I haven't heard anything about the drop rates having been lowered. Are people getting anything at all (ie is there a bug and they're just not dropping?)

First week it was a 100% chance, every bandit had one.

Last week it was about a 10% chance instead.

A lot of people just aren't even bothering this week because of that. But those who have are not reporting any better rates.

I've gotten one in the dozen or so I've bothered to collect between now and last week when I heard (and saw) that the drops were dramatically lowered. Think Noola and Ragniliff and co. were more of the ongoing bandit hunters and they didn't find any at all.

To my knowledge, no one I know has gotten anything either this week or last week. The only time I've heard of people getting stuff was during the first week, heh.

Ran through 17 or so and got nothing.

I got a bubble pipe from 25 bandits, last week and this week combined. (It hasn't made me want to buy a bubble pipe.)

Coyoto picked up a needle after the eighth bandit. He said he's got no use for it whatsoever.

Explains the dimension needle I found sitting at the Master then. I found a brooch of the tempest between now and last week. Seems like even when arties were found, they'd be the tiny utility ones.

Hm. 100% drop rate was definitely a bug, heh. I'll comment on it next I see someone, though 10% sounds more intentional. People are still killing bandits though, and still getting items, at least.

Why would it be a bug?

100% drop rate gives artifacts for 1 month, and lets people actually play around with / get excited by said artifacts.

10% drop rate means you get nearly nothing for a lot of work. Far less interest, far less point, and thus you have fewer people even trying. The entire point of the promotion is pretty well hammered down; people aren't going to be made excited about buying artifacts if they can't get the artifacts to play with them.

I was just commenting that I know the drop rate is not supposed to be 100%, nothing else.

While I know its too late for it now. Personally, I would prefer for next time instead of random drops, it be based on every X amount of bandits you turn in to some NPC. Maybe get something the first bandit, and then another on the fifth, and then it scales from there. That way its easy to get one or two, but getting a bunch can be made exponentially harder.

Well. Read the thread from the first week on the drop rate and how excited people were at the whole promotion, how into saving up to buy credits they were, and the like (when it was 100%).

Then read this thread and note the general apathy -> distaste for even participating at this point.

I would say that it really should be 100%!

Oh, and just so you're aware, I'm not even asking for this for me. I killed one the first week and one last week; I'm not personally so interested in it because I know the artifacts I want. But it's pretty clear just observing that interest in this promotion went from "omg this is awesome" to "meh".

Yeah, I was saying the same thing last week. This is clearly an artifact promotion, which is great, but I personally don't have hours to spend searching for a dozen bandits, hoping a single artifact will drop, simply for the privilege of previewing it for a few days — especially when I have no choice in what sort of artifact gets dropped.

Honestly, I think the smartest thing to do from a business standpoint would be to code a special denizen. Once per Tuesday for the duration of July, all players could talk to that denizen and select one or two allowable artifacts of their choice to play around with.

The bandits thing is interesting, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

I really don't get why 100% was a bad thing? It gave me cool toys to play with for a RL day or two, and I got to say, "Wow! I really want this thing! It's so neat!" And I was happy and excited. Now, like I said before, all I get is the feeling that I've opened a present and there was nothing inside.

Hardly seems the sort of feeling you're wanting to give people during a promotion.

It would be nice if bandits at least carried gold.

They do.

But not much.

25% or 33% seems better. I doubt it's even 10% right now. If it is, it's a really unlucky 10%. (Statisticians weep.)

It took 16 bandits last week for me to find a cubix.

It took 8 bandits this week for me to find a pyramid puzzle.

Those are the only two artifacts I've found this month, as I didn't get the chance to hunt the first week.

Edit: I feel I should add that I didn't stop hunting after I found either of them, and have killed probably about 60-70 bandits between last week and today.