Ranger Archive
Thread: Pricing / Overpricing
Page 1 of 3
Woolybear
Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:51 am
#1
A long time ago someone posted an excellent link regarding pricing. Unfortunately the link nor the person can I find. Doc's are now buffing at 15k on eclipse. Apparently this is due to some scouts or rangers who are sadly charging outrageous prices such as 100 cpu +. In an effort to restore some normallity I have posted what information I have left about the pricing guide that was being used by the community some time back. I've been a Master Ranger pretty much since I started out in swg, but I feel today we have lost control of the pricing system. However I dont agree with going with the flow. We are a starting link in the "food chain". If we modify our prices, that can have an effect on the other professions that need us.
Here is the guide. In the first part we will try to calculate what we will call....."Weighted Average" (WA )....which will determine the quality then the price of the harvest.
AVIAN Calculator
( 1.26 x OQ ) + ( 0.33 x PE ) + (0.40 x DR ) / 1.99 = WA
HERBIVORE & AVIAN (alternative one) Calculator
OQ + OQ + PE / 3 = WA
OTHER MEAT
OQ + PE + FL / 3 = WA
HIDE & BONE
( OQ x 7 ) + ( MA x 3 ) + ( SR x 3 ) + UT / 14 = WA
* The second stage is evaluating the price of the WA*
WA = 0 - 500........=5cpu ( this was maintained as an MR's minimum price )
WA = 500 - 800....( WA - 200 ) / 60
WA = 800 - 900 ( WA - 700 ) / 10
WA = 900 - 1000 ....( WA x 3 ) -2500 / 10
At first this may seem complex, but in fact you soon get into it..beleive me I was terrible in maths 
As said before , please feel free to use or modify this guide . At the end of the day do what you want, but I do feel we need to control the overpricing problem.
How is it on the other gallaxies?
Woolybear
Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:57 am
#2
Here is a " Quick Calculator" for WA that was also posted by the same person:
WA = 0 - 500 = 5 CPU
WA = 600 = 6.67 cpu
WA = 700 = 8.33 cpu
WA = 850 = 15 cpu
WA = 900 = 20 cpu
WA = 950 = 35 cpu
WA = 1000 = 50 cpu
20 cpu had been suggested for fishing and milk of decent quality. I am often never sure tho if 20 cpu for milk is not a little high.
Cambylobacter
Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:36 am
#3
... and the anger I feel I shall hold within ....
1) Buffs last say on average 3 hours.... if anyone dares have the temerity to say a Doctor charging 15,000 credits for 3 horus of buffing is too much, then they are completely out of order. What can people make doing missions/harvesting in that time? 500k? A million? More? You think you'd see peoplein composite solo'ing Nightsister Elders without a buff?
The notion that 15,000 credits is too much for a buff, is an indication of how cheap some people have become.
2) The pride I feel as a Master Ranger is not eclipsed by many. I am sure many Master Rangers take an immense deal of satisfaction in their job, and many truely do it with a great deal of professionalism. I like to believe we have a good reputation as a mature and responsible profession.
I value my time.
When I work harvesting, I do not whack up a harvester on top of a Rancor, fill it full of power and come back three days later to collect my wares.
I do not sent a survey droid our and follow a big sign to a good spot and throw all my lots up to cover it.
I get off a shuttle and hunt on foot. Weapon in hand and hunt down my game. I work extremely hard harvesting - it is often (normally) neither fun nor enjoyable but is still a role I give my utmost to.
And I value my skills, my time and my Ranger badge.
Anyone who wants to devalue me. Anyone who wants to devalue that which I hold dear, can do so, but don't expect quarter from me.
You expect me to spend my time hunting eggs, and you value my time less than 20 credits per fish? That's how you value a Master Ranger?
You expect me to spend my time hunting, but tell me that I overestimate my own value?
My blood boils at the suggestion that Rangers are greedy. My blood boils at the suggestion that not only must we work damned hard, but we must follow some formula that we are given.
I will continue to charge what I feel my Master Ranger title makes me worth. I love my profession, and i damn well guarantee, it's worth a **edit**load more than 20 credits a fish.
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:31 am
#4
I dont use cpu calculators, the market demand dictates the price so its NEVER 'overpriced' simply a high cpu.
Ifa customer cannot pay those prices then its simply a fact ofsurvival of the fitestand those you can pay will get what they want.
Its best not to set the prices on the product, let the demand come to you, play with the market and arrange some very nice contracts. A smart hunter is also a master of the business environment and knows how to play of demand spikes.
Gawzeera
Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:44 am
#5
A Doc charging 15k per buff to a character such as yourself may nort seem extreme but to me who is still grinding my slow path up to novice ranger 15k is way to much.
