figmentPez
Staff member
New post to the TF2 Official Blog: Thanks for standin still, wanker.
I'm really happy that change is coming. I've been one of the unlucky ones who rarely got items. I've played for more than four hours of game-time without receiving a single item, only to have the next one I found be something I already had. Not really that much time, compared to some, but a hefty chunk of my total time spent playing any game. Well, at least I got my Max's Severed Head, Lugermorph and Big Kill.
There's more about the effects of the changes, and the reasoning behind not making any great change, at the link.Today we're shipping some significant changes to the item drop system.
* Previously, we rolled randomly at intervals to see if you got an item drop. Now we roll to determine when your next item drop will occur. So you're guaranteed to find items at fairly regular intervals. The bulk of drop complaints we've received in the past have been from players having unlucky streaks, where they didn't find any items for weeks. That won't be possible now.
* We've significantly increased the rate at which item drops occur, compared to the previous average interval.
* There's now a maximum amount of playtime per week in which you get item drops. Playing beyond that amount won't find any more items. The amount varies, but if you play an hour or so a day you're good. Some of your unused time will rollover to the following week, so if you're an intermittent player you'll also be fine.
I'm really happy that change is coming. I've been one of the unlucky ones who rarely got items. I've played for more than four hours of game-time without receiving a single item, only to have the next one I found be something I already had. Not really that much time, compared to some, but a hefty chunk of my total time spent playing any game. Well, at least I got my Max's Severed Head, Lugermorph and Big Kill.