ANNOUNCEMENT Game Balancing Pt.3

[Phoenix_Dfire]

OK, Now that I've had time with the new balancing I think they've got it right with the game balancing if you've been playing a long time. You know, us oldies. However, I think they've made a mistake by making thing too easy at the beginning of the game. Just a couple of low level kills will now give you the ability to jump past most of the small ships and up into a Cobra III at the very least. It would have been better to scale the bonuses based on the commander's combat rank.

There were hints made that the smaller ships would be needed for the Odyssey Missions, I hope so because otherwise these bonuses mean that new players will jump some of the most fun ships to fly in the game.

 

[Fenwe]

Regarding haulage missions. This current balance pass has broken a few things...follow on missions are now paying between 10-20k where before they were worth 1-2m which often made them worth doing.

Sourcing (fetch and deliver) missions are in some cases broken and pay less of a reward than the cost of the commodity.

I felt that haulage missions pre-balance were actually ok in terms of reward. The best I saw was around 10m for precious metals (which were fairly rare) and most were in the 2-5m range. Now IMO haulage missions are not worth the time investment, they pay a fraction of the previous reward and carry the same risks (which we fairly minimal tbh).

Nobody was earning mega bucks on haulage missions (edge cases excepted) but they were worth it if you fancied a more relaxed gaming session...are you going to look at them some more and perhaps bring them closer to where they were before the balancing started?

I don't think most players would mind an increased level of risk for these missions if that is required.

^^^^
What he said.

 

[Hellrider]

I did few haul missions on my free epic account and tbh I don't see this terrible nerf.
Yes, follow-on can be for few k, what is terrible idea, but other missions?
I can have 40-50k for 20-30 trash cargo (you know, cheap stuff like...scrap, cheap stuff never was super profitable thing). Oh, and without reputation and trade rank, now I will go to stations, which will offer missions for palladium or other expensive commodities. I remember, that before balance 180 palladium was for 9-10m. I want compare it.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Being back in the bubble for a few Days, it became clear to me that Mining still earns an order of Magnitude more than anything else.
Just from "flyby" Osmium I had in storage I easily made a ton of Credits by Missions paying huge amounts for low quantities.
Strip-mining Platinum paid a tremendous amount and the Alexandrite-to-Musgravite mix essentially was a huge earner still quite close to the old income meta.

Bounty Hunting I did and the payout was nice compared to old times - but still doesn't hold a candle to mining. Not by a lightyear.

I also noticed that follow-up Missions that paid 1-2M Cr for 2-4t Cargo now offered some laughable 10-20k Credits - making them utterly uninteresting and clog up the Mission board like unwanted spam paying peanuts not worth undocking for (I got plenty of those as a result of ~25M Cr Osmium Missions - and in that light having some 20k payout follow-up just doesn't mix).
Reputation gains appear to follow a different pattern than the increased payouts would suggest, I assume +Rep is currently still based on the quickfix server-side Multi being applied into the Credit balances while Reputation mechanics still work with the unamended figures that are also still shown in the HUD after a kill.

Overall :

• Mining generally untouched due to inflated prices getting multiplied, it just got more diversity (which is a good Detail about it)
• even the increased Bounty Hunting payouts still sit a full order of Magnitude below cracking just a single rock
• I'd say balancing can't focus on a single item at a time, as this completely ignores the large Rat Tail affected by the isolated changes; this causes imbalancing side-effects potentially across the whole board (rather take a whole rat tail and address the entire batch all at once)

 

[Andrix]

Greetings Commanders,

Welcome to the third and final set of game balancing changes this side of 2021. In the new year, we'll turn our attention to other aspects of the game that you've raised in your suggestions and feedback. As promised, we're making some further balancing changes to other elements of combat which can be expected alongside a GalNet article later today:

Combat Bonds
High-end NPC combat bonds will provide many more credits, seeing an increase from around 80,000Cr to 400,000Cr. Similar to the recently updated bounties values, the HUD will not reflect the new figure after a kill, but the transaction tab will. These may (rarely) appear to be issued by the Pilot's Federation.

