Suggestion for improving the Random Drops (in General)

Currently, I don't think the system is working (Actually I don't think it's good for CB but I digress, this thread is about improving what we do have), and I've not been shy about it. ;)

But if it's not going to go away, then let's try to give it the addictive appeal it needs.

At the moment, it's far too infrequent. I'm over a month into this NCB, with nearly 20,000 battles, and I've not had a single drop yet. It's so infrequent, for a while I actually forgot we had Random Drops.

We can't increase the current Drop Rate, without increasing the amount off Rare items that spawn into the game, which isn't desired.

So, why don't we go the whole hog, and throw a bunch of non Rare items into the Drop pool (while still keeping a small amount to spawn normally into the Stores).

But vastly increase the drop rate to compensate.

At the end of the day, we'd still be getting the same amount of 'rare' drops to pay for the 20% reward reduction, so nothing will really change.

But we'll get more drops, more messages from the Gods. Which will improve visibilty of the system, and add in a little more, anticipation, of scoring that big hit.

Well since I make ~1M/week from fighting, this is 4/5 of what I could be making (~1,250,000 for the mathematically challenged) and I've gotten 1 near base katana that I BS'd down to base and then sold to the store (which is the best option in the current state of the market) for ~80k.

You do the math. This is from Feb 25th to now, with 9,405 battles challenged as of this post. That is 2 1/7 of a week, so ~537k-~80k=~457k owed to myself by CB's drop system.

I think I will keep a 'drop diary' until this system gets changed.

I like the idea. Though perhaps it'd just be best to throw in small amounts of money or randomly upgrade the X of an item. I only say this because of the inconvenience of having your inventory filled with items to constantly sell.

In some ways, fun. In others, annoying. The transfer limit and all.


I would still like to plug the Blood Vials idea... We already have the random drop system....

I've had about 5 drops over the last couple of months, and that's with reduced fighting.

Those drops include an SoC and a RBF. I'm obviously getting somebody elses drops lol.


But: 'random'. That doesn't mean everybody should get something right? Or am I missing something? It's a lottery in the end isn't it...

this will increase drops GL but, people already complain about the drops they are getting now with them being rares. Do you think that getting a dagger or a DCM as a drop more frequently is going to make anyone smile?

Yes, more so than not getting anything for ages, then getting a worthless rare.

You'll still get that worthless rare, but instead of a drought, you'll keep getting;

"The Gods are pleased!"

Messages, with other stuff (which you will just vendor right away).

It's all about keeping this system noticed and fresh in peoples minds. Adding in normal items to the drop pool won't have any adverse effects to whatever Rares you would have got (it'll only fill up your inventory if you don't sell stuff).

Personally, I'd still like the whole thing scrapped, I stil feel it doesn't fit with CBs anti Random nature, and it in no way compensates for the 20% reward reduction.

But if we have to suffer thorugh it, lets at least *try* to make it successfully emulate a proper Drop System.

I'm at around 500~ battles a day, for over a month, without even seeing a single drop. So far, this system doesn't even *exist* for me yet.

Perhaps not smile, but I think I'd LOL if I got a dagger in a drop Edyit.

Oh, and if we did make a change like this, it would have to be without any sort of additional drawback...

Link the drops to bot checks. For each one you pass you get a "drop". Mainly DCM's and daggers but the odd RBF thrown in :)

It'd be cool to rush to the homepage after each bot check to see what the gods had granted. Fail two checks and the gods grant a timeout :)

LoL!

Not a bad idea. ;)

I actually get Bot checks when fighting...

If they're dropped that often, DCM becomes an okay find... Selling to the store at like 15k apiece or some such

I think GW's idea is interesting,

(using ELB as an example) say you had a +10 ELB - the gods increased it to +20 for free.

However i think with high ELB's like + 200, even putting it to +201 would be a very expensive gift.

But the concept of what GW said i think could be tinkered with, imo anyways.

I can't be the only one who doesn't want to deal with receiving a dagger...

I would like to see the gods drop money, but that would go against the monetary reduction. I still vote for the drop messages to lock the screen until clicked. It's just too easy to skip over the drops unnoticed right now. I've found most of my drops from checking CMs.

Demi, thats very true i also have missed the drops i have received.

It could be a nice little feature, to make it more noticeable :)

It would just be a way of disguising random cash drops. ;)

Instead of just getting the CBD, you get it in the form of an object you have to sell back.

Think of them as cash vouchers! :P

Plutus is pleased with your victory and grants you a shedload of dosh [$85,000]. Spend it wisely.

If it's not reducing your chances of better drops any, then why not? You wouldn't throw out a birthday card with a 5 dollar bill in it just because you wanted a $20, would you?

i played 16 days with my NCB around 10000 battles and

From: system Sent: March 11 6:27 AM EST Delivered: March 11 6:49 AM EST
Tulkas is pleased with your victory and grants you a An Elven Stiletto [55x7] (+4). Use it well!


it's not a good item but i got pleased just to receive this message

wow luck me!!

march , 12

From: system Sent: 8:34 AM EST
Varda is pleased with your victory and grants you a An Enforcer's Crossbow [4x10] (+4). Use it well!

