Booster Pack Eligibility

[Rorolina]

Hi all,

I just reached lvl 50, and I recalled reading somewhere in the community that you should get 2-3 booster packs per week due to the 100% drop rate. However, up until now, I have not received anything. Can someone please share some insights on this? Below is the Trading FAQ that I read, and I was level 20-30 before the summer sales, so I can't understand that a 40-60% may result in 0 chance, but now with 100%, there should be some packs dropped into my inventory, is that right?

How can I get a booster pack?
Once you have received all of your card drops, you become eligible for a booster pack, which is a set of 3 trading cards that may include both basic and foil cards. Booster packs are granted randomly to eligible users as more badges are crafted by members of the community. Make sure you log in to Steam each week to maintain eligibility.

Once eligible, your Steam Level increases your rate of receiving a booster pack drop:
Level 10: +20% increase in your drop rate
Level 20: +40% increase in your drop rate
Level 30: +60% increase in your drop rate
Level 40: +80% increase in your drop rate
Level 50: +100% increase in your drop rate (i.e. the rate has doubled)
Etc.

[SpunkyJones]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

How so. They tell you how your drop rate is affected by level. . people like the OP just misinterpret that due to a lack of understanding relating to percentages and probability. At no point do you actually spend money to obtain boostrer packs.. They are literally just a random part of life

You "have no qualms that they are implemented in an unethical way" as well ? :P

Unethical? Its math.

[Ghola]

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

At no point do you actually spend money to obtain boostrer packs.. They are literally just a random part of life

You MUST be joking! :))

[Start_Running]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

How so. They tell you how your drop rate is affected by level. . people like the OP just misinterpret that due to a lack of understanding relating to percentages and probability. At no point do you actually spend money to obtain boostrer packs.. They are literally just a random part of life

You "have no qualms that they are implemented in an unethical way" as well ? :P

WHat's unethical about it?
The fact that it doesn't conform to your or the OP's misunderstanding?
Reality doesn't conform to personal fantasy.
The system is based on maths, and probability, and as has been demonstrated by an entire induistry, many people lack the mathematical wherewithall to understand how probability works.

You don't spend money to acquire booster packs sop you don't miss anything by not getting one. When you do get one...well that's like finding a $20 bill at the bus stop.. Lucky day.

[Darren]

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Yeah, this should be posted under "Surprise mechanics" topic. ;)

How so. They tell you how your drop rate is affected by level. . people like the OP just misinterpret that due to a lack of understanding relating to percentages and probability. At no point do you actually spend money to obtain boostrer packs.. They are literally just a random part of life

Yeah it's very random, plus depends heavily on the games you own and how many people actually craft badges for that game in the first place. I'm probably getting them about every 2 months or so. But it's always a different game (and I own a lot of games) except for X-COM 2 which I've owned and been eligible for boosters since it's launch over 4 years ago and I've only gotten 2 for that game.

[Ghola]

Ok, I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore. For all the new players reading this:
If you want to raise your Steam level you MUST "invest" HUNDREDS (at first) and then THOUSANDS of dollars into Steam games, badges and gem sacks. The more money you put in Steam, the more "booster packs" you will get. What you do with your money on Steam is up to you and soon the law makers of all the EU.

[Start_Running]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Ok, I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore. For all the new players reading this:
If you want to raise your Steam level you MUST "invest" HUNDREDS (at first) and then THOUSANDS of dollars into Steam games, badges and gem sacks. The more money you put in Steam, the more "booster packs" you will get. What you do with your money on Steam is up to you and soon the law makers of all the EU.

Incorrect on all fronts..

Now lets leave off that steam levels are basically something you can safely ignore.

- Next. You do not have to spend 100's of dollars. You can get quite a few for free, just by trading cards, and participating in seasonal events. Gem sacks are just a means of recycling cards you don't want.

- Having a higher level increases the chance of getting booster packs, It does not increase the number. Learn probability. I know some people twice my level who haven't seen as many booster packs as I have and I know people half my level that have gotten more.

Though I would really like to know what level of severe head trauma one needs to sustain to decide to spend hundreds of dollars for the purpose of raising steam levels....I would really like to know because that's putting the cart infront of a dead horse going the wrong way down a one-way street.


Your misunderstanding of basic math and probability is becoming less funny and more tragic with every post.

[cinedine]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

How so. They tell you how your drop rate is affected by level. . people like the OP just misinterpret that due to a lack of understanding relating to percentages and probability. At no point do you actually spend money to obtain boostrer packs.. They are literally just a random part of life

You "have no qualms that they are implemented in an unethical way" as well ? :P

Oh boy, you don't want to know about the random distribution I guess. Or certain event "games" they've run.