Anti-Xeno Combat
Thargoid combat bonds will provide 4x as many credits as before.

The experience gained from Thargoids which contributes to Combat rank has been re-scaled. This means that Thargoid scouts will provide less than before, however each interceptor will offer more than the last, all the way up to Hydras. The exact amount earned will vary according to the number of pilots who contribute to the kill as well as their various combat ranks.

Delivery Missions
The increase in minable commodity prices has had an unexpectedly large effect on delivery missions due to compounding multipliers, allowing large numbers of credits to be earned with minimal risk and effort. To re-focus the earnings on the effort made, the rewards for these have been changed so that the distance travelled and quantity transported has a larger effect on the pay. Payouts remain relatively high and will be monitored for any further necessary adjustments.

Thank you as always for your replies and insights. Your feedback continues to be invaluable and will drive the further changes in the new year. In the meantime, let us know what you think about the adjustments above!

o7

I propose to issue a task of tens of millions as punishment for gankers and griefers for destroying a clean player. The player who took this task can see where the criminal is on the map. The task can be taken by a player who is not with the intruder in a private group, friends of the squadron.
I also propose to report such violations to other players, for example, by the icon above the griffin ship, the status should be tied to the player, not the ship.
The pursuit from the player must be removed after the amount of insurance paid out equals or exceeds the amount of damage caused to other players (ship cost + cargo cost + research data cost)

 

[Hellrider]

Pointless as long as ganker can flee into solo/pg.

 

[Achtung-Goomba]

Pointless as long as ganker can flee into solo/pg.

But so can the gankee everyone is free to blaze that trail.

 

[CMDR RuIncognito]

Mining generally untouched due to inflated prices getting multiplied, it just got more diversity (which is a good Detail about it)

did you get paid money for this post? Mining has become more complicated due to the fact that now you need to have hands, head and FC to get closer to the meta. Because it is now impossible to fly to pick up 300 mils of painite, no, you can pick 512 + (8-10) painite ... but only that amount you hand over ... if you hand over it at all at ridiculous prices. 200k for painite is funny ... As for the only income from mining in the form of musgravite and alexandrite ... They still need to be found and mined! to get a normal profit.

 

[Zieman]

200k for painite is funny

Ridiculously high even!

 

[Deleted member 38366]

did you get paid money for this post? Mining has become more complicated due to the fact that now you need to have hands, head and FC to get closer to the meta. Because it is now impossible to fly to pick up 300 mils of painite, no, you can pick 512 + (8-10) painite ... but only that amount you hand over ... if you hand over it at all at ridiculous prices. 200k for painite is funny ... As for the only income from mining in the form of musgravite and alexandrite ... They still need to be found and mined! to get a normal profit.

I think it's fairly safe to assume that you previously also needed hands and a head on your shoulders to go mining lol
FC is a nice convenience factor - but not required unless you're rich & lazy. But then, Mining apparently already made most people rich & lazy.
All you need to do is to seek solid prices and avoid the Top places and travel there in peace.

I find all of this so incredibly funny.... Platinum used to be king of the hill and paid 45k/ton (tops) - now it pays upto ~300k.... and people complain how difficult it is ROFL.
That's the price of being a Meta wh(oh, wait.. can't write that here).
Good luck "chasing Meta" then and enjoy.

 

[CMDR RuIncognito]

Meta wh(oh, wait.. can't write that here).

ha ha ha kha .... "blah, blah, blah blow up the Arasaka tower ... blah blah blah blow up the mikoshi" I mean, talking about the meta in such a context is generally ridiculous. Therefore, the price of painite at 1 million per ton is generally the norm.

 

[Screemonster]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that you previously also needed hands and a head on your shoulders to go mining lol
FC is a nice convenience factor - but not required unless you're rich & lazy. But then, Mining apparently already made most people rich & lazy.
All you need to do is to seek solid prices and avoid the Top places and travel there in peace.

