Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Drashk, did we ever get a reason why chip sales were nerfed?
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Straker_Atrella
Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:27 pm
#1
Did they ever tell you why they were changing it so that people didn't need chips to put programs into their Droids or FC's?
Nerfs are ok, if they are for a good reason, yet shouldn't we at least know why?
Back when I was complaining (whining,) about how JTL droids were implemented as a whole, low complexity and quality issues would lead to low profit. Over and over people kept mentioning Unprogrammed Droid Command chips, saying these were our true money makers.
That probably was correct, I was stocking chips a lot more often them other items. So how was this bad?
The way Chips used to work, a pilot would need probably 25-40 chips throughout his pilot career. Depending upon how much they used them, and/or traded them.
Under the new system, a Pilot may need about 6-10. They can put their own programs in, swapping programs with other professions really doesnt become a huge benefit or worth the trouble until about the 3rd tier, maybe 4th. Program swapping mostly happens at Master level (you have more room for programs,) with some at tier 4.
So basically our chip sales have been cut by 75%.
I'm sure this was done for a good logical reason. Can you please tell me why?
Drashk
Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:41 pm
#2
I haven't recieved any solid reasoning behind the change.
From a non-DE perspective, the change actaully makes a lot of sense and adds to the overall health and use of pilot Programs. With old systems, a pilot would constantly need to use chips each and every time they decided to change the program configuration of their Astromech or Flight Computer. Now, you can swap out programs that you gain as a Pilot much easier, to allow for a greater ease of transfer.
I know that this was a very lucrative market; however I have already seen an increased usage of people using Command Programs because of it. This change has created a much more dynamic program trade market, which isn't limited to Master level program swapping, at least from what I have seen during the testing on TC.
I know of at least 5 people on TC that started using Command Programs after the interface was changed, to be more intuitive. The per user chip sales may drop slightly, but we should see a sharp increase in overall player usage. I think that the one will be enough to balance the other out, especially with the addition of more Space mission content being added.
OkanoDroids
Mon Nov 29, 2004 5:02 pm
#3
As a droid user, I'm thrilled that I almost never have to recharge or customize my droid more than twice a week. As a Droid Engineer, I'm disappointed in the way it seemed to have lowered my shops traffic. I kept droid batteries and customization kits stocked partly to give people who already have droids a reason to return to my shop (so the check out my current stock of droids).
Now, there seems to beless people visiting my shop (boring)...
Now, there seems to beless people visiting my shop (boring)...Any chance we can implement power ups for our droids?
Both for combat and crafting? <==for another post, right?
Both for combat and crafting? <==for another post, right?
Crustyfur
Mon Nov 29, 2004 5:44 pm
#4
Sales for these have really been hit hard today.
Thursday: 80 UDCM sold
Fri :110 UDCM sold
Sat: 120 UDCM sold
Sunday: 170 UDCM sold
Monday: 3 UDCM sold
But I love it becuase the pilots know what they are doing and they dont have to spend the credits on chips anymore 
hmmm
hmmmI feel for you guys that have been DE for Months/Weeks/Year..... I have been doing it for 2 weeks and it's pi**ing me off already.
Lycids
Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:58 pm
#5
I have seen a mjor drop in sales myself. My old best salers (BH droids have dropped to almost zero over the last month, ) batteries sales have dropped hard. My only salers seem to be med and harvest droids these days. Dark times seem t ohave fallen on the DE community but heyi intend to stick with it, one way to look it is , i do not have to do factories run often.
AudioOrgana
Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:38 pm
#6
Although I agree that the legitimization of trading programmed modules has increased because of this, and awareness is growing which will contiue to produce sales, overall I don't think it's going to work out. Vendors are popping up everywhere selling pre-burnt chips, and the only chips I'm selling are in big crates of 25 - for resellers. My regular customers aren't buying them. I tried to be optimistic because, as no one has noted, at least now the chips are "used up" - they are no longer indestructable. However, as I've seen today, I used to sell at least one crate of chips per flight computer, and now no one is. I tried to look at the bright side, and while patch day is too early to tell how many people will start trading now - but all this was in the end was a nerf hidden under a new interface.
