Ultra Rare Item Suggestions

**Gavry** · 07-19-2010, 06:44 PM

Before the next map comes out, and taking in to account quests are just around the corner I would like to suggest a new way to obtain ultra rare equipment.

Currently it is just down to random luck as to whether one of the ultra rares drop for you. I was playing AO2 map 4 the other night (Plasma Sword level) with a bunch of players, including someone who was playing that map for the first time. We got to the end and as luck would have it the first time player had the Thoth Plasma drop for him. I'm not complaining that he got one, I say good luck to him. My issue is I have played that map over 200 times now and never had a Plasma drop for me. So on to my suggestion.

Can ultra rare equipment be changed from random luck of a drop to having to work for it via extensive playing and questing? I'm happy to have to play a map, or maps, through a bunch of times if I know at the end I'm working towards an item I want. If the boss at the end of lvl 4 dropped a small piece of alien technology each time, or quite often, then it may be a matter of collecting 100 of those pieces and then questing them with maybe a rare, not ultra rare, sword to get a Plasma sword. Maybe a Thoth Pharaoh's Sword and 100 pieces of alien technology would result in a Thoth Plasma sword. Same principal for other items.

What do you all think?

In my opinion extensive grinding through the same level over and over with the slightest of chance of obtaining an item is close to the lowest of low ways of achieving a goal. It shows no real for-though or imagination and is ultimately demoralising for those players who said item never drops for.

For the current pink gear, I think the random drop is fine. Farming Plasma Pyramid 50 times or so to get the basic gear you need for your character is fine in my opinion. Just the ultra rares need a tweak.

**Cascade** · 07-19-2010, 06:53 PM

Love this idea so it could keep track of the quests you have finished and the hours you have played and it gives you a better chance of getting ultra rare gear....Or it could be like

10 Hrs=Rare pink

20 Hrs=Something

30 hrs=Something
And so on and so forth...

**laquint** · 07-19-2010, 08:18 PM

Good idea top post but lesser hours... And they should be daily uber rares..

**flaimdude** · 07-19-2010, 08:38 PM

QUESTS! They will fulfill all of our dreams.

**Iambirdman** · 07-19-2010, 09:24 PM

Totally agree! I mean I love farming and i am happy about people getting crap but when a low lvl runs with you for his first time and gets a Thoth plasma, it kind of burns

**Gavry** · 07-19-2010, 10:53 PM

I'm really not bummed about the first timer getting the Thoth. My real issue is just grinding away for hours upon hours doing, and lets be honest, in the most part absolutely mind numbingly boring repetition.

I would like to think there is a guaranteed outcome. As it is, if you had continual bad luck, you could do lvl 4 of AO2 10000 times and never get the item you were after. That just seems like poor design to me. As a development team you want to encourage people to play your game and not others, but in doing so you also need to reward people for showing that commitment. Having Ultra Rare items only available through extensive playing, but with a guaranteed reward at the end just makes more sense. I'll throw some maths in there:

Chance of Thoth Plasma Sword dropping: 0.5%
Minimum runs needed to gain one, using statistical probability: 200

Instead of that just make it as follows:

Chance of a piece of Alien Technology dropping: 90%
Pieces of Alien Technology needed to quest for Thoth Plasma Sword: 150
Minimum runs needed to gain the 150 pieces of Alien Technology: 166

Where the issue arises however is that each run is an independent statistical event. Just because you have not received the sword on the first run, the % chance of it dropping on the second is not now 1%, its is still the original 0.5%. Meaning while statistical probability should result in the event occurring once every 200 times, it doesn't need to. In the second model you are much more likely to achieve the same outcome over the same 200 runs. The element of chance is greatly reduced.

**maneut** · 07-19-2010, 11:14 PM

I agree, I don't mind collecting 100 pieces to form something. It reminds me of the "Lousan Fishing Rod" quest or something in EQ before, I had to fish like 10,000 pieces of a particular fish, took me a very long time to complete the quest, but at least there's a "Goal" that I can see and aim for it.

Rather then just basing of random luck, and trust me I'm not the luckiest player around

Oh, also the "Alien" pieces can be sold to other players too I suppose or it should be "No Drop" flag type?

Or maybe the pieces can have different sizes like some big pieces equals to 3 small pieces for example.

**cry** · 07-19-2010, 11:24 PM

Dunno, if I understand correctly drops would be based entirely on time spent farming/Or time spent online total per day? What would be much better would be quests and such, work hard on a quest receive a rare item. Or boss levels, no trash minions only lets say lesser djinn for example and sobek (X10, much like Tha Ref.).

**Cascade** · 07-19-2010, 11:41 PM

Yeah it makes it more fun when you can see that you are absolutely without a doubt going to get this item if I do this

**Theremin** · 07-20-2010, 12:42 AM

There is that aspect of questing that might make it worthwhile. What about spec specific dungeon sets as quest rewards for a series of quests completed?