2 drops in 2 weeks is aweeeeesome and its a item i really wanted

It's more like getting a money-holder card with dollar signs written all over it, getting really excited, and then finding a crumpled $1 inside. Free money is nice, but it doesn't make up for the disappointment of expecting a cornuthaum.

If we added something like scroll or potions to CB, one use items that may help you win 1 battle against a tougher opponent that you couldn't do without the consumable item, then we can make them only found as drops.

This way would could have alot more drops, and the items you recieve aren't worthless, and they get rid of themselves through battle.

one way to increase drops without increasing useless item drops would be to give some kind of token. these could be traded for rares. perhaps they could also be used at the blacksmith as well. in effect if most rares were set at the same amount of tokens as their black market votes. instead of one drop you now have 70 to 150 token drops in their place.

after all of that though, it would likely just be easier to go back to cbd rewards as they accomplish all of that and the mechanics are already in place.

dudemus, i suggest you read up on GW's Blood Vials

Wraith, I'd hate that idea.

If we really wanted random auto wins back in, then let's just bring back FoD and be done with it.

Randomness isn't really a part of, and in my mind shouldn't be a part of, CB's gameplay.

i have read the blood vials idea and even though it would likely benefit players just like me, you could likely accomplish the exact same thing by removing the n*b bonuses.

1. Make a hidden "CB$ counter" for each person.
2. Increase it by 25% of CB$ rewards gained (why 25% ? because 0.8*1.25=1)
3. Whenever an item is "spawned" into the rotation, assign it a value based on how much Mr.Chairman would bid on it
4. ONLY CHECK PEOPLE THAT HAVE AT LEAST AS HALF AS MUCH "CASH EQUIVALENT" AS VALUE FROM POINT 3 IN THEIR HIDDEN COUNTER.
5. Randomly select one person from the list in point 4.
6. Assign the item drop, and subtract the value from 3 from the hidden counter (yes, that does mean you can go into the negatives with the counter, at least for a while).

This will ensure a *FAIR* distribution of the "random" reward drops.
And that's how you improve the system.

Alternatively...
7. TWEAK the random drops system to drop less of the "junk" and "very valuable" item types, and focus on creating more "mid-range" items.
We really don't need a glut of elven stilettos AT ALL. Heck, maybe even put a cutoff for what is being spawned into the auctions and what is spawned into drop rewards (automatically spawn all items with a value below 100k or even 200k into auctions, and push some items from auctions into drops to compensate for the value).

New idea for the drop system:

Incorporate whatever island Hatch is on with the rest of CB. The drop system is obviously swindling everyone else. I mean it dropped Hatch the best char in the game and like 1B NW, meanwhile I got a katana? Jeez, talk about your swindles.

Get rid of it?

It wouldn't be random wins GL, you'd have to decide whether or not to use a potion/scroll, and even then they wouldn't guarantee a win.

It would be stuff like:

Potion of Heroism: 1 minion gains +10% physical damage for a battle.

Potion of healing: Heals 1 minion 100k when they drop below 50% health.

Stuff like that, that if you know how close you are to beating someone, then maybe taking one will give you a win, but maybe you'll just waste it.

I don't think they should be overpowering, just something that might grab you some extra challenge rating if planned correctly.

Also, I don't know what a FoD is.

finger of death, it was the predecessor to decay and i think it was just a random chance to kill a minion upon being touched. it was killed a couple of months before i joined and replaced with decay.

this was cb1 and around 2002 to 2003.

Yeah.

Basically, if we go Random with 'special' rewards that might (even might not) give you a helping hand in beating people you sohuldn't, then we might just as well add bck in the random OHK.

It's all random, so strategy doesn't really have to matter.

You've won the RNG nd got 10 Scrolls/Potions that will let you beat a guy you normally sohuldn't 10 times. Or you use FoD that lets you randomly win 1 time in X.

It's all relatively the same.

And I really don't like lotteries. ;)

How about instead of influencing combat then, the potions/scrolls just influence awards.

Make like scroll of the scholar: Gives you +5% exp rewards for 20 battles.

potion of greed: gives you 5% money rewards for 20 battles.

As for the Potion/Scroll of Greed, let's say 5% of 20 Battles is 20K.

Is that any different to being dropped a Tulwar that sells to the Store for 20K?

monetary no. But it's alot easier to just pop a potion for 20 battles rather than trying to sell something. Plus for people that like to maximize their leveling efficiency, this would provide something else to waste thier time with.

And the goal is not to come up with something that gives the same value as what we already have, that won't increase the drop rates. The goal is to find something cheap that way you can keep the same influx of money, but we just don't have to wait 3 months between items.