Three item-related ideas

[zatoh]

One utopistic and two slightly less unrealistic ideas:

1. Complete item system overhaul

Currently, for most items, each is class specific. That is, if an item for a given slot like head were to be added, essentially 24 different versions of helmet would have to be made, one for each class. That's kinda crazy.

Each class starts with a set of proficiencies that theoretically allow them to wear certain items, for example, "Medium Robe", "Hammer". In practice though items are almost always restricted by class or race in such a way that there is no point to having these proficiency passives.

However if the item system were changed to be more generic, proficiencies might not be so pointless.

Firstly, armor types reduced to 3: light, medium and heavy. Robe and medium robe merged into light and medium.

Secondly, most class restrictions are gone. That is, if you have a heavy breastplate, any class with the Heavy armor proficiency can use it. This will cut down on almost-duplicate items and make it easier to add quirkier and off-spec items. More real choices will also be present. For example a Medium piece of armor could be used by a Warrior Priest, Slayer or a White Lion. There could be items geared more towards a specific class, some hybrid pieces, and very importantly, this system allows for the making of emblematic unique items. For example, instead of having "The Bastion Corslet", "The Bastion Platecoat", "The Bastion Klad", etc. you could simply have "The Bastion Cuirass" or what have you, with a single set of stats, desired by anyone who could wear it. Random famous epics and dungeon and raid drops.

Appearance-wise, each armor item will have an appropriate appearance for the class that wears it. For example a tier 3 green armor will have the typical tier 3 appearance on whatever class wears it. Think Diablo 2, where body armor has generic graphics in the inventory, but when worn has a class-appropriate appearance.

To me this system seems so much simpler and slicker that the only likely reason the game wasn't like this to begin with was that Mythic couldn't implement it. It seems that each item has one specific appearance linked to it, which is why we get things like cross chosen/marauder item graphics. The problem is, therefore, having a system that can dynamically change the appearance of a given item to something class-appropriate. Moreover, how would this work with alternate appearance? Also, a massive database overhaul requiring huge amount of testing would be needed. Conversion would also be troublesome. How would you convert everyone's invader epics to generic versions? Everyone becomes naked and gains free invader vouchers?

This was basically already done for capes and jewelry, although with still some archetype restrictions, but I think specifically because appearance isn't a problem here, and because having separate versions for each class within an archetype with these items is just madness.

So all in all I think this system would be much simpler and more intuitive to the players, but it would require a very large database overhaul, much balancing, and an implementation of a dynamic item appearance system.
I don't think this is likely at all to be considered, but would still like to bring it up.

2. Broken and repairable items

This was a system I vividly remember from live and which had ToK unlocks tied to it. Basically, monsters could drop broken items, which vendors could repair for something appropriate for your class. For example, let's say a "Broken Bloody Chestpiece" drops, which you could repair into a "Bloody Longcoat", "Bloody Cassock", etc. I think the vendor interface still has buttons relating to this. Back then I thought it was just a cool function but looking back I realize it had reasons to be there:

-allows drops to be more universally useful (relating to point #1)
-adds a small gold sink
-possibly a gambling factor, where a "critical repair" results in a better item than typical

Currently item drops from monsters are kinda high, which is probably to compensate for the fact that about 1/12 of given item drops can be used by your class. With the broken item system replacing part of the drops, greens and blues could drop less, but they could much more commonly be used by your current class. However, this would make salvaging more difficult to level, since quantity, not quality, is more important there. This system would also liven up the auction house, since instead of a multitude of class-specific items, you could simply post or look for a broken item, which is "one size fits all".

I don't know whether the broken items were removed some time in live, or whether they're just presently missing here.

3. Random monster drop race bias

Simply put, monsters are more likely to drop items usable by that zone's races. So for example when killing a monster in Nordland, he would be more likely to drop items usable by the Warrior Priest, Knight, Witch Hunter and Bright Wizard classes. This would be another factor to encourage people to primarily adventure in their own race's zones, like the influence change, and also be thematically appropriate.

That's all, what do you think?