You want to know what I do to stop them? Nothing. That's not a hill worth dying on.
I don't give a flying about levels, I keep the cards for the five levels and sell any over, and I craft just enough levels during a sale I can afford with the left over from buying the games I am interest in and sell the rest.

Oh, and I keep my distance from people who think level matters.

[Ghola]

Kerry Hopkins, Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs @ Electronic Arts, telling the "truth": They’re not loot boxes, they’re surprise mechanics, and they’re quite ethical.

Shills: "But it's just basic meth. How can you be so thick and not get it that it's pure METH!"

"How much money have you spend on steam?"
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/7/1729827777337035437/

[Start_Running]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Kerry Hopkins, Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs @ Electronic Arts, telling the "truth": They’re not loot boxes, they’re surprise mechanics, and they’re quite ethical.

Not incorrect. Surprise mechanics are legal and they are common place in things like Game Shows for example. Purchasing Sighty unseen is also a thing, a legal thing. It's only gambling if you approach it like a complete doof, or have a mindset very suseptible to such stimulus.

Not sure what that has to do with booster packs though. You don't buy them (unless you count gems which you get from recycling cards you don't want). And as said, before, the advertising is legit. , its just that people generally have no clue how priobability works (which is indicative of a failure in the education system).

Or to dumb it down a bit. for any given booster card pack there are 1000 people eligible.. That puts your baseline chance at 0.001%. If your level gives you a +100% chance. congrats you now have a 0.002% chance. which means you have a statistically insignificant though very real increase in your chances. That's actually what makes it fun. You can have a low level like me and still get booster packs.

What really increases your chances is being eligible in a game that sees a lot of badge crafting. WHich means ironically you're more likely to get boosters for thiose cheap card spam games than say for legit games.

"How much money have you spend on steam?"
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/7/1729827777337035437/

Yeah and most of those dollars were spent on ...gasp games.

[Ghola]

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Kerry Hopkins, Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs @ Electronic Arts, telling the "truth": They’re not loot boxes, they’re surprise mechanics, and they’re quite ethical.

Not incorrect. Surprise mechanics are legal and they are common place in things like Game Shows for example. Purchasing Sighty unseen is also a thing, a legal thing. It's only gambling if you approach it like a complete doof, or have a mindset very suseptible to such stimulus.

Not sure what that has to do with booster packs though. You don't buy them (unless you count gems which you get from recycling cards you don't want). And as said, before, the advertising is legit. , its just that people generally have no clue how priobability works (which is indicative of a failure in the education system).

Or to dumb it down a bit. for any given booster card pack there are 1000 people eligible.. That puts your baseline chance at 0.001%. If your level gives you a +100% chance. congrats you now have a 0.002% chance. which means you have a statistically insignificant though very real increase in your chances. That's actually what makes it fun. You can have a low level like me and still get booster packs.

What really increases your chances is being eligible in a game that sees a lot of badge crafting. WHich means ironically you're more likely to get boosters for thiose cheap card spam games than say for legit games.

"How much money have you spend on steam?"
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/7/1729827777337035437/

Yeah and most of those dollars were spent on ...gasp games.

NO MORE loot boxes, microtransactions, booster packs, gems, keys,RNG, gambling and other such "surprise mechanics" in our video games! Do you agree?

[Ghola]

Messaggio originale di Rorolina:

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

My level has been between 100 and 109 for YEARS ( two or three), had 130+ of popular games (ELIGIBLE, as Steam shills sure like this word) during that time and I have not seen any booster packs all those years. The other day I reached level 110 and surprise, a booster pack in my inventory! I think I might have received a booster pack every 10 levels, on top of the 0.00000000n% chance to receive one when a badge is made.

Grats.

I'm level 50+, and still nothing. I suppose Steam conned us with what they said. That 10xxx% chances is just bullcrap.

It is a P2W(pay to win) system. They even specify it, probably obliged by US laws:
"What is the point of my Steam Level?
The Steam Level is a quick way for users to see how much someone has invested in their Steam account."

[Rorolina]

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

Kerry Hopkins, Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs @ Electronic Arts, telling the "truth": They’re not loot boxes, they’re surprise mechanics, and they’re quite ethical.

Not incorrect. Surprise mechanics are legal and they are common place in things like Game Shows for example. Purchasing Sighty unseen is also a thing, a legal thing. It's only gambling if you approach it like a complete doof, or have a mindset very suseptible to such stimulus.

Not sure what that has to do with booster packs though. You don't buy them (unless you count gems which you get from recycling cards you don't want). And as said, before, the advertising is legit. , its just that people generally have no clue how priobability works (which is indicative of a failure in the education system).

