to roll for items in a group is the following:

Whatever drops, you roll for it.
If something else drops that you want, you roll for it as well. If you win, you throw the first item you won back into the group for a roll (you don't get to roll on this).

That way if 6 items drop for a group of 6 players everyone gets an item.

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[Tupakk]

You won't find many groups willing to adopt or people join a group with this loot method. Especially in SEB. Where people go specifically to win big money items.

Like Paul said you better tell people that is how loot is being handled before you just toss it out there cause you will find yourself grpless

[paulgiamatti]

I like the idea of trade-up loot, I just think in EQ it would end up being too tedious and bureaucratic.

The main reason FFA rolling is the generally accepted default system is because it requires the least amount of effort. No one has to be master looter and keep track of everything, no one has to convince anyone else that the item *really is* an upgrade for them - it's just roll your dice and move on.

So I mean, trade-up loot is actually fair and I would love to be in a group where someone handles loot that way, but the fluidity of most groupings makes it far too impractical. I'm often in groups that completely change members in the course of a couple hours.

Imagine trying to explain the loot system to a new member every 15 minutes. And as soon as you're gone, it will instantly fall back to FFA rolling if someone else doesn't take the reins. It's a nice idea, but it's not really feasible as a mainstay on P99. It's feasible as an alternative - just like NBG - which it already is.

[Ravager]

Just random everything. Win some, lose some. Play long enough and you're going to get the crap you want anyway.

[Vibe]

Just random everything. Win some, lose some. Play long enough and you're going to get the crap you want anyway.

Pretty much

[AzzarTheGod]

Here is a person saying something really smart, good, and logical. Will people embrace it or will they shoot it down? Subscribed.

Here to shoot it down and I haven't even read it yet.

[skarlorn]

If you aren't pooling loot then doing drunk Kelethin races, you're doing it wrong.

[Swish]

If nobody says anything I think its safe to assume common sense, that if a RBG or something randomly drops in Seb that everyone should get to roll.

People who say things like "oh i really hope a heiro cloak drops guys, this {Raw Silk Cloak} is so bad haha" expecting a NBG roll are expecting a lot out of the community if they think people will just give up their roll.

Definitely good to set rules at the beginning but above all else you'll always leave poorer if you're a Zyzzy than an Abacab

[Jimjam]

If nobody says anything I think its safe to assume common sense, that if a RBG or something randomly drops in Seb that everyone should get to roll.

People who say things like "oh i really hope a heiro cloak drops guys, this {Raw Silk Cloak} is so bad haha" expecting a NBG roll are expecting a lot out of the community if they think people will just give up their roll.

Definitely good to set rules at the beginning but above all else you'll always leave poorer if you're a Zyzzy than an Abacab

Also, in situations like this where the shaman wins the roll on an incarcadine breastplate against some warriors (or whatever the example) you feel less bad to roll against shamans when torpor drops :p.

[psyphon]

Seems overly complicated. I prefer holding off on rolls till someone leaves or group disbands, then rolling once, high roll gets 1st pick etc.

[myriverse]

Random everything. But generally, I live by need before greed. If I don't need something, I won't roll for it.

But the whole "need" thing becomes questionable. Sure, a character may not need a particular item, but the character needs something and the particular item can help them get it.

[azeth]

Greed roll every item that drops as soon as it drops. End

[RDawg816]

Seems overly complicated. I prefer holding off on rolls till someone leaves or group disbands, then rolling once, high roll gets 1st pick etc.
I don't generally do pugs, but my main crew does this and NBG...on big items, we'll usually sell and divide the money equally.

In pugs, I'm fine with whatever system we have in place.

[ko37qtl]

Friends: NBG if applicable. It's not that uncommon that we're at a specific camp to get that friend something that's an upgrade or a quest piece.

Pickup: almost always /random everyone and let the gods sort it out over time. It seems like the only fair way to me with people you don't know.

[Boyblunder]

I think /random 0 100 skews -50 for trolls 9 outa 10 times.

[Sillyturtle]

Here's how I've handled loot distribution in other games that I see no problem working here in EQ:

You're a farming group and you're farming for Fungi Tunic at the King or for Hiero cloak or whatever big ticket items. The item drops, everyone gets to roll. You keep farming, another item drops. Everyone rolls again except the person who has already won an item. This improves the chances of everyone who didn't win. Usually when I'm doing this, it's with guildies or friends who are settled in for a long farming session.


A more fair method that only really works with guildies/friends is platinum split. This only works if people are there for profit. The items get sold and then the platinum delivered to each member after the fact. There are trust issues with this so like I said, friends/family only unless there's a person who is a known trustworthy person on the server.

[Evia]

I like the idea of trade-up loot, I just think in EQ it would end up being too tedious and bureaucratic.

The main reason FFA rolling is the generally accepted default system is because it requires the least amount of effort. No one has to be master looter and keep track of everything, no one has to convince anyone else that the item *really is* an upgrade for them - it's just roll your dice and move on.

So I mean, trade-up loot is actually fair and I would love to be in a group where someone handles loot that way, but the fluidity of most groupings makes it far too impractical. I'm often in groups that completely change members in the course of a couple hours.

