JohnCapital
Slayer
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2006
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- 9,832
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- Colorado
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- John Teacher Capital
1st off, no, this isn't a "why your loot sucks" thread. My intention w/ this is to explain a common myth: Why "ubers" seem to get all the good loot.
Before I go into the math, let's start with 2 basic points that almost no one seems to notice:
It is these two combined factors that lead, I believe, to most folks not noticing the simple reason for why the "ubers" seem to global so much. The reason is simple: They simply spend more.
Let's look at the cost of using three "typical" weapon setups.
Sollomate Opalo+A101: decay+ammo = 0.02672/shot x 44 shots/min.
Cost = 1.18 ped/min.
Breer P5a (L)+A104: decay+ammo = 0.12977/shot x 44 shots/min.
Cost = 5.71 ped/min.
DOA Foeripper+Evil: decay+ammo = 0.33766/shot x 59 shots/min.
Cost = 19.92 ped/min.
So, the "uber" weapon spends almost 4 times what the mid-level gun does, and spends more than a full 12-man team of opalo hunters.
Let's see how this adds up over the long run. Pretend each of these hunters are shooting for an hour straight. Of course they stop, heal etc. so pretend they hunt long enough to equal 60 minutes of shooting each.
So, is it any wonder why the DOA user gets so many more globals? Unless you think the opalo hunter should get just as much loot per hour, which would REALLY make it unfair.
And no, we aren't even talking about armor, as some can claim the armor decay difference is offset by the adj/imp/mod fap costs. (besides, issues of evade make the calculations a pain, but weapons cost the same w/ every use.)
What about big (L) guns, or the uber eco guns? Let's find out.
So yes, the IMK.II is cheaper/hour, but the mod merc is not. Hopefully you can start to see the differences in cost each of us have when it comes to playing.
This same scale of cost applies to all other main activities ingame.
Mining
Granted, 1,000 drops using OA-109s is suicide, but you get the idea. Mining costs can vary greatly. and that's not even counting enmatter.
Crafting
That's right. Making a Prosecutor M45 (L) costs more than a global per click. That BP costs more in 7 clicks than 10,000 filters. And remember, not every click is a success. So of course it's going to global (if it's clicked)
And we're just talking TT spend, not markup costs to use some of these items. So the actual cost gets even higher.
And remember, the system is designed so that nobody (not even ubers) can make more TT value than they spend.
So the next time you complain because your 730 ped Apis run was a 50% return, be very happy that you lost 365 and weren't using a DOA and losing 600. When you see globals and hofs from the big spenders, before you get mad, do yourself a favor and keep the cost differences in mind.
Before I go into the math, let's start with 2 basic points that almost no one seems to notice:
- W/ any other game outside of EU, we grab a weapon, even if it's an "expensive" but better quality item, and off we go. We don't consider cost per use because once we buy it, in most games, that isn't an issue. But in EU it is very important.
- So many of us focus on "eco", that we're actually conditioned to not even consider the opposite: Spending more. Lots more. TONS more.
It is these two combined factors that lead, I believe, to most folks not noticing the simple reason for why the "ubers" seem to global so much. The reason is simple: They simply spend more.
Let's look at the cost of using three "typical" weapon setups.
Sollomate Opalo+A101: decay+ammo = 0.02672/shot x 44 shots/min.
Cost = 1.18 ped/min.
Breer P5a (L)+A104: decay+ammo = 0.12977/shot x 44 shots/min.
Cost = 5.71 ped/min.
DOA Foeripper+Evil: decay+ammo = 0.33766/shot x 59 shots/min.
Cost = 19.92 ped/min.
So, the "uber" weapon spends almost 4 times what the mid-level gun does, and spends more than a full 12-man team of opalo hunters.
Let's see how this adds up over the long run. Pretend each of these hunters are shooting for an hour straight. Of course they stop, heal etc. so pretend they hunt long enough to equal 60 minutes of shooting each.
- Opalo: 1.17568 x 60 = 70.54 ped spent/hour
- P5a: 5.70988 x 60 = 342.59 ped spent/hour
- DOA: 19.92194 x 60 = 1,195.31 ped spent/hour
So, is it any wonder why the DOA user gets so many more globals? Unless you think the opalo hunter should get just as much loot per hour, which would REALLY make it unfair.
And no, we aren't even talking about armor, as some can claim the armor decay difference is offset by the adj/imp/mod fap costs. (besides, issues of evade make the calculations a pain, but weapons cost the same w/ every use.)
What about big (L) guns, or the uber eco guns? Let's find out.
- HL15(L)+A106: 13.2455/min. or 794.73/hour
- Apis(L)+Dante: 12.18311/min. or 730.99/hour
- Mod merc+A204: 16.86546/min. or 1,011.93/hour
- IMK.II+A204: 11.7378/min. or 704.27/hour
So yes, the IMK.II is cheaper/hour, but the mod merc is not. Hopefully you can start to see the differences in cost each of us have when it comes to playing.
This same scale of cost applies to all other main activities ingame.
Mining
- Ziplex Z1 (no amp): 1,000 bombs + decay = 1,015.01
- OF-105+OA-103 (L): 1,000 bombs + decay = 3,020.50
- Ziplex VRX3000(L)+OA-109 (L): 1,000 bombs + decay = 21,050.10
Granted, 1,000 drops using OA-109s is suicide, but you get the idea. Mining costs can vary greatly. and that's not even counting enmatter.
Crafting
- Basic filters: 0.05/click x 10,000 clicks = 500 ped
- Simple IV Conductors: 20.25/click x 10,000 clicks = 202,500 ped
- Prosecutor M45 (L): 78.94/click x 10,000 clicks = 789,400 ped
That's right. Making a Prosecutor M45 (L) costs more than a global per click. That BP costs more in 7 clicks than 10,000 filters. And remember, not every click is a success. So of course it's going to global (if it's clicked)
And we're just talking TT spend, not markup costs to use some of these items. So the actual cost gets even higher.
And remember, the system is designed so that nobody (not even ubers) can make more TT value than they spend.
So the next time you complain because your 730 ped Apis run was a 50% return, be very happy that you lost 365 and weren't using a DOA and losing 600. When you see globals and hofs from the big spenders, before you get mad, do yourself a favor and keep the cost differences in mind.
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