I posted results, not to illustrate profitability of hunting, but rather tt return.
Of which your results conclude the same as several data sets from other players I have worked with in recording a detaled analysis over the 2007/2008 period.
MA as they have said have not changed anything dramatically in this respect.
The system still does provide a 90 - 95% return for most TT wise ...
And markup wise to 100% if not slightly above TT + Markups paid out over the long term from results observed thus far in an attempt to make this game
free-2-play for everyone over the long term.
The problem is mostly in the short term with the buffering of your funds required to achieve this ...
... especially when your hitting certain areas where subset rules are at work that increase this buffering such as over-supply of resources/items on the market where a slower release from the loot-table is in effect, or when your
decayed outgoing markup contribution is not within tolerance of the markupable items and resources being released from the loot table of the mob your hunting or area your mining.
Also there is the requirement for a steady growth of "willing to invest into valuable items" new business at a rate appropriate to offset clients leaving the service and maintain investment levels required to pay the invested revenue generating asset holders (Malls/LAs/etc), generate acceptable revenue (Partner/MA) & maintain overall free-2-play status for the clients using the service.
^^ Those who stick around long term achieving this more than those leaving early with a loss all taken into consideration in calculating this.
Those who normalise their results through working at
low overall markups in and out while working at their profession level can see such results quite easily.
For example > https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/general-economy-discussion/175397-tt-return-2009-real-statistics.html
Those working with higher markups, between different taxed land % tax settings and all sorts of other wonderful variables that make setting a control for testing awkward do not easily see such results over short term periods and thus is naturally frustrating and angering
(Very much to a destructive psychological point on the client/participant behalf for MindArk & Partner overall revenue potential no matter how wonderful the system is) as the participant goes on a rampage
to vent their frustration and anger with Entropia being a gambling platform etc.
Nearly all participants will experience this as they level up their profession curves using (L) or sib based items with % markups attached at their corresponding profession levels (Or craft them which is frustrating for myself atm working with 500 - 1200% markup resources at 10 ped a pop 20+ per combine x failures)
This is where you get all these wonderful results where people start hypothesising on sine curve this and hot mob that and attempting to explain perception as a divining rod to loot (Don't tell nun I mentioned that, she will kill me);
And whatever other gifted spanners in the works (including redistributed revenue MA side via
>> other such "possible" mechanisms like this one << etc;
When in fact it is just the balancing engine hard at work attempting to achieve balance & free-2-play status over the long haul based on the participants choices.
Granted the buffering can become over excessive to the point where it becomes unethical with the build up to very large 5+ digit figures.
Though this is the path MindArk has chosen to follow.
It may restrict somewhat the number of people playing and the amount of server cloud hardware required to maintain those who can afford to play this system, but even this they need to be careful on.
ie. IMHO they have taken it a little overboard with respect to the psychological impact and destructive reprecussions this impact is having on the good will of the service. (MA & FPC standard level of incompetence aside in their half hearted & rushed approach over recent years)
So Moonbiter is quite correct in what he has said,
Though many will not be able to experience this without
a) Having maintained recorded results,
b) Working with controls that allow for this to be demonstrated,
c) Have skills & equipment of a certain level working at a certain economy of scale undertaking challenges within tolerance to the prior mentioned skills vs equipment.
It is a fruitless arguement to have with people unless they experience it first hand via recorded results.
The system works to be fair and to achieve a free-2-play status in the end if your willing to stick at Entropia long term and work to achieving optimal:
- skills vs bp qr vs qual/cond (crafting)
- skills vs equipment vs mob challenge (hunting)
- skills vs equipment vs area primary resource loot table (mining)
All of the above vs a due diligence of current market saturation & uptake rates of what can be procured from the activity your undertaking
at your level of economy of scale & affordability.
Below Quote: Natural spanners in the works to emulate the real universe in cycling the flow to a dribble from time to time aside.
Hello crew!
Here are the Balancing Manager's responses to the Q&A.
Post 18
Sometimes fairly common types of loot stop dropping completely, like Fine wool a few weeks ago. Is this on purpose or by mistake?
Submitted by Darkaner
There is always a natural variation cycle in drop rates on all items.
So can we all stop arguing and spread some
Yes this system is brilliant in what it sets out to achieve,
Though it does have unethically high swings which create a negative psychological impact that are very destructive to MindArk business model.
It is a system that works for now, though competitively a very poor performing one with upcoming competition from people like AffordableWorld Survival coming into play in 2010 with the new 3D engine to compete with Expensive Universe Cry2.
Hopefully we can see some level of refining over the next few years to curtail the negative effect this system has in creating what is perceived as big winners and big losers.
Ofc the big losers being those with buffered funds owed back them in their accounting record leaving the service before a release occurs with some luckily returning to achieve a release of what is owed ot them after a very long break from game.
Thankyou for reading another wall of text brought to you by yours truely
PS. Please refine this "dynamic dinosaur" to make it "less destructive" to its "own competitive existence" vs "upcoming external competition".
Executive summary from another thread for the Wall-Of-Text haters:
It is the blackboxing of how it works with veils of secrecy spiced with the player's power of assumption that does the rest in making Entropia's wheels go round.
That is why it is easy come and easy go buffered to be easy come again if you stick around long enough ... skilling up to the point where return rates eventually normalise to a greater & more consistent degree.
^^ Keeping in mind the amount of markup/taxes etc spent vs TT decayed to balance out your cost of participation in the Entropia economy vs everyone else being within tolerance levels to help with this consistency in return. (& whatever other layered rulesets such as economy item/resource management subsets, etc that impact on returns vs your funds being buffered by the accounting core for later release)
That is why skill and equipment suited for the challenge to suit your play style become important in the end.
and they were good depositors. Called one of them and asked: 
s running the show at MindArk but the Entropia system has potential, it just needs a lot of refining and for someone to obtain one of McCormicks' Lumber-I and actually go do some repetative head bashing (not in the literal sense) of personnel at MindArk & FPC until they pickup their act.