Imagine trying to explain the loot system to a new member every 15 minutes. And as soon as you're gone, it will instantly fall back to FFA rolling if someone else doesn't take the reins. It's a nice idea, but it's not really feasible as a mainstay on P99. It's feasible as an alternative - just like NBG - which it already is.


this

[Swish]

Here's how I've handled loot distribution in other games that I see no problem working here in EQ:

You're a farming group and you're farming for Fungi Tunic at the King or for Hiero cloak or whatever big ticket items. The item drops, everyone gets to roll. You keep farming, another item drops. Everyone rolls again except the person who has already won an item. This improves the chances of everyone who didn't win. Usually when I'm doing this, it's with guildies or friends who are settled in for a long farming session.


A more fair method that only really works with guildies/friends is platinum split. This only works if people are there for profit. The items get sold and then the platinum delivered to each member after the fact. There are trust issues with this so like I said, friends/family only unless there's a person who is a known trustworthy person on the server.

I'm a big fan of this and groups that do it, as my luck is terrible... never won a fungi to date, despite rolling a 91 :( ... but we did one time decide to split the cash from a fungi and everyone got paid.

Nice when that happens :)

[digitz80]

Don't like /randoming but no other way in a pickup group. Much better to group with friends and make sure everyone gets a fair share. Sell everything worth selling, then split the profits evenly.

[Swish]

Exactly, rinse/repeat that a few times and you can probably buy a fungi if you dodge the fat cat resellers.

[maskedmelon]

There are a couple of ways in which loot is divided. I don't like them.

Need before greed. I like this as lower level with items that aren't worth much. Great for new players (much more fun to loot something than buy it) and selling the items usually isn't really worth the time you put into it. When items starting getting some real value it's not a nice rule any more. However wins it, need or not, can sell it and buy something they do need. End result: player gets item they need. Just a step in between.

The 'It's-okay-buds-we're-all-rich-so-roll-on-everything-I-don't-care-at-all-although-I-do-care-to-roll-lol. Seen it happen in Old Sebilis so many times. 8 items drop, 3 people leave with items.

I think the best way to roll for items in a group is the following:

Whatever drops, you roll for it.
If something else drops that you want, you roll for it as well. If you win, you throw the first item you won back into the group for a roll (you don't get to roll on this).

That way if 6 items drop for a group of 6 players everyone gets an item.

I like it ^^ It offers those who have little time to play the same opportunity they have with ordinary random, but also rewards those with more time to play by giving the added chance of "trading up." The only issue is the lack of incentive for players to remain in group once they win something, it encourages them to go elsewhere. Works great though for xp groups or if everyone plans to be around the same duration ^^

[Cillaz]

All loot is held til the end of the group (or when someone leaves) /ran 100 and person with highest roll gets first choice of loot piece, person with 2nd highest picks 2nd and so on. Everyone leaves with loot, people with highest roll get best pick of the drops. After everyone has 1 drop, /ran 100 again for next 6 picks til loot is all shared.
Worked for me on live, works for me now. Fairest system I've found for pick up groups!

[Varren]

Alpha loot order always, but youll want to stipulate whether youll be going with first names or surnames

- Aabner Aaemon

[karkaroth]

Those 3 people that left with all the loot have prob got more hours in seb than you and deserved to win. You prob played like a 10 hour session won nothing and are bitching about dudes that played 10 hours a day all week and won nothing till finally they got lucky and had a good day.
Random is totally fair, most of the the other suggestions are totally unfair. That said if all friends or guild-pals I am game for wtv the consensus is. I did like the uh splitting the profits suggestion that's about the only fair suggestion I actually saw in this post.

TLDR Random is best, everyone gets what they deserve.

[kgallowaypa]

Heh pleasure to see nobody has figured out how to beat the RNG /random 100 in this thread

[indiscriminate_hater]

To be completely fair, everyone should just receive a minute-by-minute payout of their expected loot value while at a camp. Doing king? 1 fungi * 40kpp / 12 hours avg drop rate / 6 players per group / 60 mins per hour = 9.26 pp / minute.

Nice and boring, just how the everquest devs originally envisioned it

[Lune]

To be completely fair, everyone should just receive a minute-by-minute payout of their expected loot value while at a camp. Doing king? 1 fungi * 40kpp / 12 hours avg drop rate / 6 players per group / 60 mins per hour = 9.26 pp / minute.

Nice and boring, just how the everquest devs originally envisioned it

fungis are 40k again? yikes

Time to stop camping em

[azeth]

All loot is held til the end of the group (or when someone leaves) /ran 100 and person with highest roll gets first choice of loot piece, person with 2nd highest picks 2nd and so on. Everyone leaves with loot, people with highest roll get best pick of the drops. After everyone has 1 drop, /ran 100 again for next 6 picks til loot is all shared.
Worked for me on live, works for me now. Fairest system I've found for pick up groups!

This is all right but I prefer to do the rolls immediately when something drops that way if people leave or go to link dead or whatever.

[bOONDOGGLE]

/ran 100 everything.

