[dev1007] Voidwatch: Obtaining Spoils

[scaevola]

With better incentives or higher drop rates, member retention wouldn't be as much of an issue. As it is, they've followed two big event changes that make way for lowman stuff (Abyssea and Neo-Dynamis) with an event that works best with a full alliance.

When you put it this way, I have to laugh at how many good ideas the FFXI has lifted from WoW over the past five years, culminating in Abyssea as an FFXI-centric version of World of Badgecraft, only to end up running afoul of the Karazhan > Gruul's Lair/Magtheridon transition the WoW devs have said on several occassions completely ruined what would have been their best expansion.

[Alhanelem]

I didn't forget about you guys! I’ve been discussing all of your concerns and comments with the team regarding the Voidwatch drop system, and it has taken some time to reach a final conclusion.

It was decided that there will not be any fundamental changes to the drop system to make it possible to add item drops to the treasure pool, as the team does not believe this is not where the main crux of the problem lies.

However! The development team will be making adjustments in the future to reduce the overall length of each battle. In addition, when they add more chapters to the Voidwatch system, and introduce even stronger monsters, the drop rates for these tougher challenges will be increased beyond what is currently in place.

There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of how players play voidwatch. You can't shorten a fight that players specifically drag out in order to proc more weakness.

[Byrth]

I don't even see low drop rates as a stall tactic. At the rate pickup groups do Voidwatch, even the pickup group organizers are in no danger of capping out on drops between Voidwatch updates. If they doubled the drop rates, that would still be the case. I can count on one hand the number of Bastok/Sandy/Windy tier 4 bodies I've seen drop, and I don't need most of my fingers. Body drop rate on Jeuno Tier 3s seems higher, but weapon drop rates on Zilart Tier 3s may be even lower.

This is an event designed for the 18-man shells that we all happily let fall apart a year ago. Barring re-making them, you're kind of stuck not doing Voidwatch (efficiently/at all).

[Zirael]

Translation: "We're not going to fix the single largest problem with this system, but we're going to make it harder to kill them with pickup groups."

Sorry Camate, the Dev team is wrong about this. Being unable to move individual items to the alliance loot pool is the single largest issue with this system. If you changed it to that, the system would be fine even with its atrocious drop rates.

Kill speed is limited by proc speed. If it takes you 15 minutes to proc out and cap lights regardless of the opponent, then shortening the battle just reduces the time you have to focus on damage and makes the fight harder.

Aside from kill speed and proc speed, other things that hinder the flow of these battles is having to go back to town for 3-4 new Voidstones (and cells) and to NPC all the junk clogging your inventory.

[Bigboy]

I didn't forget about you guys! I’ve been discussing all of your concerns and comments with the team regarding the Voidwatch drop system, and it has taken some time to reach a final conclusion.

It was decided that there will not be any fundamental changes to the drop system to make it possible to add item drops to the treasure pool, as the team does not believe this is not where the main crux of the problem lies.

However! The development team will be making adjustments in the future to reduce the overall length of each battle. In addition, when they add more chapters to the Voidwatch system, and introduce even stronger monsters, the drop rates for these tougher challenges will be increased beyond what is currently in place.

Thanks for nothing. Tell the dev team to just flip us the bird themselves next time.

This just further displays the complete detachment of the dev team to the player-base. They clearly don't see what is important. I don't want to see ANY new voidwatch until this is changed. You are building on a faulty foundation. Stop trying to add more levels to a bad building. It will make every new voidwatch thing added worse if the drop system isn't addressed beforehand.

[Kristal]

Translation: "We're not going to fix the single largest problem with this system, but we're going to make it harder to kill them with pickup groups."

Sorry Camate, the Dev team is wrong about this. Being unable to move individual items to the alliance loot pool is the single largest issue with this system. If you changed it to that, the system would be fine even with its atrocious drop rates.

That's NOT the single largest issue.. it's actually a non-issue that's blown out of proportions by people unable and unwilling to adapt to a system unique to voidwatch. If anything, the issue is that SE is teasing you with drops you MIGHT have gotten. If SE changed the system to the default single treasure, droprates would be even WORSE!

The biggest problem is the lack of decent loot on the majority of the NMs, which is a crucial problem when the event has to compete with abyssea.

[Nala]

Bleh not trying to defend by any means but they said adjustments to reduce length, they didnt say they were lowering the time limit to fight. that said the only other easy adjustment for that would be to make the proc system less asinine, which would also make it more easily accessible by low man groups which beyond the drops issiue has been my biggest beef with the over all system.

my shell in particular isnt large in numbers did VW for the first time last week and managed to complete bastok path but due to proc system we were unable to even get close to capped lights (on T3/4) as such we got crap for drops and no atmacites, my point? i mean to ask if what was meant is not a proc system overhaul that you consider it, given that not only are drop rates poor and uncontrollable being unable to even afford the best opportunity to get drops is just disheartening.

i'm ok with poor drop rates but not ok with being SOL just because we lack numbers.

[Creelo]

I'm sorry Cam, but this is bullshit.

[Vagrua]

I agree that adding to the treasure pool should be enabled for at least one item in the chest from each member at the end of each fight. Players obtaining the items they want at the moment that can make use of them is a very small chance with the current system. You have mage jobs getting DD bodies and DD jobs getting mage bodies that they can't make use of even after all the effort the linkshell put into spamming the fights for it over someone actually being able to obtain the body and make use of it. I see many complaints and hope SE fixes this eventually.

[MarkovChain]

Lol. Btw nobody cares, voidwatch has been a fail system from start. The gear that comes from it sucks and the only reason for it to exist is metal plates. And if you are serious about getting an empy you need to go away from VW because it's much better to farm clink clink and buy from bazars.

Incoming NMs with more retarded moves, even less accessible, with more junk drops and more metal plates for level 99. *You can have this*. I'm getting 50 plates per day from selling currency.