Martial Artists Attacks and NO DROP items in general

[_______________MachX]

There never seems to be any decent Martial Artists Attacks in any shop (ie bird of prey). I'm not exactly sure how the shop system updates but if it is waiting for Angel of Night to sell before it refreshes this could be why there is never anything for sale...otherwise it is just because the MA attacks are snatched up every time the shop refreshes. Perhaps the number and type of MA attacks that appear could be upped....especially since they are all NO DROP...so we can't buy it anywhere else and they are a pain to get on team missions because of the no drop....

Also concerning NO DROP items It would make things so much easier if there was a special way that NO DROP items could be transferred from one person to another...like a special terminal, or sending items through the bank....or even a zone where NO DROPs are turned off and can be treated like normal items. This would allow organization such as my Martial Artists org to implement their hand-me-down system with MA attacks as well as with weapons and armor.

[_______________Vydas]

I don't like this idea for No Drops in general, as for some (but by no means all) there might be an actual reason why they are No Drop (rares, is what I'm mainly thinking about). But, I don't understand why things like the MA attacks are No Drop in the first place - just doesn't make much sense to me.

With that out of the way, coupled with my belief that a thorough review of why some items have this designation would not ever bring satisfaction, I could get behind this suggestion, at least for some items.

[_______________MachX]

One of the biggest problems is team mission rewards or alpha loot order when you are given an item that you cannot sell and have to just delete....I would be happy even if you could sell or trade/drop items that you do not meet a class requirement for...ie a fixer could sell a MA attack but an MA couldn't....that way we can at least share NO DROP rewards and loot in the mission or even outside....

[Dharshar]

One of the Main reasons NoDrop is there as a Marker on certain items are that it almost the only way to lock out trading with these items.

I'd like to say that for some item its a Must to have it in Place, Especially certain special mission items. For other items, like the MA specials, it just plain stupid. I played an MA as my Primary at one point and it really was frustrating to loose those specials from the Mission reward since they were ND. So lets hope they Remove the ND tag from MA Specials

/Dharshar

[________________GorT]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Also concerning NO DROP items It would make things so much easier if there was a special way that NO DROP items could be transferred from one person to another
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I may be wrong here, But i asked why things like MA attacks and Such are no-drop or none transferable, And the reason being that If they were able to Drop, Then they could also be taken of your Body in PvP zone if you were to be killed.....

[Mercatura]

Not if you save first.

Saving takes 2 seconds and pissant credits, yet I hear from teamates once in awhile how they have 20m unsaved xp or whatever...lol.

[Skymarshal]

If my memory serves me correctly,

Durring the last discusion abot MA attacks, when they were both NODROP and UNIQUE the conclusion that wsa come o by funcom was that there was a specific reason they are nodrop, but there was no specific reason they should be unique. Hence the unique tag was removed, but they remain nodrop.


>> I belive that the reason that MA attacks are nodrop is because FC intends that you 'learn' the attack. So in that sense, however cheesy it may be, it wouldnt make sense that you could forget it and transfer it to someone else.

There had been discusion in the past then about aprenticing younger MA's and such, which is a cool idea, but i dont think AO is ready to go there hehe... <<


In Regards to NODROP trading, i think that would be a bad idea, in general, that would allow for the exploitation of many things, that we jstu dont really need right now. not to mention driving the Price WAY up on rares that are ND. In some instances rares are nodrop so that one group of people cant decide to 'take over' a spawn perminantly, and many many other reasons.

[__________Beautyfarm]

maybe the ma attacks could follow the same route as the crat suits and some other stuff ? the item you get as loot is a tradable sealed form (or whatever would be apropriate for mas, maybe some weed to help you meditate ) and you gotta personalize ( or meditate about ) it to be able to use it. the result is nodrop then.

[_____________Borrace]

I was in a team mission last weekend with 3 MAs...we killed the boss, completed the mission, and my reward was a ql193 Bird of Prey.

I'm an advent...they all cried as i deleted it.

These things shouldn't be nodrop. I never understood why they were. I could see why they would be labled unique, but why nodrop?

[_______________Vydas]

I can only see unique if they mean completely unique - for that QL. Otherwise, over level 125, you'd have the same weeping.

[Johnathgalt]

Originally posted by Skymarshal
. . .
>> I belive that the reason that MA attacks are nodrop is because FC intends that you 'learn' the attack. So in that sense, however cheesy it may be, it wouldnt make sense that you could forget it and transfer it to someone else.

So its kinda like a nano program; once its uploaded its there. Obiviously, its not a problem with nano crystals because you can trade it before uploading. Too bad they don't do a similar thing with MA attacks (e.g. if you haven't used the attack; you could trade it) probably a coding nightmare.

[_____________Aliasam]

When I first tried the game last spring, you could read all the trade books in the shops. I thought that was pretty stupid, but enjoyed not having to purchase the book. The other day, I tried this and the books now come in a wrapper so you can't do this.

Why not do the same to the MA attacks ? Put them in a wrapper and while still wrapped they are NOT flagged NO DROP. Of course, while wrapped, they really aren't MA attacks. To use them as MA attacks, one would have to unwrap them like the trade books and then they would become NO DROP.

If funcom could do this, we'd have the best of both worlds.

[_____________Borrace]

Originally posted by Aliasam
When I first tried the game last spring, you could read all the trade books in the shops. I thought that was pretty stupid, but enjoyed not having to purchase the book. The other day, I tried this and the books now come in a wrapper so you can't do this.

