Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droid Pricing Discussion
Hello fellow DEs of all levels and varieties. Is there a web site or a thread where we discuss general pricing/value for most or all droid types? I am not talking about just one droid in specific, or even two or three, but really pretty much allof them. Either pricing for the droids, or pricing for the various module levels to act as something of a pricing guide? I realize that asking 10 people will net me at least 15 different answers to the question, but I am asking it anyway.
Have we as a group given any thought to this? I know that I am NEVER the person that thinks of anything first, so I would have to imagine this has been discussed already. However through this forum'ssearch engine,I have been unable to locate a good discussion on general pricing. If one of you knows where this discussion is, can you please point me at it. If we have not had such a discussion yet, I think we should give it some thought.
Why am I asking? Like many of you, I am frequently asked "How much for a _____ droid?". Not a simple question ever, but in todays times with permadeath and reduced mission payouts, this is an even more difficult question. Yes, our costs are the same (and some might even argue they're higher), but the world economy doesn't necessarily support our cost structure at the moment.
Indeed, with the varying levels of skills that DEs can have (various level modules, various level armor modules, functionality modules), it seems somewhat difficult to pinpoint a price. A droid created by a MDE using all L6 modules would cost a lot more than a similar droid designed by a DE with access to only L2 or L3 modules. Clearly, droid pricing is a complex formula derived from resource cost (and resource rarity), crafting time (our effort, basically), critical failure rates, and of course what the market will bare. Clearly, all the impacts of component quality and customization (while significant variables) are not fully implemented or understood yet. However the question remains: What is the value of droid x? You could work out an elaborate spreadsheet that helps you to calculate this (as I have done), however sometimes I just look at it and scratch my head and say "That' CAN'T POSSIBLY be correct!".
At some point, to simplify the whole thing, there are probably intrinsic, generally agreed-upon values for specific droid types--we may not have discussed them yet, but I am pretty sure they are there. Without concerning myself with actual functionality of specific droids (Protocol droid, Binary Load Lifter), clearly some droids are worth more than others (Probot, R2, Seeker/Probe). Others still can be boosted or lowered in value based on modules (Crafting, Repair, Storage, Data, Medical, etc.).
Have we, as a community, had a good discussion about droid pricing? I see a thread here, several threads there, and I could piece together some of the puzzle, but there are still holes. I am not suggesting that we get together and set pricing. However it is good for everyone (even the newest of novice DEs) to have some sense of the end-product value.
For a RealWorld(TM) example: Automotive makers make cars in just about every price increment you can think of, but there are general categories where cars have ranges: passenger, luxury, sport, SUV, etc. Even the main categories have subcategories (Luxury SUV, Sport SUV, for example), but the price ranges are pretty clear. You generally don't see a subcompact passenger car for over 25k, nor do you generally see a luxury car for under 20k (Yes, the buyer's perception of luxury or subcompact passenger can vary: a subcompact passenger with leather seats at 18k could be considered a "luxury car" by some). And yes, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the "rule". But in general, people "know" that certain types of cars (or cars from certain manufacturers) have certain price ranges.
In that example, knowing that a base level Probot made by the lowest-level DE with only the skills needed to be able to make a probot (meaning L1 armor) is generally worthX and a luxury Probot made by an MDE (with L6 armor) is generally worth Y gives all DEs a place to say "Well, I have L3 armor, so I might price my probot at ((X++) < Y)". Still not easy, but at least that would serve as a guideline. And oh yes--there will always be someone who charges 3x the "standard amount". Likewise, there will always bethe DE who sells everything for 3k on the bazaar. And of course there are always those who charge "whatever the customer has on them". But if one throws out the extremes, one should be able to eventually say "Droid X is worth Y when equipped with Z". At least this way, when asked "How much is a Probot" and you say "20k" and they say "WOW THAT'S HIGH FOR A PERMADEATH DROID", you can at least have a sense of comfort knowing that it's not necessarily that high.
So anyway, if we already have this knowledge great...point me at it. If not, can we get together as a group and discuss it here to help all DEs through this rough economic period?
I sat down with Excel on Saturday for about 4 hours and tried to put together a spreadsheet that lists everything that the DE can make (plus the Master Artisan stuff since DE tied to their products too). The nice thing is that it is flexible and if you change one variable, the entire table will reflect that. Now the current price structure isn't necessarily the best or reflective, but I took some ideas that I had seen on this board and added in a few of mine as well. I don't think that the forum here will let me cut/paste it here, but if you would like a copy of my Excel file at least to give anyone a start, just put a reply with your email address and i'll send it to ya
I'd like a view at that spreadsheet, sounds like you put a lot of work into it. Thanks.
I've used the droid pricing guide at the following website - www.undeadfish.com/droids.php
I'd recommend everyone take a look even if you don't use it.