Guild Wars Guru

Excessive farming?

2 pages • Page 1
UndeadRoadkill
UndeadRoadkill
Krytan Explorer
• #1
If you farm excessively, does drop quality decrease? I have a friend who swears that the game will adjust your drops if you've been farming the same area repeatedly, but I can't seem to find any reference to this on the wiki or in forums. I've heard talk of areas being overfarmed in general, and so the drop rate for everybody goes down, but I haven't seen people confirming it on a personal level.

It seems to me like he may be right, I've seen a difference in gold drop rates when I've been doing it for a while compared to when I've been away, but maybe it's luck and I'm imagining it?
Tifa shadowheart
Tifa shadowheart
Academy Page
• #2
I know you used to get a message box pop up if you farmed the same boss over and over, not too sure if this still happens though.
scythefromunder
scythefromunder
Desert Nomad
• #3
I heard there was a "Farm Code" that goes off after you've done
a number of zones.
BulletStopper
BulletStopper
Frost Gate Guardian
• #4
Currently it is solely a matter of opinion. As far as I've seen, nobody has actually posted any statistics, that can actually be reproduced, supporting either point of view.

In my farming time, and I have over 100 million experience between my two main farming characters, someday it does seem this way, and other days, it doesn't. I accept the possibility of "anti-farming code" but haven't seen it in a manner that I can track, show and reproduce.
U
Unknown Duli
Lion's Arch Merchant
• #5
this was posted about 5-6 months ago

http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/Loot

I believe it too be true as I remember farming years ago and that nice little box would pop up indicating I had killed them too many times. It was my understanding ,with the advent of HM, that the infamous "anti-farming" code went out the window and was replaced with the now infamous "loot scaling" where you will get 1/8th of the drops there by making it just as easy to travel with a full group of players.
Riceboi
Riceboi
Wilds Pathfinder
• #6
Quote: Originally Posted by Lord Diviner View Post
Antares Ascending
Antares Ascending
Wilds Pathfinder
• #7
.

I haven't counted the drops but there are a few 'quickie' farms I do when bored or just to spend a little time with something different and...The drop quality definetly go down. ALOT! This usually happens after several passes on a small area. Fewer gold items and less gold though tome drops seem stable.

Taking the character into regular game mode, doing some exploring or re-doing a mission seems to help restore drops for the next run which will be in a day or so. This may also be just because there was no farming activity for a pre-determined time.
i
infamous16
Frost Gate Guardian
• #8
After two runs I notice it...like ALOT.
UndeadRoadkill
UndeadRoadkill
Krytan Explorer
• #9
Quote: Originally Posted by Antares Ascending View Post
.

I haven't counted the drops but there are a few 'quickie' farms I do when bored or just to spend a little time with something different and...The drop quality definetly go down. ALOT! This usually happens after several passes on a small area. Fewer gold items and less gold though tome drops seem stable.

Taking the character into regular game mode, doing some exploring or re-doing a mission seems to help restore drops for the next run which will be in a day or so. This may also be just because there was no farming activity for a pre-determined time. Ah yes, this seems to reflect my experience.

I've been wondering, if there is indeed an anti-farm code in place, what exactly causes it to ease up. Whether it's just simply a set time of expiration, or time spent in-game doing something else besides farming. And if it's the latter, if the time must be spent on the farming character, or if you can pass that time with any character on the account. My farmer hasn't done much exploring since he started farming, and it kind of seems like my drops aren't improving even as I take other characters through the campaigns.

I also was trying to do the "leeching" thing (which I have little experience with) with a guild member, and noticed that the drops were much worse with her tagging along, and got better after she left. This got me wondering if it might affect me if there is an anti-farm code affecting a party member.
i
infamous16
Frost Gate Guardian
• #10
Quote: Originally Posted by UndeadRoadkill View Post
Ah yes, this seems to reflect my experience.

I've been wondering, if there is indeed an anti-farm code in place, what exactly causes it to ease up. Whether it's just simply a set time of expiration, or time spent in-game doing something else besides farming. And if it's the latter, if the time must be spent on the farming character, or if you can pass that time with any character on the account. My farmer hasn't done much exploring since he started farming, and it kind of seems like my drops aren't improving even as I take other characters through the campaigns.

I also was trying to do the "leeching" thing (which I have little experience with) with a guild member, and noticed that the drops were much worse with her tagging along, and got better after she left. This got me wondering if it might affect me if there is an anti-farm code affecting a party member. ok heres the deal, if you are with a full party your drop rates will almost never decrease no matter how many times you clear or vanquish a place, but you will get less drops since you are in a party...

and if your with a partner, your drops will be split in half, but the drop rates wont decrease for a bit longer.
r
razerbeak
Frost Gate Guardian
• #11
I've only been doing 5-6 Vaettir runs a day lately, as I get about 4 golds a run, then almost instantly crap for drops. The next day the exact same thing happens, although farming in a different area does help restore drops somewhat.
wetsparks
wetsparks
Desert Nomad
• #12
I remember there being a big argument about this a long time ago with Gaile and people were bringing in all these numbers and trying to be scientific but I don't remember if it got anywhere (in fact I'm sure it didn't) other than it officially doesn't exist anymore.
The Mountain
The Mountain
Forge Runner
• #13
Gotta love percentages, they offer opportunities for some crazy theories...

