Squad Drop Rates

Darkette - Sanctuary · December 2012

I've read the PW Wiki and thoroughly understand drop rates per character level vs. mob/boss level. However, I've wondered for a long time if PW doesn't also include a heretofore undisclosed formula for determining drop rates for individuals in squads. Very early in my PW experience, I noticed that there is no particular parity with regard to distribution of squad drops -- sometimes I did very well, sometimes I got no drops at all.

I've been playing since 2008 and have quite a lot of experience with anecdotal observations. For instance, I've consistently noted that when I squad a character on my oldest account my drop rate compared to others in squad is usually high. Contrariwise, when I squad my barb (my newest account) my drop rate compared to others in squad is unusually low.

For the past many months I've been dual boxing BHs with my own accounts almost exclusively (no other squad members except my own alts). Commensurate with my earlier observations, alts from my oldest account invariably receive a higher number of drops than do those from my newer account.

To satisfy my curiosity, I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced the same thing. I'd especially enjoy hearing from a GM on this.

Asterelle - Sanctuary_1381265973 · December 2012

Game developers have better things to do with their time than making secret complicated luck modification systems that are so subtle that no one notices it.

Of course no one's saying the developers actually do those better things.

Darkette - Sanctuary · December 2012

Asterelle - Sanctuary wrote: »

Game developers have better things to do with their time than making secret complicated luck modification systems that are so subtle that no one notices it.

Nonresponsive. I presume you haven't noticed consistent parity/disparity with respect to drops received while in squad.

Jaabg - Sanctuary · December 2012

Darkette - Sanctuary wrote: »

Nonresponsive. I presume you haven't noticed consistent parity/disparity with respect to drops received while in squad.

The problem is we don't know. Let's say the average drop is 6. You consistently get 8 drops. In your universe, the average drop rate is 8. You change characters, and you consistently get 4 now. It will seem to you that the drop rate is half, because the new average is 4. In reality the average is still 6, but because we can't see it, we can not say what it is. This level of precision will require the formula exactly or a very large detailed sample of lots of repetitive examples. No one person can gather that amount of data easily to make a guess.

If you truly want to test it, make a new alt, same class. Do the same boss/mobs about 10~100 times with each the new alt and old alt. Count the average drops. Main has to remain the same, the alt has to be the same class, just one made in 2008~2009, and a new version of same class made in 2012. Test it out, and if you still find that disparity, there is an issue at hand.

Test it during non 2x.

Tiageos - Sanctuary · December 2012

I am 99.9% certain that account/character creation date bears absolutely no relevance on drop tables.
Random squad drops use the standard randomization algorithm.
As far as drop rates themselves, they are simply based on the levels in the squads. I'm sure some formula could be designed based on the tables similar to those used for exp and spirit distribution in squads. It probably also depends on what level the character was that did the majority of damage, and range of other members in squad.

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · December 2012

doubt it really makes a difference. Hasnt most pple by now put their alt on follow and cleared a dungeon just to find your alt packed with drops while it did nothing?

Jaabg - Sanctuary · December 2012

Deceptistar - Sanctuary wrote: »

doubt it really makes a difference. Hasnt most pple by now put their alt on follow and cleared a dungeon just to find your alt packed with drops while it did nothing?

That is random distribution, i believe OP is talking about the actual number of drops.

Let's say 10 items drop, alt gets 8, you get 2. Other times alt gets 4 you get 6. The total drops are still 10. OP is suggesting that with older alts there are more drops dropping from mobs, or at least that is how i understood it.

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · December 2012

Jaabg - Sanctuary wrote: »

That is random distribution, i believe OP is talking about the actual number of drops.

Let's say 10 items drop, alt gets 8, you get 2. Other times alt gets 4 you get 6. The total drops are still 10. OP is suggesting that with older alts there are more drops dropping from mobs, or at least that is how i understood it.

Ive heard of lot distribution theories but ive never heard the theory of older alts=more drops and im sure i been playing WAY more than the OP lol

Father_gold - Sanctuary · December 2012

Deceptistar - Sanctuary wrote: »

Ive heard of lot distribution theories but ive never heard the theory of older alts=more drops and im sure i been playing WAY more than the OP lol

i think you guys misunderstood what darkette was trying to say. simply put the question is whether there is some convoluted system of distributing items dropped between members of a squad. i can attest that even though im sure pwi uses a "standard randomizer" to determine who gets what and if anything, i have personally experienced and usually experience that certain people (myself included) consistently get "crappy" drops if any at all. doesn't matter which mob/boss/instance it is, i am plagued by crappy drops. i normally never get any drops worthwhile in a warsong squad on random, if i even get one boss drop everyone else gets 2 or 3. TT gold mats have dropped to me twice out of i dont know how many squad mode tt's i've done with a squad. BH's are even worse i hardly get any DQ's. the only place i can say i get a decent shake is in delta.

so yes i understand it's a bit far out there to accuse the developers of creating an unfair system of fair distribution, but that seems to be the case regardless. and let's not even talk about pack-luck....

Xx_BeLLa_xX - Harshlands · December 2012

It's random. Sometime the person that did nothing, was AFK all run and made the squad die cause of mistake get the better drop while the people that was focus and everything got nothing, as sometime all drop go to the same person, as sometime everyone get something, it's all random.

Father_gold - Sanctuary · December 2012

Xx_BeLLa_xX - Harshlands wrote: »

It's random. Sometime the person that did nothing, was AFK all run and made the squad die cause of mistake get the better drop while the people that was focus and everything got nothing, as sometime all drop go to the same person, as sometime everyone get something, it's all random.

my problem is that the "randomness" appears false because there is an apparent air of favoritism going on. how can it be random if you can expect and observe a noted lack of drops over the course of a long period of time?

if it were' truly random, then there would be actual random drops, not episodes where one party-member consistently gets the drops.

and to clarify, i dont personally think there is some grand scheme to cheat just me (i do however feel as if the game works against me more often than not in most endeavors), i think a re-vamping of this random generator needs to be done. its not random if one person can rely on being lucky and another person can rely on being unlucky.

Squad Drop Rates

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