Bertha Bot
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The item tier and enhancement system has been heavily debated amongst the community. Many participants have questioned the second item ingredient. We would like to share our view and motivation behind the selected design.
We are confident that the system gives the participants who choose to use it more options to customize their items and game play. For casual players it is quick to pick up limited items and just use them as normal as the tiers come automatically and it is very easy to add enhancers that feels right. On the other side of the spectrum are the hardcore players who devise charts and strive for best econ and optimal game play at every instant. They now have a big system to immerse themselves with and explore.
As most of you probably have discovered, enhancers improvement is calculated as a percentage, meaning an enhancer will provide greater benefit on a high end item than on a low end item. E.g. a weapon damage enhancer will give more extra damage on a high damage weapon than on a low damage weapon. To keep the balance, the upgrade cost must be proportional to the actual gain. By including a secondary item as ingredient, the item markup becomes part of this cost. It is up to you to determine if upgrading an item to a certain tier is worth the cost or if you want to ignore the options available.
By adding the secondary item as an ingredient we also get a drain in the economy concerning unlimited items. Drains are essential to have in the Entropia economy system. With a drain in place we have more ability to adjust the balancing and increase drop rates of unlimited items; something we believe is good for the community as a whole.
Another goal of the tier and item enhancements system is to give more participants access to interesting, challenging and more powerful items. For limited items you quickly get to higher tier levels free of charge while the tier upgrade progress with unlimited items takes a lot longer and involves additional costs. At the same time you will add options to a more personal item you could potentially use forever. We wanted to avoid a linear system in which all unlimited items quickly would have 10 enhancers connected as it would have a very high impact on the overall balance.
Upgrading high end items involves a significant investment. As such it will not cater to everyone. However, we foresee that some participants will choose to work as professional tier upgraders, and will offer upgraded items of various tiers for sale.
Enhancers are designed and balanced for being a mass-market item, especially at lesser tiers, but also on higher. The flexibility given by the various enhancers gives you, the player, greater control over how you want to participate. It is also open for additions in the future with new kinds of enhancers, without disrupting the existing market.
Item tier and enhancers is a major system that has significant impact on core activities in Planet Calypso and other Entropia planets. The MindArk balancing team is monitoring the system, analyzing statistics and fine tuning. We are also following forum discussions and reviewing support cases. Your input is much appreciated.
Regards,
The Entropia Platform development team.
Originally posted on Entropia Gateway
We are confident that the system gives the participants who choose to use it more options to customize their items and game play. For casual players it is quick to pick up limited items and just use them as normal as the tiers come automatically and it is very easy to add enhancers that feels right. On the other side of the spectrum are the hardcore players who devise charts and strive for best econ and optimal game play at every instant. They now have a big system to immerse themselves with and explore.
As most of you probably have discovered, enhancers improvement is calculated as a percentage, meaning an enhancer will provide greater benefit on a high end item than on a low end item. E.g. a weapon damage enhancer will give more extra damage on a high damage weapon than on a low damage weapon. To keep the balance, the upgrade cost must be proportional to the actual gain. By including a secondary item as ingredient, the item markup becomes part of this cost. It is up to you to determine if upgrading an item to a certain tier is worth the cost or if you want to ignore the options available.
By adding the secondary item as an ingredient we also get a drain in the economy concerning unlimited items. Drains are essential to have in the Entropia economy system. With a drain in place we have more ability to adjust the balancing and increase drop rates of unlimited items; something we believe is good for the community as a whole.
Another goal of the tier and item enhancements system is to give more participants access to interesting, challenging and more powerful items. For limited items you quickly get to higher tier levels free of charge while the tier upgrade progress with unlimited items takes a lot longer and involves additional costs. At the same time you will add options to a more personal item you could potentially use forever. We wanted to avoid a linear system in which all unlimited items quickly would have 10 enhancers connected as it would have a very high impact on the overall balance.
Upgrading high end items involves a significant investment. As such it will not cater to everyone. However, we foresee that some participants will choose to work as professional tier upgraders, and will offer upgraded items of various tiers for sale.
Enhancers are designed and balanced for being a mass-market item, especially at lesser tiers, but also on higher. The flexibility given by the various enhancers gives you, the player, greater control over how you want to participate. It is also open for additions in the future with new kinds of enhancers, without disrupting the existing market.
Item tier and enhancers is a major system that has significant impact on core activities in Planet Calypso and other Entropia planets. The MindArk balancing team is monitoring the system, analyzing statistics and fine tuning. We are also following forum discussions and reviewing support cases. Your input is much appreciated.
Regards,
The Entropia Platform development team.
Originally posted on Entropia Gateway
