Christmas 2018 Event Thread

[Aer]

I think a better balance, in my opinion, would have just been to change the rarity on the items but not actually change some of the static hit values to variable.

This makes some of the items gained as "worthless" in some players eyes.

Extreme example here:

Not going to argue that, I don't know which way is better.

 

[Ceri0n]

Hi guys, not to be the bearer of bad news but I've made some changes that frankly we should have made earlier:

Daylight Scar's hit has been reduced to 30.
Asteron Belt, Rambling May, Holy Ray and Guardianna now drop with variable hit instead of 50.

Rates have been changed for the variable hit weapons to be more common, Daylight Scar stays the same. Rates have been slightly adjusted for other things to try and make the Very Rare category rarer as well, so there are hopefully not too many 75H items.

The 50H items were not really something we should have added in the first place. If you did get one, it won't be removed from you, but in the interest of balance it's necessary to make these kind of nerfs.

Please direct all hate towards me as the staff are not responsible in any part for these nerfs, thanks.

"Channels hate towards Matt". Just kidding, hate is way to stronk. Changing the hit afterwards is not such a good idea though.

 

[Ceri0n]

Holy Ray directly competes with Arrest Raygun/Laser and isn't even equippable by three Rangers and two Hunters,

A 0% hit holy ray is the same as a 35% hit arrest raygun which means a 50% hit holy ray is the same as a 85% hit arrest raygun. Those are quite rare and valuable, trust me .

 

[Sodaboy]

Alright, I just got home. I just updated the present file on the ship. Holy Ray, Guardianna, Asteron Belt and Rambling May have had their hit values changed back to 50% hit as opposed to variable, but they are now more rare than was initially set.

 

[Sodaboy]

Sorry for a second post, but also made a second change. Since Daylight Scar had it's hit degraded from 50% to 30%, I've made it less rare. You should be able to find it more easier now.

 

[Archvile]

Alright, I just got home. I just updated the present file on the ship. Holy Ray, Guardianna, Asteron Belt and Rambling May have had their hit values changed back to 50% hit as opposed to variable, but they are now more rare than was initially set.

As it should be! Thanks Soda~

 

[ffeJ]

Thank you Soda for coming to a reasonable compromise. I think this initial changed was rushed and not really thought through or discussed well enough apparently. I know I've only been on the server for a year but I feel like this has been an issue in the past with Administration.

 

[Kyu]

Thank you.
> Sodaboy

 

[XII]

First and foremost, I wanted to mention that this post isn't a direct response to anyone in particular. It's something I've wanted to write for some time now, and I think this recent mishap is a good opportunity to do so. Especially since Matt has given me the perfect quote to frame and get my foot in the door.

Please direct all hate towards me as the staff are not responsible in any part for these nerfs, thanks.

Alright, let's do this.

It's cool to critique and throw shade where necessary. I get that, and I'm doubly appreciative of the freedom to do that here, where other servers might go to extra lengths to shut down similar criticism. Being vocal when you're dissatisfied is exactly what I like to see. That said, there's a running trend I've noticed that I wanted to address.

I want to be openly honest and admit that it bothers me when I see flack thrown at the entire event team. Not in a "don't you dare insult us" way, but in the implication that we're a hive-mind that is prone to jumping the shark and ruining your PSO experience. We're really not, and honestly, most of our discussions actually wind up being arguments. Our events are forged in the flames of opposition, and what you usually see is the result of us acting like adults and finding a compromise. The group started as a QA and eventually became a debate team that occasionally agrees long enough to bounce ideas around.

In my opinion, the worst events we've ever hosted haven't been due to universally bad decisions, but rather, a lack of multiple voices. Case and point: my opinion here was that the nerf came across as knee-jerk and was probably unnecessary, but I didn't speak up. This time of year is always super busy for me, so I ignored it, and had I not, we might not be where we are now. And I don't say this to throw my fellow event staff members under the bus; just to establish some context, because that's just kind of how it goes internally sometimes. We argue our points based on our experiences and game design outlook. Sometimes we say nothing out of apathy, and/or because life comes first. We're not a well oiled machine, we don't always agree with each other and we definitely don't think our ideas are on some sort of pedestal above other ideas.

It's for this reason that when I see posts asking why "they" would do something, or that "they" didn't consider X/Y/Z, it's sort of jarring. Not just from an accuracy standpoint, but as a reminder that we don't really connect with the community enough to give any other impression. Most of us do this for fun, because we love this game and the people who truly make the experience what it is. I'm in it because I'm happy when as many people are enjoying themselves as possible, and I love to receive honest feedback on how I can do better next time. I find it easy to blank out the people who need an outlet to vent or are just plain rotten when there are enough of you who care about and respect your community enough to approach it with a level head. Even so, because I'm wearing the colors of the scrutinized team, sometimes the universal criticism can feel personal, even when it isn't supposed to be, if that makes sense.

So, what do I expect to be done about it? Well, uh, nothing. Because these discussions occur behind closed doors, we can't really say who had what idea, and therefore it's difficult for the rest of you to know who to direct your hate mail to. Ergo, blame the whole group. It's broad, but it's a line of logic that holds up everywhere else in the gaming industry (we rag on Sega all the time but I can't imagine they're all as incompetent as we imply) so it stands to reason that it makes sense here. I don't think anyone who has done this before is being outlandish, but I wanted to add an extra perspective. If anything, I guess the goal here is to convince people to choose their words more carefully. So instead of blaming the event staff when something bad happens, just blame it on "whoever thought it was a good idea." Then they can feel ashamed for something they're directly responsible for, you know?

I'm probably wearing my heart too close to my sleeve here, but I felt like I needed to say it. Hope this was insightful and doesn't come across as too defensive. Thanks for reading. Stay beautiful.

 

[ffeJ]

I generally tend to voice opinions without regards for people's feelings. I don't think any one individual is at fault for anything that could be perceived as unpleasant about the server, but I still stand by my original statement. It wasn't an attack on an individual, nor was it meant to be an attack at all. It was merely an observation and I think it deserves addressing at some point. Perhaps when the holidays are over and we all have a little more time to ourselves?

 

[dewdadash]

Really disagree with the nerf. This event had a lot of great items, I planned on skipping this event entirely had it been the same as last xmas until I learned of the drops the 2nd day or so. In comparison to the summer event, I felt this event was a huge step up and give props to the staff for deciding the items/presents to make the event exciting and enticing. Summer event was a bit lazy in my opinion as it was the same exact thing as last year but with gold badges heavily nerfed where the only good prize is PS and PS per character, and the reason for this was because staff felt the previous year's summer event gamble was too good, so the econ was just solely being pumped with PDs/spheres and no rares.

History seems to repeat itself now with this nerf. I felt the drop rate of the very rare items was tough as is as I still have not found any, now its even rarer? What's the incentive now to play with a nerf midway? Should have just been no nerfs, wasn't like the drop rate was so easy like the FS/sof 30h from last year, nowhere close to that being pumped. And its not like those that found these items found it with a harder rate, so its unfair to those who are still playing the event. This event was an amazing event, and I give praise where it's due, but it basically has ended today. I'll test myself to see how difficult the rates are now, but guessing it's damn near impossible now. I'm also not sure why this is a concern now but not during summer event, plat badges dropped a good amount, but I guess its more acceptable to pump a ridiculous amount of PS and plat rather than a few useful weapons.

 

[Wilson]

I think y’all should all just enjoy the event and the things it comes with. Merry Christmas and happy New Years

 

[CTB]

just let it roll and worry less

signed, someone who is perpetually going to play tomorrow

 

[SHIR]

This is actually extremely disappointing. I was really enjoying the event. Noticed something was now off with the presents, thought the problem was something on my end for quite a while, then came here to find that there was a stealth nerf. I honestly don't understand how this is a question of balance when 1) people have their hands on these pre-nerf weapon stats (which will apparently not be changed/removed) and 2) the weapons can conceivably still be obtained in game with the previous stats.

I've had a lot of time the past couple days and I've pretty much been grinding non-stop. In my total time I only managed to find one "uber-tier" item. I think you have overestimated how much these weapons are going to impact the balance of the server.

Edit: Also, don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have an event at all and am thankful to you guys every day. Just wanted to throw my two cents in (however valueless they may be) about something I disagree with.