Why not do the same to the MA attacks ? Put them in a wrapper and while still wrapped they are NOT flagged NO DROP. Of course, while wrapped, they really aren't MA attacks. To use them as MA attacks, one would have to unwrap them like the trade books and then they would become NO DROP.

If funcom could do this, we'd have the best of both worlds.

that would be perfect...but instead of being wrapped, it would be:

Ancient Scroll of Bird of Prey
QL200
Desc: Once opened, the holder of this scroll will have learned how to complete the martial artist attack detailed within.

[eaze]

Originally posted by Vydas
I don't like this idea for No Drops in general, as for some (but by no means all) there might be an actual reason why they are No Drop (rares, is what I'm mainly thinking about). But, I don't understand why things like the MA attacks are No Drop in the first place - just doesn't make much sense to me.

You don't? Ok, update me, how do you transfer knowledge to someone irl? Can I walk into a shop and buy 1000 dollars worth of C++ coding knowledge please? Nah, it doesn't work that way. I'd agree with the fact that theres too much nodrop in the game. However, for certain items, like tokens, MA attacks, and a few others, it's absolutely an appropriate flag.

[____________Sihirbaz]

You don't? Ok, update me, how do you transfer knowledge to someone irl? Can I walk into a shop and buy 1000 dollars worth of C++ coding knowledge please? Nah, it doesn't work that way. I'd agree with the fact that theres too much nodrop in the game. However, for certain items, like tokens, MA attacks, and a few others, it's absolutely an appropriate flag.

But it's nice that you can put your knowledge into a backpack? Knowledge shouldn't be able to be in my inventory, sorry.
I don't understand MA attacks at all, they are simply like nanoprograms or grafts, aren't they?
However, I like the sealed-/wrapper idea.


Sihirbaz.

[__________THEDEACON!]

Originally posted by Sihirbaz


But it's nice that you can put your knowledge into a backpack? Knowledge shouldn't be able to be in my inventory, sorry.
I don't understand MA attacks at all, they are simply like nanoprograms or grafts, aren't they?
However, I like the sealed-/wrapper idea.


Sihirbaz.

ME TOO!!

Dude, that's the best idea I've ever seen for ma attacks!

[Johnathgalt]

Originally posted by Aliasam
Why not do the same to the MA attacks ? Put them in a wrapper and while still wrapped they are NOT flagged NO DROP. Of course, while wrapped, they really aren't MA attacks. To use them as MA attacks, one would have to unwrap them like the trade books and then they would become NO DROP.

IMHO - great idea

[_________Rayfield...]

Originally posted by eaze


You don't? Ok, update me, how do you transfer knowledge to someone irl? Can I walk into a shop and buy 1000 dollars worth of C++ coding knowledge please? Nah, it doesn't work that way. I'd agree with the fact that theres too much nodrop in the game. However, for certain items, like tokens, MA attacks, and a few others, it's absolutely an appropriate flag.

but u can loot $1000 worth of C++ coding knowledge off a dead guy's body? or find it in a chest? that's getting a ltitle towards "Brain-sucker" AD&D type mob to me....nah.... whole idea of it being no drop is just dumb. i do like the wrapper idea tho. helps with mission loot/rewards.

[_________Machiavelli]

I understand the argument that it's learned... but I've picked up at least three attacks I will more than likely never, ever use (in solo missions, at that) I still have them, just in case I get really bored end game... but they just consume inventory ATM. If that is really funcom's intent... they sure picked a lousy vehicle for it.

Having never used MA with any character, how to I learn these secrets when attacking with my shottie? When my bot defeats an opponent? How do I learn it using B&E on a chest? This doesn't make sense.

Bump for the wrapper idea.

Alot of toons need these things, and I would give them away if I could. I certainly don't need them with mine.

[________Miniexplicit]

MA attack Nano Crystals.

Attack 0
Recharge .1
Nano cost - varies per QL per attack.
Req - Must not be weilding weapons.

The Nanos act similar to the Living Cyber Armor, only instead of having to right click it to upgrade it, everytime you use it, it checks the required skills, and adjusts its QL to match your skill. The required skills are not Nano skills as most normal nano crystals are, but the skills that the MA Attacks currently require.

Once used, a hostile nano similar to what Agents get for casting their Crit Nanos will be run in your NCU, and not even death can get rid of it. On the upside, you can now use multiple MA attacks.

Unforunately due to the power of this, the following restrictions are placed upon the crystals.

They spawn QL1 to 200, however they are as rare as Nullity MKII. When its time to spawn you have a chance of one of the MA attack varieties to spawn, each MA attack does not get its own spawn timer.

The Crystals will start off with a Profession:MA (not visual profession) Req, however after 4 or 5 patches have passed, the MA req will be removed, as the current MA attacks are not profession specific. This is to give the MA's time to acquire these crystals.

If you already have the MA attack uploaded, then the crystal will not use any charges and will not disappear, unlike current Nano Crystals.

These Crystals spawn on MA mobs, and as boss mob loot.

---------------
I'm not sure whether to think thats a joke, or take it seriously. Hmmm, perhaps making the MA Attack Crystals not so rare once they are introduced and then nerfing the spawn rate once the Prof:MA req is removed would be suitable. Or transform every MA attack every character has into the appropriate crystal (Maximum of one of each crystal type per player) when changing them from item to crystal would do the trick.

Of course I could just be crazy to think this is a good idea. Its learned, can't be unlearned, can't be looted, and is effectively NoDrop. The power of the attack is increased since it will be as powerful as you can make it be, or as weak as your skills allow. Once acquired you never have to worry about getting it again. Acquiring it is the trick though.