Pollpetition - "Drawer" containers are always empty.

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Now I reported this in QA but got back that it was "By Design". At which point I asked to move it from bug to feedback but it got lost in the release maelstrom.
So here we go as feedback instead.


Issue:
All containers labeled "Drawer" will (almost) always be empty.


Please feel free to try yourself. Unless the world builder specifically put something there (quest item) they (desks, tables, etc) will always be empty - no possible loot, no papers, scraps or anything.


Example:
In the pic both "top left" and "bottom right" you have containers that open with "Drawer" windows.
Same thing with the small tables in other scenes etc.

All of those are always empty.

(I think the issue is the same with most of the laundry basket type container, but with those some scenes actually have content so it's not as ckear).

My problems with this:

• This defies the player expectation where we expect containers to serve their purpose in scenes of containing something, anything.
• Having container assets without purpose is only an unnecessary performance drain
  
• It goes against the behavior of all other containers.
• If the players finally understand this principle they will stop opening such assets and thus miss important clues/quest items when that one in a hundred does contain something.
• Finding nothing in a container is always a negative/losing feeling. Doing that consistently to the players will affect their skinner reflexes, something a game does not want.

Proposed fix:
Either
A)
Create assets without such interact/containers to use in world building.
B)
Add I mini loot table to all drawers by default.
50% - Scribbled Notes paper, the one we see in other scenes.
30% - d3 wood scraps/pulp
15% - blank paper
5% - Blank Book

 

Perhaps make it all a little more realistic though, like wearable loots in dresser drawers, not in crates and barrels, which should have lots of things like dry goods and scraps.

I don't fill my drawers with wood pulp, personally.

I think if its more as expected, it'll be more fun.

 

Good idea, consistency is queen.

 

I would say it's worse than that. There is a sack in Graff mines that I always check and it is empty about half the time. Every time it comes up empty, a little voice in my head asks "I wonder if this is broken..." I know it's reasonable that containers should be able to be empty, but it feels broken.

 

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Fully agreed.


However right now, all those assets share the same "Drawer" container - where the most frequently used of them are really Writing Desks or such.

Where I assume (not knowing their code) that it would be relatively easy for them to change a default behavior like what I suggest above with the paper related things. Something which I hope the project lead can see the value/ROI in.
While where I assume that changing and diversifying dressers, from desks, from tables, etc to their own unique behavior would require them to do extra polish on dozens of scenes. Something I would assume the project lead would say no to.

So while I would prefer it your way I see it as less feasible.

 

Agreed.
Hence why I in my proposal I have that "dud" result actually be something instead, the "scribbled notes" thingie, which - while almost completely useless - actually does exactly that, it says; this is a dud but not broken.
I would argue fiercely for the same behavior in ALL the loot containers as well. It is OK if they give an object that is worthless, it is NOT OK to be empty. Kinda like that "This page intentionally left blank" thingie in text books.

 

I voted no. We don't want to ruin the economy. There is plenty of valuable loot on mobs and containers throughout the land. And if they did put something in the drawers, I am sure the items would flag you as a thief. I have enough of that accidental flagging while trying to interact with NPC shopowners standing behind all those vases and such.

 

Junk. Trash. Rubbish. Refuse.

Junk drawers. Trash bags. Rubbish bins. A no value thing with weight.

(Of course, in the Outland, there is no such thing as junk, it should all be being reclaimed and repurposed, but for simplicity, in Novia, players will know that the bag is just full of trash, but it's at least got something.)

 

Please elaborate - how do you think adding these could ruin the economy?

 

The dearth of "drops" on mobs, in chests and other containers must have a logical reason. IMO that reason is control of the economy. I mean really, who stores a scrap of cloth or a piece of paper with scribbles in their containers? A real RP environment would have interesting things, something that would have the avatar opening everything they could every where they went. I agree that these things do not have to be valuable to be interesting, but I am assuming that the reason this mechanic was skipped over in design is economically motivated. Interesting things take time to develop, time that no one has. The fall back would be items of value re: loot, gold or gems. IMO the fall back was in the same mode as having 10 gold and a honey bun on the corpse of a mini boss.
With regards to ruining the economy, I confess this is a personal opinion derived from the underwhelming loot structure in the game. Again, if not economically motivated, then the ball has just been dropped (hopefully because of development time constraints).

 

@Aldo

Your guess is as good as mine.

But in my opinion in game economics isn't a factor, but rather like you say time constraints of the world builders. Which is why I suggested a default asset change so that a single piece of code would propagate to all the asset uses in the scenes.

In my suggestion adding a <30% chance of scraps isn't going to add much to the in game economy compared to ordinary containers, (the Blank Book/Paper are 2g each and thus insignificant), this since these containers are about <15% of total containers.
Where the real culprits are Barrels and Crates which reward more without the constable showing up to fine you.

 

Yay I love this thread. I hate and I mean hate that we have not gotten more discoveries in the world. Some of the new scenes will have such cool puzzles, traps, etc but the rest of the scene is sadly lacking in discoveries. One of the latest beautiful scenes *hint* a mine with gorgeous red walls and columns had tons of empty rooms, not one thing to discover in most of them. This is just not right for this game. We must have the explorers loot. I don't think the devs are hearing us hmmm. Slather the world before release with discoveries in abandoned shacks, in caves, behind a water fall, along the rock more often a piece of ore or something please @Devs.

slath·er

1. 
   spread or smear (a substance) thickly or liberally.
   "slather on some tanning lotion"

noun
NORTH AMERICANinformal

1. 1.
   a large amount of something.
   "slathers of cream"