thetwilitehour
   |
Posted - 2006.03.14 04:19:00 -
[1]
Personally i see a number of problems with the market. The first is artificial scarcity, the second is lack of value for training skills related to R&D, since these skills have such astronomically low odds of paying off in any way. The second problem solution should be considered in addressing the first problem.
Artifical Scarcity means that due to the low number of BPOs, and this number being set at an arbitrarily low number has created a situation where a low number of players control access to certain goods. It is in these players best interest to form monopolies, and to collude to the detrimant of the average consumer. In a game as cutthroat as Eve, who can blame them.
I believe a number of possible solutions can help address the first problem:
A) The most simple would be to scale the availability of t2 BPOs to the size of the playerbase. Decide on a ratio of subscribers to each T2 BPO and have them randomly awarded whenever the game has greater than the required ratio of X:Y where X is the number of BPOs decided upon as being advisable, and Y is the number of subscribers. While this problem would in some ways help address issue 2, it would not totally erase the problem.
B) Get rid of T2 Bpos altogether - instead substitute packs of BPCS. First turn each extisting T2 Bpo into a pack of 1000 BPCS. Allow players to stack and unstack BPCS, and allow them to research the entire stack. Then allow any player to begin research on any BPC. Assign each T2 BPC a "complexity" based on the materials being required to produce it (I.E. ships being more complex than components) as players accumulate research points in the given project, give them a chance each day to finish the the project, with the chance directly related to RPs/Complexity. This problem would make having active R&D characters a valuable integral part of the game.
C) Simply have a small chance that each time a BPO is used in any way (to build or copy) it is destroyed. Whenever a BPO was destroyed a new one could be seeded. This would not directly solve Problem 1, but would most likely cause prices to drop as monopolies were broken up, and would definitely address issue 2.
D) Maintain the current BPO situation, but also offer BPCS in return for RP just like any other offer. Accepting an offer of a BPC wouldnt necessarily terminate a research project, just lower the amount of RPS.
E) Publish (Via in game NPC corps) the location and owner of each BPO, so that those players can be constantly attacked by suiciders in revenge for their advantage taking of the other players due to dumb luck [Probably wouldnt solve either problem but it would be fun]
F) Create skills that would require some of the R&D skills that would allow illegal copies of BPOs/BPCs with an increasing chance of product failure (the more improved and or copied the bpo is the higher chance of failure) This would help alleviate the market problems but not really deal with the low value of R&D skills depending on the probabilities of useless goods.
G) Make T2 BPCs available as mission rewards/Offer rewards and or rare NPC spawns. Would help address issue 1 but not issue 2.
I know I probably nearly or totally copied some other peoples solutions here, sorry. Many of these solutions could be applied in tandem. Please dont try to tell me there is nothing wrong and this is a "supply/demand" situation, because it isnt. In a real supply/demand situation the market fluctuates in response to the demand. In this situation the price of goods goes up higher and higher no matter the demand no new suppliers are ever created. Truly some players will be screwed by any changes to T2 goods, but as it is the vast majority of players are being unfairly screwed, so people with T2 BPOs claiming the market is fine and arguing over triviliaties you dont get much sympathy from me, you are clearly mouthing any self serving justification you can think of. I do feel bad for ppl who bought T2 BPOS.
|