I spend most of my time out in the desert killing creatures and harvesting, I have to take my time as if i come to close to a squil and it see's through my masked scent I'm pretty much dead. I bought asuit of comp armor after selling my anniversarypic and had to pay 20k per piece of armor, only then did i discover that it cannot be worn without it being sliced (and risk getting exposed or worseby an imp that searches me)or if I'm buffed, which is way to expensive or doing stat migration which also costs and is difficult to get done as I am yet to see a master image designer. The missions I do, pay no more than 1700.
I try to help out newer players by offering them goods at a cheaper rate or even for nothing at all,so far I have done a full suit of bone armor for a new player and charged him nothing for it, I didi a second one and charged only 5k for the full suit. fair enough it may not be the best in the world but its better than nothing.
I do however agree that iof your making a million per mission then buffing for 15k is like pocket money. and once I am at a stage where I am lucky enough to make a million per mission I will pay for my buffs with a fat smile on my face knowing that I have just spent 15k in order to double it.
but for the moment I remain unbuffed with a sad bank balance of 35k
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:45 am
#6
Doc's are now buffing at 15k on eclipse. Apparently this is due to some scouts or rangers who are sadly charging outrageous prices such as 100 cpu +.
Aparently being thehighlighted word because its total bull**edit**. We fullfil the contracts they dish out, not the other way around. They make tens of millions by spending a couple of millions on resources, their profits margins are insane and will never make a loss.
I have a buffer friend and he says even with all the resources he uses at max price his PACKS!!!!!! only ever cost him around7500 to make (we are talking 120+ organic and avian).You have to also take into ccount that packs have like 20+ charges.
And yeah the buffs i am buying (2600+) are still only 10k not 15k.
Total Costs: Pack Cost x Number of packs needed - 7,500 x 6 = 45,000k
Total Revenue:Buff SetRevenue x Sets per pack run -10,000 x 20 = 200,000
It all comes down to how much profit docs want to make and are willing to PAY rangers and scouts, not that they are not making profits anymore because rangers are holding them to ransom.
JBMat
Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:30 am
#7
Overpriced my azz.
Docs are charging that without 100cpu stuff.
They want avian, they can pay what the market will bear. I had two docs bidding on my 6k stack of Corellian avian this weekend. It went for 110cpu - overpriced, no way. They paid for my time and expertise in finding the stuff.
Hey, no one is forcing you to buff and pay the prices. I don't. And I solo big stuff, unbuffed and unarmored. Yes, it takes a while, but I play for fun and to see what I can do by myself without all the extra crap in my way.
The doctors are making a killing. They load ingredients into a factory, come back the next day, and have a whole lot of buffs. Kiss my azz on crit failures, most live in cities where the rate is near zero. And they sit in one spot for a couple/three hours and make how much money for using a macro?? Yeah, rough life, running the buff macro and the spam macro.
And when and if CB hits, and the buffs go into the crapper, where will they - and paranthetically -we - be then?
JB
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:43 am
#8
Overpriced my azz.
Docs are charging that without 100cpu stuff.
They want avian, they can pay what the market will bear. I had two docs bidding on my 6k stack of Corellian avian this weekend. It went for 110cpu - overpriced, no way. They paid for my time and expertise in finding the stuff.
Hey, no one is forcing you to buff and pay the prices. I don't. And I solo big stuff, unbuffed and unarmored. Yes, it takes a while, but I play for fun and to see what I can do by myself without all the extra crap in my way.
The doctors are making a killing. They load ingredients into a factory, come back the next day, and have a whole lot of buffs. Kiss my azz on crit failures, most live in cities where the rate is near zero. And they sit in one spot for a couple/three hours and make how much money for using a macro?? Yeah, rough life, running the buff macro and the spam macro.
And when and if CB hits, and the buffs go into the crapper, where will they - and paranthetically -we - be then?
JB
Exactly
The market dictates the price not us.
They are paying the prices that they think the product is worth to them.
And im happy to sit here and let them fight over my time and reward my efforts with more credits.
