I'm considering making a module for loot

[hallow lichen]

Creating the thread. 🙂

[echo glacier]

i would start with the same general ideas that Loot-based RPGs do.

For a given drop, an initial tier is chosen (randomly or via enemy stats, the latter more likely here).

From that tier, there is a predefined (or procedurally generated) list of item classes that can be dropped (like "armor", "weapon", "magical weapon"). You generate a number of item classes to drop based on your chosen "cost" algorithm.

Once your item classes to drop have been generated, you then generate the specific item. If a "magical sword" is chosen, you then pick from a (likely weighted) list of items that belong to that category.

Once a specific item is chosen, you can then further refine it if desired (maybe not relevant here, but this step would be things like chosing the elemental damage of a weapon in an ARPG, or determining its final damage range)

[hallow lichen]

Good tips.

[echo glacier]

honestly, this is just a bad version of watching a nerdy youtube video that details how...I would go with Diablo 3 generates its loot

im at least familiar with that generation method, and it makes sense overall

but the key points will be the same -- having each step being independent of each other, with lists or weighting methods that are easy for you to tweak during development

[hallow lichen]

One thing I want to get away from is that once you reach a certain level, lower tier stuff stops showing up in loot. And some of it can be a lot of fun, even at later tiers of gameplay.

Just because you have an epic item, doesn't mean you stop having uncommon items.

[echo glacier]

i think that would be handled naturally with your tier + cost algorithm

tier 1 wouldnt even include magical stuff, tier 4 would have more magical stuff, and rolling one of them would "spend" a lot of the hoarde's total "value", but then you are left with small amounts of loot leftover, which lower tier weapons would fill

....stupid example. tier 4 loot gives me $1 of "value" and the magical items are 90 cents, so i grab one and have 10 cents leftover...I might as well grab some candy too

at tier 1 I would only "start" with 10 cents

you could throw another lever in there which controls the maximum cost of any given item in a horde

so if its a tier 4 horde from a bunch of goblins, you may want to have a lever that says "there is a ton of stuff here, but its all low value (e.g. no higher than tier 2 items, but a ton of them because they are cheap w.r.t. how much value a tier 4 has)

[hallow lichen]

A good way of thinking about it.

[hallow lichen]

This is a neat idea as well. A huge hoard, but nothing spectacular.

Now I just need to start thinking about algorithms...