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New dev blog: Ship balancing summer update

First post First post
Author
MortisLegati
Everything Went Black
#841 - 2012-06-28 08:11:36 UTC
Mechael wrote:
remove the ice/merc specialties


CCP seems really attached to those specialties.
SabuMaru ICE
DLM Enterprises
The Serenity Initiative
#842 - 2012-06-28 14:26:23 UTC
MortisLegati wrote:
Mechael wrote:
remove the ice/merc specialties


CCP seems really attached to those specialties.


think the other way around

if the Merc miner is better protected
this will increase the risk vs reward for this occupation
which will increase supply
which will decrease prices for merc
which will decrease prices for T2's
which will decrease the financial risk for T2miner
etc
etc

Same for ICE

in a way by adding protection to the ships they will most likely influence the market
in this case in a way that is unclear how this will effect the balance of the game

personally i think that this is also reason to make the T3 miner/industrial available at that time
or in close succession of releasing this "balance" as the risk of an market "collapse" is a serious issue
and adding more ships will add new reasons for construction and increases in demand
which will then cancel the decrease in value for materials that are easier accessible

i wonder if CCP actualy have looked into this possiblity
and ow they look at it ..
if its discarded as part of the sandbox ( altough a direct result of there actions )
or are serieusly lokin into that to not mess with the market to much
or even something they want to happen as part of evolution of EVE

SabuMaru ICE
DLM Enterprises
The Serenity Initiative
#843 - 2012-06-28 17:20:23 UTC
also to add to my previeus post :

Quote:
Mining output: first and most visible balancing factor, plan is to increase all barge mining output to be within an acceptable margin of the Hulk, not miles behind as it is currently.


this also in the Blog

which means that Yield will change in an upwards direction
which will increase the risk of a market collapse due to increased resources becoming availble

ALSO
on Fanfest CCP posted abot money sinks and inflation
this will just add to that again imo
als lower prices means lower taxes
MortisLegati
Everything Went Black
#844 - 2012-06-29 04:23:39 UTC
SabuMaru ICE wrote:
The sky is falling due to probable increased mining output.


I'd have to disagree. The hulk is still going to remain the highest efficiency miner. Per-player, the ceiling for the amount of minerals/ice/merx is probably not going to increase (which is probably why they're working off the original specialties, as to not cause what you're afraid of).

Personally, I'd like some dev clarification on the efficiency, for minerals, on the Mackinaw (will it be comparable to a step below the hulk, or will it be the same as the retriever, as it is now?).
Nagarythe Tinurandir
Einheit X-6
#845 - 2012-06-29 08:28:35 UTC
SabuMaru ICE wrote:
also to add to my previeus post :

Quote:
Mining output: first and most visible balancing factor, plan is to increase all barge mining output to be within an acceptable margin of the Hulk, not miles behind as it is currently.


this also in the Blog

which means that Yield will change in an upwards direction
which will increase the risk of a market collapse due to increased resources becoming availble



they also removed drone alloys and t1-modules from loot. so there are fewer minerals to begin with and overall more gear to be produced. even if noone would by t1 and for t2, t1 is still needed to build t2.
i guess, there will be need for some more minerals. maybe the prices will go down a bit but they are quite high atm.

secondly, as MortisLegati mentioned already, they plan to buff only the mining ships which are worse than the hulk atm.
so while there will be some more minerals coming from the buffed "noobs" the max yield per character does not change.
regarding the big picture, there will not be a big change.
Jonak
Genesis Deep Space Exploration
#846 - 2012-06-29 09:23:46 UTC
So the Mack will get a better tank and the Hulks tank will be nerfed? I thought they were trying to eliminate the one-shot kills?
SabuMaru ICE
DLM Enterprises
The Serenity Initiative
#847 - 2012-06-29 11:45:06 UTC
Nagarythe Tinurandir wrote:

Quote:
****


they also removed drone alloys and t1-modules from loot. so there are fewer minerals to begin with and overall more gear to be produced. even if noone would by t1 and for t2, t1 is still needed to build t2.
i guess, there will be need for some more minerals. maybe the prices will go down a bit but they are quite high atm.

secondly, as MortisLegati mentioned already, they plan to buff only the mining ships which are worse than the hulk atm.
so while there will be some more minerals coming from the buffed "noobs" the max yield per character does not change.
regarding the big picture, there will not be a big change.


