Right, if we accept as true the following precepts:
1) FD is planning a materials broker kind of thing that will allow us to swap materials for other materials on some level (it is assumed). We don't know yet what formula this will use (for example, will I get one level 4 data for 1 level 4 metal? Or will I have to give more of what I don't need to get less of what I need?).
2) Player trading that could enable gold sellers and account theft and all that stuff that players fear, is not something that the game mechanics are ready for YET (I do hope it comes in the future though, after PP is dead and gone and the BGS is far more robust and commodity prices are player and market driven, anyway, I digress, that's not what this is about)...
We need to find a middle ground that doesn't introduce yet another robotic, zero player interaction system, when there is an opportunity here to promote player and playstyle synergy.
I cite a simple example, which is a drum many of you will have seen me banging in that huge thread about player trading. It;s a simple concept...
I don't like mining and prospecting. I'll do it to get what I need (and have done extensively), but that is not 'playing my way', that is forced gameplay by virtue of the fact that FD decided that to access all the engineers and to gather materials, you'd have to play EXTENSIVELY at all the playstyles, even those that you have no desire to do. I know there are lots of people that do not want to engage in combat in any way, shape or form, for example, and they should not be forced to. How are they supposed to unlock Lori Jameson for example? FD seem to accept that this was a contentious decision, evidenced by the suggested materials broker, so let's put that down as 'accepted', that there needs to be a way to collect all the materials you could need while 'playing your way'.
I DO like doing base runs (don't ask me why, judging by others feelings on the matter, I must be out of my tiny little mind) for data, and I'm aware of many people who find mining therapeutic and planetary prospecting adventurous fun in the SRV), while hating the random reward nature of base runs, as well as planetary approaches, etc.
Basically, every playstyle IS covered by players. So why should the miner discard tungsten he doesn't need, and why should I discard MEFs that I don't need, when we can trade with each other, and then both spend more time playing 'our way'? Why introduce a robot to do this, when it can be a really nice player interaction mechanic?
Here is my proposed implementation of this...
In stations determined by criteria of FDs choosing, a new menu item appears "Materials Trading". When this is clicked, you can choose if you want to create a trade, or browse current trade offers. If you click 'Create a trade', a form opens up and allows you to select a material from your cargo hold, a quantity, and what material you want in return, in what quantity. This can be arbitrarily chosen by players. For example, if I want 2 tungsten for each of my MEFs, that's my problem if nobody wants to do that. I might after a week of no takers have to say I want only 1.5 tungsten per CIF to get takers, or whatever.
When the trade is created, the materials are removed from your hold and held in escrow (to prevent you forgetting that you set up a trade offer, using the materials and then not being able to fulfill the order).
When you or another player clicks on 'Browse current trade offers', they can filter trades concerning the materials they want to buy or sell, and fulfil existing trade offers. For example, someone might see my offer of 5 CIF for 10 Tungsten, and say 'that works for me!', they click 'fulfill trade', they get the materials offered immediately and I get a message that my trade has been fulfilled (in game mail, or whatever), then I can go to the nearest station with Materials Trading and go pick up my materials.
Possible issues with this that wouldn't be issues if it was a robot with infinite stock of all materials (wouldn't that be a little immersion breaking anyway?)...
Q1) There may not be anybody offering what you want when you visit.
A1a) Create your own trade with materials that you don't currently need and be a bit patient, if it's a good trade someone will see it and go out farming in a way that they enjoy, to get you what you want, in order to get what you're offering.
A1b) Go farm the old fashioned way, get some extras and create a trade for something else you need, since you'll then be the only one offering that material, you can gouge people (ask for two of what you want, for example).
Q2) Some players may not be smart enough to create a fair trade, so their trades are never fufilled and they end up whining 'this thing is useless, nobody ever fulfills my trades'
A2a) Well, harsh as it sounds, ignorance really shouldn't be an excuse. Learn the values of materials and trade appropriately.
A2b) There could be a restriction where outrageously one-sided trades will either pop up a warning saying such at the time of posting, but allowing the player to continue if they want to (preferable in my opinion), or simply restrict people from creating very one-sided trades (not really ideal, if you think the market can bear it you should be able to ask whatever you want).
Q3) Offering CIFs for MEFs or vice versa (or any trade that involves trading two materials that come from the same or similar sources), will be hard to fulfill.
A3a) Yes, they will. I don't really have a suggestion for that, except perhaps consider offering a different material from a different gathering activity.
A3b) Or, no, they won't, because I do base runs only for CIF, others may do it only for MEF. So this would be a great opportunity for me (and the other) to convert the stuff I got I didn't want, into more stuff I wanted, making that farming run ultra effective.
I admit there may be other issues that I haven't considered (drop rates may need to be tweaked as it might suddenly become much easier to obtain some mats, and more difficult to obtain others, due to the fact that we are all mostly chasing the same 40 materials, and consider the other 75 or whatever largely useless, we ould have to see how that went.
Wouldn't this be preferable though, and more interactive than a robot that simply swaps mats? Welcome thoughts, criticisms, whatever.
