Trouble is if it's an item needed for the plotline no one wants to turn it in to further the plot they'd rather hold it and hold up the event.
Hence the timers...
Besides often if they give out stuff all you get is a crowd of people throwing a hissy fit about who got what piece of crap and you can't enjoy the events for what they are...
No I prefer the timered items with the very occasional cool deco item drop.
I like when they have some thing you click and get a reward that anyone and everyone can get as well... but the best rewards are the ones earned by participation....
and those few rewards should be few and far between and a reward for those who actually participate and care.
It's a shame that items meant as a memento of the event become such a **** fest for rares collectors... instead of going to those who are truly interested in the event.
Well... since that was acquired after the event ended, and it had a timer that is pretty much evidence it has outlived it's "purpose". I did participate in the event, did extremely well at that according to the results.
While I stated earlier that yes this was mainly posted initially for the purpose of teasing a bit, it just annoys me slightly that if they let an item that 1) does not function in any way (dbl clicking yielded nothing) and 2) Has no ability to cause imbalance in any aspect of game play, slips away from them I see little actual harm.
It seems each Live Event cycle, Holiday, half the publishes, etc the Devs introduce either intentionally or accidentally (Such as Items where the name reverts or Pre-Patch items), Rares, and Decorative items into the game and it is of little consequence. But let it be part of an EM event and folks are up in arms about it. We've started an unofficial war on the Gypsy camps in UO over earrings and a bracelet, that very few seem to be able to find and people gripe that the drop rate is too low (meaning they want a rare item, and yes people do gripe I hear it all the time in game) yet if an item that would be truly rare is introduced the same people want to condemn others with no other apparent reasoning when you compare the two stand points than a "Keeping up with the Jones'" scenario. Every single "Server Birth" rare, was a mistake, every piece of world art that someone picked up because it was unlocked after an expansion launched was a mistake. There are even items in the game that are still obtainable (though not purely legally) that will get you possibly banned for having but they are still out there on display right in front of everyone tempting someone to try.
But anyways, like I said, the whole point of posting initially was to tease, it doesn't really matter either way. It would have been cool to have been able to keep it, and since I didn't "Hold It Back" during the event (It was actually turned it in then later I recovered it, after the end of the event), I didn't feel I was breaking any of the grand laws of the UO universe, after all how often have the devs said in one way or another that anything lying on the ground is fair game. But since I didn't get to keep it due to a timer it was somewhat self satisfying to tease them a bit and cause a bit of discussion at the same time.