I'm not only talking about Yield increase/balance only
with an increase tank there is a different risk reward situation

and its not that i'm crying .. screaming or what so ever
i'm just stating a possible outcome. atm mining is one of the least effective means of making ISK
its a long slow process that in some cases is boring to say the least

EXAMPLE
currently an Hulk with a good boost is capable of creating an income of 20-30 Mil isk per Hour
but that takes at least 2 characters. compare this with a Lvl 4 Mission runner that can earn close to if not more then a 100 Mil Isk per hour. in both cases you need at least 2 players but the difference is about a 333%-500% in income per hour
and that difference is not explained by the investment that is needed in time/skill/activity

if the market will decrease both parties will be effected that is true but the mission runner the least of that


as i understand from the CCP fan-fest video's and there Blogs is that they want to make Mining more interesting
but if the Reward for it is not on par with the other way's of creating Isk then aren't they actually decreasing the value of being a miner ?


keep in mind i want to exchange idea's about this possibility and not dictated the way the game is balanced
i'm trying to look at the bigger picture and not just the miners them selfs
Nagarythe Tinurandir
Einheit X-6
#848 - 2012-06-29 13:05:07 UTC
your last two post convey two different things, at least as i understand them.
in the first, the one i quoted, you raised concerns about a collapsing market due to more resources available because "lower" tier mining vessels yielding more ore.
in the second post you displayed the differences in income generated by missions and mining.
right?

i do not get the point you want to make :(
do you suggest, more minerals would bring the mineral prices down to a normal level and thereby further decrease the income a miner generates?
then, i fail to see how that would collapse the market. yes, it would make mining even less desireable than it already is, but a market collapse ... dunno. the prolonged hulkageddon seems to be more disruptive, imo. it opens up possibilities for everybody not mining in high sec, but it definitely decreases the economical output of high sec.


or was there another point you wanted to make?


all in all, we have to wait for the changes to be expressed in hard numbers, before any decent conclusion can be drawn, i guess ^^
SabuMaru ICE
DLM Enterprises
The Serenity Initiative
#849 - 2012-06-29 14:44:26 UTC
Nagarythe Tinurandir wrote:
your last two post convey two different things, at least as i understand them.


Both make a point, and are connected
as i look at this market trend overview
most of the mineral market is in a decline at the moment (decreasing demand )
with the highsec minerals going up slightly ( increasing demand )
( this might be because of the drone changes )

Nagarythe Tinurandir wrote:

in the first, the one i quoted, you raised concerns about a collapsing market due to more resources available because "lower" tier mining vessels yielding more ore.
in the second post you displayed the differences in income generated by missions and mining.

i do not get the point you want to make :(
do you suggest, more minerals would bring the mineral prices down to a normal level and thereby further decrease the income a miner generates?
then, i fail to see how that would collapse the market. yes, it would make mining even less desireable than it already is, but a market collapse


the overview in my opinion shows that the minerals that are harder/riskier to get are starting to lose there value
if the balance comes into play there is a risk for a further decline in that aspect . where in the end the market will stabilize around a lower value fort he low/0.0 sec minerals
this means that a Miner will lose there income and will eventually be "forced" into missioning for instance as that will be the only way to keep his income or back to high sec to mine there



Nagarythe Tinurandir wrote:
... dunno. the prolonged hulkageddon seems to be more disruptive, imo. it opens up possibilities for everybody not mining in high sec, but it definitely decreases the economical output of high sec.

hulkageddon, when prolonged well have an upwards force as no one will have the minerals stored up for a "year of hell"
that means that miners will have to take higher risks and will want to be rewarded appropiatly

with the balance this risk will be reduced. Hulkageddon might even not be viable in highsec
meaning prices will drop for the high sec minerals

this added with an increase of high sec miners as lowsec and 0.0 sec might have a lower profit margin
will then decrease them even further
Nagarythe Tinurandir wrote:

or was there another point you wanted to make?

all in all, we have to wait for the changes to be expressed in hard numbers, before any decent conclusion can be drawn, i guess ^^

you do have a point about it being hard to predict without some solid numbers
but i think its part of our jobs to express concerns and if possible give solutions
also i'm bored at work .. so theory crafting

at the end i have fixed feelings about the balancing
and are trying to figure out if the other items that will be rebalanced might have an positive upswing in the end


MortisLegati
Everything Went Black
#850 - 2012-06-29 20:05:26 UTC
Jonak wrote:
So the Mack will get a better tank and the Hulks tank will be nerfed? I thought they were trying to eliminate the one-shot kills?


Anything will only be a Nerf in comparison to other ships. The hulk will most likely actually get an EHP buff in and of its own.
Sieges
#851 - 2012-06-29 22:35:06 UTC
Can the Mackinaw keep it's Ice yield bonus and can its Ore-hold be a multiple of 4 pretty please?? Something like 28,000 m3 Big smile
Vanessa Vansen
Vandeo
#852 - 2012-06-30 12:58:30 UTC
Mining Barge/Exhumer role sets
A - Mercoxit, Ice, Non-Mercoxit (current exhumer roles)
B - Tank, Cargo, Yield (suggested by CCP)

How to implement each role set?