What bothers me is that they've become a component in a product that doesn't cost the seller anything - all they do is buy my chip, click program, and poof, they can sell it for several times what they paid for it. I'm was all for this when it was a side effect of the system, but now it's the intention - the only value in our chips is now to people who resell them. And once enough Master Pilots learn this trick, even those sales will diminish.
New people needing them was our replenishable supply. The burnt chip market alone is not enough to make up for this. I'm glad I priced high and sold them when I could.
I have to echo the statements made above as well - my customization kit sales dropped to nothing. I never used to carry them, then after awhile I began to when requests got more common. I sold them at a nice little clip - not depending on the income, but it was nice for them and nice for me. Then it went to 200 calls, and sales picked up for me - part of which was just awareness as the fact that they existed at all was advertised on the loading screen. Then, for some unexplained, god-forsaken reason, they made it 2000 calls - and now they sit there collecting virtual space dust.
Batteries I can't say much about - I rarely stock them, I leave that to the novice artisans. I haven't found an increase in usage because of them, but I think that most people do appriciate it, especially merchants and combat folks.
But this chip change undeniably has hurt us, and I think the Devs could give us some sort of explaination as to why we just swallowed a big old nerf. I'm greatful it lasted while it did - but I'd really like to know why it was crushed down in it's prime, especially since it's not required to use them. Perhaps the Devs did this because they didn't think people were using droid features enough - if that's the case and more people do because of this, the importance of pricing the flight computers (which still last forever/never decay) for more than 1K/level is going to be even more important to our economic well-being.
AO
What bothers me is that they've become a component in a product that doesn't cost the seller anything - all they do is buy my chip, click program, and poof, they can sell it for several times what they paid for it. I'm was all for this when it was a side effect of the system, but now it's the intention - the only value in our chips is now to people who resell them. And once enough Master Pilots learn this trick, even those sales will diminish.
New people needing them was our replenishable supply. The burnt chip market alone is not enough to make up for this. I'm glad I priced high and sold them when I could.
I have to echo the statements made above as well - my customization kit sales dropped to nothing. I never used to carry them, then after awhile I began to when requests got more common. I sold them at a nice little clip - not depending on the income, but it was nice for them and nice for me. Then it went to 200 calls, and sales picked up for me - part of which was just awareness as the fact that they existed at all was advertised on the loading screen. Then, for some unexplained, god-forsaken reason, they made it 2000 calls - and now they sit there collecting virtual space dust.
Batteries I can't say much about - I rarely stock them, I leave that to the novice artisans. I haven't found an increase in usage because of them, but I think that most people do appriciate it, especially merchants and combat folks.
But this chip change undeniably has hurt us, and I think the Devs could give us some sort of explaination as to why we just swallowed a big old nerf. I'm greatful it lasted while it did - but I'd really like to know why it was crushed down in it's prime, especially since it's not required to use them. Perhaps the Devs did this because they didn't think people were using droid features enough - if that's the case and more people do because of this, the importance of pricing the flight computers (which still last forever/never decay) for more than 1K/level is going to be even more important to our economic well-being.
AO
Message Edited by AudioOrgana on 11-30-2004 01:43 AM
Warryyr
Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:19 am
#7
Well, it only makes sense that they'd reduce the UDCM's usefulness, since I finally got my act together and made a huge run of them. I'm sure I'll watch them slowly trickle in sales until I dump them at cost just to be rid of them.
My perspective on any functionality in this game is as follows: Those who want to try new items will pay to do so, those who don't want to just.....won't. Ever.
