Our view on map drop rates

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flab wrote:

There's too much being made about the issue of lvl 60 map access. You grant people a load of lvl 60 maps and it merely shifts the problem to a slightly higher level, fundamentally the problem remains.

In a week race for instance, a player with higher level maps will be able to outlevel a player with lower level maps. It's the same thing as one guy being stuck in the pyramid while another is doing lvl 60 maps, it just doesn't go away.

I'd go ahead and say that the sooner people realize that maps (save for uniques, or really special stuff) just shouldn't be like gear, the better off the game will be. If not, I can see map woes and balancing for a very, very long time to come.

I like the concept of making 69s hard to get but you're right. As long as they are looked at like gear leveling races can't be a level playing field.

If I have bad gear and someone has good gear (result of RNG) and we both have a lvl 69 map. We both have the chance to go in and take the risks that come with it. But if someone just get a string of luck finding maps they can shoot up on the ladder and the only way to counteract that is to work twice as hard as them in lower level areas. I've gotten to my position through persistence, not so much risk (because risk hasn't been too available) so I have the time needed to take top 3, just not the luck it seems.

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flab wrote:

There's too much being made about the issue of lvl 60 map access. You grant people a load of lvl 60 maps and it merely shifts the problem to a slightly higher level, fundamentally the problem remains.

In a week race for instance, a player with higher level maps will be able to outlevel a player with lower level maps. It's the same thing as one guy being stuck in the pyramid while another is doing lvl 60 maps, it just doesn't go away.

I'd go ahead and say that the sooner people realize that maps (save for uniques, or really special stuff) just shouldn't be like gear, the better off the game will be. If not, I can see map woes and balancing for a very, very long time to come.

Maybe for a race, but as a player in the default league, level 60 maps are massively preferable to playing the pyramids or fellshrine over and over.

I don't recall any map players bitching that they were running lvl 65s over and over again. This was the case for quite a few high lvl players prepatch.

How? There's maps that are higher. If what you are saying is true. We would have been complaining that we couldnt get 66+, since 65 was our standard.

My own personal experience is I am now finding less maps post patch (but noticeably more chisels). If my current rng trend keeps up I will be back in Fellshrine by Monday. Not quite sure how I will feel about that tbh.

I ran 60's for ages with a splash of 61's & 62's but the highest I have managed to find is a few 64/65's. I am overlevelled for 60-64 but I can only do what drops for me. I run the undesirable mods & chisel a few here & there but post patch it seems my 'luck' has faded.

If the GGG statement "more people are now finding higher level maps" is true then someone out there has all my 65+ maps! Damn you!

I like the map endgame but I am not sure it can be considered adequate endgame when there isn't a whole lot of content otherwise. People are quick to get past Merc & stuck into maps but no sooner have you started you already outlevel the zones. I understand Act3 will ease this but everyone eventually ends up in 'endgame'.

1 idea I like the sound of is an Endless Dungeon. The deeper you go the tougher the monsters & the better the loot, go till you die or get scared & tp out.
I didn't join the beta early enough to play MOC but from what I hear it's along the lines of what I am talking about. People I have spoken to enjoyed it & couldn't actually understand why it was scrapped.

I believe that maps & an endless dungeon could co-exist as 'endgame' & might make running out of maps seem less of a backwards step should it happen.

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teek wrote:

i'd like a way to access endgame content using skill as a primary stat

wtb harder content

diablo has had their PTR up with the infernal machine/players 8 patch which, from what i can tell from playing so far substantially increases the difficulty and longevity of endgame. its sad that i'm actually considering playing that over this because this game is clearly the better game, but there's no difficulty here and very little reason to continue playing.

i think we've been bitching about this with no response for long enough, where you at GGG? not many of my friends play anymore and i've been noticing a steady decline in the amount of players online.. are you really content with the amount of maps being ran now?

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d) On average, players are finding more maps now.

e) On average, players are finding more items from maps now.

f) On average, players are reaching higher level maps more easily now.

does this still hold true? because as far as I can see the only thing nerfing map drop rates has caused is far less people in the top 50 playing at any given time.. and i haven't gained more than 1-2% xp an hour in over 2 weeks.. so i know point f is completely wrong