The Daily Grind: Would truly unique items help or hurt an MMO?

GM/god powers, even for a day kills a game's fun factor.

This is why once you cheat in a game you rarely go back to play it normally again.

Truly unique items are a good thing, but uber items even with time based restrictions are not in my opinion.

Examples are a one of a kind staff that you show off whenever you can because you got it for getting the killing blow on June's in-game event demi-god.

Or having a orb renamed for you from a GM after you as thanks for reporting a dupe bug.

I think an alternative would be to allow players in MMO games to actually create unique items with their tradeskills. That's always been a craw in my side in these games. If my character has achieved the highest level of skill that is available to a crafter, why is it that I can only create things from patterns? Why do I have to follow other people's instructions? You mean to tell me that after all this time I cannot somehow create an item on my own?

I believe that top level crafters should have the ability to create items based on a points based system, pick the design, and give it a unique name. They should then be able to upgrade the item over time as the level and skill caps increased.

I'm sure there are lots of mechanics that would have to go into making this happen, but it's far too early for me to contemplate them at this point. I just think it would be fun.

I weigh in with #1. There's a big difference between unique things and the example of an item that grants "I WIN" status. Chances are that "I WIN" doesn't fit with the game universe, and feels like an exploit.

But unique items (like Samuel L Jackson reportedly saying "no one's ever had a purple lightsaber, so I want one") is cool. I want the only mechanostrider with fuzzy dice hanging from its neck and a Onyxia bobblehead doll on the back.

What about unique items that aren't superpowerful?

There's an easy answer to this one: balance it. And I actually have proof to back this up.

Lineage II has two uber-powerful items that are one of a kind - Demon Sword Zariche and Blood Swords Akamanah. These swords can drop off of anything in the environment and are beastly, beastly swords. Even as they're held and keep killing, they keep getting more powerful.

Do they break Lineage II's system to pieces? No, not at all. These two swords may be "god's gift to players", especially in terms of PvP, when they can send you right into PvP, skipping over your buffer life (CP), but they have ALOT of drawbacks.

For one, the second you find it the sword instantly flies to your hands. You can't drop it and you can't let it go. It's your weapon, even if you don't want it to be.

Two, the second you find it, the world goes dark, the sky goes black, and the ground itself shakes. A system message notifies everyone logged in that someone has the weapon, and your location becomes marked on the map for all players to note.

Three, you're instantly sent into chaotic mode. Even your own guild-mates and alliance-mates can attack you. If you find the sword during a siege, anyone in the siege can attack you, even your own side. You become everyone's enemy. Because you're chaotic, if you die you have a chance to drop alot of your items and money. So whoever kills you gets nice bonuses.

Four, the sword has a time limit that grows shorter as you keep the bloodshed up. The system notifies the holder how much time they have left with the sword, but the good news is that the sword's stats improve as you keep killing other players. When that time expires, the sword disappears even if you're not logged in.

And five, if you die while holding one of these swords, the sword either drops immediately to the next person or it disappears completely and goes back to lie in wait for the next sucker.

So, these swords may be unique and may give you ultimate power, but they make you a walking target and give you severe penalities if you die. Simply put, these items are now properly balanced and do not detract from the world or the rest of the game. :)