Tuesday, December 25, 2012

An RNG Documentary By Zokku

Greetings players, Zokku from Team WeTheProud here with a recent announcement and documentary about the new RNG system.
Now it's been quite a while since I did something like this, explaining the actual scenario with thoughtful input and statements that don't exploit my ethos with debunked theories about Ikame stealing my pants.  Rather, I wish to contribute a thoughtful discussion so that many players, including my Team members, will truly understand the recent updates to the RNG system.

Before we get into this, I'd like to warn the reader that this will be rather lengthy and will not include EVERY single detail about the RNG system, but for the most part I will try to mediate the amount of information between topics so that the reader doesn't immediately search for a TLDR.  Excuse the usual grammar mistakes, etc. etc.

Here's a statement we all need to form a consensus on.
RNG rates have changed and VindictusDB rates are outdated.

This brings us to question then, how exactly have the rates changed?  In our favor? Or Nexon's favor?  That was rhetorical, we all know what the answer is.
Anyways, in my recent months of enhancing and seeing the amount of NX spent in player databases, I'd like to release my own version of rates.  I considered every aspect of enhancing into these rates, so I believe they are quite accurate.

Enhance Levels Without Enchants:
+1 100%             +9 40%
+2 100%             +10 40%
+3 100%             +11 38%
+4 60%               +12 38%
+5 60%               +13 30%
+6 45%               +14 30%
+7 45%               +15 20%
+8 45%

Enhance Levels With Enchants (Let's assume Double Rank 9):
+1 100%             +9 38%
+2 100%             +10 38%
+3 100%             +11 30%
+4 50%               +12 30%
+5 50%               +13 25%
+6 40%               +14 25%
+7 40%               +15 10%
+8 40%

Enchant Break Rates
Rank 9: 70%
Rank 8: 75%

Durability:
+4/5 Fail: 0-9 Dura
+6-8 Fail: 0-16 Dura
Enchant Fail Rank 9: 0-24 Dura
Enchant Fail Rank 8: 0-33 Dura
Enchant Fail Rank A: 0-15 Dura
Enchant Fail Rank B and Below:  I doubt anyone cares about these scrolls.
Chance of No Dura loss for Enchant: 30%
Chance of No Dura loss for Enhance: 25%

Enhance Levels Without Enchants (Explained):
Here's what we're all looking for, the true numbers behind the false system.

+1-3 is obvious in that it's 100%, but who knows?  Nexon/Devcat may change these numbers in the future.  It's certainly likely.

+4-5 was the most difficult part of determining the rates.  I've played since Beta, so I know how +4/5 was almost 100% back in the day, but over time, these rates have dropped TREMENDOUSLY.  Players laugh, "Oh haha +4-5 no big deal, I'll just grab a couple Empowered stones and aim for that first +6" when in doubt, "Wait, what?  How did I fail +4 3 times?  Haha it'd be funny if I failed a 4th time-wait WTF?  I should SS this mother s***~".  This enhance row is the most painful part of enhancing because players who look for that perfect dura will obviously not get what they're hoping for.  Nexon has certainly lowered 4/5's rate to a number that we should naturally develop animosity for.

+6-8 was the second most difficult because it's hard to differentiate whether 6, 7, or 8 actually DID share the same rates.  After many attempts to debunk this norm, I haven't noticed any immediate changes to these rates, and I believe we can safely assume that 6-8 IS an enhance row.  +6-8 haven't reflected any huge impacts upon their rates, but following the natural enhance order, we see players fail +6 2-9 times in a row.  There are also scenarios where players reach +1-6 perfectly, sometimes in multiple occasions, and then suddenly fail +7 every single time.

At this point, I'd like to introduce a theory that I've been discussing with my Team for quite a while.  Some already are aware, but basically, Enhance rates are determined by streaks.  If players can fail a 50% chance almost 3-10 times in a row, not once, but on multiple occasions for different weapons, then shouldn't those players go play the lottery?  If the numbers match up right, the average player that does encounter these rates should win the megalottery almost 3 times in a row, every year consecutively.  Now that certainly doesn't sound realistic, but RNG dictates it's completely normal.

+9-10 we haven't noticed any changes at all, mainly because players have been using enhancement runes and are too afraid to test the numbers with their precious 300mil weapons which are now worth 30mil at best.

