My Mining Journey (A Sequel)

You’re losing a lot of markup using Limited amps, at what stage do you think there’s a benefit to swapping to Unlimited?
 
You’re losing a lot of markup using Limited amps, at what stage do you think there’s a benefit to swapping to Unlimited?
to answer this i think you would need to have an extremely high rate of turnover, considering those amps cost a bomb. the ul 5 i think goes for around 90k ped. of you end up cycling only 5-6 amps a day, would make sense to stick to L untill you have a big enough bank. just my two cents
 
In my opinion (which is worth about as much as you paid for it xD), the L3 amp is the only unlimited amp I would go for because it keeps the loot composition that you want and costs ~30k. However, you sacrifice a great deal of cycle speed going for it, so you're paying to buy a tradeoff, which doesn't feel great to me. If the amp costs less at some point, I may consider it. But for the time being I like my opportunity cost set.
 
Run 58 - 2x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 944
TT Return - 486 (51.48% TT)
Weighted MU % - 17.28%

This was one of the worst TT returns in a long time. Hit rate was around a solid 18% for over 100 drops. Usually, it starts pretty low and increases for me with time, but not this time. Oh well - I'm sure I'll get some of it back eventually! Either way, the MU was really good for the returns that I did have!
 
Nice tracking, what is weighted mu means? (Like average mu found?)
 
Hah, multiple people have asked me about this. It's a way to compare runs to one another on the basis of relative markup.

It equals MU sold / TT Return = Weighted MU

It lets me know how well I'm finding the "good stuff" even if TT returns are great or poor.
 
Run 60 - 6x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 2832
TT Return - 2981 (105.26% TT)
Weighted Mu % - 3.79%

This run was really poor from a markup perspective which is disappointing since we would expect that the TT return itself will eventually dissipate. Have to find some way to get a better loot composition with the next few runs.

SINCE LOGGING:
TT Cost - 39,197
TT Return - 38,166 (97.36% TT)
 
Had time to do a short run this morning.

Run 61 - 2x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 944
TT Return - 1058 (112.07% TT)
Weighted MU % - 7.37%

MU was slightly better, but still not where I want it above that 10% mark. Have to keep making some adjustments it would seem.
 
Run 62 - 2x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 944
TT Return - 762 (80.72% TT)
Weighted MU % - 7.87%

This run basically TT-washed the last run, which is a good thing I think. Relative MU also slightly improved, so gonna keep testing some things with depth enhancers and the like.
 
Just had my favorite kind of run...

Run 64 - 3x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 1416
TT Return - 1314 (92.79% TT)
Weighted MU % - 21.53%

Why my favorite, might you ask? Because the TT return wasn't great, which means there's a potential for reversion in the future, but the MU return put us in the profit AND was amazing!
 
You’re losing a lot of markup using Limited amps, at what stage do you think there’s a benefit to swapping to Unlimited?
Depends how you do the math, right now I figure I make close to the same pec/drop between an UL 5 and L D-class even with MU (though not at auction MU prices). That's because even though there is MU for the L amp, it increases your drop size, so if you are profitable, drop size also matters if you figure how much you are making per hour/day, etc. Why shell out near 100k for UL when you can get a QR 100 D-class for 3-4k? If you have good areas, you're capped with UL at the Level 8 (same as D-class), and that works against you if you can craft bigger amps than that at a MU that works to give you similar or even more profit per drop.

That said, if you are prone to lower MU swings, or if residue prices shot up even more, UL would come out ahead of L amps more often. There are dangers to bigger amps too that make it harder to profit besides just MU too, but those are things for folks to figure out on their own.
 
You know, this game is really all about managing beliefs and behaviors.

Just had another really poor run from a TT perspective and was getting a little discouraged. I'll share the results with you first before talking things through:

Run 66 - 2x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 944
TT Return - 562 (59.53% TT)
Weighted MU % - 8.89%

You might say, "Oh John, that was such a small sample!" And I would agree. But I would also agree that it FEELS like I just lost $30 and 2 hours of my life.

