Should there be mechanics for working toward obtaining specific rare items

[Jandof]

I’ve been working on my semiannual run, this time a melee character. Bad rng with drops, however, has been making getting my intended build really challenging. In practice this time I’ve been looking for a copy of the Swords of the Samurai and a Dielectric Capacitance CBM. After 10+ ruined libraries and 20+ dissected Zomborgs I’m yet to see either. Both are pretty necessary for the setup in question.

I guess I could cheat for those, but while considering it, I started thinking whether there could be a system for tracking down something specific. Like finding a lab computer allowing a single access for searching some (relatively balanced) item. If you succeeded, then the item and hints about its location would spawn with a related quest.

Would it just end up making things too easy? Because imo repeating same farming procedure for hours isn’t very fun gameplay either. Considering how tedious crafting is becoming with all the steel subtypes and obscure chemicals being added, much of the game already seems like a chore. Combined with reduced availability of CBMs, it seems too much of the game time has started to feel like working in the recent years.

Any opinions on these matters?

BR,

Jandof

[Minecrafter_Next_Gen]

I suppose some NPC’s might sell you information on the location of specific items, like Rubic or Smokes as payment or reward for something. If it’s gated behind missions or payment, I think it would be balanced. A prepper NPC can already sell you information on a sealed LMOE shelter.

A greater variety of merchants could also help with this problem; a librarian for books (like the one you mentioned), a gunrunner or arms manufacturer, even a fortified garage to buy cars from.

On another note, if you can find them, the Norse Evangelicals can sell you quite a few things, namely authentic, quality melee weapons and common guns in addition to a variety of loot. Depending on RNG, they might sell bikes, too.

[Bryant_Dodd]

Sounds like an interesting system

[Eren_Rager]

For obtaining martial arts would it be better to instead do a mission then being paid by getting trained in an MA? Sounds like something the Norse Evangelicals will have in store. Although I would imagine it might be too slow to get trained in an NPC-dense environment.