Gauntlet Changes

[Mallam]

Granted, I think the staff spent a lot of time and effort into changing the gauntlet into nightmare. Assuming this was the goal, they could have done a much better job at ruining the whole scene. I don't think that 20 minutes was a short enough time to give to complete and walls and barriers could have been placed in a MUCH more annoying fashion. If I was in charge I could have made the gauntlet much more challenging to complete and made it so that it was much less popular. 1 skull to get in and 1 skull per round? psh...should have made it 5 per.....lets make it a challenge....right?

I think the staff needs to revisit their attempt at creating a storm of a situation....

[patrix]

temper.jpg (55.43 KiB) Viewed 4497 times

[Mallam]

I'm Tommy...

[Miranda Ventrata]

Perhaps a maze and a skull just to get the the boatman!

[Gaara]

1 skull to get in and 1 skull per round? psh...should have made it 5 per.....lets make it a challenge....right

Right, and at the same time skyrocket artifact prices even higher... BCs and SOTs are quite expensive already. Around 10 mil is the last i've seen (don't know if that price sells though).

[Yoda]

ok see Id have sympathy for you in this situation if I hadn't just watched pheobe hunt up 10's of skulls and oh I dunno 3-4 hours tops over a few nights, around 20.. and well the exex value of a golden skull is meaningless, getting one takes very little time and almost no skills..

having said that I really wish that the gauntlet wasn't setup this way, as gaara pointed out it takes 1 overpriced item and makes it from its already insane price to ... well hmm this guy sort of levels. and boost sott to similar..



to me this is actually a quite negative side effect

however this doesn't change one absolute truth

at one time the gauntlet had no walls, and etc barriers, and the staff saw drama and problems, quite alot, so they put in cooldown walls, and there was alot of QQ

so after a time they take the walls down, and low and behold the drama returns, and here we are, may have missed a few iterations but.. common denominator..

Us.. the players.. we suck
if we could just behave ourselves like rational humans wait our turns follow the codex etc, and play more socially they wouldn't have to do stuff like this that feels disruptive to the game.. so before you get all rough with the staffers, and snarky or sarcastic, or QQ etc... think this one through, that behavior you are about to exhibit is why it was changed in the first place, and you adding more on doesn't make your case stronger. Would I love the flow of the old gauntlet to return and sanity to return to some prices (it won't the prices) sure..

the bottom line is, no drama no change..

the following is a list of spawn who's flow was absolutely ruined by drama, and a staff strategy to mitgate it.. realize in all cases the fault is ours...

Lady Mel
Travesty
The Gauntlet
Shimmering effusion (is that still ticketed haven't been in an age)

many others, the que lines, the amount of extra stuff staff has to do, because of a few.. its really sickening sometimes
I suppose that is what has my ire...

if we are the cause, then we really don't have the right to QQ about it do we.
perhaps if a change of ways (unlikely) were to occur they wouldn't need measures like this

[mattwaldram]

I hadn't tried the Gauntlet since the changes, so thought I'd give it a whirl before I chime in. Obviously the below is only based on my own experience, and I appreciate that while I can solo a Gauntlet run relatively quickly, that won't be true for everyone.

So, a few points:

1. I wouldn't ever use the Gauntlet as a source of gold - you get around 30k(ish) per run, and it takes me roughly 10 minutes. So, at 180k per hour, there are more profitable places. So, Gauntlet is just about arties for me (as I'm sure it is for everyone).

2. As Gauntlet isn't about making gold, I would ordinarily just buy the skulls and look at it as a gamble to get an artie, but at 55k per skull, I can see that it's quite an expensive gamble since the changes.

3. Today, I decided to gather the bones myself. I got 3,000 bones in just under 25 minutes, plus then about another 5 mins to kill the Daemon 3 times... so, in all, about 30 mins for 3 skulls.