I know guildies and I have all received equally good and bad drops around our 1000th runs killing the Broodmother (compared to runs 1-10 of the weekend), without logging off or taking any sort of break to do missions and 'refresh' drops.

But believe whatever you want :-)
I believed dying my armor green last SPD helped my drops, lol
U
Unknown Duli
Lion's Arch Merchant
• #14
Quote: Originally Posted by Riceboi View Post
These are the exceptions:

* Skill Tomes
* Insight and Passage Scrolls
* Dyes
* Rare crafting materials
* All rare (gold) items
* All unique (green) items
* Special event items

So solo farming overall is still way better. =) I agree just wanted peeps to actually read the post

Also, I find that when I farm during event weekends I get ALOT more gold items than I normally would.
Amnel Ithtirsol
Amnel Ithtirsol
Lion's Arch Merchant
• #15
lol... also have friends who swear by anti farm code influencing drops when 'overfarming'.
From personal exp: there is no anti farm code just pure randomness.
I could get crap for 10 raptor runs then suddenly 5 golds + black dye in one run... and that type of trend continues as long as I'm farming that spot.

I've also noticed that Golds seem to drop better during event weekends, especially when kegging. Raptors, however, seem to yield pretty much the same golds/hour irrespective of events. (pure speculation, from personal exp only)
A
AntmanA
Banned
• #16
I keg farm alot, and last tie I went my first 5 runs netted nothing, then suddenly it was 5-8 golds a run... then nothing, then 5-8 again...

I think it's totally random, like a dice roll every time you kill a foe!
S
Spiritz
Forge Runner
• #17
The misconception with any farming is damn loot scaling - specially when the word drops is used.
I find doing repeated runs either gives you in the longrun more crappy items - only exception is trophies which often drops less than anything else.But as many other have noticed if you take the chr somewhere else and "rest" that zone for a few hrs the drops do get slightly better.
Players trying to work out the actual drop routine is like quantum physics - but im sure even anet dont know the exact drop routine as its probably a simple random code and we kno random cant be worked out.Code it to pick a number between 1 and 10 million and you try guessing the number - could take 1 day to pick the number or a few yrs.
If anet did know the secret then also they wont say - not because players would kill the economy but bots would again be back on the scene bigtime and they kill the economy.

I think of the farming code like real life - you hunt one place too much and the animals reduce in numbers - give it time and they will increase and you have better bounty.
ragnagard
ragnagard
Lion's Arch Merchant
• #18
Quote: Originally Posted by Spiritz View Post
Players trying to work out the actual drop routine is like quantum physics - but im sure even anet dont know the exact drop routine as its probably a simple random code and we kno random cant be worked out.Code it to pick a number between 1 and 10 million and you try guessing the number - could take 1 day to pick the number or a few yrs.
If anet did know the secret then also they wont say - not because players would kill the economy but bots would again be back on the scene bigtime and they kill the economy. I like to try to understand how that code works :P (and i dont like Physics :P). Btw, Anet does know the code, the only thing that is unknown is what random number is generated, but it is just a variable and means nothing but a condition trigger to call one part or another in their code ^^.

I am sure that it is on the style of:

Code: 
OnEnemyDiesTriggerHandler(enemyID){
      randomNumber = calculateRandom(1,x);
      if (randomNumber < 10){
        dropTome(enemyID.getProfession());
      }
      else{
         if (randomNumber >10 and randomNumber <50){
            dropUniqueItem(enemyId.getUniqueID());
         }
         else{
            dropGold(calculateRandom(100,120);
         }
     }
    
}
It scares a bit! 

(Yes, i am a programmer wannabe :P)



And if anyone magically finds when a boss is going to drop a tome (for example) and you must reenter 100 times to get 1 assured time (magically found) bots wont use it, becaus the time rezoning means less crap drops gotten and i bet is better for them sell lot of crap things than spam WTS XXX elite tome on kamadan. This could only alter tome prices between normal players (in my example) :P
F
Fay Vert
Desert Nomad
• #19
Drop rates do decline over time. eg. raptor farm would regularly yield 1 or 2 golds per run, often more. Now I can get maybe 1 gold in 5 or worse.

As for loot scaling, that was one whopping big lie from ANet. Its directly linked to rate of kill and affects full parties just as much as solo. eg. Do an Urgoz run, full 12 man party in 2 hours and you will need multiple salvage kits to cater for your drops, do it in 40 minutes and you won't even get half an inventory full.

Another thing anyone can try to prove for themselves, go into an area you can farm, wipe out 10, 20, 30 etc monsters in a few seconds and you get full loot scaling about 1 drop in 8. Now do exactly the same farm but kill one monster every 30 seconds and you will get a drop from 80-90% of the monsters, ie. no loot scaling at all.
A
AntmanA
Banned
• #20
Quote: Originally Posted by Fay Vert View Post
Another thing anyone can try to prove for themselves, go into an area you can farm, wipe out 10, 20, 30 etc monsters in a few seconds and you get full loot scaling about 1 drop in 8. Now do exactly the same farm but kill one monster every 30 seconds and you will get a drop from 80-90% of the monsters, ie. no loot scaling at all. This is true, I tested it back when the Hylcon Job was still a big farm. I 55ed it on my necro and tested with SV and SS... SV netted more gold, but took like 5 times longer to farm the whole group... So, in the end, SS = more golds/time and SV = more golds/foe...

It's still better to kill the whole 30 at once, then 1 at a time...