Had a player in a FP roll need on everything. Asked about it and he didn't say anything. The other group members said they had been in groups all day with this player and he needed on every loot drop. They said he was a bot. I told them about vote kick ability and how /ignore works and we booted his *** and reported him. They were happy and relieved about how ignore meant they never had to deal with him again in FPs etc.

I sure wish they would revamp the loot system to where everyone got a box and no one else could see what you got in the box. I detest the current loot system.

I believe the fact that F2P players can only get rewards from 3 FPs per week might have contributed to this. Since they can only play 3 times a week and get rewards, each time they go into the FP they simply need on everything to "maximize" their loot count.

As a subscriber on the 6 month recurring plan, I have unlimited access to FPs myself so if I see someone doing this, I either go "eff this" and join in the fun or leave and do another FP. No biggie really. Actually at higher levels I don't even bothered anymore because those useless loots simply takes up space in my bag.

Probably somebody wrote this already.

Maybe they don't understand the system either because of language or as a concept.

If I'm DPS, sadly, I have little to no leverage against these people.

If I'm a tank or healer (my PvE Main is a tank), the rule is simple: You roll on what you need for YOU (not your companion) and you only. You get one warning. Second time you do it, either you get booted or I bail. If you do it often enough that I actually remember your name, you get no warning at all.

If no players need an item, you can fight for it for companions or vendor trash.

This is blatant hyperbole and conjecture and has no real relevance to the topic. Quite a large number of players in swtor played WoW at one point or another and those were the players that petitioned for the lfg system in the first place. And at launch, lfg had already been in WoW for quite a while. Even before lfg, PUGs had a reputation for loot shinanigans. Doesn't matter where or what game the player came from.

 

Speaking of Pandaland, does anyone else here smell a troll?

Yes, but not from the person you were hoping for.

I agree that people should not need on stuff they dont need, BUT.....TBH there are not many drops out there that are rare enough to really care ATM.

I also try not to care what other people do, if all 4 people in my group need on an item I still get a 25% chance of winning the roll and if i lose this time, I will be back running the same flashpoint again 500 more times.

The key really is in communication though. Just talking to people can make things much easier, most people are pretty receptive to being talked to normally.

For some of the more casual players.

I don't think I have ever rolled NEED deliberately. I usually roll greed. I used to do a lot of passing, still do, but I feel like I am loosing more than 75% of the time, so why not? Maybe I am just a looser:(:(, but what does that hurt?

Also, my builds tend to need the money, when I do get the loot. But then, I don't have any over level 37 yet.

I believe the fact that F2P players can only get rewards from 3 FPs per week might have contributed to this. Since they can only play 3 times a week and get rewards, each time they go into the FP they simply need on everything to "maximize" their loot count.

 

As a subscriber on the 6 month recurring plan, I have unlimited access to FPs myself so if I see someone doing this, I either go "eff this" and join in the fun or leave and do another FP. No biggie really. Actually at higher levels I don't even bothered anymore because those useless loots simply takes up space in my bag.

^Truth. I have been playing since launch and the random loot claiming has increased a little since F2P came out but it's really not THAT significant. I think people just need to be educated about the rules. It's not gonna stop the looters but honestly, random FP loot isn't worth griping too much over.

I sure wish they would revamp the loot system to where everyone got a box and no one else could see what you got in the box. I detest the current loot system.

Yep, exactly. So long as the game mechanics are directly at odds with a general (but largely impotent) sense of fairness or etiquette, this issue will persist.

For now, all anyone can do is expect the worst. PuGs are a dog-eat-dog world (hey! a pun!); if you don't roll "need" on everything, don't expect to get anything. Near as I can tell, that's always been true.

I love how everyone's attitude seems to be "Oh well, that's what happens." Either that or they debate the term "ninja" as though somehow that were relevant to the real problem.

It happens because you allow it to happen.

If someone behaves this way in a group, tell them to stop. If it continues, then vote kick them and put them on ignore. If you just passively let it continue, then you're part of the problem - not only for yourself (and maybe it isn't a problem for yourself because you don't need the cash or the loot) but for other players who will encounter these d-bags.

People want a better community? Then start making one.

I love how everyone's attitude seems to be "Oh well, that's what happens." Either that or they debate the term "ninja" as though somehow that were relevant to the real problem.

 

It happens because you allow it to happen.

 

If someone behaves this way in a group, tell them to stop. If it continues, then vote kick them and put them on ignore. If you just passively let it continue, then you're part of the problem - not only for yourself (and maybe it isn't a problem for yourself because you don't need the cash or the loot) but for other players who will encounter these d-bags.

 

People want a better community? Then start making one.

