Doctor Archive
Thread: Buff Prices Time for an increase I think.
. I don't know why you don't charge more. I've heard people whinning about 10k buff prices to the docs before and I know you'll get no end of tantrums being trown if you advertise higher prices.
Songe wrote:
Well after reading this it's even more obvious to me that we should increase prices so people stop using buffs to kill kreetles and wasting them. How hard is it to make 20k back? If you really won't run 10k+ missions with them, why do you even need buffs in the first place?If it's for PvP, it's your own choice to do PvP, why should the doc payfor the difference?If people don't want to make money while buffed it's their choice, why should the docs suffer from it? 20k is nothing. The docsshould be spending that time doing janta missions themselves in this case, and they will make more money than buffing people who are too lazy to bother getting the money back then complain about buff prices. We have spoiled them.
In all fairness I could retort by saying if docs didn't want to get up and do some missions it's also their choice as well. Why should the hunters and people who do missions pay the docs difference? I also don't see what you are saying about the difference. It's very easy to double you investment in your packs. I charge 10k for my buffs regardless of where I am, 10k per buff actually more than doubles my investment for buff packs. I could do ALOT of things, I could camp meatlumps pre publish 9 and get crystals, if I was buffed during that time do you feel the 300k I would get from the crystal should be factored into your buff prices? Even though i'm the one out there doing the dirty work. Do you also feel you deserve a cut of all the loot I get? Because the fact of what I could get while using your buffs doesn't give you right to get a percentage of my income. If this were the case the fire arms companies would be getting cuts from people who perform armed robbery. Or the companies could require a large entry fee for everyone who buys a gun because of the possibility of what they could do with it. Most won't go rob fort knox and leave with millions in gold, but by your logic they should charge for a gun the price with a nice cut of that gold profit included....
Also the people killing kreetles with buffs is a stretch, i've never myself spent 10k or however much for a buff when I was still to the point of killing kreetles. I buff when I go out rancor hunting, or faction farming. But not to take out a meatlump, and if people do want to do that. Who are you to say they can't? Do you ask each person you buff what they are using it for and if they did say to kill kreetles, would you deny them the buff and turn away their credits, I highly doubt it.
Today I set out to test the 600k in 3 hours theory discussed earlier, and after doing two enraged rancor missions I already had on hand, that tookabout 35 minutes, from buff time to time thesecond lair was gone. Iwent back to the outpost to get another two. What did I find? Nothing, I stood around for fourty minutes waiting for someone to show up to form up a group to get the missions, and after not even having one person interested in a solo, nor a normal hunting group I logged. So out of an hour and fifteen minutes of doing missions I was 70k richer... so out of three hours I could expect 210k if I was lucky and was able to find a group immediatly past the 40 minute mark and didn't get tired of the repedativness of the job. It's not that people choose to waste the buffs, it's the fact that not many people find the strength to do that for 3 hours.
If you feel your buffs deserve more money feel free to raise them, there are the few who will pay it, but there will be many more who feel the 10k base range is just right and will continue to sell for that. I know I will, I put in about 125k (sometimes less)and get back 320k (sometimes more because of people who refuse to pay only 10k when Ihelped them when they needed it)per buff pack set. I feel thats a perfect return for our services. If you still feel you've spoiled people with buffing then please, be my guest and start asking people what their using it for and turn them away if you feel it doesn't meet your requirements.
HuntinHeads wrote:
just for fun, I'm gonna conduct a little experiment tonight on naritus right outside the coronet starport around 5:30. Almost garantee there will be at least 2 other docs maybe three all masters, all buffing for 2300-2500, and all charging about 10k credits. All will have lines.
My experiment will go as follows: I will charge 25k for 2400 2hr 50min buffs. I will use havla to ensure a speedy process as much as I can. I will see how many takers I get.
I shall call it the EXPRESS LANE BUFFS as I should have no line. I'll let you all know tomorrow morning how this goes.
Not sure about your server but I know on Flurry when it's busy, you will definately buff at least 4 people in the time it takes for the 10k buffers to buff 10. Either way you'll come out ahead. You'll either have more buffs for later or more money. There was a doc on our server spammin "Buffs for the rich and impatient" (sorry can't remeber the name). He buffed me at 20k 4 seperate times.
