Game rebalancing - make Rare Goods great again

[Bionic Bytes]

Since FDEV have committed to rebalance game activities with equal profits with respect to their relative time/skill/risk, could they also make rare trading an equally worth while activity again?

As you may know rare goods spawn in very limited quantities from selected markets.
FDEV in the past put time and effort in creating this activity. It would be great to rebalance the commercial viability of this activity as it makes for a better than average game play activity.

Thoughts?

 

[Elferren]

Agreed. I am getting an Epic account, and would like my Alt to be flying around the Bubble, not just mining!

 

[Ydiss]

So long as it has diminishing returns over time, it'd be OK. By that, I mean a single rare good will start off lucrative but as you keep selling it, it loses value for you so you need to move to another rare commodity.

Doing the whole network should net a lot of coin. Just less over time.

But it definitely needs a buff. Starting with the range scaling. Originally, 150ly was a long way. Now you can do it in 2 or 3 jumps. Bumping up the maximum of the curve would be great. It'd also mean a whole new bunch of curated routes for commanders to create and share.

 

[Bionic Bytes]

So long as it has diminishing returns over time, it'd be OK. By that, I mean a single rare good will start off lucrative but as you keep selling it, it loses value for you so you need to move to another rare commodity.

Doing the whole network should net a lot of coin. Just less over time.

But it definitely needs a buff. Starting with the range scaling. Originally, 150ly was a long way. Now you can do it in 2 or 3 jumps. Bumping up the maximum of the curve would be great. It'd also mean a whole new bunch of curated routes for commanders to create and share.

I’m not sure about the over time part. It takes a while for the supply to restock and you only get to take a max of like 10 items of any one kind. This makes the total reward less profitable compared to bulk standard trading.

 

[Speedcuffs]

For now, wack the profit margin up.
Easy improvement.
Do it next week with the mining.

Yes, yes, loads of other stuff could be done with rares, but profit increase could be now.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

i would like to see some degree of a progress curve worked into this re-balancing. Rare trading was a good way for me as a new player years ago to work up enough coin for my first medium ship. Rares if done right could be a nice earner for new players working up the ownership tree towards billionaire and large ship status.
New players today becoming billionaires over night through unbalanced mining (and exploits) which break the game in my opinion and robs new players of 'the joy of journey'.
I think new players get frustrated with no and very slow progression, so tend to jump feet first into the fast track exploits and META earners.
I'd like to see Frontier think ahead and give new players roads to wealth which foster a solid and tempered feel of progression, rather than... exasperation... exploitation... bordom... dissolution.

 

[Ydiss]

I’m not sure about the over time part. It takes a while for the supply to restock and you only get to take a max of like 10 items of any one kind. This makes the total reward less profitable compared to bulk standard trading.

Rares are currently absolutely fixed profit. The stock limit and distance curve guarantee that.

What's being proposed is to make them more profitable. Which I'm up for. Definitely given the game has massively changed since they were balanced.

The problem is, that'd also make them the next ultimate new commander booster meta. So, I'd suggest limiting their upper ceiling by forcing a drop in profit of each per commander over time. This would prevent get rich quick schemes by spamming the same bssic route repeatedly. And would also have the nice off shot of getting players exploring all rare routes.

So in short...

Boost profit over distance so the max is, say, 400ly or so. Increase that upper max profit per ton initially (so, instead of 3k to 23k, say 3k to 100k). Reduce it for each commodity, per commander, per ton sold (say by -5k per ton sold, back down to the current values) so it's less profitable to spam.

Result: rares are very profitable but it takes time to get the full benefit (have to trade through the complete list over 400ly per run), which is soft capped so it's not abused.

 

[Bionic Bytes]

I’d also like to see missions asking for certain rare goods and other missions asking for guardian bits n bobs. This could be a way to
Introduce these activities to new players so they are aware of these thinks, rather than having to read about them on the net.

 

[CMDR Ateles]

I think something is already happening right now. See the screenshot above. Just docked at Ngurii / Cheranovsky City, rare goods allocation was 400 tonnes! Can someone confirm for other stations?

 

[Mr T]

I’m not sure about the over time part. It takes a while for the supply to restock and you only get to take a max of like 10 items of any one kind. This makes the total reward less profitable compared to bulk standard trading.

The problem with this I see (and FD probably will too) is fleet carriers. I can park a fleet carrier in the rare trade system and just continue to load up on rare commodities, then sail off to my destination and sell them all. If all you do is jack up the price then you are then making rare trading unfairly unbalanced in favour of fleet carrier owners.

 

[CMDR Ateles]

If all you do is jack up the price then you are then making rare trading unfairly unbalanced in favour of fleet carrier owners.

New version of the tritium bulk trading.

 

[CMDR MERANGO]

Since FDEV have committed to rebalance game activities with equal profits with respect to their relative time/skill/risk, could they also make rare trading an equally worth while activity again?

As you may know rare goods spawn in very limited quantities from selected markets.
FDEV in the past put time and effort in creating this activity. It would be great to rebalance the commercial viability of this activity as it makes for a better than average game play activity.

Thoughts?

Back in the day, I earned my credits trading rares, I still remember getting my first million, what a feeling!!!

 

[Jmanis]

It would be good for them to loosen off the range limit on their value, up to around the 200-300k profit mark, peaking around the 5000LY level. Sure an FC could sit there loading up, but trit costs money, and eats into the profit?

Those are just spitball numbers, but there is a balance I rekon.

 

[Haresus]

View attachment 197024
I think something is already happening right now. See the screenshot above. Just docked at Ngurii / Cheranovsky City, rare goods allocation was 400 tonnes! Can someone confirm for other stations?

Yeah, I was in Phiagre trading some rare livestock, and there was 100+ in stock. Definitely seems like they increased the supply cap of rares.

 

[Ydiss]

Yeah, I was in Phiagre trading some rare livestock, and there was 100+ in stock. Definitely seems like they increased the supply cap of rares.

Are you taking boom state into account?

A system in boom state automatically gets double stock for rares.

 

[Bionic Bytes]

I can park a fleet carrier in the rare trade system and just continue to load up on rare commodities, then sail off to my destination and sell them all.

I don't think you can. Firstly it takes hours for the rares to repopulate, and secondly there is a very limited quantity of the rare available in the station. Fleet carriers would actually be slower than a cutter performing the same role.

 

[Florenus]

In current state those rare goods are rare, because nobody really wants them.
I don't think the problem is with limited numbers, but with prices. They were maybe good once, they need to be looked on now again, during current balancing.

 

[CMDR Ateles]

I don't think you can. Firstly it takes hours for the rares to repopulate, and secondly there is a very limited quantity of the rare available in the station. Fleet carriers would actually be slower than a cutter performing the same role.

You can. Remember the CG in September ("Harold Duval Memorial Ceremony") - everyone bought Lavian Brandy and filled their carriers. Respawn time for the goods was about 10-15 minutes. To make rare goods nicely balanced again it should be rare again, good price increase with distance and high value per tonne (and maybe an expiry date like powerplay commodities?). Then it would be less profitable to use a carrier than a fast long range jumping ship.

 

[Vingtetun]

As the Hutton Truckers are custodians of four of the galaxy's rares - I support the initiative to have their pricing looked at.
Won't affect us as we just make and sell the Gin, Bourbon, Prayer Sticks and Mugs - but would be nice to see.

 

[StevieG]

YES YES YES

Increase the range that increases the profits. Make it viable to transport a hold full of rares to Colonia.
That all you got to do, increase from the 150ly limit to 1000ly, lets make Rares Great Again!