If it WERE that simple, we wouldn't have this problem. It's not like someone gets a special flag or marker telling you that they are jerk and plan on stealing most everything from you. On top of that, most of the people who play MMOs have to start somewhere and the "rules" of gaming are not known to them. We can inform and warn and ban and block etc all we want but that won't stop the real troublemakers. If that were possible, I'd never read something awful or stupid in general chat. People can only DO so much for "their" community. You can't force other people to adhere to civility and manners.

Seems like you can't get through a thread without the Church Lady pronouncing judgment and often condemning legitimate points raised by the OP.

OP, your concerns are valid (IMO) but I believe that the benefits of F2P >> the deficits. I love the heavily populated servers and the insane/amusing/offensive chat that zips by in General chat.

What would be helpful is macro'ed text where you could post a pre-made announcement that Need is for your toon and Greed is for your companion and that violators will be kicked. That way everyone knows the rules of behavior before initiating the instance.

Also annoying are comments insisting that you avoid PUGS. Most likely these peeps subbed to the game with family/friends/co-workers -- so they rarely have to solo content or rely on PUGS to get through a Heroic.

People want a better community? Then start making one.

Paradoxically, the "healthier" an MMO's population, the harder it is to make a better community. The larger the population and the more churn it undergoes, the less relevant individual punitive measures become. If the population is sufficiently large and dynamic, then no matter what you do with regards to a particular looter today, that looter will be able to find another group of people to take advantage of tomorrow (or even in the next few minutes). Likewise, your actions against the looter you're teamed with now won't mean jack with regards to the next looter you encounter.

In short, you won't stem the tide. You won't teach today's looter a lesson, and you won't forestall the next looter's attempts to loot. This statement isn't condoning the actions of looters, nor is it an attempt to discourage anyone from doing what they feel is right. It's simply an observation about player behavior in MMOs (supplemented by elementary game theory).

The fact is, the Need/Greed/Pass system materially rewards people for rolling Need on everything, and the nature and structure of the typical MMO population can impose no meaningful disincentive for doing so. Build community all you want - just recognize that the looters aren't going away, unless the game's population gets problematically small. Forewarned is forearmed...

I disagree here. If you're in a group with 2 troopers, a guardian and a sage all under level 13, and light armor drops, the trooper and guardian who roll need on it are being ninja looters. Troopers don't have light armor companions and the guardian won't have theirs for another few levels. I agree that loot should generally be free rolled, but they shouldn't be taking it form a players that can use it in the here and now. Perhaps the term "ninja" doesn't apply if they don't "vanish" by dropping group, but the fact remains, they're stealing loot from a player for the sole purpose of selling it or simply out of spite. By ignorance or greed is a whole other topic, but the fact that f2p players can't trade within flashpoints only compounds the problem (or f2p players have been lying the whole time. Never tried trading with one).

Did that sage solo the boss? If not, then everyone who participated in the fight has an equal right to reap the rewards. The same would apply if the boss dropped a piece of heavy armor with strength on it. The sage has no need for heavy armor with strength, but should not be excluded from rolling.

While I understand your point regarding the Guardian not getting their light armor wearing companion for another few levels, having that orange gear that you can equip right away can make a difference.

Yes companions are an integral piece of the game.

 

That said, you can't bring your companions to anywhere you would actually need them having instance gear. When people roll need for companions, I just put them on ignore so GF won't again place me with people who are either that inconsiderate or that unintelligent.

Considering that instance gear is probably better than most quest rewards, I can't see how you can say that people can't bring their companions to places where they would need instance gear. They can't be used in raids, but they can be used in instances and for heroics. Having a companion as geared as possible makes them much more effective, just as a player's toon is more effective if geared well.

Personally, I believe a good step toward combating this would be to introduce an account wide ignore option. If someone feels wronged by another (note the wording, "feels wronged" trying to appease everyone here lol), they have the option to ignore the offending players whole account.

This way, Those who do end up on a lot of ignore lists will find it difficult to find groups on ANY of their characters. I get the feeling everybody will be much more civil towards each other.

Again, you do NOT ever have to enter into a PUBLIC flash point. That is 100% totally OPTIONAL, ALWAYS!! If you are ever concerned about gear then either have a higher level guildie run you through the instance or just go through the instance with guildies or friends.

Crying about something that is 100% OPTIONAL and 100% AVOIDABLE is just silly.

I don't need any gear from flash points but I tell you this, that if I was in an FP that's public (which I rarely do because there are just so many bad players, healers especially) and something dropped that a companion and use and is an upgrade, I'm rolling on it. Companions are apart of the game and a very useful tool and also an extension of my character.