Please Defend The Materials Trader's Exchange Rates.

[Ralph Vargr]

I'm serious.

It will prove your superb debate skills.

I want to see if it goes as well for the defenders, as it will go for everyone who has defended what's gone on over the weekend, and letting the entire QA staff go for a week.

 

[MarkAusten]

I'm serious.

It will prove your superb debate skills.

I want to see if it goes as well for the defenders, as it will go for everyone who has defended what's gone on over the weekend, and letting the entire QA staff go for a week.

I have no idea what you are talking about so I guess I'm happy with the rates as they are. As for the FDev staff, do you think they should man the offices over the holiday period? If so then you are a) suffering under a delusion, and b) going to be very disappointed.

Have a nice holiday break.

 

[Burke]

The material traders exchange rates are not completely terrible.

 

[Morbad]

I don't even think the material trader was a necessary addition.

It's a convenience, with an arbitrary exchange rate intended to allow one to make up for material shortfalls, without replacing the need to engage in a variety of different activities to source materials from a variety of different places.

If you occasionally use the material trader when in desperate need, or when you find you have a glut, of certain materials, but generally find it better to go out and gather the specific materials you're look for, then it's probably working exactly as intended.

 

[Iron Golem]

Quick page David Braben there's a grave injustice, Christmas is on hold!!!! Get everyone back to the office!

 

[moorison]

The only thing I would change is the option to combine several different lower grade materials in exchange for a higher grade one (and maybe the other way round), but am otherwise also satisfied with the way things are. What are specific criticisms from the presumed other faction?

 

[Caramel Clown]

Rates are fine. Here, done.
Also, QA staff aren't your slaves.

 

[PiLhEaD]

I have no idea what you are talking about...

Same here. What's the actual concern?

 

[Dagwit]

There are two problems with the Material Traders' rates:

the up-rate essentially defines anything lower than grade 4 as having roughly the value of a penny dropped on the pavement - you might bend over to pick it up, but you wouldn't cross the street for it. Also, I currently need to trade off a chunk of grade 1 data and it's not going to feel all that different from simply throwing it away;

while I can see some logic to the cross-rate - the devs didn't want us focusing on one method of gathering each type of mat, trading for everything else, then complaining bitterly about the lack of variety of things to do in the game, though even at current rates a meta has developed for data with the Jameson Cobra - that doesn't alter the fact that trading mats across (or up, for that matter) at 6:1 leaves many a player feeling that he bent over at exactly the wrong moment. People play this game for all sorts of reasons, but rarely I think for the joy of feeling ripped off.

The down-rate is actually pretty generous, which is why current best practise is to focus on gathering G5 mats and trade down for everything else.

 

[M00ka]

Looks like the Op threw a handgrenade and forgot to pull the pin

 

[RymdLazer]

Traders work for profit.

 

[Dagwit]

Looks like the Op threw a handgrenade and forgot to pull the pin

Well, you can't blame him for having trouble with a hand grenade: he's used to playing with much bigger toys.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

No.

 

[Factabulous]

I'm serious.

Nah, I've seen your posts

 

[rhiz]

Same here. What's the actual concern?

Well, for arguments sake let’s assume that G5 materials are roughly equivalent in value, how would you justify the current cross-grade rates (from g5 to g5)? Even a 2:1 rate would represent a massive profit for the trader. Just for the sake of argument?

 

[Dagwit]

Traders work for profit.

And yet, if you look at how mats are valued by forgone profits when offered as mission rewards, and plug those values into a matrix of Material Traders' trades, you find that they never make a profit and almost always make a loss on the down-trades. Which is why gathering G5s and down-trading is so attractive, while trading up and across isn't so much profitable for the Material Traders as profiteering.

 

[Cliché]

When I saw 3600:1 I thought it must have been a bug. You can't even hold that many materials. They should at least gray out the impossible trades.

 

[Goose4291]

I'm serious.

It will prove your superb debate skills.

I want to see if it goes as well for the defenders, as it will go for everyone who has defended what's gone on over the weekend, and letting the entire QA staff go for a week.

Indeed. How dare a games company let its people have the holiday period off? Its outrageous.

FDev plz nerf employee benefits packages.

 

[M00ka]

Well, for arguments sake let’s assume that G5 materials are roughly equivalent in value, how would you justify the current cross-grade rates (from g5 to g5)? Even a 2:1 rate would represent a massive profit for the trader. Just for the sake of argument?

I don't think all G5's are created equal. For example, Pharmo's only appear under very exacting circumstances whereas Imperial shielding can be found in any Imp system.

 

[Vardaugas]

They are a necessary material sink.