One day you'll lose on a Fungi, JBB, and Bane of Nife while playing your Shaman.
Next week you'll be corpsing RBG's cuz you can't sell em fast enough.

Every dog has his day.

[Lemonhead]

NBG will never work here. People would just put on bad gear to get items.

Do people really corpse items if they win 2 rolls every time? That's the only thing that shouldn't happen. I mean does the group have to go find a rez for them, just so they can have all the loot? And it's exploiting a glitch really.

[Splade]

Here's how I've handled loot distribution in other games that I see no problem working here in EQ:

You're a farming group and you're farming for Fungi Tunic at the King or for Hiero cloak or whatever big ticket items. The item drops, everyone gets to roll. You keep farming, another item drops. Everyone rolls again except the person who has already won an item. This improves the chances of everyone who didn't win. Usually when I'm doing this, it's with guildies or friends who are settled in for a long farming session.


A more fair method that only really works with guildies/friends is platinum split. This only works if people are there for profit. The items get sold and then the platinum delivered to each member after the fact. There are trust issues with this so like I said, friends/family only unless there's a person who is a known trustworthy person on the server.

Why should the person who won stay in the group if he has no chance of winning becuase he cant roll? You're essentially wasting your time at that point

[Jimjam]

Why should the person who won stay in the group if he has no chance of winning becuase he cant roll? You're essentially wasting your time at that point

Cobalt bracers, spells, xp, goodwill to those who helped him, companionship, boredom... Fine steel maces? Okay I'm starting to run out of ideas.

[Splade]

Cobalt bracers, spells, xp, goodwill to those who helped him, companionship, boredom... Fine steel maces? Okay I'm starting to run out of ideas.

Yeah... screw that. If I'm camping king and can't roll on a fungi .. I'm outie 5000

[silo32]

I remember the first time I did king on blue.

Guy that won the roll. Had to corpse his fungi.

I was runner up. That's when I realized it was time to check out red.

Own multiple fungi's on red, never looked back. Multiple epics. Every pixel I ever wanted. Without having to wait in line on blue or poop sock shit.

[silo32]

Not a fan of NBG, ive seen it abused. With people showing up to xp on there 50's alt in legit rags. Needing everything. Then find out later they have multiple 60's in gear. Yet im on my alt with bis helping the grind going.

Also a pet peeve of wanting to random everything and people in the group feeling like captain save a ho hero's. Passing on items. Then rolling winning the roll and giving it to the slime that is in rags saying NBG.

random greed everything problem solved

[ZiggyTheMuss]

I remember the first time I did king on blue.

Guy that won the roll. Had to corpse his fungi.

I was runner up. That's when I realized it was time to check out red.

Own multiple fungi's on red, never looked back. Multiple epics. Every pixel I ever wanted. Without having to wait in line on blue or poop sock shit.

Must be nice to have a bunch of stuff on red and only empty zones and NPCs to show it off to :D

[Lulz|Sect]

Way easier to ninja LD IMO on blue

Am I doin it rite?

[Dreenk317]

Way easier to ninja LD IMO on blue

Am I doin it rite?

Shits classic right?
Edit: I was perusing the play nice policy and saw nothing about ninja looting not being allowed. So if a player doesn't care about his reputation I could see this happening quite often lol.

[silo32]

Must be nice to have a bunch of stuff on red and only empty zones and NPCs to show it off to :D

show it off too? this isn't fucking Barbie Online Adventures

I remember years ago hanging out in ec on blue with 127 people in the zone. It felt like a graveyard of pixels. May have been 20 active people doing stuff. The rest were afk. Red feels more alive even with a low pop.

Im not here to show off im here to experience eq and not window shop you blue cuck

[skarlorn]

/ran 100 is good.

[Nilstoniakrath]

Just F-ing roll on everything. It is all cash/plat, at the end of the day. Making peeps throw stuff back, just makes em want to drop the group, or, "my guildie needs me" nonsense.

It all evens out over time. NBG is fine on sh!t that really isn't worth arguing over, anything else, it is BS

[Evia]

/ran 100 is good.

[indiscriminate_hater]

hey remember when that one guy won two fungis

[Ravager]

show it off too? this isn't fucking Barbie Online Adventures

I remember years ago hanging out in ec on blue with 127 people in the zone. It felt like a graveyard of pixels. May have been 20 active people doing stuff. The rest were afk. Red feels more alive even with a low pop.

Im not here to show off im here to experience eq and not window shop you blue cuck
Take away global ooc and the graveyard of red would be more evident.

[SoekiWiz]

Why is this thread alive again? :P

People seem to like what I do in my groups. I have a 3 tier system that's comprised of:
-Plat items
-Meh drops
-Value drops

Roll on everything, if you win an item from one of the "tiers" you are expected to pass until everyone in the group has something from said tier.

Plat items we'll generally give the first 1 or 2 to peridot users to cover costs, then split just the same as the rest.

In practice, this does not get everyone loot because quite honestly groups don't last that long, but it does keep one person from running away with the pot.

PS - if my dice were on fire like some other folks, I'd never have implemented this :P