1) FD is planning a materials broker kind of thing that will allow us to swap materials for other materials on some level (it is assumed). We don't know yet what formula this will use (for example, will I get one level 4 data for 1 level 4 metal? Or will I have to give more of what I don't need to get less of what I need?).
2) Player trading that could enable gold sellers and account theft and all that stuff that players fear, is not something that the game mechanics are ready for YET (I do hope it comes in the future though, after PP is dead and gone and the BGS is far more robust and commodity prices are player and market driven, anyway, I digress, that's not what this is about)...
We need to find a middle ground that doesn't introduce yet another robotic, zero player interaction system, when there is an opportunity here to promote player and playstyle synergy.
I cite a simple example, which is a drum many of you will have seen me banging in that huge thread about player trading. It;s a simple concept...
I don't like mining and prospecting. I'll do it to get what I need (and have done extensively), but that is not 'playing my way', that is forced gameplay by virtue of the fact that FD decided that to access all the engineers and to gather materials, you'd have to play EXTENSIVELY at all the playstyles, even those that you have no desire to do. I know there are lots of people that do not want to engage in combat in any way, shape or form, for example, and they should not be forced to. How are they supposed to unlock Lori Jameson for example? FD seem to accept that this was a contentious decision, evidenced by the suggested materials broker, so let's put that down as 'accepted', that there needs to be a way to collect all the materials you could need while 'playing your way'.
I DO like doing base runs (don't ask me why, judging by others feelings on the matter, I must be out of my tiny little mind) for data, and I'm aware of many people who find mining therapeutic and planetary prospecting adventurous fun in the SRV), while hating the random reward nature of base runs, as well as planetary approaches, etc.
Basically, every playstyle IS covered by players. So why should the miner discard tungsten he doesn't need, and why should I discard MEFs that I don't need, when we can trade with each other, and then both spend more time playing 'our way'? Why introduce a robot to do this, when it can be a really nice player interaction mechanic?
Here is my proposed implementation of this...
In stations determined by criteria of FDs choosing, a new menu item appears "Materials Trading". When this is clicked, you can choose if you want to create a trade, or browse current trade offers. If you click 'Create a trade', a form opens up and allows you to select a material from your cargo hold, a quantity, and what material you want in return, in what quantity. This can be arbitrarily chosen by players. For example, if I want 2 tungsten for each of my MEFs, that's my problem if nobody wants to do that. I might after a week of no takers have to say I want only 1.5 tungsten per CIF to get takers, or whatever.
When the trade is created, the materials are removed from your hold and held in escrow (to prevent you forgetting that you set up a trade offer, using the materials and then not being able to fulfill the order).
When you or another player clicks on 'Browse current trade offers', they can filter trades concerning the materials they want to buy or sell, and fulfil existing trade offers. For example, someone might see my offer of 5 CIF for 10 Tungsten, and say 'that works for me!', they click 'fulfill trade', they get the materials offered immediately and I get a message that my trade has been fulfilled (in game mail, or whatever), then I can go to the nearest station with Materials Trading and go pick up my materials.
Possible issues with this that wouldn't be issues if it was a robot with infinite stock of all materials (wouldn't that be a little immersion breaking anyway?)...
Q1) There may not be anybody offering what you want when you visit.
A1a) Create your own trade with materials that you don't currently need and be a bit patient, if it's a good trade someone will see it and go out farming in a way that they enjoy, to get you what you want, in order to get what you're offering.
A1b) Go farm the old fashioned way, get some extras and create a trade for something else you need, since you'll then be the only one offering that material, you can gouge people (ask for two of what you want, for example).
Q2) Some players may not be smart enough to create a fair trade, so their trades are never fufilled and they end up whining 'this thing is useless, nobody ever fulfills my trades'
A2a) Well, harsh as it sounds, ignorance really shouldn't be an excuse. Learn the values of materials and trade appropriately.
A2b) There could be a restriction where outrageously one-sided trades will either pop up a warning saying such at the time of posting, but allowing the player to continue if they want to (preferable in my opinion), or simply restrict people from creating very one-sided trades (not really ideal, if you think the market can bear it you should be able to ask whatever you want).
Q3) Offering CIFs for MEFs or vice versa (or any trade that involves trading two materials that come from the same or similar sources), will be hard to fulfill.
A3a) Yes, they will. I don't really have a suggestion for that, except perhaps consider offering a different material from a different gathering activity.
A3b) Or, no, they won't, because I do base runs only for CIF, others may do it only for MEF. So this would be a great opportunity for me (and the other) to convert the stuff I got I didn't want, into more stuff I wanted, making that farming run ultra effective.
I admit there may be other issues that I haven't considered (drop rates may need to be tweaked as it might suddenly become much easier to obtain some mats, and more difficult to obtain others, due to the fact that we are all mostly chasing the same 40 materials, and consider the other 75 or whatever largely useless, we ould have to see how that went.
Wouldn't this be preferable though, and more interactive than a robot that simply swaps mats? Welcome thoughts, criticisms, whatever.
