Shroud Loot System (SLS)

SLS or Shroud Loot System was designed as a method of distributing in-game items ("loot") among a group of players in MMORPGs, specifically [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com World of Warcraft] . It was created in 2005 by the guild "Shroud".

The basics of loot systems

The process of distributing items ("loot") in an MMORPG is often referred to as a "loot system". The need for loot systems arose from the fact that MMORPGs are largely designed such that much, if not the majority of player content must be attempted as a group. These groups can range from a simple duo to tens or even hundreds of people. The reward for participating and completing the content is often loot which the players desire for its attributes. Most commonly the loot comes from (or "drops off") a difficult encounter which involve players defeating an in-game "boss". In almost every case, the amount of loot is much smaller than the player pool that desires the loot, so various methods exist for determining which player will get which loot.

Random number generator-based loot systems

These are the most simple and straightforward loot systems. They are also so widely used that many games build these systems directly into the game mechanics to assist players. The most basic version would be every player randomly has a chance to get any item that is received. A more common variant is the "Need before Greed" variant, since in many MMORPGs loot is only useful to a subset of those players involved in the group. Thus the Need before Greed variant allows players who the item is most useful for to have priority over those who just would like the item for its in-game monetary value.

These systems work well when the number of people and time that is required to complete the content and receive the loot is low, as players mind less doing the content repeatedly until they receive the item they desire. However, in many MMORPGs, the most desired loot only drops in content that requires large amounts of time and personnel to complete. Thus players begin to desire a method that allows them to earn their loot instead of hoping to get "lucky".

Point-based loot systems

The basic premise of a point based loot system is to award players points when content is completed and to largely remove any random assigning of loot to players. This means that the players who participate in the content most frequently receive the loot before those who participate less frequently. Since players don't (usually) need the same items multiple times, at some point all players who participate enough, regardless of the frequency of their participation will receive the loot they desire, so all point systems do is allow some players to exercise priority on items over other players.

The grandfather of the point based loot systems is the DKP (point system), created in 1999. Shroud Loot System is also a point based loot system, but one that attempts to correct what the creators perceived are flaws in the DKP system and its variants.

The Goals of SLS

SLS has similar goals to all point systems, including DKP, as described in the previous sections. However, it has the following specific goals:

* Points should be based on time and attendance, not completion of content.
* Point inflation should be combatted by a mechanism inherent to the system.
* It should allow high frequency participants to get priority on items at the cost of a worse time to loot ratio than lower frequency participants.
* Point costs should be allowed to reflect the desirability of an item, but bid collusion should not be possible.

SLS points are not points as much as they are a way of ranking each player's priority, i.e. their place in line to receive the next loot they desire.

The theory of SLS

Earning points

SLS awards points based solely on attendance, regardless of the amount of loot received. The purpose behind this method is to award players who participate in learning new content, when the loot to time ratios are very low by allowing them to build a base of points before players who begin participating only when the content has been mastered and the loot to time ratio is now high.

Earning points on a time based format also allows for more tightly scheduled content, as one can easily award points only during a scheduled time. As loot systems such as SLS or DKP are generally only used when the number of players involved and the time required are both large, invariably some players will have strict time constraints due to outside forces. This allows those players to participate without being disadvantaged if they have to remove themselves before the end of the content due to poor scheduling.

Spending points for items

There are only two ways to spend points on an item. A player can either spend 1/2 their current points or bid a low fixed cost (usually on the order of the points received for participating once in content). The player with the highest bid receives the item. If two players tie, which usually only happens when all players bid the low fixed cost, the item is given out by chance using a random number generator.

The main conquences of a bidding scheme such as this are:

*Players who hoard their points for a small set of desired items pay significantly more points per item than those who spend their points more often for less desired items.
*There exists a soft threshold for items, so that one can eventually get into a top priority ranking even with low frequency participation.
*If an item is not highly desired, players will be unwilling to bid 1/2 their points and thus the item will be awarded for a small amount instead of going to waste or being given away.
*Bids are no longer an auction-style bid, but just one player exercising priority over another player.
*Point totals will tend to reach a plateau, since points will be spent faster than they can be acquired.
*SLS avoids the trap of assigning fixed costs to items to prevent endless discussion and debate of which items are the most valuable and desired.

External links

[http://de.wow.wikia.com/wiki/Shroud_Loot_System German translation (german wowwiki)]