token-systems
Latest
Lord of the Rings Online overhauling currencies into a single standard
The great thing about token-based currencies, such as those found in Lord of the Rings Online, is that they allow players to acquire rewards based on steady progress rather than on the whims of a random drop. The awful thing is that you can wind up with huge vaults covered in several dozen different currency types, which is also found in Lord of the Rings Online. Fortunately, as the newest developer diary outlines, the currency is being consolidated down and shifted to a very straightforward system with just three reward types: Marks, Medallions, and Seals. Marks are being used in a manner functionally similar to Skirmish Marks at the moment, while Medallions take the place of higher-end dungeon content and Seals are the best of the best. Players will have most of their currencies automatically converted based on the currency type, although Superior Fourth Marks will need to be manually exchanged for Medallions or Seals at the player's discretion. Players will ultimately have an easier time getting the rewards they need in a straightforward fashion with this update, and that's to the benefit of everyone.
Why loot drama happens (and how to prevent it)
I like this post over at I am a Paladin -- it's a pretty insightful look at why drama is so easy to come by in bigger guilds. Blizzard has done almost everything they can to divide loot fairly (and they're still working on it, with the addition of more token systems), and there are certainly plenty of systems out there to try and keep things as fair as possible. Still, as long as there are only a few rewards to split among 25 people in a raid, there will always be loot drama -- as IaaP says, when people aren't rewarded for their hard work (or at least they perceive that), then frustrations start to set in. And gone unchecked, that can lead to jealousy or resentment, which leads to anger, and that all leads to the kind of spectacular guild breakups you can read about in Guildwatch.So how can you avoid all that? If the main reason people start causing drama is that they don't feel rewarded, then you've got to find a way to reward them. That might mean going with a more fair loot system (I've been in a few guilds that have switched to DKP at the first hint of drama), it might mean changing up the way you run things (by switching groups around or switching roles in a raid), or it might mean stepping back down into an easier raid to better gear up some of your members. As long as Blizzard requires more members than loot in a raid, there will always be imbalances, but hopefully most drama issues can be avoided if everyone realizes that though any given piece of loot might get passed out unfairly, there'll always be enough to go around.