Point in case - Droid Batteries. I'm still bitter over this one. I haven't seen any of my Droid batteries move on my vendor since they increased their lifespan. I haven't seen any "new" droid owners that are so very excited to finally try droids now that the battery is longer. I haven't seen any kind of sales for droid batteries. I hope you have, but I sure haven't 
Another example - the theory was that increasing vehicle/droid customization tools to 200 calls would help increase interest in them. Nope, didn't work. So then they made them last 2000 calls. Guess what? Now NO ONE buys customization kits anymore. Why bother with a quality 9 use tool, when you could use garbage for a 3 use tool that will last for 2000 calls. I mean, for a 9 use tool, we're talking full vehicle customizations through 8000 calls. That's a long long long long time. But, if I raise my prices on customization tools, they don't sell. If I lower them to 1000 credits, they don't sell.
I just wanted to add that, so far, I have yet to see any resemblance of an increased market due to existing product changes. All that happens is that the person who used to always buy them buys them FAR less frequently, and the person who never bought them in the first place still could give a womprat's behind about how good or improved it is. They just won't buy it, like always. Net result, I lose yet more business.
The 1-2 punch that was vehicle/droid customization kits and droid batteries left a hole in my income, and I was hoping that UDCM's would fill that. Yeah, right.
Here we go again. Thanks Devs.
Straker_Atrella
Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:34 am
#8
I totally agree with Warryyr, I sold far more custom kits before then I do now. The people who cared what their stuff looked like bought them, the others didn't. Now the ones who didn't care, still don't care.
While I wasn't really against the Battery change, I do have to agree that there wasn't (nor will be,) a huge stampede to buy droids after it.
Back on the origional topic though...
Drashk,
I'm not following you. Ok the new system makes it much easier to use Droids, Programs, and Flight Computers now. I get that. It's a good change, people can actually understand what they are doing now.
The increase you see in people using Programs now, has to do with people being able to actually understand how they work.
What does an easier interface have to do with people loading programs into their FC or Droid without chips though? Why didn't they just add the new interface, yet keep it where you needed a chip to put it in origionally. Easy to understand, with no negative impact for DE's.
Your remark about loss of individual sales dropping but being countered by increased "trade" sales is wrong. While a nice attempt to put a glass is half full look into it, it is wrong.
The amount of people that would trade for chips is the same. They would have traded for chips, if the interface stayed the same way, or under the new system. It isfinite number. The majority of the people doing the trading will be your powergamers. Running a wide variety of programs really eats into Reactor usage, so it's not for the weak.
Now sure a couple of people who totally could not figure out the old system may trade for them now, but hardly enough to make up for a 75% drop in sales.
There is no upside to this for DE's. None.
The new interface should have been added, yet chips were still required, a Nerf without cause is a bad Nerf.
Zorkk
Tue Nov 30, 2004 9:39 am
#9
/agree with all that's been said, about chips, batteries, and paint kits! (minus Drashk's post)
two thumbs down for the Dev's
Z
Z
Message Edited by Zorkk on 11-30-2004 09:39 AM
Sodan-droiddreamer
Tue Nov 30, 2004 11:15 am
#10
So much for interdependancies in DEs favor. The droid interface is an improvement, but the loss of chip sales stincks for DEs. Come on! Nobody but doctor's and BHs need our wares. And it's not as if Command Chips were really expensive.
On a separate note, I'm running a Programmed Droid Command Module vendor with pre-programmed chips. They've been selling really well. I sell all levels of all the factions.
Message Edited by Sodan-droiddreamer on 11-30-2004 10:17 AM
RasalTheWise
Tue Nov 30, 2004 12:08 pm
#11
Sodan-droiddreamer wrote:On a separate note, I'm running a Programmed Droid Command Module vendor with pre-programmed chips. They've been selling really well. I sell all levels of all the factions.
Yeah, I'm trying to find sources of Ace pilots so I can do the same.
LonelyGhost
Tue Nov 30, 2004 12:09 pm
#12
I agree with most here. It seems the Devs are determined to give vrafters less and less to do. Now we even have temp buffs that are looted. Is this game turning into a loot-fest or what? I'm glad I never put much effort into making chips. Sadly, I expected somethingwould happen to screw it up.
Reaperss
Tue Nov 30, 2004 12:52 pm
#13
We need something back for this. More ships needing Astromechs would be nice.
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