Overview

The recently introduced Weekly Fishing Contest presents itself as a competitive event, but in practice, it functions more as a random lottery than a contest of skill or dedication. The structure currently undermines player agency and disincentivizes active or strategic participation. Below are my thoughts and suggestions based on the first two weeks of the system.

Fish Size Formula - Too Random to Reward Effort

One core issue lies in the fish size determination formula. Based on observed data, fish sizes follow a heavily skewed distribution, where exceptionally large specimens (that place on the leaderboard) have extremely low probability.

This results in outcomes that are almost entirely determined by chance. A dedicated player can only improve their odds marginally by catching more fish (i.e., increasing sample size), but even this advantage is limited due to the extreme variance in the results and the sometimes low odds of obtaining the target species. This turns what should be a test of fishing skill or persistence into a high-variance roll of the dice.

The issue is that there is no way to influence outcomes of this formula.

Previously the fish size was based on the Player's total capture count of the species and provided size brackets.

It is a wise choice to get rid of size brackets, since it would have been impossible for some players to compete at all in cases where their capture count was not enough.

However there should still be some way to increase one's odds at obtaining larger sized fish.

As I suggested many times before, I really wish to see a clear separation between active and AFK fishing.

For example you could grant generally improved odds when active fishing (minigame was played), or by using energy on your cast.

You could also introduce new gear like floats, lightstone sets, consumables (food, paste bait, ...) that attract larger fish sizes or even specific fish species.

Player Dedication - Currently Undervalued

1. Equipment Choices

While it's a good idea that players can optimize with floats and Lightstone sets, the real-world effect of these optimizations is minimal.

Often, targeting rare fish leads to lower silver income, making the contest less rewarding. 

The choice is binary and shallow: go for profit or go for leaderboard RNG, with no meaningful middle ground or synergy.

2. Active Fishing vs. AFK Fishing

In theory, active fishing should provide an edge, but:

- Many contest fishing spots are economically unviable.
- For example, Coastal Cave (East) during the Rainbow Sardine week provided only Rainbow Sardine and Ancient Relic Shards, the latter being of very low value.
- Actively fishing these spots simply doesn't provide meaningful rewards outside of the contest, making the time investment questionable.

- The extremely low catch rate for contest species means that even active players may go an entire week without landing a qualifying fish, making the effort feel unrewarding and futile.

As a result, there's little real benefit to active, engaged play - whether it's gear investment or player time.

Spending active time fishing for this contest is more than just a big risk at getting no appropriate rewards, it is effectively a waste of time from the start:

In fact grinding for just 2-3 hours already provides more economic value than the number 1 contest reward. Unfortunately the choice of where to spend active time is clear.

Reward Structure - Unbalanced and Discouraging

Top 100 Only

Restricting rewards to only the top 100 players globally (per species and region) is highly discouraging, especially when outcomes are random and participation levels vary wildly.

- During the Sea Eel contest on EU servers, for example, the eligible fishing spot was Velia Beach, one of the most trafficked areas in the game. This led to a massive number of participants, significantly reducing the chances of ranking - even for dedicated players.

Suggested Improvements:

1. Introduce Tiered Rewards - Consider rewards for hitting predefined size thresholds (e.g., catch a fish above 100%, 200%, 300% of the average size rating).
2. Add Participation Rewards - For example, give the current rank 100 reward to players who submit qualifying catches for at least 2 out of the 3 contest species. This keeps participation incentivized without reducing the value of top placements.
3. Regional Bracketing or Scaling - Balance leaderboard slots or rewards based on regional participation numbers to prevent over-saturation in high-population areas. For example reward brackets for a size being in the top 5/10/30/50% of all submitted sizes.

Conclusion - RNG is not Competition

In its current form, the Weekly Fishing Contest does not reward skill, dedication, or knowledge, but rather pure RNG and mass participation. As a result:

- Player investment (whether time or silver) is not meaningfully rewarded.
- Active, strategic play is undervalued.
- Rewards are inconsistent and often unattainable for all but the luckiest players.

For these reasons, I won't be actively participating in future contests unless significant changes are made to reward structure, player agency, and fishing spot balance.

I hope this feedback provides a useful perspective from the player side, and I'd love to see this system evolve into something that better rewards thoughtful engagement and sustained effort.

agreed.

The current "best" way to "participate" is to ignore it. But even if you rank enough to land a reward, you have to go check for it. And there is no notification or indicator that the weekly targets have updated. This thing is just about invisible.

This is a key flaw of the existing system.  A competition needs to reward player's efforts, not their luck.

Another catch-up mechanic in disguise. 

That is a good point.  We could see this as a way for new fishers to explore the world, see what different spots give, etc.  And, if they're lucky, they get a big bonus.  Meanwhile, the established fishers can stick to their usual spot (if not overrun that week) and aim for the consistent silver, or go for the Prize fish tier.

Still, it would be nice if there was a way for player effort to be represented here without relying on level or mastery.  Active fishing is one good idea.  Perhaps having deeper spots (i.e. ocean) give larger fish would be another.

I think the actual point of this fishing contest, according to PA, is "mass participation". In other words to have as many players online as possible, 24/7, doesn't matter if afk or not. (AFK-Desert-Online, according to comments by certain youtube creators). 

Because of this all your very reasonable and on point suggestions might sadly not be taken into account because fairness, bigger chance, skill contest, etc, is not the goal of this.

ppl actually care about this? i didnt even read the event - "more rng idc"

Agree 100%

tryed it the first round, caught 1 rainbow sardine and quit.

if you want to make this crap remoatly worth it, every spot needs red fish like Corvs and Bats, make keys/shards/bottles caught along side the fish not on there own. make your crontent more fair for the player, anvils should all be halfed if not 25% of there current numbers.

your greed is driving players away more

stop this practice of giveing 10% with one hand to disquise the fact you are taking away 30% with the other