Required dor both role sets:
- Unify the requirements (tiericide), i.e. one for mining barges and one for exhumers

Optional:
- Adjust fitting numbers for ice modules to be inline with ore modules
- Introduce Ore Hangar expanders, e.g. low slot modules (and rigs) with fixed amount, or
similar to current cargohold modules (and rigs)
- Introduce Gas Strip Harvester I and Gas Strip Harvester II (around 2.5 times the yield of
gas cloud harvesters, reason follows later)

Role set A - Mercoxit, Ice, Non-Mercoxit
Adjust the bonus of Procurer and Retriever to copy that of Skiff and Mackinaw, e.g
- Procurer - 50% more yield bonus for Mercoxit Mining Crystals per level
- Retriever - same role bonus as Mackinaw (double yield but 25% penalty on duration), 4%
reduction for duration of ice harvester per level
- Covetor - as it is currently

Role set B - Tank, Cargo, Yield
- Unify number of high slots, e.g. 2 for each mining barge and exhumer (other numbers
would be possible, too) -> graphics will have to be changed
- Double yield of Ice Harvester I and II (simalarity to Mackinaw)
- Double yield of Modulated Deep Core Strip Miner II (similartity to Skiff)
- Increase yield of Strip Miner I and Modulated Strip Miner II by 50% (similarity to Hulk)
- Tank Bonus: additional EHP per level
- Cargo Bonus: additional Ore Cargohold per level
- Yield Bonus: increase yield or shorten duration to achieve same yield in the end as
Exhumers currently (slightly less for future yield mining barge)
- Decide which role is covered by the pairs Procurer/Skiff, Retriever/Mackinaw, and
Covetor/Hulk, ev. grant a ship transformation via a GM or at least a rig reimbursement

Both role sets will easy the introduction of the mining frigate, i.e. it would be possible to
give her up to 5 high slots. Due to the 2 high slots and the Gas Strip Harvesters having
around 2.5 times the yield of their Gas Cloud Harvester counterpart, the mining frigates will
be either slightly better (factor < 2.5) or slightly worse (factor > 2.5) in gas harvesting
assuming that the frigate can fit 5 gas cloud harvesters.
MortisLegati
Everything Went Black
#853 - 2012-06-30 16:31:42 UTC
Vanessa Vansen wrote:

- Unify the requirements (tiericide), i.e. one for mining barges and one for exhumers

- Introduce Ore Hangar expanders, e.g. low slot modules (and rigs) with fixed amount, or
similar to current cargohold modules (and rigs)

-That's not the whole idea for tiericide. The tiericide portion that applies most directly to barges was the elimination of stepped requirements and overall statistics gain between ships with lower and ships with higher skill requirements. By giving barges all the same requirement and allowing it to be a decision between different yield/tank/cargo stat combinations, skill-wise, the tiers are gone.

-This defeats the entire purpose of the 'conversion' to ore bays on some ships (notably the Hulk; they don't want you using it as a solo ship without gimping your effectiveness, it's part of tiericide, elsewise it would lead everyone straight to hulk(what they're stating they're trying to get rid of)). They want people to choose between (extra) tank and yield, not tank/yield/cargo between the barges


Vanessa Vansen wrote:

Role set A - Mercoxit, Ice, Non-Mercoxit
Adjust the bonus of Procurer and Retriever to copy that of Skiff and Mackinaw, e.g
- Procurer - 50% more yield bonus for Mercoxit Mining Crystals per level
- Retriever - same role bonus as Mackinaw (double yield but 25% penalty on duration), 4%
reduction for duration of ice harvester per level
- Covetor - as it is currently

I have literally no idea where you're going with this, since by homogenizing each ship type between T1 and T2 causes a 'tier' again, rather than a Generalization>Specialization, which, for industrial ships, implies operating on a different level (apples and oranges) than its peers within its tech level. (Personally, I feel the Hulk disrupts this to some extent but at the same time I feel it fits snugly.)


Vanessa Vansen wrote:

- Unify number of high slots, e.g. 2 for each mining barge and exhumer (other numbers
would be possible, too) -> graphics will have to be changed

Honestly, I feel like people hover over this in their heads far too much when they think of 'make yields closer to the hulk/covetor'. Strip miners not multiplying the yield can be explained through a multitude of different reasons without making a complete overhaul to the mining ship lineup (think manufacturing here). It makes sense, still, to keep the same number of highslots as we have, if even just to maintain visual uniqueness.


Vanessa Vansen wrote:

Role set B....