Or to dumb it down a bit. for any given booster card pack there are 1000 people eligible.. That puts your baseline chance at 0.001%. If your level gives you a +100% chance. congrats you now have a 0.002% chance. which means you have a statistically insignificant though very real increase in your chances. That's actually what makes it fun. You can have a low level like me and still get booster packs.

What really increases your chances is being eligible in a game that sees a lot of badge crafting. WHich means ironically you're more likely to get boosters for thiose cheap card spam games than say for legit games.

"How much money have you spend on steam?"
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/7/1729827777337035437/

Yeah and most of those dollars were spent on ...gasp games.

The biggest factor here is the 'x' value used as the baseline chance. I agree with your thoughts on the multiplier, but the 'x' value here is the one that is held as a secret, and, who knows, they can always tweak it to a lower/higher based on their whims and fancies. That I think is the biggest problem.

[Darren]

Messaggio originale di Rorolina:

Messaggio originale di Start_Running:

Not incorrect. Surprise mechanics are legal and they are common place in things like Game Shows for example. Purchasing Sighty unseen is also a thing, a legal thing. It's only gambling if you approach it like a complete doof, or have a mindset very suseptible to such stimulus.

Not sure what that has to do with booster packs though. You don't buy them (unless you count gems which you get from recycling cards you don't want). And as said, before, the advertising is legit. , its just that people generally have no clue how priobability works (which is indicative of a failure in the education system).

Or to dumb it down a bit. for any given booster card pack there are 1000 people eligible.. That puts your baseline chance at 0.001%. If your level gives you a +100% chance. congrats you now have a 0.002% chance. which means you have a statistically insignificant though very real increase in your chances. That's actually what makes it fun. You can have a low level like me and still get booster packs.

What really increases your chances is being eligible in a game that sees a lot of badge crafting. WHich means ironically you're more likely to get boosters for thiose cheap card spam games than say for legit games.


Yeah and most of those dollars were spent on ...gasp games.

The biggest factor here is the 'x' value used as the baseline chance. I agree with your thoughts on the multiplier, but the 'x' value here is the one that is held as a secret, and, who knows, they can always tweak it to a lower/higher based on their whims and fancies. That I think is the biggest problem.

There is a 100% chance that a boost pack will be created once anyone crafts a badge. The problem you have is the number of other eligible people (and their relative levels) is information you don't have. The chance of you getting a booster is directly related that that and can change constantly (due to people leveling accounts with crafted badges, more people finishing up the necessary play time to become eligible including obviously new purchases, and people dropping off the list due to account inactivity).

[cinedine]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

NO MORE loot boxes, microtransactions, booster packs, gems, keys,RNG, gambling and other such "surprise mechanics" in our video games! Do you agree?

Please stop.
Great you just found out about it. The market has already decided it wants this stuff. You are free to ignore these mechanics and vote with your wallet like everyone else.

[Start_Running]

Messaggio originale di Ghola:

NO MORE loot boxes, microtransactions, booster packs, gems, keys,RNG, gambling and other such "surprise mechanics" in our video games! Do you agree?

So. DOn't buy and play those games, though if you rule out surprise mechanics you pretty much rule out a whole slew of games Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Every MMO out there, Diablo... But hey as said. You're free to not buy/play those games. And Others are free to play the games they want.

Messaggio originale di Rorolina:

The biggest factor here is the 'x' value used as the baseline chance. I agree with your thoughts on the multiplier, but the 'x' value here is the one that is held as a secret, and, who knows, they can always tweak it to a lower/higher based on their whims and fancies. That I think is the biggest problem.

That X is pretty easy to estimate though. Use the number of people that own anyy given game (take the review numbers and multiply by 10. And that will fgive you a fair baseline of your chances. And yes the number is guaranteed to be abysmally small since a game has to make at least 100 units through steam to quaklify for card drops let alone boosters. So your best case base line is 0.01%.

They don't have to tweak anything. It is guaranteed that someone will get the extra booster created when someone crafts a badge. It's just a matter of who.

Messaggio originale di Darren:

There is a 100% chance that a boost pack will be created once anyone crafts a badge. The problem you have is the number of other eligible people (and their relative levels) is information you don't have. The chance of you getting a booster is directly related that that and can change constantly (due to people leveling accounts with crafted badges, more people finishing up the necessary play time to become eligible including obviously new purchases, and people dropping off the list due to account inactivity).

And even if they did have some auto updating thingie for it, that wouldn't solve the real problem. Remember we're talking about people who see a 20% chance as meaning that they will get 1 drop out of every 5. Humans without proper grouunding in maths have a very poor time of wrapping their heads around probability, and where their understanding falls short, their fantasies will fill in the gaps.