When this run was going really poorly, I wanted nothing more than to stop. However, I know in my non-emotional brain that stopping is a "bad behavior". I had to override my feelings and push into the pain of "loss", which we know is temporary - that is the BELIEF that you have to stick to in order to play this game successfully. This game is not a casino where gambler's fallacy is true. Eventually, returns DO return to normal. Always.

Pushing into pain is really hard; that's why most of us try to do it in teams in real life. If you (or I - preaching to myself here) find yourself wanting to quit, you need to do three things:

1) Make sure that your bankroll is sufficient to do what you're doing in order to experience mean reversions.
2) Back away and look at the long-term picture. This is why I believe that logging (and perhaps even publicly for accountability) is so important.
3) Get some really good "teammates" around you that will encourage you to keep going when you feel like stopping.

I have a couple of really good miner friends that have "made it", and these people are crucial in encouraging me along my own journey when things are looking bleak for a few runs. I've also met plenty of people that are not encouraging. Like in real life, you have to surround yourself with people who have "made it" to tell you to keep going when the going gets tough.

SINCE LOGGING:
TT Cost - 45,333
TT Return - 43,643 (96.27% TT)
 
Another rough run...

Run 67 - 3 T6 Amps
TT Cost - 1416
TT Return - 980 (69.20% TT)
Weighted MU % - 8.57%

The MU is good enough to compensate even down to 93% TT returns, but it would be nice to a see a bounceback here soon.
 
Another run, another sad return picture :(

Run 68 - 3x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 1416
TT Return - 1131 (79.87% TT)
Weighted MU % - 10.25%

WELP, I can't control TT-returns in the slightest...BUT! I'd like to think I can! So what am I going to do? Switch planets of course! We'll see what happens on Ark over the next few days...
 
Another poor run. Thank goodness only 3 T6 amps left...then I'm going down to L5.

Run 69 - 3x T6 Amps
TT Cost - 1360
TT Return - 905 (66.54% TT)
 
Run 71 - 1x L5 Amp
TT Cost - 310
TT return - 246 (79.35% TT)
Weighted MU % - 8.13%

Taking a few days off from mining and playing EU. I just can't take the shafting any more. I've still got the bankroll to keep going but it's just not any fun right now. Hopefully after a few days things will have changed and I can come back to a reasonable level of TT return again.
 
Run 71 - 1x L5 Amp
TT Cost - 310
TT return - 246 (79.35% TT)
Weighted MU % - 8.13%

Taking a few days off from mining and playing EU. I just can't take the shafting any more. I've still got the bankroll to keep going but it's just not any fun right now. Hopefully after a few days things will have changed and I can come back to a reasonable level of TT return again.
thats sadly now that loot swings work... you just gotta push past them and work to the other side. :( it will come to an end i promise.
 
I'm a glutton for punishment...

Run 72 - 1x L5 Amp
TT Cost - 310
TT Return - 244 (78.70% TT)
Weighted MU % - 6.55%

I don't know how this can keep going. I plan to keep the log going until my bankroll runs out or I become profitable after MU again, but this return streak is seriously making me question the whole system.

If miners lose this much this often, miners quit. When miners quit, resource prices go up. This makes crafters more likely to quit. When crafters quit crafting L items, the game becomes more expensive for the majority of the playerbase.

If my returns come around, which I hope they do, then we can continue on our merry way. Otherwise, I hope this will shed light on a poor business model from MA. One way or the other, we're going to learn something!
 
If miners lose this much this often, miners quit. When miners quit, resource prices go up. This makes crafters more likely to quit. When crafters quit crafting L items, the game becomes more expensive for the majority of the playerbase.
if minerals goes up crafters wont quit, prices will rise also
 
Alina, why are you so negative? And it wasn't one amp run - it was several runs with multiple amps. Read!

And maybe crafters won't quit, but it makes limited item users have to pay more to play, which makes them more likely to quit. This is what we don't want.

This is the difference between me and you: I put out logs that I hope will encourage others to keep playing showing actual results. You troll players and make them more likely to quit. Congratulations, I hope you've gotten your kicks and giggles.
 
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Ya that was me having fun.

But your did some stupid posts and I just called you out. And guess what you took it like i attacked you. Its same pattern on this forum since 2005 everyone victimizes themselves.
 
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