Keva
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Posted - 2005.02.01 00:01:00 -
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Edited by: Keva on 01/02/2005 05:38:34
Edited by: Keva on 01/02/2005 05:37:52
This solution may seem radical but I think it would remove the whole "no slots" problem while still making location important.
You can't own a reprocessing plant, you can own the market. But effectively you can "own" a lab slot. As long as you pay the rent and aren't subject to bugs the slot you "rent" today could still be yours 5 years from now. Why not a simpler easier method?
Also 1 run BPC have ruined manufacturing. They also clog up escrow etc. Up till now they have been the easiest method to "print money" in eve. It takes no skill.
Step 1) Mine/fight/steal enough isk to buy BPO
Step 2) Research BPO to whatever ME lvl matters
Step 3) Make copies of BPO and sell on escrow until the end of time
Not a whole lot of skill. You simple need lots of isk, and luck of getting a lab slot early and essentially you have a license to print money.
My (IMHO) solution
Slots can't be owned. 1 run BPC don't exist.
You have a BPO and want to research it or copy it. You click on the lab icon and there are no slots listed instead a simple display showing the cost of a slot, the number of current slots available, the number (if any) BPO currently in qeuee, and the estimated queue length (in days,hours,minutes,etc).
You decide to use this lab and click rent lab icon. Now if their are open lab slots it informs you of the cost.
If there are no open lab slots it informs you of the queue time, and cost.
Costs are varaible depending on the usage rate of the station.
If you accept it asks you what you want to do (research ME/research PE/copy). Then it shows how much work can be completed in one cycle (i.e +3ME, +1PE, a 25 run copy, etc) and if you accept it deducts the isk and takes your BPO.
A tab in the wallet would show the location of your "working BPO" and give an option to cancel. It would also show all your BPO in queue and the estimated start time. If you cancel you lose and work in progress and the cost of the slot and the BPO is ejected in same condition it entered. Maybe CCP could allow you to cancel "in-queue" bpo without losing isk or maybe just a portion is returned (cancelation fee). Something for the content team to tweak.
Assuming the work isn't canceled 5 days later the BPO is ejected with the "work" done and the slot either goes to available status or the next BPO in queue is loaded.
IF your BPO is in queue you are given an evemail that research has begun and a timestamp of when the research will be complete (current time + 5 days).
Notice their is no option to "re-rent" or keep the slot. When you rent the slot their will be a checkbox to re-enter queue when complete. If their is nobody in queue you would go right back into a labslot, but if their is somebody in the queue then you would enter the end of the line.
Notice also their was no option for the number of runs, or how many levels of ME research. The slot will do the amount of work that can be done in five days (based on your skills).
Examples:
you load a BS BP and select copy. 5 days later a 4 run copy and your BPO is ejected.
you have research 5 and load the same BS BP and select copy. 5 days later a 5 run copy and your BPO is ejected.
you load a frigate BPO and select copy. 5 days later a 25 run BPC is ejected along with your BPO.
you load a cruiser BPO and select ME research. 5 days later the BPO is ejected and ME stat has incresed by 3.
Now a couple of issues. What about fractional work. i.e 5 days/ME time might result in +2.7 ME. Or a frigate BP might produce 26.1 copies.
The system woudl simply increase the cost/time of the uaage to cover the next whole number.
i.e a cruiser BP can gain 2.7ME in 5 days. Slot cost is 1million isk. You would be informed your rental is for 6days 1 hour and costs 1.27 million isk. At the completion your ME is +3.
Now these numbers are off the top of my head but I think you get the point.
Basicly what would happen is in high traffic systems their would be long queue and high cost. mid traffic systems may have high cost but no (or short) queues. Low traffic systems likely woudl have low costs and no queues.
Also their would be no way to "hoard", "hijack" or resell slots. Simply because you never own the slot. When your BPO is done it is ejected and the next persons BPO is loaded.
Researched could decide to either research their BPO is a high traffic system for high cost and wait a longet time (due to rotation in the queue) or they could move the BPO to a lower traffic (maybe lower sec system) for a cheaper price and faster time but would risk losing the BPO is pirates.
You could possibly see secure BPO convoys. aka a corp organizes a BPO moving day in which the BPO is loaded into a T2 indy (high resist, high speed) and accompanied by a large number of BS, cruisers, interceptor
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