Guild Wars 2

RNG is a pretty controversial topic. So lets discuss about it. I will not take sides here.

What should be RNG and what shouldn’t be RNG?

Nothing should be RNG. Why would anything need to be?

Nothing should be RNG. Player reward, or loot, should be a product of the loot system. Most loot systems use RNG, but would be more accurately described as rules-based systems that use RNG. Bottom line, the loot system should be tuned so that the common player experiences a “sense” of reward, beyond the actual gameplay, for playing the game. What I know from my own experience and others is that the loot system needs a little tuning at the current time.

Esturk.2183:

Nothing should be RNG. Why would anything need to be?

This. When you have the ability to create supply on demand there is no such thing as scarcity. Trying to model scarcity between players in such a system is tantamount to insanity. Why do we have to collect umpteen-million dooppity-doos to create one whoopity-whoo?

Why can’t I just log in, randomly find a person for example, say in Cleveland and it go something like this:

America: Wassup?
Cleveland: Nuthin. Wassup?
America: Nuthin.
<pause>
<pause>
America: You know, the Browns suck this year…
Cleveland: Sigh. They suck every year.
America: I know what’ll chear ya up.
Cleveland: What?
America: Lets go kill that Thingy.
Cleveland: What Thingy?
America: The Thingy that drops that Whatchamacallit.
Cleveland: Sure! I need one of those to craft my HootyMaWhat!
America: Sweet.
Cleveland: Nice.

Can you imagine being on the Starship Enterprise…

Cptn Piccard: Computer. Tea. Earl grey. Hot.
Computer: No! You didn’t EARN this!

Or how about this…

Cptn Piccard: Computer. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
<Computer produces 200 mystical cogs>
Cptn Piccard: WTF?!

I liked the GW2 non RNG loot system before ascended/FotM. This original loot system is still largely intact. Warnings about ascended gear may be ominous writing on the wall, or the boy who cried wolf. Time will tell, but that is not the topic at hand. Legendaries were cosmetic only. The level 80 exotic BIS gear was all obtainable from various well defined, although not necessarily easy, challenges like dungeon runs, crafting, and temple karma vendors in Orr. The effort needed to obtain a complete set of exotics seems about right to me, and there was no RNG involved at all.

I do not have an informed opinion on the proper role of RNG for legendaries since I don’t have one and haven’t researched the process involved in making one. I will leave that discussion to people who have experience with it.

Don’t mind loot, but stuff you buy with Gems (real money) should never be RNG – it’s called gambling. I have no issue with gambling, but remember it’s not just adults that are playing this game.