Jump to content

Impetuous Impulses


stonewall337

Recommended Posts

My latest project is to rebalance and update a minigame I am quite fond of: Impetuous Impulses. It’s a fun piece of content for the drops it can offer (ah, the thrill of spotting the vivid orange of a dragon impling!), but sadly isn’t so rewarding XP-wise. So what’s the core of this update?

First we’d like to make the Hunter experience earned a bit more rewarding so that you have the satisfaction of gaining XP as well as the drops. Then we’d also like to give high-level hunters a few new implings to hunt. We have a few other things in store for this update, too, but what would be the fun if you knew everything in advance? :)

I’ll also keep a veil of mystery over the theme, level and drop tables of our latest impling additions for now, and instead will focus on the bigger challenge of this project: how do we go about rebalancing XP values in the game?

It’s a bit more complicated than picking a number at random and hoping it’ll work okay. There are many parameters to take into account to try to come up with the best value.

 

The first thing to do is to assess what we currently have. That involves evaluating, from the numbers in the code, how many of each impling spawns on average in Puro-Puro and on RuneScape's surface, and what the average value of their drops is.

 

Then we need to have a good idea of how much experience a player is getting already when playing the minigame, because even though we know how many of each impling there are, on average, in the maze at any one time, we do not know how easy they are to catch.

We do this via time trials. Basically, some members of the QA team will diligently play through the minigame for a certain amount of time, catching certain types of impling and making notes of how much XP and what drops they are getting. After a few attempts at each level, we calculate the average XP rate per level. This will be our base rate for the improvement.

 

 

But we wouldn’t want the XP to be too generous. Yes, I suppose some of you would like it to be too generous, but think what would happen if it was: the once peaceful minigame would become a training area, and while I do appreciate the game for the drops (and the thrill of using one of the mysterious crop circles), I don’t think it would be anywhere near as fun if I had to catch as many implings as possible and throw away the drops for the sake of XP.

We can still make the XP fairly nice, though, but to know exactly what our limit is, we need to know how much XP a player can gain when training Hunter normally. With the help of some more time trials, we evaluate how much XP per minute can be gained when hunting other hunter creatures like salamanders or chinchompas. That is a lot of info to compute, so we use tables to sort it all out and represent it using pretty curves.

 

 

Now that we know the existing impling XP rate and the best Hunter training rate drawn on our graph, we have the boundaries of our new curve! The rest is a bit like cooking. You determine a base curve that sits between the existing impling XP rate and best Hunter XP rate. You throw in a pinch of level requirement, one or two spoons of spawn repartition and maybe powder a bit of drop value on top. You mix, the curve wiggles a bit up and down as it gives more XP to rarer or less generous implings, then you season it until it looks good. Ta-da! You have once nice rebalance! The last step is to time trial that a bit too, to see if it tastes any better.

Hopefully, the result will be satisfying without upsetting the game's balance (else Guthix wouldn’t be best pleased).

 

Mod Maylea.

 

 

Personally, I am loving the sound of this. I love playing Impy Impulses :P, and I might have more motivation to train hunter now, with possibly even higher imps to catch. (Barrows Imps, rare like the rock patriach, and only spawning in the Barrows/swamp area please?)

Stonewall337.png
[hide=Drops]Araxxor Eye x1 Leg pieces x2
GWD: 5000 Addy bar Steam B Staff x3 Z Spear x6 Sara. Hilt x2 Bandos Hilt x2 (LS, Solo)SS x6 (1 LS)
Tormented Demons: Shard x6 Slice x5 Claws x9 Limbs x3
DKS: Archer x21 Warrior x31 Berserker x30 Axe x51[/hide]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they really need to add some implings with rewards between nature and magpie and between ninja and dragon.

The revamped XP is something that I really look forward to as I don't like hunting the proper way and usualy catch about 10 implings per farming tour.

langerkiller.png

 

Follow the progress of top players and my weekly updates here: 200M in all Skills

Latest Milestones Chart update : page 602

Latest top 15 update : page 602

6 slowest skills chart : page 563

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just hope they dont screw up the mini game. This is one of the things they are "fixing" but at least in my mind nothing was broken about it. All i see them doing is making it harder catch them while bringing the xp rate up also i can see them making the drops less valueable. Time will tell but i never had a problem with this mini-game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's strange to read about how they plan everything so carefully and yet they keep 76king alive with a halfass "fix". Same goes for other seemingly brainless updates.

 

Welcome to RuneScape.

 

Was rather happy to see this, although I'm sure Impetuous Impulses will become a very popular area, thus lowering Xp gains anyway for people hunting there...:? Should be interested to see what they come up with.

 

*Goes and trains Hunter some more past 83*

RIP Michaelangelopolous

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've just started playing this mini-game recently and am loving it despite only being able to catch up to magpie (with potions :P), so this update will be welcome to me - as long as it doesn't make it too crowded. I'd settle for slightly faster experience rate and perhaps slightly better respawns as long as the game stays roughly the same.

 

Will be looking forward to this update anyway :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's strange to read about how they plan everything so carefully and yet they keep 76king alive with a halfass "fix". Same goes for other seemingly brainless updates.

 

^ this. It's also strange that once they have planned everything out so carefully, spent months developing and QA'ing, and implemented with a big fanfare, that they might then back it out within 48hrs due to "player feedback" is incredulous.

Mordendravid.png
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never even thought of playing this game for XP considering how much effort it takes to catch each individual impling. Just the process of getting the jars takes a large percentage of the total hunting time.

 

It also seems like they'd have to give an enormous amount of xp per impling to even make them even somewhat competitive with other methods.

