Post by Kitsunenotsume on Nov 10, 2018 1:51:05 GMT -5
Context:
I've been pondering, for some time, two separate problems: How to maintain a Technological advantage while still running a business; and how the heck to equalize schematic returns from different values of gear and armor.
The first is the question of how a PC crafter can reasonably be assured that they can sell a design they have mastered without instantly being knocked off the market by competitors willing to purchase a copy and craft knockoffs at lower cost.
Under the current system, a crafter can't be the main purveyor of a technology without releasing it to his competition, by selling it to one folk, or an intermediary who turns it over, amps it;s level, and can now produce what you can, and may have the money behind them to craft it cheaper. I've heard a few potential solutions, from adding a tag to PC crafted items to 'lock' them from copy, or simply marking PC-made goods and reducing progress from deconstructing those items by a percentage or to the same quantity granted by a Schematic if they are not in a party with someone who knows how to make it.
The second is the matter of inconsistent progress from different values of items. Leather gloves and plate gauntlets can take the same mods, but at any level, the leather gloves are worth so much less, and provide proportionally lower return.since pretty much all loot is acquired on a similar base, the difference in value between one and the next is massive and can result in the difference between being able to craft a design or not. I pondered somewhat with ideas like providing a ramp for lower cost armors and weapons, but that results in its own skewed economies.
Suggestion:
The solution I think is most consistent and favorable would be the ultimately simple means would be to make *all* deconstructions give the same quantity as a schematic, which solves the 'leather/heavy armor' dichotomy.
No need to ramp gear, and finding a piece of low level loot with a mod is just as valuable as the schematic. On the crafting competition side, it means you don't get punted out of business with one sale to the wrong folk.
This doesn't solve the issue of making rank 1 gear with a mod on it, but that might be addressable by tying mods to item level: basically "The item must be at least this good a quality to have this mod", which automatically solves the minimum cost for selling various schematics.
I've been pondering, for some time, two separate problems: How to maintain a Technological advantage while still running a business; and how the heck to equalize schematic returns from different values of gear and armor.
The first is the question of how a PC crafter can reasonably be assured that they can sell a design they have mastered without instantly being knocked off the market by competitors willing to purchase a copy and craft knockoffs at lower cost.
Under the current system, a crafter can't be the main purveyor of a technology without releasing it to his competition, by selling it to one folk, or an intermediary who turns it over, amps it;s level, and can now produce what you can, and may have the money behind them to craft it cheaper. I've heard a few potential solutions, from adding a tag to PC crafted items to 'lock' them from copy, or simply marking PC-made goods and reducing progress from deconstructing those items by a percentage or to the same quantity granted by a Schematic if they are not in a party with someone who knows how to make it.
The second is the matter of inconsistent progress from different values of items. Leather gloves and plate gauntlets can take the same mods, but at any level, the leather gloves are worth so much less, and provide proportionally lower return.since pretty much all loot is acquired on a similar base, the difference in value between one and the next is massive and can result in the difference between being able to craft a design or not. I pondered somewhat with ideas like providing a ramp for lower cost armors and weapons, but that results in its own skewed economies.
Suggestion:
The solution I think is most consistent and favorable would be the ultimately simple means would be to make *all* deconstructions give the same quantity as a schematic, which solves the 'leather/heavy armor' dichotomy.
No need to ramp gear, and finding a piece of low level loot with a mod is just as valuable as the schematic. On the crafting competition side, it means you don't get punted out of business with one sale to the wrong folk.
This doesn't solve the issue of making rank 1 gear with a mod on it, but that might be addressable by tying mods to item level: basically "The item must be at least this good a quality to have this mod", which automatically solves the minimum cost for selling various schematics.