4. I then did 2 runs, at around 10 mins per run, which is about average for me to do it on my own with no pets.

5. I finished with 100k gold in total (including about 40k during bone collecting) and 1 artie - Ring of the Elements.

6. The new layout didn't bother me in the slightest.

7. I actually quite like the queueing system in concept. I haven't seen how it works out when there are a load of people waiting to go through, but it does seem like a good way of making sure everyone gets a fair crack.

Summary: Basically, the only change that really seems to have an effect on me is the entry fee of one skull per run... it makes it a much more expensive place to go, and it will probably result in me doing it less frequently, because in nearly 3 years, I've dropped 2 SoTs and nothing else that would make it financially do-able. But while I personally will do it less frequently on my own, I'll be happy to take part in groups and bring newer players along etc.

Another thing to consider: one consequence of the new system seems to be a big increase (from around 35k to around 55k) in price per skull on Exex. In 30 minutes in Doom, I got 40k in gold and 3 skulls... so in one hour, I'd be looking at 80k in gold and 6 skulls. 6 skulls sold on Exex = 330k... that's 410k per hour when you factor in the gold made while gathering bones. 410k per hour really isn't bad. So, maybe there are some positives to be taken from this change.

Also, WTS ring of the elements

[Adrycks]

You guys need to remember that people were running scripts in gauntlet at the end before the changes were made...

There was a reason for the changes...and i agree with them...if you find that 55k per skull is too much than gather the bones...you know..play the actual game...

Admins have other things to do than making those changes..but because of a few players..they have no choice...

[apocalypse]

I agree with Yoda, we are the cause of most changes like this.
Unfortunately, as it is in the real world, we can't all get along peacefully, so expect more changes in the future too. That is just life, I didn't get mad, I just adapted and saw an opportunity to make money off it.

The reason items become "overpriced" is because they take time to get, and people want them, but don't want to spend the time to get them.
This applies to any item in the game, if an item becomes desirable and takes time to get it, the price increases accordingly.
You can't knock the guy that puts in the time, for wanting to get paid for it.

[mattwaldram]

I agree with Yoda

Disgusting behaviour

[Yoda]

The reason items become "overpriced" is because they take time to get, and people want them, but don't want to spend the time to get them.
This applies to any item in the game, if an item becomes desirable and takes time to get it, the price increases accordingly.
You can't knock the guy that puts in the time, for wanting to get paid for it.

there is a difference in being paid to put in the time and being opportunistic and silly.. and this one crossed it

say it took you 20 runs and you purchased the skull the new system has increased your overhead by around 1mill for that hunt up you could also get it on your first try, or never etc its gambling, but what it didn't do is double the value

sott is still a 1 trick pony 20str item very usefull for ending off your relayers after your stats even out. but it is a 4-5 mill item, and always should be, the new gauntlet system doesn't change that, even if it did it makes a 5-6 mill item not 10... the demand didn't change from before the change AT ALL it just jumped 5-6 million for no reason other than opportunism.

you can ditto what I said about the bone crusher, in fact in its case there is hardly a case for usage by players at all for anything. I can hear it now "But yoda it gives 2 extra str and you neeeeeeeed that" . to that I say whatever, it costs extra to deartifact, and due to the base price most players get 1 or 2 vs the full suits of old (when the base item cost 50k) so its extra expense for nothing, and this change although you may think it makes it worth more. it doesn't.

Now before anyone says the follow up "you are wrong about bonecrusher". then explain this

Pheobe and I are both decked out in full suits after years of play here, I have a titan's hammer relayer she does not, and she has 1 less bonecrusher than I do..

ok... so why does pheobe have more hitpoints?
If there is one thing on the shard that people have completely messed up ... a bonecrusher was only worth it to level and relayer when it cost 50k for the base item. It simply isn't a component of endgame in the slightest.

when the item was cheap it became known as the poor man's titan's hammer. it was only this due to the base cost. the higher the cost goes, it makes even less sense. It is 2 hitpoints easily equaled and surpassed by more sott's after your stats are capped and at diminishing returns. A titan's hammer gives 10.5 extra hitpoints to a bone crusher's 2.. using 200eds on it makes sense, really a bonecrusher should hold the status of a taskmaster.

