Paddlefoot Aeon
Neogen Industries
Daisho Syndicate
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Posted - 2008.04.18 14:44:00 -
[2]
Lets rephrase it this way:
1. Mining is highsec should be pretty safe
2. Mining in lowsec should be dangerous
3. Mining in 0.0 should be very dangerous
1.1 - Highsec is rich in Trit, Pyerite, and some Mex.
2.1 - Lowsec has the above, plus good sources for Isogen and Nocxium
3.1 - 0.0 has both of the above, plus Zydrine, Megacyte and Morphite.
I remember in December 2005 (when I started playing), prices were as follows:
Trit: less than 2 isk
Pyerite: ~4 isk
Megacyte: ~ 8-10 isk
Isogen: 100-110 isk
Nocxium: ~500 isk
Zydrine: 3900-4200 isk
Megacyte: 4600-4900 isk
Morphite: ~10,000 isk... though there was not demand for this due to 0.0 T2 cartels.
If you look at those prices, and what minerals were available in which areas of space, you get:
1.3 - Highsec being safe, but not that profitable
2.3 - Lowsec being dangerous, but you could nicely clean up on Isogen and Nocx
3.3 - 0.0 being very dangerous, but a proper mining op with a tank and scouts could pull in great ISK.
So... the riskier you got, the more ISK you could stand to make.
Lets look at today:
While 0.0 still remains the best ISK/hour location for mining, 2 things have upset the balance:
A. Trit greatly increasing in price
B. Isogen and Nocxium greatly dropping in value
As it stands now (in the ISK per m3 calculations), veldspar is worth more than any roid found in lowsec. So here is the current situtation:
1.4 - Highsec is mostly safe, and fairly profitable
2.4 - Lowsec is dangerous, and is not as profitable as highsec
3.4 - 0.0 is the most profitable mining area, but far below previous levels.
Doing anything to constrict the supply of trit will only serve to further imbalance this risk/reward model.
Now, I agree that minerals should come from miners, and I agree that price caps are bad (free market ftw). But since the Devs are Removing the economy's method of producing large amounts of trit (from shuttles), another mechanic has to be introduced to allow people to mine larger amounds of trit over a particular time period.
Give a mining barge (skiff, lets say) a role bonus to trit mining. And while you are at it, increase the capacity of Veld roids so that they don't pop in 2 cycles. Seed way more trit in the game (by increasing veld quantity), so that you still need miners to meet supply (not just perfect refiners).
Cut the Nocx and Isogen quantities dropped from Rogue Drones, in an attempt to help lowsec recover some profitability.
Again, I agree with all the reasons that NPC shuttle orders were removed. BUT... the side effects of this decision need to be addressed.
I eagerly await the dev blog announcing this solution.
Now Recruiting. Join "Neogen" channel for details
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