I find all of this so incredibly funny.... Platinum used to be king of the hill and paid 45k/ton (tops) - now it pays upto ~300k.... and people complain how difficult it is ROFL.
That's the price of being a Meta wh(oh, wait.. can't write that here).
Good luck "chasing Meta" then and enjoy.

A favourite phrase of mine is "don't let perfection be the enemy of progress".

People will waste time chasing down the mythical top price that vanishes the instant anyone knows about it, while just leaving an okay price sitting on the table.
I've seen system chat get mad about people buying at 200k at a carrier for being "too low" and they could "get better elsewhere".
Meanwhile, I look at it and say "that's a guaranteed price of 200k/t that I don't have to worry about being outdated by the time I get there, plus it's right next to the ring so my downtime before I can resume mining again is practically zero".

 

[Screemonster]

ha ha ha kha .... "blah, blah, blah blow up the Arasaka tower ... blah blah blah blow up the mikoshi" I mean, talking about the meta in such a context is generally ridiculous. Therefore, the price of painite at 1 million per ton is generally the norm.

It wasn't the norm until the core mining update and never should have been the norm - and it's still one of the best and fastest ways to make credits.

If it had never been overbuffed in the first place we wouldn't be having this conversation. There's no whining like the whining of a gamer that's given an OP buff to their chosen activity then subsequently having it taken away again.
Hell, the price wasn't even taken away. It's still better than it used to be. It's just not ridiculously better.
Imagine getting a gun that does 100% more damage than any other gun, then the devs make it only do 10% more damage than anything else and you call it a nerf when it's still the best gun.

 

[CMDR RuIncognito]

It wasn't the norm until the core mining update and never should have been the norm - and it's still one of the best and fastest ways to make credits.

If it had never been overbuffed in the first place we wouldn't be having this conversation. There's no whining like the whining of a gamer that's given an OP buff to their chosen activity then subsequently having it taken away again.
Hell, the price wasn't even taken away. It's still better than it used to be. It's just not ridiculously better.
Imagine getting a gun that does 100% more damage than any other gun, then the devs make it only do 10% more damage than anything else and you call it a nerf when it's still the best gun.

pffff bro so now it is with weapons =) but the topic is not about that

 

[Spacegamejunkie]

Gee, half say it's too easy, other half says it's too hard.
Then there are those that play while lashing themselves with a whip, that want to punish everybody.
HEY, every one is different, some people don't mind doing the same thing over and over and over,
because that is what they do in their real life, and it makes no difference to them in a game, cause it's Normal.
Others got to wear a Label, like King, Prince, or Snow White, to be anywhere near Happy.
Some like to twiddle, tweak, and micro manage for hours, to be content.
Fine I don't care, and more power to you.
But I don't want to do those things to excess, and I hate Grind for Grinds sake.
The kind of Grind I'm talking about is nothing more than Make Work, for no real reason, except Time Sink.
It is not Fun and does nothing but drag the Game down to a level, that is beneath what this game should be.
I Realize it takes time to develop the different skills needed, to be efficient in the Roles being played.
But going around in circles is not the way to do it, nor is nurfing, or creating bottle necks.

Bottom Line is, No one is Equal in Life, all have different talents and skills.
Some want to take the Easy Road and progress fast through the game.
Some want to take the Hard Road and progress slow through the game.
So what, We all want to have Fun, Well some may consider Work Fun.

So just put a Slider in the Main Game Menu,
and Give every one a Choice at what level, they consider Fun to Play.
Even in Open it won't Matter, because those with skills, will create the Balance.

 

[Andrix]

Ridiculously high even!

And you still have to try to sell at this price! Yesterday I dug 522 tons and then flew for another 1.5 hours trying to sell. It sucks

 

[Andrix]

I think it's fairly safe to assume that you previously also needed hands and a head on your shoulders to go mining lol
FC is a nice convenience factor - but not required unless you're rich & lazy. But then, Mining apparently already made most people rich & lazy.
All you need to do is to seek solid prices and avoid the Top places and travel there in peace.

