Quantity:Quality and Claim TT Size:Rarity
When crafting, you have a Quantity <=|=> Quality slider bar. Max Quantity yields more components produced over a crafting session. Max Quality yields higher TT value per success. Each blueprint's attempt TT cost is determined by its recipe of materials. Sometimes you receive some of your materials back. Any value above that held by the item(s) produced is found in residue and gems.
On average, you will produce less total TT value than the processed materials. I have not found any significant difference in total TT value produced over 2,000 attempt crafting sessions at max Quantity verus max Quality. Any profit is made from selling products at a markup.
With mining, you control the same options: Quantity, Quality, and attempt TT cost. Quality is controlled by the type of finder you use. The stronger finders increase your chances of finding rarer resources. Quantity is controlled by amping. Attempt TT cost is controlled by the drop cost: finder decay, amp decay, and probe or bomb cost.
Just like crafting Quantity, amping does not directly translate to larger claim TT sizes. Instead, it directly translates to more claims found. Since amping increases the attempt TT cost and the total TT cost of the mining run, the total TT value for the average mining run will be proportionately higher.
Do you have a greater chance of "getting a global" while your finder is amped? Very slightly, because you have a higher chance of finding a claim while your finder is amped. However, many of my global claims were found after the amp was broken and removed from the finder.
MindArk is a business, so its purpose is to make money. Where does that come from?
MindArk's business plan states that we aim for a cost of 1 USD per hour.
Specifically, the cost of 1 USD per hour is presumably per avatar. That money comes from us depositers. In game, that translates to 10 peds of expense extracted from avatars and retained by MindArk.
Whether hunting, mining, and crafting, I find average short session yields of around 50% TT value from the expenses directly related to loot attempts. Over a long session, or over a month, everything balances out to right around MindArk's business plan: a drain of about 10 PEDs per hour.
I strongly suspect that it is the total amount of avatar PED drain that most affects the chances of globalling. Strategically, I think that using an unamped TT finder is a great way to build up the PED drain pool. For example: if you've built up your PED drain pool, and your yield is under 25% of TT expense, it's good time to switch to your stronger, amped finder. So, if you are down 75peds on a run: amp up, keep going and be ready to get that screenie!
