Announcement: Updates to Treasure Feeder System 2024

Category: Development
Subject: Updates to Treasure Feeder System
Author: GS4-APRAXIS
Date: 2024-06-19

Greetings, adventurers,

We have some updates to share about the treasure system in Gemstone IV. As part of a larger overhaul of the treasure system, we’re introducing some changes to the feeders. We are pleased to introduce the Epic Feeder and the Rare Feeder, which will build upon the success of the Legendary Feeder. We are also planning on introducing a new Alter Fodder feeder. For those of you who don't know, the feeders are the mechanism by which GM crafted items are distributed to players, and are commonly called "box-found" items.

What’s Changing?

Epic Feeder:

• Drops approximately three times a month.
• Available from creatures level 60 and above.
• Features high-quality enhancive items, less popular SK spells, select "Off the Shelf" tier items from Microtransaction events, and more.
• Will announce to the game.
• F2P cannot get epic drops.

Rare Feeder:

• Drops approximately six times a month.
• Available from creatures level 30 and above.
• Contains super-charged magic items and good quality enhancive items. These will be toward the upper limit of what you can see from the Random Object Generator, rather than following the current standards.
• Will announce to the game.
• F2P can get rare feeder drops

Alter Fodder Feeder:

• Drops about once a day
• No level restriction
• By nature, these items will not be unique. Rather than being removed from the hopper when you find one, it will be copied.

Legendary Feeder:

• Continues to drop auction-grade items about once a month.
• Remains exclusive to creatures level 90 and above.
• F2P cannot get legendary drops.

Classic Feeders:

• Remains available to all players, without level limit.
• Drops items similar to the older style, ensuring a variety of finds for everyone.
• Will drop about once a day.

Why the Update?

During an event last December, we increased feeder rates, and while some players enjoyed the boost, many felt the special items lacked impact. By updating our feeder system and guidelines, we aim to make your treasure hunts more rewarding and the items you find more distinctive.

Our goal is for every item from these new feeders to stand out. Whether it’s an Epic or Rare find, it should always be something memorable.

Additionally, the algorithm that was used to determine what feeder items went out on what loot events could lead to competition within certain level bands. Under the hood, the way the feeders determine who is eligible for what drop is now more flexible. High-level players will have the most chances for drops because they qualify for drops from all feeders.

This is also only the first step in a long sequence that we have planned for updates to the treasure system that should make it more exciting for everybody. Stay tuned for more details.

Alter Fodder Flag

As many of you know, we have historically needed players to provide alter fodder when they are asking to have rarer materials added to their items as accents, or sometimes even for the item to be transformed altogether. This fodder has historically come from many sources, such as shops, treasure system drops, and the like. In recent events, items have also gone out that have been specifically designated for this purpose, rather than recycling items found through other venues. However other items, as well as the output of certain crafting devices, are not allowed to be used for this purpose.

This has led to some inconsistency in how the rules around these have been applied, in that some items have been deemed unable to be used as alter fodder, while other items are allowed. This results in a sometimes confusing outcome, and often there isn't a way for people to truly tell if the item is or is not allowed for this purpose. In order to streamline this, we are introducing a new flag that allows for an item to be consistently marked as usable as alter fodder, which players will be able to see as well. Items marked with this flag will be usable as alter fodder, and this allowance will supersede any other indicator. If this flag is set, the item can be used, within normal rules (in other words, you still can't make a combat item rhimar without ice flares, but if you have a piece of alter fodder rhimar, no matter where it came from, you can use it for making cosmetic accents or adorning a cold-flaring weapon).

At this time, we are not removing any old rules around alter fodder, so items without the flag can still be used as alter fodder, provided they are not part of the prohibited set. However, once we have completed further overhauls to the treasure system and revised shops as needed, this flag will become a requirement for alter fodder going forward. We'll give you another warning when this is planned, but right now it's only on the horizon.

tldr

As part of a larger overhaul of the treasure system, we’re introducing some changes to the feeders. We are pleased to introduce the Epic Feeder and the Rare Feeder, which will build upon the success of the Legendary Feeder. We are also planning on introducing a new Alter Fodder feeder.