Good luck with the grief you'll be getting
Today I set out to test the 600k in 3 hours theory discussed earlier, and after doing two enraged rancor missions I already had on hand, that tookabout 35 minutes, from buff time to time thesecond lair was gone. Iwent back to the outpost to get another two. What did I find? Nothing, I stood around for fourty minutes waiting for someone to show up to form up a group to get the missions, and after not even having one person interested in a solo, nor a normal hunting group I logged. So out of an hour and fifteen minutes of doing missions I was 70k richer... so out of three hours I could expect 210k if I was lucky and was able to find a group immediatly past the 40 minute mark and didn't get tired of the repedativness of the job. It's not that people choose to waste the buffs, it's the fact that not many people find the strength to do that for 3 hours.
First off the rancor missions are worth more money per missionbut they are not the fastest. You get 6k-10k more per mission doing the enranged rancors but they take longer to kill then Janta/Mokk missions on Dant. You get more money per hour doing Janta/Mokk missions then the enranged rancor missions. Rancors respawn twiceas you beat the lair but Janta/Mokk do not re-spawn once you start in on the lair.
that said I prefer the rancor missions myself because they are more fun to fight but they are not the 600k buff run missions.
Secondly don't leave your solo group in the first place. What do you do? Get your missions then disband? No one would make 600k / buff with that mentality.
Steps to make 600k per buff:
1) master a fighting prof - ideally a melee prof but to each their own
2) got to Dant and join a solo hunting group
3) Choose two missions in the minning outpost in the direction of a PC with "improved Job Market" that pay 26k-27k range
4) stay in this solo hunting group
5) get the remaining missions from the PC mission terminals (now missions are 31k-33k) until you have 10 minutes left on your buffs.
6) check your bank account and get your wounds healed (you have probably 250 BF at this point) then either rebuff and repeat or relax
*Note- one option to make even more money if melee is to just kill the Janta / Mokk Lair and leave the cavemen alone. They will beat on you but use COB and just kill the lair and hop on your bike and go to the next lair. You can tripple your missions in this method for a while (the mind costs build up after a bit) but you loose the possibilities of good loot. Works best with the entertainer buffs. Ranged profs can try this as well but take more damage from the cavemen beatings without the COB and defences of the melee profs.
These 600k+ buff money runs are tough on your armor and weapons but after a few of these money runs you can buy new armor and weapons.
Try it again but this time stay in your solo group.
Jo'ran
Suhlak_D_arnh wrote:Basing your prices for a buff, BASED solely on the possibilty of your "clients" earning 600k or so in the span of their buffs duration, is utterly selfish and your just jealous because you cannot make near as much whoring yourself to the masses in the same amount of time.... If you want to make just as much money if not more, after your little "buffing" session buff yourself and go and do the same damn thing that your clients do, and quit whining.Like you yourself said you are turning a profit with each buff pack, and really that is all that matters. It would be different if you were not turning a profit at all, but you are, so stop trying to inflate prices even more as its a**** like you who keep driving up the econemy in this game...
Temper Temper, no need for that kind of language.
I DO run missions and sell loot for money. The main reasons behind my formula for buffs has little to do with money and ALOT more to do with economics and making Dr a much more enjoyable class to play at ANY level. As it stands now, if your not buffing for 2100+ and 2 hrs 45 Min + then your buffs are useless, buffs are so EASY to get, and make the game SO EASY. I am suggesting move the high water mark for buff's up, make uber buffs cost more money. Make those buffs you make on your way to master Dr useful, you know, those 1500 for 2 hours buff packs that no one wants because a 2100/3 hr pack is only 8-12K. Then Drs could *gasp* buff people for XP instead of healing AFK tumblers in the med center. Imagine that, you could do something with a Dr before you reach master.
You probably think that making it so Med centers are the ONLY place to get 100 med rating would suck too huh ?.. heaven forbid people cant get uber buffs and heal themselves for 3000 points out in the field. Med droids should be 80% max, Med centers 100 and a med city 110. That would make Drs useful in the field again, and make med centers useful aswell.
Your one of those "A$$E$" who complain that there is nothing to do in the game anymore because you can take your FOTM uber templated combat god out and kill almost anything while buff'd. People need to learn to play without buffs now, because when the CB comes there are going to be a million and one gimped one button wonders who have never had to fight without 80% comp and a 2400 buff. Who know nothing but the macro's they've written with specials.
