Sorry, but with Brad's news post today about the trading system basically being nonexistant, I've lost any and all interest in playing this game. This is Phantasy Star Online with first person shooting, as far as the loot is handled. A boss dies, and everybody will immediately spam the corpse pressing X or whatever to grab any and all loot he drops. Someone is in the corner smashing boxes and taking loot while everyone else fights and dies. Trading is practically impossible without getting scammed or trolled.
 
Seriously, a game built around piles and piles of loot, and you completely neglected to think about how these issues affect the player experience? I'm gone. For all they talked about their influences, they apparently failed to learn some critical lessons.

Damn, sounds like pigs to a trough.

Well, don't play the game then if you don't want to.

They will probably patch in some sort of fix after the complaints start rolling in

Yeah, I read that and it doesn't sound good or workable at all. Let's hope this obvious error doesn't overshadow the rest of the gameplay experience. 

That's why you play with three other people that you can beat senselessly if they do that.

That is a really small and stupid reason. Your bound to get better loot anyways.

Maybe it'll be assigned drops?  I don't know.  Like a few duders shootin' up some other duder, the loot cycles between the dudes who shot the dude?

" That is a really small and stupid reason. Your bound to get better loot anyways. "

Seems a non-issue for singleplayer though.

There's a bajillion guns, why would you want to trade it when you will probably get something better in the next 10 minutes?

I'm happy I have 2 other friends that are also hyped about this game so I will be able to go 3 player co-op. Screw the 4th character. You can always make a thread here on Giant Bomb when the game comes out and try to make teams which may go better than just signing onto XBL or PSN and trying to find a game with random people.

Roll with friends.  If you don't have friends, then play something else. 
 
@TheMustacheHero said:

" There's a bajillion guns, why would you want to trade it when you will probably get something better in the next 10 minutes? "

This isnt an MMO.. Its primarily a single player game.
 
Its also not nearly as loot dependent as your making it out to be, the only thing you can get loot wise is guns as far as we know, it wont be as big of an issue as your making it out to be.

We only play splitscreen with friends, and if he tries to pull any of that shit, I'll kick him in his nad-bag as hard as I can with my Level 38 boot.

I dont know honestly i wonder how much i am gonna be trading with people or really how much i am gonna be playing with people online to start with.

" There's a bajillion guns, why would you want to trade it when you will probably get something better in the next 10 minutes? "

Maybe theres no trade interface for all the bad reasons people have been talking about. Maybe they want people to be able to screw each other over during some kind of trade. It doesn't sound like it'd be a nice thing to have happen to you but it would certainly add to the whole dangerous wasteland theme. I certainly can't see myself trading all that much with people I don't know online, I only really play co-op with people I actually know, but I can see myself screwing some of my friends over as being pretty funny

dude we dont even know how bad it will be.  Besides, the best loot is that which you find yourself.  Like any other single player game.  Plus like they said, play with trustworthy people.  We can all set up a thread to list our gamertags and play with each other here.  Or play with friends.  With the game being co-op i think its natural to play with friends.

I'm surprised by these reactions to what I barely consider a knock against a game, let alone a deal breaker.

" @TheMustacheHero said:

" There's a bajillion guns, why would you want to trade it when you will probably get something better in the next 10 minutes? "

Well, the point of loot games is to eventually get "end game" gear.  So at a certain point, you might not always find something better. "

I understand where the OP is coming from. Im worried about this also. Im still gonna buy it but shipping a game without a trade system is a mistake Hellgate London did. Just sayin'.
 
For me, i am not the kind of guy who likes to ninja loot the drops on a boss, its stupid. Therefore I too, an quite worried about this. Maybe this aint Gearbox's final answer.
 
I'm quite surprised theres not even a thread about this on their official forum. Its an important issue about a loot-based game.

Gearbox has stressed that this is a shooter before it's an RPG. This along means that loot, though varied and interesting, won't be nearly as vital as most people are making it out to be.  I doubt there will be much "OMGZ THIS GUN IS BETTAR THAN ALL OF J00S!" when, really, which gun you use is more dependent on what you want it to do rather than straight stats.

" This is Borderlands, not Phantasy Star Online. If someone betrays you, put a bullet between his eyes. "

" That's why you play with three other people that you can beat senselessly if they do that. "

" This is Borderlands, not Phantasy Star Online. If someone betrays you, put a bullet between his eyes. "

" @OmegaPirate: OUTLANDER! IN ORDER TO PASS, YOU MUST OFFER A TRIBUTE OF 10,000 GUNS!  *BANG*  WHOOO "

Yep. I'll play with close friends, or members of the GB community as there seems to be enough interest for a good user base from here. 

I'll shed a solitary tear for this tonight.

It's funny to me that people seem to be approaching Borderlands the same way they would be approaching an MMO or Diablo. I will play Borderlands for the single player, and maybe play with friends online. I feel like people are getting too worked up on this issue. Sure, it's something that Gearbox should have thought out from the start, but the game isn't finished yet, and even if it does ship like this they could always patch it.

The loot system is what made PSO so great. Because there were so many scammers and theives it lead to some of the best gaming communites ever, secretly playing on deserted lobbys with a group of people. I'm still in daily contact with several friends made from PSO.
 
Rhea 8 best.
 
Not saying I agree with leaving it out, but I can live with free for all.

When I heard about this on the Bombcast I never assumed that the final game would actually be released with some kind of free-for-all looting system. I'm sure they'll have some kind of revised version of what they have now in the actual final release, if not an actual trade system, then at least player-assigned drops. Even if they don't revise the system then is that really reason enough to not buy the game? I mean what you're really complaining about is that you won't get most of the loot deserved when you are playing online with people who aren't your friends.

That's dumb. The lack of a decent trade mechanic may suck, but Borderlands still looks amazing. Is that really all it takes to make you lose interest? I mean it looks like single player is the main focus of this game anyway. 
 
It would be badass though, is if you could use the random duel thing to wager your guns. 

Sorry to hear that you don't have any friends man, that's a bummer :-(

Yeah, but who's really playing this game with random ass people? You gotta have 2 or 3 Xbox buddies getting it, so items won't be a problem, I'm sure they figured that would be the majority of people getting the game anyways. If not, it may come in a patch, or hell, maybe the version they played wasn't done yet.

Kindof like LBP sortof. 
 
Your working together but fighting over the points (in this case, loot).

" @TheMustacheHero said:

" There's a bajillion guns, why would you want to trade it when you will probably get something better in the next 10 minutes? "

Well, the point of loot games is to eventually get "end game" gear.  So at a certain point, you might not always find something better. "

Then you'd be missing out big time.  I'm not sure I've ever been so impressed with a game after 20 minutes as I was with Borderlands.  I'm extremely tempted to say I was even more blown away than I was by Super Mario 64, but it's hard to say for sure since the Toys R Us wasn't rocking a kickass soundtrack and a giant crowd.  And crazy ass automatic shotguns weren't dropping left and right out of goombas.  This game is SICK, son!
 
If you're worried about people stealing all the drops just play with your buddies.  You'll have more fun with friends anyway.

" This is Borderlands, not Phantasy Star Online. If someone betrays you, put a bullet between his eyes. "

I pie have thought of a solution! Make duels compulsory within 1 minute of a high level loot pick up. Actually someone would just win more and more and more until they are undefeatable but whatever

I am not worried at all. Gearbox has said that the DLC that will be coming out is going to be made based on what the players ask for the most, so I think that a trading system will be implemented quickly after release.