And now I guess I can add another idiocy to the list, because I can do math...

I made gripes about this before more on my end of the mix, but, finally, today I've become convinced (and at least one player has (if he's not yanking my chain -- and I'll know about that tonight) confirmed it) that the lot system has basically been hacked beyond all recognition too!

Would be no realistic surprise: Consider how much of end-game actually revolves around said lot system, and you would see the motivations. See how much botting goes on, and you realize that the ability to basically get in to the lot system (effectively, hacking the game) is almost trivial to these jackasses.

So, last night (more, this very early morning -- we spent most of yesterday doing more shopping for my roommate, and my roommate putting together my Christmas present (logistical reasons -- we both expect a "crimson Christmas", for one...)) I'm in Campaign, starting to work on levelling my DNC now that my DRG is fully merited and capped.

So, a small Union (not one of these grandiose 15-member jobs) goes out in Batallia in the Shadowrealm, and, after the battle, we get three small items.

This one jackalope lots over 800 on ALL THREE ITEMS. If this guy is that consistently lucky (even lotting 800+ on all three is 125-1), I want him on my next Vegas trip.

So, I finally decided to let loose (not to the player directly) about the lot system. I'm lucky to see one effective-discard item every fourth or fifth battle. I'm routinely seeing players win multiple items (in fact, the last effective-discard I won, the other nine items went 3 each to THREE DIFFERENT PLAYERS) in the same battle.

After this, at first I thought I heard a player being sarcastic about it. So I wanted to see if he was.

If he's not putting on a damned good mask (and I'll know it by his conduct in Dynamis tonight -- I'll explain), sounds like he can confirm that, in fact, lot-botting is going on all over the place.

His story: He was in a former Dynamis shell and left because he found out that he could never really get a drop because people were lot-botting out from under him.

Well, I previously discussed on this blog what we do in Lengendary, and he was interested in getting in. Kiana, our leader, got me sack privileges (without telling me) some time back, and has asked us to recruit people to get our numbers and attendance up. So, clearly telling the guy that we aren't the best Dynamis LS around (but, I will still assert, the fairest), I get my first open recruit.

We'll see how that goes tonight.

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Bonus Idiocies on the FFXI Internet:

And, in more evidence of what my roommate and I call "Teh Stupid (It Burns!!)":

Ringthree, if you want me to die in a fire, set it, bitch.

When you post that Square-Enix is trying to get FFXIV out quicker than most people expect, ask yourself why... Either they're playing us for absolute rubes (without standing to actually sue them), or they're trying to retire FFXI as quickly as humanly possible knowing you people have pissed on it's grave.