GNoMES - GPS System - How It Works

The Gnomes Points System (GPS) - How it works

The Basics - A number of our old loot rules have been kept and integrated in to the GPS system:

	Rule	Purpose of the rule

◊	Each player can acquire a maximum of one loot item per raid lock.	There are more people in a raid than there are loot items generally, so this ensures as many people as possible get a chance to win something. Of course we don't know what future raids will hold, so it may be possible to change this rule for particular raids. Of course, this rule will be waived if nobody else needs an item, as per the old system.

◊	Mains take priority	This is a rule that we sometimes observed and sometimes didn't. The new system will always give mains priority, regardless of their position in the rankings. The reason for this is to ensure that everyone gets an equal chance to equip their main character, instead of watching others equip their alts first.

◊	Class specific items	Pretty obvious really - only the class eligible to wear/use that item can take it. There may be times when an item that isn't class specific is so heavily geared towards a particular class that an officer might highlight this at the time, and ask other classes to really consider whether they want to take it. Nobody will be told they can't roll, only advised that they should be really sure they're going to use it before taking it.

◊	You need all set pieces as the opportunities arise	If you're intending to collect a set of armour, then you must collect the pieces in the order that the opportunity arises. You will not be able to pass on the first and second drops with a view to picking up the final drop first. Of course, if you don't want the set at all, nobody is going to force you to take any of it.

The new stuff - The new loot system is based on points. Rest assured though, it is not a DKP system, and should not be compared to one. The following describes the new elements of the loot system:

	Rule	Purpose of the rule

◊	You get a point just for turning up (on time)	Not all raids will be successful. Early attempts may result in no boss kills at all. Awarding a point just for turning up is a means of recognising the attempts that are needed to master bosses in the first place, and rewarding that effort. To qualify for this point, you need to be ready to start the raid on time! This is the Gnomes though, not the military... the 'on time' rule will only be applied when the raid leader isn't aware of the lateness in advance, and of course, real life emergencies happen. This should encourage raids to begin more promptly, allowing greater time playing, and therefore greater chances of success.

◊	You get a point for killing each boss	For every boss that dies, everyone present gets a point. It doesn't matter who got the killing blow, who did what role, etc.. everyone gets a point. If you get disconnected half way through the fight, you still get the point. If your cat throws up on your lap and you have to unexpectedly stop for a while, you still get a point. If, half way through the raid, you decide to quit, then you keep all points that you've earned but don't earn the points from the rest of the bosses. This makes sure that everyone is fairly rewarded for all the time they've spent progressing through the raid, regardless of how far they go.

◊	Your points are safe	Nothing you can do will result in points being deducted from your total, except of course, for winning loot. In other words, you will never be negatively penalised by having points deducted for whatever reason.

◊	Cost of loot items	The cost of each item of loot depends on which raid you are doing. The cost will generally equal the maximum number of points it is possible to earn in that raid. For instance, if there are 9 bosses in a particular raid, then the cost of an item would be 10 points (9 points + 1 for turning up). The reason for this is to keep a lid on the number of points that can be earned, and to help ensure the loot is evenly distributed. Of course, if raids come along with much higher amounts of loot than we're used to, the price will have to drop accordingly :) There will be no bidding for any items - the cost of loot remains fixed, regardless of how much you want it.

◊	The person at the top of the list gets first refusal	The loot order list is sorted so that all mains are at the top, and all alts are at the bottom. Both groups are then sorted so that those with the most points are at the top. When a loot item drops, the main with the most points gets first refusal, then the next main, and so on. Only when all mains don't need the item does the alt list come in to play, and the process repeats. If there is more than one person at the top of the loot list (i.e. equal points to each other), then those people do a simple /roll to decide who wins. In practice, this should be very quick as the loot order will be known before the raid begins, and will remove the need for those pesky rolling sessions, and all the confusion and margin for error they can bring.

◊	No debts	It will not be possible to go in to negative points. If the current economic climate has taught us anything, it's that debt is bad :)

◊	Points can only be spent in the instance in which they were earned	You can not earn points in The Rift for example, and spend them in say, Helegrod. There is a separate system in place for each raid. Your points will of course accumulate over time, but they can only ever be spent in that instance. If you decide you'll never do another run in that particular raid, any points you had will be effectively lost. They won't be removed from you of course, in case you decide to go back in the future. This rule exists because not everyone likes every raid. Some people simply can't play on certain regular raid nights due to other commitments, despite wanting to.

◊	Points can only be spent on the character who earned them	You cannot earn points on your main and spend them on your alt, and vice versa. This system is designed to get the Gnomes main characters kitted out first and foremost, and alts second. This will of course put us in a better position as a kin to conquer the biggest challenges. Besides, not everyone has 5 alts to earn points for their main character. This system gives every single character an equal and fair chance, rather than giving people with a lot of playing time on their hands an unfair advantage. The only time this rule won't apply is when the raid leader actually asks a player to switch to an alt for the good of the raids success, in which case the points will go to the character that actually signed up in the first place if you want to.