Why Does Lost Loot Not Work in Coopetition Mode?

[Professor]

The title says it all. I had a lot of legendaries fall off the edge of the map today farming Slaughterhouses, then I returned to Sanctuary and I can't interact with the Lost Loot machine. From what I read, it doesn't function on Coopetition Mode. What is the point of this lack of functionality?
With legendaries out the ears for the next week, it's not that I'm upset about missing out on a few drops, I just don't understand the decision from a game design perspective.

[Geldric™]

Well since there is no assigned loot, if you & I are playing & an item (epic/legendary) falls off the map, who gets it, you or me? Certainly not both, there’s only one of each item.

Why can’t you just switch it to Cooperation & stop loosing loot?

[Professor]

I can change my game mode. The game type just defaults to the setting you choose when making your character, which was Coopetition for me. I didn't realize it had this interaction, otherwise I would have changed my game mode.

You do make a fair point about the unassigned loot in multiplayer--just a little frustrating given that I'm playing single player. But your rationale makes sense.