Daily Rares & Accuracy

[Hernando_Kortez]

On this shard as it stands rares spawn on random timers at random times of the day in order for there not to be a glut of them on the market.

My suggestion would be to give all daily rares a percentage chance to spawn at server up. This way they would spawn at a known time but not every day. This would bring back the fun (and era accurate) competition over rares that existed on OSI.

For anyone who remembers rare hunting on OSI it was a nice time for some competition to see who could log in and grab the rare first and get it to safety. I remember having some great fights in the morning over rares and it was a fun activity to be involved in. Some people may say that its unfair to expect people to have to get up early for rares. I think rares hunting should be like idoc hunting in that it should require a slightly insane amount of dedication to succeed in. If you dont want to get up early you should get no rares! As it stands getting rares is about luck or knowing the innaccurate timers.

The bottom line is that the way daily rares spawn here is NOT era accurate and ruins what was a fun server up activity for many many old players. Using my idea would bring it closer to the OSI system while stopping there being an overabundance of rares, it might also increase client count in the morning which can only be a good thing.

[Derrick]

Aye, we've been discussing this.
There are many reasons why we used the systems we do now, but the idea behind it all is that it would give more people a better chance to find something, but it doesn't seem to be turning out that way.

There will be some changes coming to the rares, probably in addition to the introduction of some new ones, but we don't have a timeframe on this yet.

[Hernando_Kortez]

Thanks for the prompt reply. Does this mean the daily rares will spawn at server up?

[Caswallon]

Aye, we've been discussing this.
There are many reasons why we used the systems we do now, but the idea behind it all is that it would give more people a better chance to find something, but it doesn't seem to be turning out that way.

It never does turn out that way as far as rares go. Only a finite ammount of people can actually be bothered to hunt rares, most are happy to simple purchase them. There is always going to be the tiny pool of 10 people who learn the timers/spawns/whatever and hold a monopoly over the market. Sooner this ends the better imo, much prefer the OSI style server up or a mix of both the current UOSA & accurate OSI systems.

Speaking as a new player i am finding it impossible to have any chance at rares because a select few know the timers and spawns and, unsurpirsingly, no one seems willing to divulge any infomation about them, barring the contradictory rune librarys/runebook sellers.

Also do semi/uncommon rares work here as they did on OSI? Like hanging/dried items at Herbal Splendor in Moonglow and coloured wire at Serps Hold?

[Mirage]

I suggest that their spawns be completely random throughout the day for dailys, that way anyone can get them if they're recalling around looking for them. If you put it on a daily server up spawn, the same person or people would be getting them every single day as they are now. The "timer" we have now isn't working. I have to listen to people say "well I'm the only one who knows the timer on it so goodluck grabbing it" when I go to buy something and they're charging insane prices for a daily rare. Obviously some items should spawn less often than others, but there still shouldnt be any timer on them with a window. As of right now it's not preventing the same person from getting the same rares over and over.

[Kaivan]

Since this is a change that Derrick and I have been discussing in some detail, I'll chime in.

Essentially, we've been doing some pretty extensive work to revamp the way that the rares system works. Among the changes, we'll be moving the rares to their accurate daily rares locations as well as working on town spawns as well. Finally, we may be moving some of our current spawns around to new locations in an effort to give players the opportunity to find these spawns. Beyond that, I can't give too much of a time frame, or exact information on how and exactly what will change. To a point this is because the exact nature of the changes hasn't been finalized, and it is also because it would ruin the point of many of these changes if we were to explain what was changed

[valheru]

Changing the location of the spawns will make the current situation worse. why?

Because there are only a handful of players that have the patience to run around and search for these locations. Currently, almost every single one of the rare spawns is widely known, and most of them can be found at rune libraries. This gives most players the opportunity to get one of these rares.

If you change them, only the small handful (3-5) of patient players will have the locations, and there will be a true monopoly (which you are trying to avoid) on the rare spawns.

Correct me if my logic is flawed....

I also find it funny, that it's only the true rare hunters, the ones that used to have the monopoly, that are asking for the change. This is because they are upset that other players know the location, and it's harder for them to hoard these items.

[BlackFoot]

Sidenote - anyone who would like to find some rares before the changes
I will sell locations + timers contact me in irc !

[Kaivan]

Changing the location of the spawns will make the current situation worse. why?

Because there are only a handful of players that have the patience to run around and search for these locations. Currently, almost every single one of the rare spawns is widely known, and most of them can be found at rune libraries. This gives most players the opportunity to get one of these rares.

If you change them, only the small handful (3-5) of patient players will have the locations, and there will be a true monopoly (which you are trying to avoid) on the rare spawns.

