Ladies and Gentlemen of the Marvel Heroes Forums, it's time for another patented @lesotheron Wall O' Text...with a twist. Instead of my usual long-winded analysis of something that's currently going on in the game or forums, I'm going to take this opportunity to make a suggestion for the Devs to consider (and no, it's not about Rogue's Multispec...this time :P ).
By now, most of us have read the new Dev Blog detailing some of the changes coming to gear in the near future. Personally, I think there's a lot of good things to look forward to.
However, there is one aspect that I feel could be improved on; the new Omega Tier Gear. These items will functionally replace Uniques as end-game gear and provide options for tailoring your playstyle. I applaud Gaz for the idea and think this is a major step in a very good direction, but it highlights one of the major flaws in this game...too many layers of RNG.
I understand the nature of the Loot-Hunt and can appreciate the "Gear Treadmill" that keeps people playing, but I think it stifles a true sense of accomplishment. If I have great rolls on a BiS piece of gear, I didn't get it because I worked for it. I didn't achieve those stats. I got lucky.
It might have happened immediately when the item dropped or I may have stood at the crafter (not actually playing the game) re-rolling for hours to get it, but it's not because I did something. My gear is completely and totally at the whim of random chance.
Right now, as the system is described, there will be 4 (possibly 5) separate layers of RNG for Omega Gear.
1) RNG to determine whether or not a piece of Omega Gear will drop. We don't know the odds of this happening, but it could be incredibly easy or frustratingly difficult based on examples of current gear (Nutsos vs. Flags).
2) RNG to determine which slot a piece of Omega Gear is for. Omega Gear can be used in slots 1-5 on each Hero, so there is the possibility of a string of bad luck preventing you from getting a piece you need, even if you're finding Omega Gear regularly.
2a (possible) ) RNG to determine which Hero a piece of Omega Gear is for. Right now, it's possible to find gear for Heroes you're not currently playing. It's even possible to find Uniques for Heroes you don't even own. Will this still be true for the new Omega Gear? We don't know, but it's definitely possible, even if it's not likely.
3) RNG to determine which 5 Affixes out of an unknown pool will appear on the Omega Gear. This is actually a step down from Uniques because you always know what stats a Unique is going to have, even if you don't know how much of each stat they will have.
4) RNG to determine how well those 5 Affixes are rolled. This is pretty standard for almost every single item in the game, so it's not unexpected. However, this is a completely new tier of gear and that gives us the opportunity to do something different.
What I propose is this:
Why not remove the last layer of RNG and institute a Legendary-like progression system for Omega Gear. Whenever you find a piece of Omega Gear, it will automatically have the lowest stats for each Affix. As you gain experience while wearing it, the stats would increase up to their maximum potential.
There would still be plenty of RNG involved in getting Omega Gear. But when I finally find a piece for the right Hero, in the right Slot, with the Affixes I want, I'll know that I can eventually make that piece of Omega Gear the best it can possibly be. I won't have to rely on frustrating re-roll mechanics that can leave me with 99% for 4 out of 5 Affixes and then 2% on the last one. I won't have to spend hours at the Crafter trying to make a newly-dropped piece of gear usable.
Instead, I'll be able to feel lucky that I got a piece of Omega Gear that I want, immediately put it on and begin the process of making it more powerful.
If you want to make it more interesting (and, unfortunately, more involved from a programming perspective) you could make it so you only get a fraction of a percent of progress from beating Bosses and no progress from anything else. That way, grinding Chapter 1 mobs at level 60 won't actually help you, but grinding Bosses in Midtown for hours will see your stats get better and better.
Oh, and for anybody who doesn't know me and might be hoping for a TL;DR:
