Testing, Testing...One Two Three. Is this thing on?

[alnyndur]

My character is currenly 5th level, 2k from 6th, and I now have 6 forge stones, but still only 1 socket gem. You may be wondering how I am able to find them, when it seems that noone else can. The answer is simple, I took Driller's advice. Instead of gettng buffs and fighting in areas above my character level, I just took the approach I did 4 years ago when I was new to the server and slowly moved through the areas that were designed for my level. Yes, leveling is slow, since I have to kill so many creatures to level, but the results are I am finding a lot more items by doing so.

Can someone else give this a shot and see if they get the same results.

[ST_DM_Myle]

Potential problem...

Does the script that stops the XP banking still reduce the XP as if having leveled?

If your X level and do not take your level, therefore getting the notice that your not going to earn XP until taking your level, and the server thinks of you as one level higher (even though your not 'earning' XP) then your actual "effective level" as far as loot goes may actually be increasing.

hmm... does that make sense?

[DM_Mystic]

The statistical argument remains unchanged. Let me put this in a more mundane context:

There are scratch-off lottery tickets that offer a 1 in 1000 chance of winning $100.

Bob buys 1000 of these tickets, and wins nothing.
Jane buys 5 tickets and 3 of them are $100 winners.

The same principle applies to the drops. Bob could buy another 5000 of them and still not win, and Jane could buy another one and it be a winner.

[halfogre0520]

Potential problem...

Does the script that stops the XP banking still reduce the XP as if having leveled?

If your X level and do not take your level, therefore getting the notice that your not going to earn XP until taking your level, and the server thinks of you as one level higher (even though your not 'earning' XP) then your actual "effective level" as far as loot goes may actually be increasing.

hmm... does that make sense?

Even if the server thinks of my character as level 7, he's still considered lower level than the creatures he's fighting. On the other hand, if what alnyndur is saying is the case he's finding that fighting creatures AT your level is giving better results then how do you explain new characters hitting level 40 with forged items? I can't see any other explaination than muling. In which case there is no attraction to the server. The main draw of the server is the socket and forge stones. I think I'll continue my character farming ettins just to make a statistical point vs. the level building. Let's see just how many forge stones a level 6/7 character can find while fighting creatures higher level than himself.

In another experiment I think I'll take Regulus BACK to the ants where he gets 4xp each and see what the drops are for him.

[halfogre0520]

The statistical argument remains unchanged. Let me put this in a more mundane context:

There are scratch-off lottery tickets that offer a 1 in 1000 chance of winning $100.

Bob buys 1000 of these tickets, and wins nothing.
Jane buys 5 tickets and 3 of them are $100 winners.

The same principle applies to the drops. Bob could buy another 5000 of them and still not win, and Jane could buy another one and it be a winner.

So what your saying is that it doesn't matter if the character is new or old, their chances of finding a forge or socket stone is totally random. Great. Definitely take away the socketed items from the stores and put them as dropped only with the same odds of being found as the socket stones.

[halfogre0520]

My character is currenly 5th level, 2k from 6th, and I now have 6 forge stones, but still only 1 socket gem. You may be wondering how I am able to find them, when it seems that noone else can. The answer is simple, I took Driller's advice. Instead of gettng buffs and fighting in areas above my character level, I just took the approach I did 4 years ago when I was new to the server and slowly moved through the areas that were designed for my level. Yes, leveling is slow, since I have to kill so many creatures to level, but the results are I am finding a lot more items by doing so.

Can someone else give this a shot and see if they get the same results.

I will do so as this was one of my theories to test on the third character. I was only going to take him up to level 20 though.

[Queen Naga II]

Seems that so far you've got no socket gems or runes, bearing out my concerns from another thread.

Please continue with this Halfogre it is proving of great interest.

In regards to the odds 1 in 1000 , the odds never change it is always 1 in 1000 no matter if you had 10 million and got nothing the next, effectively the 10th million and 1st would still be 1 in 1000.

[Thanatos]

Nice work. Now, if you'd kindly check the stats for lvls 2-10 at the ettins for the same period of time...then I'll know what lvl to grind at

[halfogre0520]

Nice work. Now, if you'd kindly check the stats for lvls 2-10 at the ettins for the same period of time...then I'll know what lvl to grind at

Comin' up.

[halfogre0520]

Okay, final session with test subject one:

Start Time: 10:30PM 8/23/2007
End Time: 11:30PM 8/23/2007
Total Time: 1 Hour

# Ettins Killed = 150
# Gorgo Killed = 6
Total Gold = 4040

Item #1 = Cruel Light Flail Of The Leech
Item #2 = Magic Light Hammer
Item #3 = Merciless Flaming Mace
Item #4 = Masterwork Tower Shield
Item #5 = Fiery Battleaxe
Item #6 = MW Robe of Spell Resistance
Item #7 = Screaming Morningstar
Item #8 = Sparking Greataxe
Other = Bracers of Armor, Socketed Heavy Flail, 1x Wine, 1x Potion of Bull Strength, 1x Potion of Owl's Wisdom, Half Plate, Padded Armor, WHITE FORGE STONE, PURPLE FORGE STONE, JADE FORGE STONE, KAZAK RUNE STONE, CUNIC RUNE STONE.

All in all a profitable day.

What It Boils Down To:

Gold Per Kill: 25.90
Items Per Kill: .13

Grand Total -
TOTAL TIME: 195 Minutes
TOTAL GOLD: 10185
TOTAL ITEMS: 54
TOTAL KILLS: 493
END GOLD PER KILL: 20.66
END GOLD PER MINUTE: 52.23
END ITEMS PER MINUTE: .28
END ITEMS PER KILL: .11
END FORGE STONES: Cobalt, White, Purple, Jade
END SOCKET STONES: Kazak, Cunic

[halfogre0520]

So I'm really not sure what to call it. I mean everyone in the DM and Owner side seems to say that each kill has a 1d1000 chance of something nice. Overall, this character has done nothing but farm ettins. My question is, if he continues on with his training, will he find enough forge stones to survive his epic levels? Without buying items, forges, or sockets can he make it to level forty? Probably not. So far he has bucked the odds of my other character and found four forge stones and two socket stones without leaving the safety of level 6.

Well, one thing is for sure I really enjoyed this test. I look forward to continuing with some more.

[driller]

That isn't entirely true. The 1d1000 part that is.
I don't recall saying that in a literal way.

-driller

So I'm really not sure what to call it. I mean everyone in the DM and Owner side seems to say that each kill has a 1d1000 chance of something nice. Overall, this character has done nothing but farm ettins. My question is, if he continues on with his training, will he find enough forge stones to survive his epic levels? Without buying items, forges, or sockets can he make it to level forty? Probably not. So far he has bucked the odds of my other character and found four forge stones and two socket stones without leaving the safety of level 6.

Well, one thing is for sure I really enjoyed this test. I look forward to continuing with some more.

[Jazelle]

Well for myself I have had chars who never saw a single forge stone but several socket ones for most of their levels (some of those only went to level 21) Others I leveled very quickly or in some cases very slowly and they had forge stones coming out their ears and next to non sockets.

I have gone for a month with nothing then suddenly had a ton. It is just a crap shoot really. Then again on the days when folks say they are dropping like crazy I am never on... sigh.

[Thanatos]

Still rockin my forgie a day. Usually drops in my first 10 minutes of being online.

[Gibbo]

Yesterday I pulled a tripwire across a sidewalk and tripped up some old woman.


Today I gave a pair of baby twins a lollypop.


Does that mean I'm +1 with my Karma? I'm feelin' lucky for forge stones tonight.