The problem of loot distribution was discovered by the players of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) EverQuest. EverQuest had two high level bosses (dragons) that could only be slayed by a party of many players cooperating to kill the dragons. This introduces a conflict between the cooperating players, because there are only a few pieces of loot given as reward for a task requiring the contribution of many players. Therefore, a way to distribute the loot that is discovered during ones adventures is necessary. Since the EverQuest players introduced the first DKP system in 1999, various DKP systems have been in use, but little research has been done to understand the properties of a good DKP system. How to distribute loot is a small, but important problem that affects the playability of modern MMORPGs.
 
The purpose of this thesis is to review existing DKP systems, find a method for either quantitative or qualitative evaluation of a DKP system, and possible propose a new DKP system.

What you will do

• you will participate in MMORPG guilds in order to gain first hand experience with DKP systems and those who use them
• you will review existing DKP systems and research evaluation methods for such systems

What you will learn

• you will gain insight into the virtual societies found in MMORPGs
• you will obtain a thorough understanding of the quasi economics of loot distribution
• you will learn to analyse a problem where the evaluation criteria is not given in advance

References

• A Beginners Guide to DKP

• Dragon Kill Points: A Summary Whitepaper