I say we need to break the game of its buff habit now, teach people to NOT rely on buffs so much and give Drs a REAL job again.
Has very little to do with money at all, as its been stated here many times if you want money, make stuff or kill stuff, buffing wont get you rich.
Suhlak_D_arnh wrote:
Basing your prices for a buff, BASED solely on the possibilty of your "clients" earning 600k or so in the span of their buffs duration, is utterly selfish and your just jealous because you cannot make near as much whoring yourself to the masses in the same amount of time.... If you want to make just as much money if not more, after your little "buffing" session buff yourself and go and do the same damn thing that your clients do, and quit whining.
Like you yourself said you are turning a profit with each buff pack, and really that is all that matters. It would be different if you were not turning a profit at all, but you are, so stop trying to inflate prices even more as its a**** like you who keep driving up the econemy in this game...
Wow that thought process must hurt! How in hell do you think supply and demand works? People make lots ofcredits off of buffs. The demand is outrageous. By that fact alone we should be charging more. That is simple econimics!
Inflate prices even more?!? Think hard (this involves math). People make 40 - 50 times the cost of thier buffs. From a business standpoint, letting some one make a profit margin so substatial off of your product and not raise your prices is just dumb.
Inflate prices even more?!? Are you actually saying that they are too expensive now? Does paying 10-12k really cut into the 500k you make off the buffs so much that you can't afford to pay for them??? Honestly, give me a break.
Im sorry, we have a little misunderstanding. I wasn't clear enough in my description of an undercutting Doc.
What you said you do, is perfectly fine. Someone sells their buffs for 10K and have 2300+ power, so obviously you need to have a lower price to sell your 2100+ power buffs.
When I say undercutting doc, I mean this: You end up on Dantooine and find your the only Doc there and people want buffs. Sweet! You are charging 12K for your buffs, everyone is buying, no one is complaining. SWEET! Now along comes Mr. Jerkhole MD, sits down and starts yelling he is buffing. He is selling 2300+ buffs for 8K. All of a sudden, you have no clients and he has them all.
That is an undercutting Doc. A person who comes along with equal (though usually better) buffs and decides to charge less to get all the clients themselves. If Mr. Jerkhole MD had charged 12K he still would have been running you out of bussiness (and teachnically an undercutter since he is charging less per buff point). If he had charged 15K, he would have ended up with equal bussiness as you had making more money than he would end up making charging 8K for his superiour buffs. However, he is a jerk. He puts his better buffs at a lower price than your to run you out of bussiness and push you away.
FYI, I dont have uber resources either friend. I make my own 850 power packs, and dont use bivoli cause of its cut into the profit margine. I always charge 10K on a main planet in a main city and 12K in all out of the way locations. I make a lot of money when I want, and when there isnt heavy competition or undercutters. But buffing is really boring so I don't do it all the time.
Undercutters are the scum of all Docs, and have no honor in my eyes. Its one thing if a Doc has gone crazy and is charging way too much for buffs, then your not an undercutter to charge less, only reasonable. But if you are charging less than 10-12K when another doc that was there BEFORE you and was making money was charging 10-12K and you are using better buffs (or equal for that matter), you are an undercutter.
It boils down to, if you go to a place where there is already another doc and start charging less per buff point then he is (assuming he is charging a fair rate), you are an undercutter.
I do not have strong enough words or language to describe how much I hate these people. There are some really great docs out there. I have met and talked to some who were really nice. We help one another out, and maintain evenly fair prices so that we split the bussiness (because frankly, there is enough to go around people). One person that was undercutting me, I pointed this out to, and we end up evening prices at a fair point and became friends. Others have merely said, "Charge what you want to chrage, I charge what I want to charge." And cut into my bussiness. Yes, there is nothing illegal about it, but it is horribly rude, unethical, and dishonorable to steal bussiness like that when they can make more money themselves and maintain bussiness at a higher price. These people do it to spite other docs, and drive their bussiness away. That is why I call them scum.
P.S. - How many posts are there on this board that talk about the same damn thing anyway? It seems like every week someone is suggesting that we raise prices.