This would make some significant bit of sense if it applied solely to exhumers, but it's never stated. (Basically, you're saying that the same 'specialization' could be maintained between T1-T2 by doing the same anti-tiering as was operated through their Tech 1 variants.(Yet, by maintaining the same T2 yield bonus as the hulk, you've literally created a 'tier' between T1 and T2; no specialization beyond the option to be able to mine merx and ice.(I'm going to avoid saying gas, because...)))
Vanessa Vansen wrote:

Make the mining frigate a gas harvester

Is probably the one thing I could say the current philosophy put forth by the changes as they've been designed will agree with.

I'm really speaking from what I can pull from through meditation on the general philosophy the team tasked with making the mining changes is operating under. It's folly to try to turn a developer's head away from a particular way of doing things unless there's a valid reason (something's majorly ****** with the way they're doing things, etc) to scrap it and go with an entirely new set of balance calculations/arguments (back to the drawing board).
Vanessa Vansen
Vandeo
#854 - 2012-06-30 17:27:27 UTC
I thought the problem would be that the Procurer is not used at all, since the 1 strip miner is outmined easily. Hence the idea of passing down some of the exhumer bonus to the mining barges.

Well, we'll have to wait and see what the devs will come up with. I just stated some basic ideas. The mining barges take the first step and the exhumers specialize in that direction.
MortisLegati
Everything Went Black
#855 - 2012-06-30 18:15:52 UTC
They were talking about pushing yields closer together between the smaller and larger barges. The most obvious way they would do that would be to give a large multiplier to yield on ships with fewer turrets. It kind of makes me think of a stacking penalty for strips Lol.
Gallinari
PJ Ind.
#856 - 2012-07-01 00:04:56 UTC
Absolutely loving the mining ship changes. I want that ORE frigate just for fun...ill probably never use it though but its damn sexy.
Esceem
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#857 - 2012-07-01 10:43:10 UTC
"No" to the barge plans as they are now.

Removing the few racial minig frigates and cruisers is the wrong way:
Thus, miners only have ships of one faction while ships of all races and factions are available to combat pilots.

Instead, every race should get it's own full range of mining ships.

All ORE ships could then become the miner's equivalent to prirate faction ships. Reworking these is a good idea, though.
Maloraki en Cedoulain
Mutual Consolidated Insurance
#858 - 2012-07-02 02:10:22 UTC
Lots of interesting changes to look forward to. I'm particularly looking forward to trying out a drone Navitas. On the other hand as a frequent explorer I'm worried the Imicus's drone capability will be nerfed. I dearly love being able to easily clear Radar/Mag (high sec mostly) sites with it's current drone capability. Please don't nerf it to bad, pretty please?
Thelron
Science and Trade Institute
Caldari State
#859 - 2012-07-02 12:20:46 UTC
Esceem wrote:
"No" to the barge plans as they are now.

Removing the few racial minig frigates and cruisers is the wrong way:
Thus, miners only have ships of one faction while ships of all races and factions are available to combat pilots.

Instead, every race should get it's own full range of mining ships.

All ORE ships could then become the miner's equivalent to prirate faction ships. Reworking these is a good idea, though.


Confirming that Moas have long been known to auto-destruct if launched with mining lasers.

Now that Dessies and BCs have come along the racial lineups all have reasonable options for someone who wants to mine their way up the ladder, so it isn't like the "old days" when Caldari pilots looked at Gallente pilots and became physically ill. None of these options require built-in bonuses... the ships with those bonuses are certainly nice stepping-stones or cheap options when you don't mine often and rarely in the same place, but their removal isn't going to suddenly screw everyone over.

Additionally, the ORE ships in a lot of ways already ARE the equivalent to pirate ships, without the whole "buying them with LP" bit. They're the bigger, better, weirder, balance-bending entries in the list of "ships that break rocks," from a faction that's ALL about breaking rocks. Hence, their utter lack of any intentional offensive capabilities (anomaly-running Rorquals notwithstanding)... much like the pirate ships are generally wholly unsuitable to anyone not interested in blowing things up (as they tend to work off the same "double your guns" bonus style they tacked on to turn things like the Osprey into a part-time mining vessel).

Basically,

No.
Urgg Boolean
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#860 - 2012-07-03 17:58:12 UTC
Many people are suggesting a lot of interesting ideas, but nobody can predict what the Devs will really do. That being said, many players in this thread seem to be directly and/or indirectly suggesting T3 ORE ships. It sure seems like a T3 mining vessel would solve the "tiericide" issues by being massively flexible, and offering capabilities based upon loadout/build/skills. I seriously doubt we will get a T3 ORE ship. That being said, I give two thumbs up for the proposed rethinking/balancing of mining ships.

So, I encourage the Dev Team to give the specs to the fellow who wrote EFT so we can be working out builds for these new ORE ships well before release.