With Diablo III, the developers looked into fixing this problem. There appeared to be one quick and easy decision on this since it was revealed at the same time as the game itself. In this new installment, each player will be getting their own loot drops that only they can see and pick up. This stops the hustle to click on items first and allow players to play the game without worrying about fighting for drops.
While the system sounds simple enough, there has been a lot of discussion and debate on the intricacies of the system. There have been debates on whether or not there was any advantage to playing multi-player or single-player to get the best gear quickest. With multi-player, each player gets their own drops but can share their loot by picking it up and dropping it back on the floor. This allows every other player to be able to see it and pick it up. With four players in one game, this essentially increases the drop rate by four. To compensate for this increase, some have mentioned the idea that single-player drops would have a better chance of dropping better gear. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. cherubdown asked Bashiok this question about the separation of gear from multi-player and single-player. At first, his response was that there was better drop rates in multi-player. However, he soon recanted this statement and corrected himself.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo: @cherubdown Sorry that was an incorrect answer. Drops don't change while playing in a group vs. alone.
In addition to the fact that there is no separation between the different modes, Bashiok also added the fact that Magic Find and other attributes will effect only the person's drops who is wearing the gear with those attributes. This, again, makes it so playing in a group will not give anyone an advantage to someone not playing in a group with MF stacked between the group.
Official Blizzard Quote:
I've gotten this same question wrong in the past, I don't know why it continues to confuse me.
Drops are not different in co-op. The fact that you're killing faster (which you will) in a group means more items in less amount of time, means we don't need to provide other incentives.
Your own drop modifiers will affect your personal drops, such as magic and gold find. But that's the same while playing alone or in a group.
Special thanks to Doomscream for finding this additional news on MF.
You're trolling right?
Please tell me your trolling.
...
You're wording wounded me psychologically, but that is *technically* true. I think it was implied though.
Not quite. Either A ) you get less drops per player or B ) you get equal/more drops per player. Less drops would mean that co-op would be at a disadvantage, equal or more drops would mean co-op would be at a severe advantage.
I guess I just am not following the news story very well.
I think it just means everyone has the same chance of finding items either single player or multi. Yes co op there will be a advantage via trading items but everyone will be on the same playing field with chance i assume.
You get equal drops per player. You kill faster stuff in multiplayer. Therefore, you get stuff faster in comparison to single player.
Whether you're in a single player or a multiplayer game, the drops you see will always be your drops, and they are always calculated in the same manner: the amount of players in the game doesn't affect your drop rates. It just affects killing speed, so indirectly it affects the amount of items you're going to get per time unit.
The amount of players does not increase the chances of you getting a particular item.
So then Co-Op is at an advantage, due to the speed that they can go at, and due to the fact that a wizard can give a barbarian an axe he picks up and vice versa with the barbarian giving the wizard a wand he picks up.
This gives Link a sad.
The Barbarian/Wiz situation you described sounds pretty peachy to me...
The fact that your killing monsters faster in co-op would technically increase drop rate over time...just not per monster.
(that's a joke, btw)
In all seriousness, I take the subject pretty seriously because I was a MF hoarder in D2 and probably will be again in d3 eventually.
I might get interested in it later like you will be but I don't like planning my future in a game it makes me think about it too much. :|
Meh, guess your right. Only problem would be to get people to work together and share and not horde everything. Lol.
But that's what the beta's for!
I'll take an invite to the podcast tho