Architect Archive
Thread: Contracts: A Better Way?
I have a great idea in theory for architects, but it seems SO unlikely to implement it would need strong support from our community.
Even when I prepare and stockpile parts for orders, as an architect I'm constantly stuck in a bind: I don't want to run 10 harvesters but I never have resources when the orders come in. I recently stockpiled on generators but an (uncertain) order for four medium harvesters has me 18,000 credits away from my next paycheck.
In real-life terms though this doesn't seem right - as the builder I shouldn't be paying out of my own pocket for other people's projects. In fact, it isn't right at all to charge a person for the next customer's project either. So who's really paying the architects?
Perhaps the problem with all these architects is really a matter of love - they're so determined to get the next level they're pouring their own resources into experience, making their exploits doubly difficult.
Well as an architect I've got a love for money. Running to the bazaar I thought, if only I could get a cash advance I could finish this job quick. That's when it struck me - we should be making contracts with customers for deeds!
Picture this: customer Deez wants a small house (3388 resources).I meet him at the bank and tell him I'll have the house in a few minutes but we need a contract. I tell him I'll need about 4000 resources' worth to make the house, which (in current market terms) runs about 25,000 credits. Deez gives me the payment up-front then and there, andI get my resources off the bazaar. Five minutes later I have the house for Deez, I've got experience for construction, and we both save hours of waiting for harvesters.
For skeptics:
1. This both rewards and limits the Surveyor as an actual profession. Look at the cycle: the surveyor harvests (no credits or maintenance fees). The surveyor posts resources (right now about 2800cred return per 500 units). The architect collects materials off the bazaar (the surveyor gets paid). The architect crafts and sells a contracted item (the architect gets paid).
2. Those who balk at the sudden jump in prices, crafters and customers alike,must be informed that this is the next step in balancing the economy. I hear the same reason over and over: "I could have sold your house in raw resources for 10 times as much." The old rebuttals only become more valid if we contract properly - those who charge 3k, 5k for small houses are most likely scrambling for resources themselves if not backed by a PA that could cover their expenses anyway.
3. When the architecture market crashes the surveyor's market should follow - less architects buying in a contract environment will impact surveyor's sales. The days of 10creds per resource might vanish, at least in lower-grade materials.
The next time somebody approaches you for a factory or a harvester, meet them in a bank or at your house. Lay out the details, tell them you need X cash and X time to complete their project. Guarantee them your priority and good service, and let them know that they're helping to save a failing market. If contracts take off than this profession will finally be doing what it's meant to be doing - building.
-Pogo
Nice In theory. Problem is though that unless all architects do it its not going to work. Because most people are not going to be willing to spend 17k - 34k on resources when you have the grinders and PA's cranking out items for a fraction of market cost. Mining should have been its own profession which would have seperated The advanced crafting professions from the harvesting professions and then our prices would have absolutely had to reflect market costs because we would have been required to buy them.
The game wanted to allow everybody to do whatever they want and well most people want to do everything. And those who don't now have to because they can't compete cost wise with these guys. The game should have seperated these things so no one person can do everything.
Mining/Harvesting - Obtains raw resources.
Refining/Processing - Turns raw materials into resources that can be used in items.
Crafting/Manufacturing - Actually creating the items.
Merchant - Buys the finished product and places them for sale in his/her store.
The basic profession Artisan would allow people do do everything necessary to advance to one of those advanced professions but they would not be able to take more than one of those advanced profession types.
Right now 1 is part of artisan 2 does not exist and you can be both 3 and 4 ..... this essentially allows one person to take part in every aspect of the item making process from the ground to the end user. When you allow 1 person to do everythign then the best price comes from the person able to spend the most time doing it. basically this means power gamers an PA's who all run at a loss because they have a non-monetary goal. The power gamer is interested in pure advancement where as the PA's are interest in the end product (A PA Hall).
2 things that would have allowed more growth in the architect field are missing from this game.
1. Servers filling up 2 quickly then being capped so there is no more incoming.
2. 1 Charactor per server limitation. (However this has good and both bad implications as allowing a person to have more than 1 characotr per server would have resulted in people making charactors and giving thier lots to thier main.) (A solution would have been to make lot limitations bound to the actual acct not the player. and increasing the lot limit to something a bit more reasonable.)
Cyberthugg wrote:
Nice In theory. Problem is though that unless all architects do it its not going to work. Because most people are not going to be willing to spend 17k - 34k on resources when you have the grinders and PA's cranking out items for a fraction of market cost.
There was just a post on the Bria boards about a guy whose partnership with two other players allows him to sell resources at 1.5 credits per unit. Surveyors and crafters can in fact work together to improve the state of things.
There's always a drawback to everything, even if you can do it all yourself. The drawback of managing resources and crafting is that it takes more time. Even if you've got ten harvesters you have to replace most of them every three days. The days of the 'self-sufficient' architect must end for our economy's sake.
Yep it's difficult but I'm not speaking lightly - I'm calling this theory into serious consideration. Architect players always say it's a matter of us banding together to repair the economy. Let's figure this out and take action before the devs figure out some wacky new nerf for the situation!
-Pogo
If you can get all the Architects to agree including the majority of those that don't even bother to read the forums then I'll sign on but your idea while good is one that requires close to 100% participation or enough participation that its almost guaranteed not to be possible.