Originally Posted by Lamaros
I like getting loot directly from the encounter I've finished, just like I like buying CDs and not downloading them. Certain things have a certain 'tactile' relationship between the actions we undertake and the rewards we get for those actions, and I like that.
Killing boss X yields a key. This key can then be used to open a chest the boss was guarding. The contents of that chest are determined by the person who opens it. So that we can distribute the rewards equitably and predictably, but at the same time we have retain the direct relationship between the boss and the loot.
I think we can do better than a badge system and yet still have loot that is distributed in a less frustrating way. The badge system is fine in parts, but adopted wholesale it would be a cop-out.
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I don't see it as a cop out. I see it as a more sensible system. Think about it from this angle, your being paid by the local powers that be to root out the "little" problem they have, mainly being that big evil temple and its baddies. This is very much like CRPGs from days gone by. Badges provide this payment system. I think where badges fail is the sheer numbers needed for certain items. So I would go for, trash mobs drop an item which in stacks can net you "badges". This allows guilds to bring up someone to fill a gap without running instance X over and over as much as they would have had to before. Badge payout per boss mob is based on order within. This allows for increase in gearing by badge buying to aid in progression to bosses further in whose reward is higher. Now the first time you do any of the kills your badge reward is 50% higher - the reward for getting it right. Clear the whole place - down to every single mob and get a bonus.
As for the direct relationship between boss and items. If they didn't drop class specific items I would not mind so much if they were that very same class. Yet there needs to be a reward and for the most part I would suggest trade skill items (patterns, formula, etc), non-class specific items like gems. Yet how would this allow for special items to link to specific bosses? Well one way is to have a badge specific to a boss, to buy the item requires the token plus the badges. First item is one token, second is two, then four, etc. The token system maintains the separation of items from people who simply farm lower end stuff for badges compared to those who actually do the hard work and get something working.