Think I figured out how Retainer Ventures work(the Quick ones and possibly more).

This is all a theory from anecdotal experience, but the RNG for what they bring back just seems too odd to me since what it brings back if actually being based on a Random Number Generator feels too off.

My idea is that their is a tier system for all of the possible items.
You have your low-rank pool of items that encompasses fish and Maple Syrup and all that crap, that takes up a significant amount of the pool for that section.
Then you have a middle rank for equipment and housing items that is smaller than the low-rank pool, but still bigger than the next pool of high-rank items.
The pool for high ranking items is much smaller, but still present.

I don't think the RNG chooses any item at random out of all possible items, there's too many possibilities for that and I'm noticing this when I repeatedly get back fish or Fish Glue. Now I know what you're going to say:
"But Huntington, that's the exact point to a RNG! It's a math formula that appears random and you can't simply deduce that it isn't random because of the few dozens chances when it appeared to not be random."
I don't plan to, I just have some suspicions about how it works is all.

Once the RNG chooses a tier, Low-Rank Medium-Rank or High-Rank, it then does another RNG of that tier and all of the items in it. There are then more broken down tiers in that section, and the RNG chooses a section in a section, then gives an item based on that. Section-ception.

The point to all this thinking? That the RNG doesn't actually choose a result from all the possible items it's allowed to choose from, it selects a rank of the item as grouped up together and decided on by SE and their lab monkeys, then further breaks it down and down until it picks one item from an area.

I bet people are thinking this is dumb and doesn't mean anything at all, but at the end of the day, the low-rank items will be picked more often than the medium-rank and so on and so forth, that much is clear.

But people have been wondering since this Retainer Venture system was available: "What determines what gets brought back? Does what class my Retainer is matter? Or what class I am? Or what their level is for the Quick Ventures?" and so on. I'm just throwing out some curiosity driven thoughts for the heck of it, so tell me what you have to say about them.

There used to be a pen-and-paper role playing game from a company called Iron Crown Enterprises; the game was called Role Master. It involved so many tables and sub-tables and sub-sub-tables that many players refered to it as Roll Master. Which really has nothing to do with anything, except that your post reminded me of it.

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Originally Posted by JeniLinsky

There used to be a pen-and-paper role playing game from a company called Iron Crown Enterprises; the game was called Role Master. It involved so many tables and sub-tables and sub-sub-tables that many players refered to it as Roll Master. Which really has nothing to do with anything, except that your post reminded me of it.

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If I had heard of it before I'd think of it too, there would be so many eventual sub-divisions in it that it would be dividing into the tenth decimal and beyond.

I've been doing Highland Exploration steadily since patch and they've just come back with nothing but sparklers and dye.

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Originally Posted by Penguinmayhem

I've been doing Highland Exploration steadily since patch and they've just come back with nothing but sparklers and dye.

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they only bring back rare items from Quick Exploration Ventures.

an to the OP, i think everyone has already figured out that there is really crappy items, decent items, an good items that they can come back with lol the real question is how do we get more good items an less crappy/decent

Must be a coincidence, but my retainers before level 15 used to bring back better stuff from Quick exploration than now...

I got a pair of iL55 HQ leatherworker's gloves from my GLD doing a quick exploration at about level 19. I was surprised, 'cause before that, she'd just brought back stuff I turned around and vendored... it wasn't even worth marketing.

What ever SE's RNG system is I think it somehow rotates based on time or day. When my FC were saving for a house we used to do massive map runs of 30 or more and on some days we would get chimera after chimera, etc. or other days it would be all of one mob pack.

We used to joke that we were culling off the chimera.

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Originally Posted by Erendis

Must be a coincidence, but my retainers before level 15 used to bring back better stuff from Quick exploration than now...

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That's also my observation. When they only had a weapon in their hand, they got me from time to time nice stuff like green items and Materia IV. Since they are full equipped (partially HQ) and higher in level, they come back with a single NQ fish or Earth resistance I Materia lol.

I suspect that's coincidence. I have armorer leveled to 50, so I've been making my gladiator minion HQ gear from level 8 on. She brought back the only thing I've regarded as valuable while highly geared.

Considering one of my retainers brought me HQ Fisher's boots before hitting level 20, it might just be a very large ranged table, or it is just random.

Either way you totally made me think of the Pickup ability on Pokémon. xD

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Originally Posted by Nymeia

Considering one of my retainers brought me HQ Fisher's boots before hitting level 20, it might just be a very large ranged table, or it is just random.

Either way you totally made me think of the Pickup ability on Pokémon. xD

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Also pretty similar ha, could give you a Poke Ball or a Rare Candy, though the level of them definitely mattered there.

I've been wondering if they ninja nerfed quick exploration. I haven't gotten anything truly amazing in a while.

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Originally Posted by LunarEmerald

I've been wondering if they ninja nerfed quick exploration. I haven't gotten anything truly amazing in a while.

