Occulus every other dungeon is not random.

#0 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:20 p.m.

Just like the subject says -- seriously, one HALF of all my first random dungeon dailies is Occulus. Since random LFG has launched, I have run occulus 12 times. I have NEVER been sent to UP or Nexus via random dungeon; I got Gun Drak once, and CoT shows up nearly as often as occulus. I've finished Occ every time (usually within the 'make it count' achieve timer), and got emerald and amber void on the same day. I am really, really occulused out.

This doesn't feel random, to me. It feels like I'm going to log in and have to grind random heroics, after paying the requisite entry fee of occulus yet again. No, the dungeon is not hard. It's tedious, and I'm really, really tired of seeing it -- especially since the, "O, crap, occulus *leaves party*" nonsense from many players when zoning in makes it take so much longer than it really should.

Whatever 'randomizer' is used to force me to grind occulus over and over ... needs to be 'smarter' and try and tell when players are being subjected to the same %!*$ instance over and over. Please, Blizz, this is really close to being a fun feature.

Yes, I know this is new and interesting; thanks, bro, I thought your story was cool too; of course RNG is RNG ... but it's coming at the expense of fun, here.

Zarhym

#3 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:24 p.m.

Q u o t e:
This doesn't feel random, to me.

Q u o t e:
Whatever 'randomizer' is used to force me to grind occulus over and over ... needs to be 'smarter' and try and tell when players are being subjected to the same %!*$ instance over and over. Please, Blizz, this is really close to being a fun feature.

I'm not sure you fully grasp what random means. I use the Dungeon Finder at least once a day choosing the Random option and have never gotten Oculus. That's pretty random.

Zarhym

#28 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:37 p.m.

Q u o t e:

My question is though, have you gotten the same dungeon over and over again yet? I haven't gotten Occ much either, but I don't blame people who don't get anything BUT Occ for being a bit pissy. It does bring the question on how it rolls.

I'd guess the most dungeons I've done in a single day using the Random option is in the 10-15 range. I've never gotten a specific dungeon more than twice.

Q u o t e:
I can only assume you guys use the basic psudo-randomizer system and that if I were to basically initiate my heroic the same time of day every day I COULD POSSIBLY end up with the same one over and over again (hitting the clock time that = occ for those who understand psudorandom)

There's not much that can be done about that, but it might help if you could do something like add in a... I dunno "-1% chance on the dungeon you did yesterday for the daily random" that could stop the Occ every day thing.

Well, the basic system isn't actually even completely random. It is supposed to weight dungeons you've already done a little lower. The issue is that it's also trying to match you with up to four other players as quickly as possible who have relatively similar gear and have also been saved to X number of dungeons that day. The matchmaking system gets more lenient over time as far as item levels and saved dungeons are concerned, which still makes it pretty random.

Zarhym

#31 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:39 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Actually ( and this is simply anecdotal ) people LEAVING Oculus and CoT may be the reason why they appear to be more common.

See, when someone leaves a group, that group is then placed at the top of the queue to get new individual members. If say, 200 instances are being run, and 10 are Oculus and CoT, when people leave because they don't like the dungeon, those are then placed at the top of the list to have people join, thus creating the illusion that those particular dungeons are actually more common than they are to individual players.

Since those dungeons are already generated, putting them at the bottom of the queue wouldn't be very intuitive.

This is a good point.

Zarhym

#41 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:48 p.m.

Q u o t e:

Congrats to the blues on creating a system intentionally designed to funnel people towards the least fun dungeon.

The system doesn't determine or care what dungeons are fun for you, because that's going to be different for everyone. The system cares about matching a group and getting people into a dungeon as quickly as possible. It also tries to keep you from repeatedly running the same dungeon in a single day (though this aspect is weighted lower than finding you a group as fast as possible).

If there's a specific dungeon that a portion of players are refusing to do, the chances of being placed in that dungeon to fill a vacancy can increase. It's similar to being thrown into a Battleground sooner than expected because the battle is already in progress and your faction is losing.

Zarhym

#48 - Dec. 23, 2009, 9:59 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Wow, thanks for the scorn from my first blue reply ever. Makes me feel like a valued customer facing this frustrating issue. Your, "Never happened to me!" tone is a soothing balm for the soul, and bulletproof anecdotal evidence about the issue aside! (The same kind of anecdotal evidence that blues historically chide players for using. I especially love that. )

I know what randomness is, thank you very much. Next time I will make sure I don't type anything you can use to weasel out of addressing an issue ... which I suppose means a blue won't reply. Must be nice cherry-picking posts to respond to so you can ignore any legitimate content due to a frustrated user putting quotes around a word.

I don't think it's too much to suggest that some intelligence be added to the LFG mechanic (yes, that wouldn't be truly random -- who cares? It'd be MORE FUN); I know I'm not the only player who is getting frustrated by this.

But, it seems from your previous reply that understanding or sympathy are far too much to ask for. Better to say I obviously don't know what I am talking about and be done with it. I was frustrated with the issue; now I know that you evidently couldn't care less. Thanks ever so much for letting me know that voicing concerns is just a waste of my time in these forums.

I apologize if my original response came off as dismissive and rude. I felt justified in sharing my anecdotal experience as an example of how the system is fairly random. In any event, I understand your frustration. If you've read my follow-up posts, I hope you better understand how the system works and why you may be getting Oculus more often than you'd prefer, even if the explanation doesn't quell your frustration.

Zarhym

#86 - Dec. 23, 2009, 10:35 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Since it's a game and the point of the game is to be fun for as many people as possible, why don't you let each individual player single out ONE heroic they absolutely don't want to run, so people who are going to leave if it's occulus simply never get to join one and don't grief other players who maybe even enjoy it and want to do the instance?

There is already a system in place for this. You're allowed to choose any specific dungeon you want to run if you don't want to risk being selected for a dungeon you dislike. If you want the additional benefits of using the Random option however, you need to accept what you're given. This is why it's random and why you're rewarded extra.