Gradual Reduction in MF Effectiveness

[JustAGuy]

This has been mentioned before, and shot down just as quickly. But, allow me to postulate.

Take these points:
1. Magic Find has been increased in effectiveness.
2. Quality of drops has been increased.
3. Bosses drop big first, then drop smaller afterward (big = better).
4. Pindleskin has been reduced in his drop probabilites.
5. Monster drops are dependent on the area (champs are +1? can't remember the numbers. Refer to nobbie's guide).

From these points, it seems that Blizzard wants players to find their gear by playing through Hell, any and all acts. Good drops can happen anywhere, so these changes make any amount of magic find applicable all throughout the game.

Now, take for instance a player who does "runs", killing the same monster(s) over and over for the potential of the unique or set item that he(they) drop. This is a cheap way of getting the good items, albeit time consuming. What benefit would it be for Blizzard to allow the best items in the game to be found so easily? Is it so unfathomable that Blizzard could have added some anti-run server-side code?

No one has knows or has read the code for the server side version of Diablo II, other than the developers, as far as I know. It could be substantially bigger and more complicated (and most likely is) than the client code.

I believe that the developers have added some sort of mechanism to the game which gradually reduces the effectiveness of your character's total magic find. Adding more MF seems to make no difference, because anything added after the base amount has been lowered, is already too low.

This is all conjecture at this point. All I can provide as evidence is my account of the numerous runs I've done. They first started at ~200% MF using a sorceress. Drops were good, fantastic even. On average, I completed about 20 runs in 1/2 hour. Of those 20 runs, 18 produced at least a unique or set item, 2 being only rares.

My MF increased to 497%, and the drops got better, but not for long. More runs followed at slightly better drop percentage (more uniques, but not many).

My MF increased a final time to 502%, and the unique and set drops seem to have ceased all together. 500% should be practically guaranteeing a set or unique per drop. This is not the case. Uniques are the exception, rather than the rule. While doing runs against Pindleskin and Mephisto, they commonly drop only rares, and every once in a while you'll get a normal or exceptional unique -- rarely a high end exceptional or elite unique.

My last 50 runs or so have yielded nothing but gold pieces (not literally, I just sold the crap that dropped). I am led to believe that the gradual decrease in quality of my drops is attributed to killing the same monster over and over. Either my MF has been reduced all together, or the effective drop probability of the monster has been reduced. Instead of 20 runs giving 10 medicore drops and 8 good drops, its more like 20 runs giving 1 medicore drop only.

The only other thing that could be causing the runs to produce garbage is the amount of MF. Perhaps 500% is causing some wonky cacluation wherein the chance for rares being dropped is higher than the chance for unique/set. To test (again, not an emperical test), I kept my non-MF weapon equipped for a number of runs, thereby reducing my total MF to around 400%. The drop statistics seemed the same. Really, the only way I can establish a pattern is with volume and strict charting of the drops.

Some people have tried to go kill other champions and bosses, as a form of resetting the "counter". I believe that either the monster has an effective drop probability that is only modifyable server-side, which decreases per time killed. What this would mean is that a character built for running, or MFing, would only have a limited life span before it becomes useless. Either that, or each piece of equipment is reduced by a percentage, leaving the character to re-equip with new MF gear. Certainly not a favourable option.

I wish I could prove it. All I have is my impression on numerous, and I'm talking numerous, runs of Mephisto and Pindleskin.

Since my Ice Orb MF'er has become practically useless with 502% MF, it looks like it's time to retire her and make a new MF'er. Maybe a hammerdin this time.

Anyone care to chime in? Anyone know something I don't with regards to this issue?

ASIDE: Why do I do these runs in the first place? Well, there's always room for improvement in my gear. I'd actually stop if I found the following items:
1. Herald of Zakarum
2. Azurewrath Phase Blade
3. Griswold's Set