Map Changes in 2.0.4

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Chris wrote:

Map Levels are now Tiers
There are 15 tiers of maps, from level 68 to 82 inclusive. We've struggled for ages with the confusion caused by this.

In order to resolve this confusion, maps now display a tier rather than a level. The level can easily be calculated. Tier 1 is level 68 (or level 66 if it's an old map graphic).

There is absolutely no confusion on our end regarding map levels. We get it.

Introducing a whole new concept of map tiers WILL introduce confusion. It is a horrible change.
If its not broken dont fix it!

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Holocaustus wrote:

So people were running high level maps through Zana even though her max level was lowered to 75. Right. But there won't be map levels anyway going forward so nobody can complain about that anymore heh. And maps now drop slightly(tm) more often but give less XP. LOL

That all sounds like a ton of fun. I'm sure it will take etup a few extra hours to reach 100 in the 1 month league. I hope etup buys a few extra MTX while he's at it because I sure as hell won't spend any more money on this game the way it's headed.

I think Chris meant through encountering zana in a map.

For example, more people ran lvl 82 maps from Zana opening up a lvl 82 map from inside a lvl 81 map than actually dropping an 82 from that 81 map.

Then, as a knock on, more people ran lvl 82 maps from encountering Zana in an 80 map, who opened an 81 map which dropped an 82.

That's how I read it.

Remember, running an 80 map, you are extremely unlikely to drop an 82, you have a chance of dropping an 81, or an 80, or a 79, but if a map drops it is most likely going to be <79.

Zana now always opens a map either -1, =, or +1, while she can no longer open a +2 (as she could pre 2.0.0) she is no longer prevented from opening the final tier (as she was pre 2.0.0), she can and does open lvl 82 maps from an 81 encounter, I'm pretty sure she can even open a lvl 83 map in an 82.

While rare, and shitty as a daily, Zana is HUGE now when encountering her in a map and the possibility of opening a +1 map in a high tier map, which can then drop maps that the map she was in couldn't, has big implications.

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Chris wrote:

Due to the increased levels of content in The Awakening and the ever-improving skill of our best players, people are reaching level 100 too quickly... It takes approximately twice as long to reach 100 from 99 as it did previously

Chris, in my opinion its not entirely correct to judge the whole player base based on few "extreme" examples. I bet that majority of people never reach level 100. For example, i've (and my friend) been playing this game for nearly 3 years and never reached level 100. Many people cant dedicate as much time to gaming as some nolifers do. Now it is going to be even more impossible to reach higher level due to these changes. Probably everyone now should say thank you to those few people who play the game like crazy.

Ok, here we are...i was waiting and hoping for this manifesto post for days and hoped for the best but honestly now im really disappointed.

First off,

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The 2.0.4 patch increases the rate of map drops to help with these two issues

Fine, this is very much needed and you deliver on this topic but honestly the last time you say and did this not really much changed. Ill get that youre goal on the last map drop buff was to "smoothen the curve into 75-79 maps" but for me atleast (and a lot of other players i talkted to too) nothing really significant changed.

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Map Levels are now Tiers
There are 15 tiers of maps, from level 68 to 82 inclusive. We've struggled for ages with the confusion caused by this. Players expect to play maps of their level (which can be way too hard for them), or make arguments about that they're level 95+ and can't find a level 80 map. Players with backgrounds in contemporary MMORPGs expect to play content equivalent to their level.

Honestly thats a VERY BAD CHANGE imo!!! It just makes maping more confusing and honestly wont change nothing when it comes to the fact that people above a certain level want to run the highest lvl / hardest content that is (should) be available! Its just not really enjoyable to run content that is obviously to easy for your gear/character lvl just because those maps arent droping...even while you spend a lot of currency on maps, which leads to another problem imo.

Dont get me wrong, ill get that RNG is a huge part to an ARPG and its definatly something i think is even needed to make it enjoyable but just to a certain extand. Pre 2.0 release it was a very common and effective method when it comes to maps to just alt/aug for packsize and then regal. Ill have to say i really enjoy the way you changed the map system with the 2.0 release in terms of having the map only receiving packsize with certain mods because it forced the player to roll harder maps and move out of theyre comfort zone. On the flipside this means you have to invest more currency into your maps by using chaos orb spam or alc / scour.

And here we have the biggest problem imo atm with the map system. Pre 2.0 it was fairly cheap to roll maps and be able to sustain a 77+ map pool, sure sometimes you had bad rng and didnt get some maps but i personally was fine with that.

Now where it even feels necessary to put a zana map mod (domination / ambush ) on my 77+ maps which means i have to invest way more currency on my maps it feels absolutly horrible to not be able to sustain a map pool above 77+, especially since there are higher maps (79-82) available than pre 2.0.

Basicly you have to invest way much more currency into your maps so that bad rng feels even much worse.

Dont get me wrong, i think its fine to have to invest more currency into maps since it another currency sink but it definatly should feel a lot more rng factor terminating as it is right now!

Not seeing the Zana map mods and the nerf Zana overall received when it comes to the reward of leveling her to lvl 8 not being mentioned disapoints me too. You guys should take a lot at that.



I love this game and think the 2.0 release with the introduction of lockstep, the lootfilter and everything else in terms of content put PoE in the position of being the best ARPG out there but since the endgame litteraly just is the map system, you guys should make it more enjoyable overall. Because lets face it ...guys like etup & havoc will always be ahead!

Overall i just hope this time around the map drop buff will be very significant!

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gvdexile3 wrote:

is there data to back up the need to change maps into tiers? Bad change imo, another indirection. 99->100 taking twice as long, also bad. And the reason given is ridiculous "people don't get enough watching of some streamer going too fast to lvl 100..." Those that got to 100, will get there regardless.
And the whole map drop bussiness, make it simple, every map played drops -(1 or 2) to +(1 or 2) level maps. <=75 maps have ok drop rates(though it is super annoying getting many 68s on 75 level map)

I think it's funny that they would address some perceived psychological issue with the map names by converting to a worthless tier naming system while ignoring the actual psychological issue of finding level 68 maps while running level 78 maps.

It's good to hear about the boost to map drops. It was really hard to build up a map pool this league.

Map tiers is going to be a bit confusing because when we need crafting bases, we look for a certain item level. A level 77 map drops item level 77 loot. It just does not feel right to have map level renamed to tiers.

Well maybe we will get used to this change, expect a lot of feedback in the 1 month races!

Please rethink nerfing exp gain in maps below level 80, they are not excessive. 80+ maps I really cannot comment on, having run them only rarely, but they probably do need that nerf.

The phys damage rebalance is a good thing for HC players, another good change.

"people are reaching level 100 too quickly"

GGG, could you please stop making people harder to reach lv100 by just looking at how fast those 1% player reaching lv100.? It sounds ridiculous for me.

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MostWantedSteve wrote:

"people are reaching level 100 too quickly"

GGG, could you please stop making people harder to reach lv100 by just looking at how fast those 1% player reaching lv100.? It sounds ridiculous for me.

+1

Oh, I forgot to mention. Some of the tilesets need work on how they spawn mobs. Go run a Crypt, Mountain Ledge, and Shore and then run a Residence, Volcano, and Malformation. The first three will be packed with mobs while the latter three will be sparse. It's not worth rolling and running these maps that spawn so few mobs and it makes them feel like a waste.

Also, I hope part of the increase in map drops comes in the form of Beyond mobs and exiles being able to drop maps. They don't need to be +2... They just need to drop maps. So many good and exciting maps are currently rolled over simply because pack size and magic mobs are the only things that actually get maps to drop.