Correct me if my logic is flawed....

I also find it funny, that it's only the true rare hunters, the ones that used to have the monopoly, that are asking for the change. This is because they are upset that other players know the location, and it's harder for them to hoard these items.

The problem with the current system is that most of the locations are known by a few select people, and those people who do know about it also know the frequency with which the items spawn. Given the fact that if we hypothesize that all of the spawn locations were in rune libraries, that doesn't do much good for a prospective hunter because the spawns are already known and timed in such a way that the new hunter has little to no opportunity to find these spawns.

Beyond that, by changing the location of the spawns, we will be giving every person the same opportunity to find the same rares as the next person. While it is true that some players will learn the information about the spawns before the next person, it is not fair to say that a more dedicated person will have an advantage over the next person, because a more dedicated person is more willing to invest the time and effort to find that information out. As for what they do with that information, that is their choice.

[Senses]

Other than changing all the locations of rares, or simply making both location and spawn times completely random, I really don't see why the system as it exists now would be any better than having items randomly spawn at server up? Why is allowing people who wake up early the best chance at rares any more than the guy who took some time to figure out the timing of a rare as it is? That guy will still be getting them.

As it is, rares, for the average player, are well, rare, and I think thats the point. I had about 45 runes to rares and would only run them once a day at random times. I typically found 1 or 2 every 3 days and never once bothered to write down the time because honestly I couldn't be bothered.

If its an argument about accuracy, well sure, probably the system needs to be revereted in some way, but please don't fool yourself into thinking that an accurate rare spawn system will result in more rares for the average treasure hunter, you will probably see less.

[Hernando_Kortez]

I dont see why the issue of who is getting the rares should even matter. Its about era accuracy.

The point is that on OSI rares hunting worked a certain way and there are going to be players who would like to engage in old shool rares hunting. Rares that spawned in era should spawn in the same location and in the same manner as they did back then. Why should accuracy be ignored on this issue when it is adhered to in other areas?

Everyone knows there were certain daily rares which spawned at server up (such as the buccs den rock, the fruit basket and so on). There is googlable info on the locations of these rares and most vets will concur on where they were and how they spawned.

I understand that if they spawned every day then there may be too many rares on the market but the system can still be close to accurate even with that consideration in mind. Also with player numbers being higher now Im not sure what vast harm simply putting in the accurate daily rares system would be.

[Daltrey]

Isn't rares collecting supposed to reward patience and persistence? If you are the one attempting to find these newly-hidden rares, until you find one, you are making zero gold - and if the rares are hidden the way that I hope they will be, it will be a long time before anyone makes any money at it.

I don't really think that not having the patience or persistence to hunt is a valid reason for not wanting the rares to be re-hidden. In fact, in my opinion, this is one area in which era accuracy should continue to be bent a little, because the thrill of looking for and finding well-hidden items would be a good component of a compelling endgame to keep veteran players on this shard, without (again, in my opinion) changing the T2A feel in any way.

Just my opinion once again, but if it were me, I'd be wicked about it. I'd hide everything in non-OSI locations. I'd change the spawn times, turn the spawns on and off, etc. Rares would be truly rare, and the hunters would have a great time looking for them.

[Mirage]

Random location and random times would be the best way to go about the whole situation. It gives everyone a decent shot at obtaining a rare. The person who looks for them more often will find more and that's the way it should be. I shouldn't have to worry about trying to basically camp a rare 24-7 for a week when someone else knows the timer and just camps for half a day.

[valheru]

Isn't rares collecting supposed to reward patience and persistence? If you are the one attempting to find these newly-hidden rares, until you find one, you are making zero gold - and if the rares are hidden the way that I hope they will be, it will be a long time before anyone makes any money at it.

I don't really think that not having the patience or persistence to hunt is a valid reason for not wanting the rares to be re-hidden. In fact, in my opinion, this is one area in which era accuracy should continue to be bent a little, because the thrill of looking for and finding well-hidden items would be a good component of a compelling endgame to keep veteran players on this shard, without (again, in my opinion) changing the T2A feel in any way.

Just my opinion once again, but if it were me, I'd be wicked about it. I'd hide everything in non-OSI locations. I'd change the spawn times, turn the spawns on and off, etc. Rares would be truly rare, and the hunters would have a great time looking for them.

I know a few people on this shard that can cover the ENTIRE shard (every building/town, every item location) in a few days. They have all the tiems on scavange, and run around till they are picked up. That person will then know the new locations, and have a monopoly.

[Daltrey]

Oh. Well, that would take the fun out of it.