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I haven't seen anyone talking about their retrieved Primal weapons but I'd say the chances are still there. Too much fish and other stuff for me right now, last truly amazing thing I got was the Giantsgall Claws two days ago, HQ too. Those sold for 300K ha.

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Originally Posted by LunarEmerald

I've been wondering if they ninja nerfed quick exploration. I haven't gotten anything truly amazing in a while.

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I thought so too, but then got Ifrit's blade 2 or 3 days ago.

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Originally Posted by LunarEmerald

I've been wondering if they ninja nerfed quick exploration. I haven't gotten anything truly amazing in a while.

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Also thought the same then it bought back the leather workers bench housing crafting station, none sold on server or appeared before now. So hoping it sells high lol

I would summize from my experience is the more geared you are for that tier the better your chances are of getting rare items. Pre20 my retainers constantly brought back good things.

But now approaching 30 one or 2 are 30 I haven't changed their gear and get nothing but throw away items.

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Originally Posted by Legend_

I would summize from my experience is the more geared you are for that tier the better your chances are of getting rare items. Pre20 my retainers constantly brought back good things.

But now approaching 30 one or 2 are 30 I haven't changed their gear and get nothing but throw away items.

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You might have a point there because I had a brief dry spell then upgraded retainers gear go that of his level and the good stuff returned

What you're describing is also achieved by percentages being attached certain items. So, your "low tier" items have a higher percentage and your "high tier" have a low percentage. This is why you get more of the lesser gear. Although complex, I think it is a lot more simpler than you are imagining and either way has the same affect on the player. It's not like knowing this improves your chances of what you get, it's still random. Another example is atma. Those have a 5% or less attached to them, but people can still get 2 in a row, it's just random. Or they could not get one for 3 days.

I also wonder if the city they are affiliated with affects their random finds. When I do quick exploration and get furniture/housing it has mostly been Oasis stuff. Coincidently my retainers are based out of Ul'dah.

I'm really thinking it may have something to do with gear. Both of my retainers are about to be level 40, I have a PUG and ACN. The ACN has better gear or I should say gear that is appropriate for her class, The PUG I just throw whatever on like crafting/gathering/DoM/DoW gear aside from the weapon. Anyways the ACN always brings back the better items (not saying 100% always the best), But my PUG has maybe brought back like 2 very good items. My ACN has brought me a Mog king book, Garuda weapon, Deluxe manor fire place, HQ crafting gear/rings and a lot of housing stuff. So today I decided to gear my PUG in appropriate stat gear. I do get a lot of crap like crayfish, fish, tier 1 materia and other stuff.

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Originally Posted by Arkista

I'm really thinking it may have something to do with gear. Both of my retainers are about to be level 40, I have a PUG and ACN. The ACN has better gear or I should say gear that is appropriate for her class, The PUG I just throw whatever on like crafting/gathering/DoM/DoW gear aside from the weapon.

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I've never really geared both characters (other than weaponry every 5-10 levels), yet one seems to do a little better than the other. One kindly looted me a Stuffed Chocobo from someone's house earlier today and weaver gloves previously, while the other who usually finds worse gear has found HQ Fisher boots and Lv 50 PvP Gear.

It depends, did you get the ventures you paid them from fishing leves?

I would like to think that good gear has some effect on which pool you are rolling in, but its SE so its probably all one giant RNG mish mash.

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Originally Posted by Jinko

I would like to think that good gear has some effect on which pool you are rolling in, but its SE so its probably all one giant RNG mish mash.

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Yeah, this RNG seems a little unusual as RNG systems go. I've played Borderlands and Monster Hunter and the RNG there was always rolling for very low drop items, but it still had a chance of dropping. This one seems off for some reason, can't put forth any guess to why besides what I've already said.

The RNG in this game is built off of an extremely basic algorithm, which quite frankly, isn't very good as far of random numbers go.

The long and short of it is that computers don't really do random, because they calculate everything exactly based on rigid rules - if you ask the same question a hundred times, you'll get the same answer a hundred times. Because of this, they have to be told how to approximate randomness - usually this is done by creating a software algorithm based off a seeded number. While the computer calculates this exactly, the programming ensures that it is enough to appear random. It's possible to observe this in action and predict the outcome of the next roll, but a good algorithm will ensure many thousands of rolls in each pattern.

The RNG sequence in this game is... pretty bad. I see it all the time with mining for example. Its gotten to the point now where if I start on two HQ hits, I know what point in the sequence I am at, and that the 4th hit will be HQ too. We're not talking about a few thousand attempts per repetition here, more like a few dozen. The RNG algorithm is too basic, and not very approximate to random at all.

I suppose it's ok for things like mining, where there are usually only about four potential outcomes. The problem lies when you increase the number of outcomes. The less random the system is, the less inclusive of certain outcomes it becomes.