Map Drop Rate Is Shocking

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mobutu wrote:

For the lazy, i quote from the links above:

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Like the rest of the game, having multiple players in an area increases the drop rate of items and the experience that monsters yield (while making them more challenging).
Under the new system, there is an exception: the drop rate of the Map items themselves is not increased by the additional players (all other items drops in the area are still increased, of course). A Map has the same chance of yielding other Maps regardless of how many players are in it. This is because a single Map item can be used by a whole party, unlike other items that can only be used by one player. The item quantity bonus that a Map has (due to its Mods) will affect the drop rate of Map items within that Map.

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Version 0.9.12c
End-Game Map Changes:
The player's "Increased Item Quantity" stat does not affect the drop rate of Map items any more. It does still increase the drop rate of everything else inside Maps.

The dev diary does not exclude the fact whether your own quantity does or does not increase map drop chances. It simply states how it works for groups or map quantity itself.

Only the patch update states that your own quantity does not add to map drop rates. If this is still in effect, then it should be included in the dev diary as an updated paragraph / edited text.

Not to mention that this is how it work because GGG wants it to work like this. That doesn't mean we cannot argue about it, or state the obvious fact that map drop rates are appalling.

Yes, unfortunately they are not so good at updating public information things.
A example is also the item modifiers list, the "projectile speed" mod group is missing even now but its working ingame for like 1 year ;)

the bolded change introduced by the 0.9.12c patch is still in effect.

I like the maps as they are now. I like them rare, and I really think it should stay this way for reasons that have been posted lots of time already.

What I don't like is that there is nothing else but maps to do after a certain level.

To me the solution to the problem isn't making maps drop more, but giving people other things to do on top of maps.

Ideally, you would have :

1) Maps being the ultimate end-game, yielding the best loot, but being too rare to be ran constantly
2) Other form of end game that allows you to grind for XP, but doesn't yield as good loot.

(Shameless self-plug : In that mind, I have suggested a reintroduction of a slightly modified version of Maelström of Chaos so that running out of maps doesn't mean running out of content.)

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XDementia wrote:

Ideally, you would have :
1) Maps being the ultimate end-game, yielding the best loot, but being too rare to be ran constantly
2) Other form of end game that allows you to grind for XP, but doesn't yield as good loot.

That would require the possibility of those higher level end game areas to drop high level maps. If not, no one would bother to start with the low level maps, and use huge numbers of orbs to craft better maps to try and finally reach the high level maps. So some changes to the current system must be made in either case.

This issue with maps has been around for a long time. I know my own and many other groups have discussed this topic to death while experiencing it ourselves. I can see the issue from both sides. I think the rarity and the difficulty of moving up the map chain extends the longevity of the entire experience for the players that are willing to grind it out. This game is based around RNG and that's what this system is. It's awesome when your in a 66 and find 3 68's and a 67. It sucks when you run a 66 and don't find shit. This is what keeps the game interesting though.

On the other side I know how frustrating it is being on 74-76 maps and finding 66's. This is bullshit. An idea I had back in CB was that finding maps below you should work the same way as finding maps above you. It should be a +2 -2 system instead of a +2 -X where X is however many levels of maps there are below the one your in. This could be taken a step further by weighting it.

EX: When you are in a 70 map you are
+25% more likely to find a 70 map
+10% more likely to find a 69/71 map
+0% more likely to find a 68/72 map

I'm sure this system would have it's own problems and it may be a shitty idea. Personally I've come to terms with the current system but I do believe it could be much better. I like the idea of there being another place where we can grind and having maps be more for loot. I think this would relieve some of the anger people have with the map system. Or we could always just buff map drops.

But yea I do think the current system does have some benefits.. 77's may be fuckin rare but when you do get to do one holy shit it will be exciting (until it drops a 66)

just buy some maps.. I bought 4 maps for 4 alch and I run them.. I now have +12 maps and my starting point was those 4 maps I bought :)

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XDementia wrote:

I like the maps as they are now. I like them rare, and I really think it should stay this way for reasons that have been posted lots of time already.

What I don't like is that there is nothing else but maps to do after a certain level.

To me the solution to the problem isn't making maps drop more, but giving people other things to do on top of maps.

Ideally, you would have :

1) Maps being the ultimate end-game, yielding the best loot, but being too rare to be ran constantly
2) Other form of end game that allows you to grind for XP, but doesn't yield as good loot.

(Shameless self-plug : In that mind, I have suggested a reintroduction of a slightly modified version of Maelström of Chaos so that running out of maps doesn't mean running out of content.)

Exactly the problem with the game. You are forced to do maps to progress your character after about level 75. problem? Maps are too rare. Burning 10 level 68 maps with 30-80% quantity on each to get 1(!!!!) level 66 (!!!!) map is ridiculous. I know myself and my group of friends are all about to quit this game until you change something.


Give us something else to farm that aren't maps, or greatly increase the drop rate of the maps. Choose quickly please, less interested by the day.

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deathlordd wrote:

just buy some maps.. I bought 4 maps for 4 alch and I run them.. I now have +12 maps and my starting point was those 4 maps I bought :)

Congrats, you got on a lucky streak. You will probably be out of maps tomorrow.

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deathlordd wrote:

just buy some maps

Good luck buying level 75+ maps, almost no-one sells them.
And if by some miracle they do, the price is exorbitant.
Ye, anybody can buy a 66 map for like an alc, just like what you did.

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deathlordd wrote:

just buy some maps.. I bought 4 maps for 4 alch and I run them.. I now have +12 maps and my starting point was those 4 maps I bought :)

This adds absolutely nothing to the topic at hand.
Did you buy 4 level 70+ maps? Or are you informing us that you bought 66 maps and found more 66 maps? How many 70 maps do you have among those 12+ maps?

My group have run through 30+ low level maps. Only 3-4 level 69 maps, which we again tried to roll as high as possible with alch and chaos orbs (even using scouring because we ran out of chaos). Did not get a level 70 or 70+ map, and are currently running out of maps altogether... And orbs... :-/


Edit:
Not complaining about the game overall, just the end game. Because now my group have high level chars just sitting there... Doing ordinary runs in level 60-62 areas are dead easy. Some of the 69 rare maps where just crazy hard (and fun). But not so fun that we'll spend a weekend trying to get some more hard maps, only to hit a "dead end" and return to farming 60 areas. I can only imagine how f'ed up it would be, to finally get to a level 75+ map and then run out...

Currently just starting new chars trying them out.