I find all of this so incredibly funny.... Platinum used to be king of the hill and paid 45k/ton (tops) - now it pays upto ~300k.... and people complain how difficult it is ROFL.
That's the price of being a Meta wh(oh, wait.. can't write that here).
Good luck "chasing Meta" then and enjoy.

It is sad that developers see our future as a lack of a global market. When, in order to sell at a higher price, you have to find the one in which the price is higher without the means of a global communication network in a crappy cloud of systems.

 

[Hellrider]

So just put a Slider in the Main Game Menu,
and Give every one a Choice at what level, they consider Fun to Play.
Even in Open it won't Matter, because those with skills, will create the Balance.

XD
Ok, but only for solo.
And change solo in full offline mode. Without it this slider will be poop.
IDK how people can complain on "grind" and earning cash in 2021. Nearly all activities can give you 100-200m/h, it is low? What this people want, cutter in 1 hour? Carrier in 5? After 14hrs on epic account WITHOUT any "goldrush and meta farming" I have outfited sidey, eagle, adder, viper, cobra, DBX, t6 dolphin and 20m, tbh I don't feel that I must grind as crazy, I have bunch of ships, for combat, haul, passenger missions and some illegal actions as assault surface bases.
So maybe materials for engineers?
Now we haven't random rolls, each next is better.
Now we have 3 materials from 1 fragment
Now we have material traders
We have crystalline shards for G5 raw
Since...I even't don't know it, but we have nearly 60 bases+crashed ships for manufactured materials.
Data? I just scan every ship in RES/beacon, and few in station during take off and landing, 0 issues with ANY of materials.
When I see complains, that game is still too grindy after making game easier and easier I think, that elite rly need "offline mode", where each person can add 10b in the pocket by editing 1 text file for this kind of people.

 

[Spacegamejunkie]

XD
Ok, but only for solo.
And change solo in full offline mode. Without it this slider will be poop.
IDK how people can complain on "grind" and earning cash in 2021. Nearly all activities can give you 100-200m/h, it is low? What this people want, cutter in 1 hour? Carrier in 5? After 14hrs on epic account WITHOUT any "goldrush and meta farming" I have outfited sidey, eagle, adder, viper, cobra, DBX, t6 dolphin and 20m, tbh I don't feel that I must grind as crazy, I have bunch of ships, for combat, haul, passenger missions and some illegal actions as assault surface bases.
So maybe materials for engineers?
Now we haven't random rolls, each next is better.
Now we have 3 materials from 1 fragment
Now we have material traders
We have crystalline shards for G5 raw
Since...I even't don't know it, but we have nearly 60 bases+crashed ships for manufactured materials.
Data? I just scan every ship in RES/beacon, and few in station during take off and landing, 0 issues with ANY of materials.
When I see complains, that game is still too grindy after making game easier and easier I think, that elite rly need "offline mode", where each person can add 10b in the pocket by editing 1 text file for this kind of people.

YES, "offline mode", like they said it would be from the first.
But really, Solo should have a slider, cause those with skills would create the Balance Anyway.
So what difference does it make, if a player got a Conda or Whatever in a month or not ?
Just more targets for those with skills, if he ventures into open,
and maybe give more Newbies less fear and more reason to go open anyway.

But my real Problem is with Engineers, Should be no RNG,
and should be able to Buy what Mats you need, or just buy the Upgrade you want.
That way I can Play how I want and earn credits to Upgrade, doing what I like,
without being forced to do things I don't like, that seem to Grindy to me.
Every thing in the Game should have a Value, and be available in the market.
Item Value = Time or Credits to get, Either way it is Balanced, with NO Grind Padding, or Bottleneck to Progress.

 

[Hellrider]

For me this is simple.
Difficulty slider is valid only in full offline mode. furhther discussion is pointless as long as even solo player will have influence on BGS and markets.
No offline mode? So no difficulty level, swallow it, all of us bought this game with knowledge, that this isn't offline game, with knowledge, that progression is a thing, and with knowledge, that editing save is impossible. This game never was as easy as now, even without mining exploits.
And no, fact, that we can't achieve all stuff by doing only 1 thing is great.