 

Like others have said, I just hope that they don't ruin a game that there really isn't anything wrong with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never even thought of playing this game for XP considering how much effort it takes to catch each individual impling. Just the process of getting the jars takes a large percentage of the total hunting time.

 

It also seems like they'd have to give an enormous amount of xp per impling to even make them even somewhat competitive with other methods.

 

Like others have said, I just hope that they don't ruin a game that there really isn't anything wrong with.

 

XP isn't 'terrible', got 6k in an hour and a half and most of that was just running around not actually catching anything, if I bothered to catch whatever is in my way it'd be much better xp, increasing it to about 10-15k an hour is all that's needed in my opinion and any more would make it far too crowded and not worth it. I play the game for fun and not experience, the experience is just a bonus and I hope they keep it that way, which it sounds like what they're doing, just hope they don't make it too high.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I wouldn't argue with making the overworld imps higher XP. They're spread out really far, so it would take a while to hunt them down on purpose, plus the whole "flying over impassable obstacles" thing.

 

I've found that the main hassle of hunting with a net is that the catches don't stack so you have to keep running back and forth between the bank and the catching area.

8f14270694.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Dark, if they do make this game nice for the XP-hungry people, there will be less Chinchompa abuse! :o!

 

I'd like to see a few more higher level implings, its a really fun mini-game. :D

 

Then there would be impling abuse! :(

 

/me rushes off to make a stop impling abuse signature

 

Edit: Here we go! impsig.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Dark, if they do make this game nice for the XP-hungry people, there will be less Chinchompa abuse! :o!I'd like to see a few more higher level implings, its a really fun mini-game. :D
Then there would be impling abuse! :(/me rushes off to make a stop impling abuse signature

 

But Implings steal stuff, so it wouldn't be that bad. :twisted: :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cant wait for the new implings..

 

Any ideas what the implings would be? A Barrows impling perhaps? :wink:

Elricedward.png
Barrows Items: 1x Dharok's Platelegs, 1x Veracs's Plateskirt, 1x Dharok's Greataxe, 2x Torag's Platelegs, 1x Akrisae's War Mace, 1x Ahrim's Robeskirt, 3x Akrisae's Robetop, 1x Guthan's Warspear, 1x Akrisae's Robeskirt, 1x Torag's Helm, 2x Verac's Brassard, 1x Karil's Pistol Crossbow

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cant wait for the new implings..

 

Any ideas what the implings would be? A Barrows impling perhaps? :wink:

 

Perhaps a summoning related impling? It could be a nice way to collect charms.

 

They could also add more items that you get by trading in specific implings. Like the jar generator.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

stackable implings = campers, bad if you want this to stay only for rewards game...

 

personally I just trained to 83 and never imagined jagex will ever update it again, in the past I would doubt there's chance for higher impling...but recently they got the high lvled madness. oh well it all depends how good the impling is, I might train hunter once again since month after this mini-game release :razz:

want_a_box.png
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did anyone else read this and think, "they're gonna finish the Hunter skill"? That's what I got from it. I'm thinking much higher level implings than dragon.

 

That said, I'm not totally sure that implings needed fixing. I suppose the lower level implings could use a boost in rewards, but 83 Hunter is pretty decent money. It will be nice to have some extra experience, but I don't think it should become a serious way to train Hunter.

dgs5.jpg
To put it bluntly, [bleep] off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A "Spirit impling" would be nice.

Would give people who summon for skills a way to get charms from skills.

Those goblin chests don't really count.

 

I seriously hope that they don't raise the XP too much, because if it becomes worthwhile to catch the implings for XP, the people who play for fun and goodies will find there to be competition from those training hunter.

 

 

Zaros Impling, I say, Zaros Impling!

If you jump into a river in Paris, you're insane. If you jump into a river in Egypt, you're in denial.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so many goodies this year. first was the mining update. first time i've ever worked on mining since i became members. then herb update which i'm still waiting on 10k vials for :thumbdown: and now a reason for me to start training hunt again :thumbsup:

michel555555.png

[spoiler=click you know you wanna]
Me behave? Seriously? As a child I saw Tarzan almost naked, Cinderella arrived home from a party after midnight, Pinocchio told lies, Aladin was a thief, Batman drove over 200 miles an hour, Snow White lived in a house with seven men, Popeye smoked a pipe and had tattoos, Pac man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance, and Shaggy and Scooby were mystery solving hippies who always had the munchies. The fault is not mine! if you had this childhood and loved it put this in your signature!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds good. But the point of this game was for rewards rather than experience. As long as they don't make the xp too high it'll be good :D

nabsigmar2011.png

[spoiler=My 99s (7)]9,638th to 99 Fletching ~ 29th January 2007

737th to 99 Hunter ~ 2nd July 2007

910th to 99 Agility ~ 28th January 2008

59,467th to 99 Defence ~ 23rd December 2009

92,762nd to 99 Hitpoints ~ 26th June 2010

102,704th to 99 Attack ~ 29th June 2010

144,091st to 99 Strength ~ 29th June 2010

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like I might need to train my Hunter past 84 then.

Lugia_Lvl138.png

 

4x Phat owner: Blue, Green, 2x Purple

 

3100+ GWD bosses soloed.

Solo GWD Drops:

5 Bandos Plates, 4 Bandos Boots, 3 Bandos Hilts, 2 Arma Helms, Arma Skirt, Arma Plate, 3 Arma Hilts, 4 Zammy Spears, Steam Staff, 15 Sara Swords, 6 Sara Hilts, 29 Shards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.