Devilish Ledoux
Caldari
Jericho Fraction
The Star Fraction
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Posted - 2007.09.18 04:58:00 -
[1]
Speaking as an inventor, I have no serious problem with the existence of T2 BPOs. I had a problem with the way they were handed out, because it was all about blind luck. I also hate that those who enjoyed monopolies before invention were able to use their profits to assemble huge T2 BPO portfolios, making them even richer. In short, I hate the legacy of the T2 lottery, not the BPOs themselves.
But the truth is, there really isn't a good way to fix it without screwing over people who got rich operating perfectly legitimate businesses that were well within intended game mechanics. And it's equally true that there probably aren't THAT many super-rich people, anyway. So hey, I'm willing to let it slide.
As for profitability, I invested about 500 million to get started with module invention (not counting the money I made grinding faction standings), and I probably could have done it more cheaply if I'd started smaller. I made back my initial investment, invested another 400 million to set up a research POS and I'll make that back in another couple of weeks.
I can run 10 lines of production at a time, so I can make 100 modules in one run. In the same amount of time, a BPO holder could make perhaps 20 or 30 of the same modules (dependent on its production efficiency). The BPO produces modules much more cheaply per unit, but while my profit margin is smaller per module, I make more money, thanks to my added volume than the BPO holder would make with a single BPO on a single production line.
I am assuming that T2 BPOs still copy slower than they produce, giving an incentive to BPO holders to produce, rather than copy, with their BPOs. Also, this becomes less true when a BPO holder owns several profitable blueprints and maintains constant production. However, considering ISK investment required to own multiple T2 BPOs, I have no problem with this.
Also, unlike BPO holders, I am able to shift my production to whatever is most profitable at the time. This means I'm able shift my invention/production goals to capitalize on sudden price surges and minimize damage caused by price crashes.
(Yes, yes, I know. TL;DR.)
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