 

[Sodaboy]

Really disagree with the nerf.

This is actually extremely disappointing. I was really enjoying the event. Noticed something was now off with the presents, thought the problem was something on my end for quite a while, then came here to find that there was a stealth nerf.

Not sure if people arent reading the entire thread before replying, but all of the items were returned to pre-nerf excluding Daylight Scar. It's 30 hit instead of 50 hit, but the other items were changed back to their 50 hit stats earlier today.

The chance to actually get the other 50 hits were reduced, though, from 10% chance to 7%. It's not that big of a deal, really.

 

[dewdadash]

Rates have been slightly adjusted for other things to try and make the Very Rare category rarer as well, so there are hopefully not too many 75H items.

Not sure if people arent reading the entire thread before replying, but all of the items were returned to pre-nerf excluding Daylight Scar. It's 30 hit instead of 50 hit, but the other items were changed back to their 50 hit stats earlier today.

The chance to actually get the other 50 hits were reduced, though, from 10% chance to 7%. It's not that big of a deal, really.

Well Matt said 75h rate was nerfed in terms of chance of getting it, but you are saying it was returned to pre-nerf then? My apologies if that is the case, but I saw no updated mention of that after Matt's post.

 

[Mille Marteaux]

Well Matt said 75h rate was nerfed in terms of chance of getting it, but you are saying it was returned to pre-nerf then? My apologies if that is the case, but I saw no updated mention of that after Matt's post.

I'm not entirely sure of the details of that, but I believe that just means that other items were made more common so fewer things would re-roll and give a higher chance of rolling on a Very Rare present.

The way Presents work is they select an item from the list based on difficulty, then roll if you actually get the item - in case of the Rambling May 50 Hit for example, first the item list has to choose RM, then roll for the 7% - if successful you get the item, if it fails it rolls another item and it repeats until you finally succeed.

It is entirely possible to roll something like Rambling May > Frozen Shooter > Photon Sphere x3 > Slicer of Fanatic > Slicer of Fanatic > Bringer's Rifle > Vjaya 75H and then succeed on the Vjaya.

Items in the "Common" category have 100% rates, so all present re-rolling will end the moment you land on one of those.

 

[SHIR]

Not sure if people arent reading the entire thread before replying, but all of the items were returned to pre-nerf excluding Daylight Scar. It's 30 hit instead of 50 hit, but the other items were changed back to their 50 hit stats earlier today.

The chance to actually get the other 50 hits were reduced, though, from 10% chance to 7%. It's not that big of a deal, really.

Somehow I missed the update. Apologies Sodaboy.

One tangential question: are present rates the same whether you're in normal vs solo mode? Also does being in a party have an effect?

 

[Mille Marteaux]

One Person and Normal modes do not affect the drop rate of Presents, nor does being in a party.

All event items have a flat drop rate regardless of any event boosts and I think regardless of drop anything rate as well? I'm a little hazy on this subject since I just farm and don't bother looking at the odds anymore.

 

[Eva]

I think you have overestimated how much these weapons are going to impact the balance of the server.

I know you missed the change back but I think there are a lot of newer people who are thinking along the same lines so figured I’d respond.

It’s not server balance they’re worried about-it’s the economy. Throw fifteen of those 50h rms into it and you’ve basically killed the hunt entirely. This would be less the case with almost every other weapon since it’s so niche (and there are so few people willing to sphere, let alone play fomarl and sphere an rm).

Soda mentioned the concern for another reason: say I manage to drop a 45h rm (and I’ve probably dropped hundreds of them to find one with hit that high). Well, sphereing that is going to feel terrible. Hunting that item at all is going to feel terrible, really. Same thing happened to frozen shooters and slicers of fanatic in an earlier event, though the top end hit ones weren’t affected. Was still enough to deter people from hunting them specifically.

All that said... whatever. The event was fun before the nerf, it was fun during, it’ll be fun after. But this is my guess as to why there was a sudden change- they were trying to avoid what suddenly seemed like tanking an items worth for good. Act and nerf, and people will complain it’s unfair. Don’t act, and people will complain that their hunted (or already sphered) rms are now worthless.