Originally Posted by Mermaid
Originally Posted by Tuco
Originally Posted by Mermaid
I think you need to acknowledge that this is a pet peeve of yours. You may not like randomisation, but other people do, and there is nothing objectively wrong with it.

Yeah, it is.
Not one born by mere feelings, though.
It's a dislike caused mostly by my love for good design.

I have yet to hear a single good argument in favor of randomized itemization in any RPG.
The go-to flagship argument seems to be "When everything is random you are constantly surprised", which is countered by the sad reality of it: "when every item is randomized and easily disposable, every single find feels equally generic and often worthless".

In Baldur's Gate 2 you could find a +3 talking longsword near the tavern in Amn. I still remember that item, I still remember how you could go half of the game before having some NET upgrade over it (rather than few comparably good alternate options). I didn't play BG2 in the last four years.

It was useful, it was memorable, it was funny. It was also something I could plan a future playthrough around. "Hey, I know I have *that* specific item there, I'll give it to Character X and for Character Y I'll get that other weapon instead".

In this game I couldn't tell you a single item I'm equipping now on my party, in my current campaign, without loading my game and checking.
I'm also confident it wouldn't matter even if I did, because one level from now I'll have to replace it, if the RNG will allow it.


Here's one: the argument is that randomised loot increases replayability because each playthrough is going to be different.


No it won't, you're going to find the same exact items with just different stats, You know what's the difference beetwen my ranger elf current crossbow and the one he had 20 minutes before? I don't, I just needed a better crossbow (damage wise) in order to keep up with the increase in the enemies armor (it even looks the same), and I'm going to forget that crossbow in 20 minutes once I find a better one.
Now try to play Dark Souls with a greatsword and then with a rapier, that's going to be a really different playthrough (wich is fun and memorable).
You know what's one the best things in Pillars of Eternity? When one particular item allow you to play a specific kind of build that wouldn't be possible without that item (wich is guess what? Fun and memorable), you're going to remember that item as much as every single person that played Dark Souls remembers the zweihander or the other weapons and armors of the game (and this alone is enough to prove wich one is the better system, no one remembers the +2 dexterity gloves they replaced after 5 minutes).
Nobody remeber fondly the incredible amount of random vendor trash you find in The Witcher 3 but strangely enough everybody remembers the unique witcher gear (because you had to put some effort in order to get that gear and you were rewarded with some unique and powerful gear that could last an entire playthrough).
How can I remember the spear of Braccus Rex if not as an example on how unique gear is meaningles when it gets outclassed by something found in a chest ten minutes later?

Last edited by stronzolo; 10/10/17 11:08 AM.