Droid Engineer Archive

Hi Guys

I've just had a very upsetting experience on Farstar. I was happily tending my harvesters (should make master tomorrow) when I was asked by someone to sell them a schematic for a droid storage compartment.

I refused as I felt that this would eliminate yet another of my currently few money making opportunities as someone with a schematic could mass produce to their hearts content.

The person who asked me got very angry and said she would go to another Farstar DE and ge them to help.

I just wondered what experienced DEs in all the galaxies thought about this and whether I did the right thing refusing even though I offered her as many compartments as she needed.

Would very much like to here what you think on the subject.

Cheers

Nikev
Master Artisan
Novie Droid Engineer 4424
Coronet
Correlia
Farstar

You are under no obligation to make someone schematics. If you want to be truly evil tell them you will and anly charge them X amount per compartment so if the schematic is for 100 and you charge 100cr for them, then charge him 10,000cr

I don't sell schematics. If you come to me looking to buy a droid storage compartment I'll gladly make them and sell you as many as you need, but making a schematic is severely limiting an already dying droid market.

If someone tells me that they have another DE that is offering such-and-such I ask em for the name (knowing every droid engineer on the server it's easy to spot lies or keep informed of who sells what for what). If they threaten to go to another droid engineer I point to the fact that I distribute waypoints to (almost) every droid engineer store on the server and wish them on their way. In both cases it really makes their threats feel a bit empty and usually they either buckle down or stop bothering me

I only do schematics for PA members and friends

Kamayyk

Master Droid Engineer

Master Artisan

I'll sell schematics to people for one of two things, either about 10% of what I would charge for making all that myself (afterall, its credits with no work or real amount of time required and time does equal money) or in exchange for schematics of their own. I've traded droid and/or med schematics for MA component schematics, composit armor segment schematics, and some smuggler stuff for some of my friends. It usually winds up a profitable arrangement for both of us and everyone is happy.

I don't know, I guess it depends on who it is. There are several people I owe a blood debt too, one is the Armorsmith who made me 3 1000 unit schematics for Composite Armor Segments. I searched for 3 days trying to find someone to make them for me and this guy offfered the schematics to me. That was very gracious of him. I also have a few architect friends that sell me harvesters and other items cheaply. I would do it for them as well. Droid storage compartments are one thing, making armor 6 mods, or medical 6 mod schematics is another. They are just using them to make better crafting stations.

I used to make crates of components for people, but not anymore. To expensive to make them properly, and it was to time consuming even with two factories running full out. I recently (about a month ago) stopped making them for anybody but myself, because I used so many. This upset alot of people who figured they could get the components for cheap and be on thier merry way, which is something that wasn't going to happen. If somebodywants a schematic made and I have time (which I usually don't) and they supply the resources... I'll usually just whip it up and be done. Sometimes I'll charge for them, not what I would for the actual crates mind you but a good price. After all time IS money and the time I spend making that schematic how they want it, I could have sold a great crafting/med R2 unit. They don't like the price or the time frame in which I make the schematic, well they can just go find somebody who will.

Which is usually nobody

I've not actually used a factory yet. When creating a schematic does the units made mean that the schematic will only make 1000 units ever or 1000 at a time in a factory ie does the schematic exhaust itself ?

The schematic exhausts itself, counting down by one for each unit made from it.

Now my take: If someone wants droid storage compartments from me, I'm capable of firing up one of my factories to do the job... But I'd just as soon leave them dedicated to things that make me real money!

So I actually prefer to make schematics for such items. I don't have to think about resources, I don't have to think about factory scheduling, I don't have to think about anything much at all. It's easy money, and folks DO remember that kindly DE who helped them out. I get a lot of business from people who remember a small kindness from weeks or sometimes months back.

I give them away. Bring me the material to make it with when I'm not swamped and I will make it on the spot. If my factories are not running, which is rare, and I have a LOT of materials to make 95%+ compartments then I will make some and put them up for sale. You architect friend will remember you when you need some power core units.

To me it is just a professional courtesy.

I can see charging them a percentage of the actual cost of the items.

They're using their own resources and factory, so figure out the going rate for the parts and subtract the resource costs and you could make some money selling your 'intellectual assets'.

Saves you time and resources, and gives you a fair price for what you're selling.

If they're a friend or associate, that would be different.

I would say no myself. If they persistedI would make the schematic with my resources and charge them for it. Unless they provided the resources for the original schematic they would then have to find the resources you used so they could then make the run. It would just be easier for them to buy the parts from you.

I carry those on my vendor and sell them from that point. If people need them they can always buy them from me off my vendor. My prices are reasonable. If they need more than I carry I would be more than happy to make a run for them and charge what I normally charge on my vendor.

But lets be real. How many DE's track down Master Artisans and ask them to make schematics for our Memory modules or GP modules? If I was not a MA I would have no problem paying a fair price from a MA that would supply them to me. That is how relationships grow in this game.