1. demand hasn't changed
2. the price was already set at beyond insanity after it was put there by some older players converting from bonecrusher suits to titan hammer suits, they are the ones behind the initial price jump, so they could resell their relayers for max return. congrats you've been scammed and carried the mythos well beyond its shelf life.

regardless difference of opinion aside.. lets look at the rest of the field, by your logic all of the artifacts price should have jumped not just 2.

and before anyone dive's in with "Yoda's trying to manipulate the market, he is an out of touch vet" the reason I say this stuff is the real people hurt with items like these is the middle and newer player always, and in time stuff like that can and will affect long term player retention.

anyhoo still like ya, just a different perspective

[Rhiemath]

In that case, Yoda, from now on you are my go to guy when I'm looking for SoT's or Bonecrushers. Lol. I agree with you though.

[mattwaldram]

1. demand hasn't change

Serious question (not just trying to poke you ((little bit, though, eh))): Demand hasn't changed, but has supply? Market is affected by both, you can't just factor in one. I would guess that, due to the One-Skull-Per-Run change, that some people won't do it as often -- I'm basing that purely on the fact that I only did it every now and then, if I didn't have anything better to do, and I know that I will do it less now, simply because it will take more time or money upfront to do enough runs for it to be worthwhile for me. Assuming other people think the same as me, fewer people will do it, potentially lessening the number of SOTs and BCs... so, when supply goes down and demand remains static, price goes up.

I'm not saying it should go up enough to justify doubling the price, but if people are willing to pay it, then that becomes the price. Personally, I think the prices are crazy. But here's the thing, a couple of months ago I enquired about a price for a BC and was quoted 800ED. In my mind that is so far beyond what they're worth as to be mind-boggling, so I passed, but someone else may not have done. If everyone passes, that price will drop, but if enough people bite, that's the new price.

[Miranda Ventrata]

Sorry, I didnt mean to continue the forum, I was being sarcastic. Someone has a game they like to create, and I feel welcome I am invited to play. When they could very well close it off the public and just play the shard themselves. I actually know someone that does this on his own UO shard, he does lots of new designing and additions, and he does it for fun, for himself. Old school rollercoaster tycoon i guess, create a fun world.

[+Colibri]

First, about the original post - that's not a nice way to bring up an issue, starting with such sarcasm and negative criticism. But for this time, I'll imagine you were trying to use humor to break the tension.

Now, on to the actual point that you raised. Like it was already mentioned in a reply, this system was put up because we kept getting reports of people jumping in on someone else's round in the gauntlet. Despite all the books & warnings posted at the gate, this was a constant issue. Like with other popular spots that have a similar queue system.
It was made by +Nyx and +Veritas, using specific in-game objects that allow to create new mechanics, and it's quite an impressive system - and it solved the issue of kill stealing.

However, yes I know it currently needs 1 skull to get in, and then 1 skull per run. Like already mentioned, skulls aren't that hard to get... still, the price of arties has increased accordingly.
But if you think about it - before, you just needed 1 skull, and you could be in for days. So the only problem i see here is that to do the first run, you need 2 skulls.
And there are two gauntlets (we have a Malas duplicate called Magda, and we used that facet's gauntlet as a secondary one). That's why you get 20 minutes - so others don't have to wait too long.

We're actually quite far in making an instanced dungeon system (it's being tested & polished), where you will need 1 skull to get in, and then have a very long time (several hours) to complete a run - without anyone having to wait because of that. I don't have an exact ETA, but I hope it will get it's turn (needs just another 2-3 afternoons to finalize, test & deploy) by mid or late june.

(I don't like locking threads - leaving it open if there are any constructive comments or questions).