+11-12 has certainly changed in that both numbers have been quite frustrating for those higher tier spending players that enhance in extreme occasions.  As my team members know, over the past 3 weeks I've failed 4 +11s in a row.  [+11 Braid Tassel Twin Spears].  This enhance row has tremendous impact on Enchanted items.  Hard to narrow down, but definitely noticeable.

+13-14 just seems almost impossible.  +13 used to be quite common in the introductory enhancing days, but now it's quite difficult to even obtain a 12.

+15 was the third most difficult in that many +15s have been emerging in the servers over the past years, but we cannot safely assume that players did go for +13 and 14 in one shot occasions, but did have backups or multiple weapons to attempt another enhance.

Enhance Levels With Enchants (Explained):
We can safely assume that weapons and armors with Enchants may encounter quite frustrating enhancing scenarios.  Personally, I've failed Twinkling Chiulin Spears (0 dura'd) Maelstrom Piasraspears (0 dura'd) in two similar occasions.  Rank 9, A, D seem to all share similar rates, but not to the point where we can distinguish that each Enchant rank has a different enhance level.  By this, I mean that Rank 9 and D Enchants may still have the same success rate for Enhances.
If you're still skeptical, the numbers DO drop for enchanted items, and that's the basic information that the community needs to be aware of.

Enchant Break Rates (Explained):
Woohoo! This is one of my favorite, short, and sarcastic posts about Enchant Break Rates because a ridiculous number of players assume that break rate is indeed 30%.  This is just humorously false. The bare minimum for the break rate is at least 50%.  In an accurate basis, it's safe to assume the break rate is about 70%.  On the other hand, a logical standpoint would explain that Nexon would want items to break because after all, Enchant Runes are nearly $10.
(8,900...I'd love to know what I can do with 1,100 NX)

Durability (Explained):
I haven't seen anyone delve into this sector of RNG for quite a while, so I'll try to update it with my own rates.  As a fellow dura-paranoid player, I do actually pay attention to the dura rates because:
1. Higher dura means higher enhance success rates (Proven to be true through Team WTP Community experiment, go look it up on the forums)
2. Higher dura means less chance of breaking armor (Proven by Shield YT Video and many contributions by players such as AnisTee who 200 duras his armor....all...the..time)
3. Lower dura creates a rusty shade on armor, it's noticeable around the 50-60 dura range.
Durability is completely random, since there is no fail or success, but rather there is a certain # that is subtracted from the item's total dura.  We can safely assume that this number is completely dependent on the success rate for enhances.  For example, if you're encountering of those, "I've failed +4 10 times in a row, then your dura should drop to almost 75 or below".  However, there are exceptions to this case where players may fail an item, but still retain the same # of dura.  This happens on rare occasions, and these players should urinate their loincloths because other players in the world fail +4 and lose 199 dura.

Conclusive Statements:
The RNG system has certainly been nerfed over the past years in Vindictus.  I'm sure we've all encountered those moments where we have that funny feeling inside because we're either too scared to push that Enhance button for a +4 or that +14 or we're too excited to actually obtain a Raid drop worth more than 800 gold.  RNG is a rollercoaster, but that's probably one of the reasons why I still play Vindictus.  I love the gambling system, not the items.  It's still one heck of a racist system, if you know what I mean.  I digress, but RNG can still be ridiculous at times, making players who are rich succeed 3 +12s in a row and making players who are poor fail +4 17 times in a row (R.I.P Lizee).

The information provided in this documentary may not be completely accurate for obvious reasons, but I'd like to assume that these rates are actually within an accurate zone.

If you're willing to read on for credibility and stats here you go:
I am [GM] Zokku from Team WeTheProud (Recently changed our name from Guild to Team in Project: Isolation).  I have played Vindictus since Beta and mained Lann ever since, particularly a Soloist & Competitive Raider.  I have spent an extreme and regrettable amount of NX in the game, 99% for enhance/enchanting (It's in my Korean blood).
I've been a Source Modder for 11 years (Server Hosting, Skin Dev, GMOD Sharer, Facepunch Contributor), Professional CAL FPS Player in Counter-Strike: Source (KiNg Clan for Section O), Guild Master in Maplestory (KamikazeHeroes), Runescape (The Mailmen), Gunbound (Whitester), and last but not least, Platinum League 1v1 in Starcraft 2^-^~

Remember this video?  Here's to commemorate my fellow Koreans in our bloody paths for ultimate glory:  Skip to 0:45














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