Fodder650
Wed Jul 21, 2004 5:48 am
#9
We are fulfilling the player economy. And its interesting to see the effects on each server. Bloodfin is a good server for where things can go into the extreme in pricing. But doctors buffs went from 8k to 10k and never jumped again. This even considering the price of Nimh's packs or the fact that we get 100cpu for avian and up to 400cpu for tat avian. But, as said, Ranger is one of those interesting professions where we are hired and dont set a price. Since the doctors want to fight over 2200 vs 2300 fora buff. We beneift from it
Oh and for the guy who said "Im working up Ranger i cant afford it". First there is lots of money as a ranger. Live on the server trade boards. Second you dont need to be buffed. I never go out buffed unless im with a doctor guild mate. I have been buffed three times in three weeks. Thats all and those were on Rancor hunt nights where i didnt even ask. Thats why Im a Master CH. So i dont need to do it. Its all a matter of tactics. And not wearing advanced composite armor or spamming specials. Ubese is the armor for harvesting work. Pants, chest and boots. Thats all you should need for most harvesting work. Unless you go above your skill set.Composite is for PvP. Its a HAM eater. And most of the time you wont need a helmet. Most of what we attack doesnt do head strikes. Besides if you spend 15k for a buff and harvest a couple k of meet from it. Your probaly up at least 25k not including what the missions paid out.
darmokVtS
Wed Jul 21, 2004 6:38 am
#10
Gawzeera wrote:A Doc charging 15k per buff to a character such as yourself may nort seem extreme but to me who is still grinding my slow path up to novice ranger 15k is way to much.I spend most of my time out in the desert killing creatures and harvesting.
I suggest you either start hunting things that are wanted and get a decent payment for them (your galaxy's tradeboard should help to locate what crafters want) or move to an advanced planet for missions (for example giant baz nitch missions on dathomir aren't dangerous at all even if you are still stuck in a starter combatprof if you are buffed and armored, they pay 11k per mission (so one mission, buffcost covered). There's plenty of cash to get in SWG, you just have to start working on it :-).
Gawzeera wrote:or doing stat migration which also costs and is difficult to get done as I am yet to see a master image designer.
You do not need a Master Image Designer for statmigration. And as the timers are lower in an image designer tent you nearly always can find an image designer still working on that master-box in the ID tent in Theed on eclipse, I'd be quite surprised if this is different for your server unless you play on Testcenter
. Cost are usually 10k - 20k, worth one or two of the above described missions.
Gawzeera wrote:The missions I do, pay no more than 1700.
Leave your starter planet then, it's about time you see the wonders of the galaxy
.
Gawzeera wrote:I do however agree that iof your making a million per mission then buffing for 15k is like pocket money.
A Million per mission is quite unrealistic, however earning 1 mil+ per buffduration is far from unrealistic.
For you if you are at lower progress in your combat profession (you didn't say anything about that) it still might be, however you can get quite a 'bunch' of credits even at novice marksman/brawler with buffs and armor easily covering buffcosts, but you might want to leave Tatooine for that (I think you get my hint by now
).Naturally your income right now is lower than what you can expect when you mastered your combat profession if you base your income on your fighting skills. But you can afford buffs (if you actually need them), you just need to pick one of the options that enable you to do so :-).
Message Edited by darmokVtS on 07-21-2004 03:40 PM
DaveG
Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:07 am
#11
While we're arguing about Buffs, I thought I'd throw my two cents worth in...
I've only beenon SWG about seven weeks, so I don't know if buffs arre a new invention or have always been part of the game. However, I really feel that buffs are detracting from the game for the following reasons.
Buffs gives you the strength of three or four men. It removes the need for working as a team, you're a whole team rolled into one, you are your own tank, solo'ing away to your hearts content. Conclusion it's killing team work.
The above combined with all the uber armour available has killed the demand for one of our best abilities: building camps. Thanks to buffs and uber-amour your chance of survival in the wild is almost a dead cert (especially if you're a melee master, but not if you're a wookiee). Why bother to bring a ranger along at all? All you need is a few players with low scout skills to lob a few traps, and you can all go home at the end of the day having not needed to camp once, with a trail of creatures behind us thinking "**edit** just hit us?".
Cambylobacter
Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:10 am
#12
You are right mate about that.
All I can say is that I believe buffs and armour are both being changed in the combat balance which is absolutely spot on.
I am not going to drift completely off topic and start going on about the CB though
darmokVtS
Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:11 am
#13
For some reason I hardly feel 'useless' in hunting groups, I have to addmit that this has not much to do with my characters skills (besides areatrack) :-).
And not buffs and armor make camps useless, without buffs and armor and the current camp-functionality camps still would be rarely used for healing purposes (everyone and his brother is novice medic anyway, without buffs and armor the last few that aren't would be novice medic too :-) and a droid works better than a camp for /healwound).
And not buffs and armor make camps useless, without buffs and armor and the current camp-functionality camps still would be rarely used for healing purposes (everyone and his brother is novice medic anyway, without buffs and armor the last few that aren't would be novice medic too :-) and a droid works better than a camp for /healwound).
Message Edited by darmokVtS on 07-21-2004 04:13 PM
Page 1 of 3