Please overhaul materia melding

[CarrotParfait]

Materia melding is the most disheartening and frustrating part of the game. More than wiping on bosses, more than wild market fluctuations, trying to meld materia is completely up to random chance, and it sucks.

It sucks a lot.

This is not the "reported melding chances are a lie." They are. I frequently have 30+ failures at 10%, and 50+ failures at 7% IN A ROW.

The problem is that these chances are inherently low, so random chance plays a HUGE impact on how many times you fail. See above. Sure you can argue there's a 0.1% chance that this will happen, so it will happen to SOMEONE eventually, and that it all evens out (it doesn't). The problem is the best case scenario is not that great (successfully melding while only spending one materia), but the worst case scenario is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE (failing 30+ times in a row on a 10% chance). This can bankrupt characters and temporarily crash entire markets, and it's the worst right after a patch when everyone is doing it.

[CarrotParfait]

Also, because the solution seems to always be making materia easier to get, let me emphasize here: HAVING ACCESS TO MORE MATERIA DOESN'T HELP.

Let me propose a simple solution:

For each time you FAIL to meld a materia, the item you failed to meld gets "materia attunement." This is a stacking +1% chance buff to meld. This will increase until a successful meld, at which point it resets to 0%. If a materia is removed from the item, it also resets to 0%.

This is a property of that instance of the item. It (obviously) can only happen to crafted, slotted items that can accept advanced melding (overmelding).

[CarrotParfait]

Let's look at how this changes the probability of melding at 5%:

New method on left, old method on right.



At 20 attempts, the new method has a 95% chance of success. The old method only has a 64% chance.
At 25 attempts this increases to a 99% chance vs. a 72% chance.
At 30, it becomes 99.8 vs 78%
At 50 is is 99.999998% vs. a mere 92.31% chance.
At 95, it is a 100% chance vs. 99.23%

In other words the current method has a roughly 1 in 130 chance of FAILING 95 TIMES IN A ROW. This happens. TO REAL PLAYERS. IN REAL PRACTICE.

That should be completely unacceptable to any conscionable game designer.

That is all.

[CarrotParfait]

[Canadane]

I think we should go back to the 1.0 style of melding where if you fail, you lose the item as well.

[Jxnibbles]

I think we should go back to the 1.0 style of melding where if you fail, you lose the item as well.

Lmao yes please. May as well risk it all including the materia.

[NephthysVasudan]

I fail to see how this is an issue.

1: Obviously the OP is melding the materia themselves. Cause I don't see this atrocious despearity in odds (as I use NPC melding atm) - unless I'm removing it...but then im drowning in materia anyway lol
2: Materia Melds are based on Skills..... unless your using a melder (which costs gil...very little of it)

Conclusion - something is VERY amiss here.... makes me question the validity of this claim. @OP

And lets be honest here...if your burning that much materia to the point your getting mad over cost? You should have stopped at the 5th/6th attempt or something and got an NPC to do it for you.

Need more input :P

[ChameleonMS]

I think we should go back to the 1.0 style of melding where if you fail, you lose the item as well.

If they did that, then a complete recalculation of Craftsmanship and Control requirements would be needed. Right now, the minimum requirements for 3* crafting cannot be met without overmelding.
Ala Mhigan, plus FC buffs and Food only gets you to: Craftsmanship 1141, Control 1158 (or minor variations of that)
The stats from Yellow Scrip gear are nearly the same as the non-overmelded Ala Mhigan set.

A Nightsteel Ingot requires Craftsmanship: 1500 Control: 1350, neither non-overmeld approaches even comes close to the requirements.

This would severely impact the casual crafter. The casual crafter just does not have the time available to constantly regather and recraft the base item.

OP, there is nothing wrong with the RNG. It is fine, I have many times burn 30 or more materia on 29%. And, justs as many times, I have hit a 6% meld in 1 or 2 attempts.

[Flashgordon1975]

I fail to see how this is an issue.

1: Obviously the OP is melding the materia themselves. Cause I don't see this atrocious despearity in odds (as I use NPC melding atm) - unless I'm removing it...but then im drowning in materia anyway lol
2: Materia Melds are based on Skills..... unless your using a melder (which costs gil...very little of it)

Conclusion - something is VERY amiss here.... makes me question the validity of this claim. @OP

And lets be honest here...if your burning that much materia to the point your getting mad over cost? You should have stopped at the 5th/6th attempt or something and got an NPC to do it for you.

Need more input :P

NPC can't do overmelds. Clearly you are uncertain what he is talking about if you do not already know that.

[Flashgordon1975]

If they did that, then a complete recalculation of Craftsmanship and Control requirements would be needed. Right now, the minimum requirements for 3* crafting cannot be met without overmelding.
Ala Mhigan, plus FC buffs and Food only gets you to: Craftsmanship 1141, Control 1158 (or minor variations of that)
The stats from Yellow Scrip gear are nearly the same as the non-overmelded Ala Mhigan set.

A Nightsteel Ingot requires Craftsmanship: 1500 Control: 1350, neither non-overmeld approaches even comes close to the requirements.

This would severely impact the casual crafter. The casual crafter just does not have the time available to constantly regather and recraft the base item.

OP, there is nothing wrong with the RNG. It is fine, I have many times burn 30 or more materia on 29%. And, justs as many times, I have hit a 6% meld in 1 or 2 attempts.

You are luckier than I am.