(04-09-2014, 03:41 PM)Highland Laddie Wrote: so that begs the ultimate question: what can any shipping company offer, either in game or in RP, that couldn't be offered even better from an integrated mining company? why even have shipping companies at all (aside from those masochists who actually enjoys supplying PoBs all day long) ?
And that's the problem. Shipping companies are nothing compared to mining companies generally.
So how do we go about balancing that? Who knows. I like the idea of profit multiplication by ID, as that might give shipping companies an edge.
What I want to know is, why the heck does it even matter? its not exactly gonna hit the prices. and basically, you guys are just looking for money when you trade. I feel this is an attempt to promote more people to join the posting person's shipping companies, to boost membership. what in heck does it mean if IMG ships optronics or Samura does?(except for sellpoints).
this stuff should matter only at places where there is an embargo.(lolberty<->Rheinland, Lolberty<->Space Japan)
Ofcourse, shipping companies, if they want to, can develop their own RP for a set of specific commodities, if they want anything in special.
Like Ageira has their rights on Trade Lane parts. Also, Disco has grown far beyond what you can call "reality"
Speak of things from a player point of view, the playerbase for the said mining factions will drastically reduce if, you guys want to push them to only mining. Instead of bragging about why mining factions cant haul ores, try to something for the shipping factions, if you are so concerned about them, that makes them unique in their own rights.
And also
(04-09-2014, 03:20 PM)Highland Laddie Wrote: @ Moriarity - that's just a cop out to actually having a discussion. And it isn't so much about reality as faction/ID balancing.
Sure, maybe we could eliminate the problem altogether by making a 5k mining ship and open it up for Freelancers to use.....then we can eliminate mining and shipping companies in one fell swoop.
There is some difference between "making sense" and "retardness". What you just suggested, or was mockingly suggesting, is retardness. This mod has evolved itself, to let mining factions haul their ores themselves. When you can say, " trading corporations can use escorts/ fighter class vessels to have protection" then I too can say "mining corporations, can have transports to get more profits".
My suggestions were directed to make every aspect of this game more playable.Mining/shipping/pirating/whatever be it. Do you think players would be playing a mining char, if they are only allowed to mine and dont have access to other things? There needs to be some "unrealistic components" to keep every aspect of this game, worth investing time in.
@ Seven-alpha. - I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in growing membership in my own faction, but having been in a shipping faction for nearly two years, and more or less running it for one of those, I'm starting to wonder whether my time/energy/effort is useless and wasted if I cannot provide any real draw to join in?
And it's not just Gateway, but aside from USI, no shipping company is that active or doing well. Not one. Not Kishiro/Samura (despite their integrated status), not Bowex, not Republican, not IDF. And when I try to pin down the "why?", the only obvious answer to me is they have absolutely nothing to offer that isn't better in the mining factions.
Even the "looking for money" answer isn't true, as trading ores are by far the most profitable business in the game, and miners can do that themselves without shippers.
well, tell me from your heart that you trade only for RP . you cant.
well, as per your say, trading isnt for the money, then might I ask why Oceana has Platinum ore on board? well, thats not relevant now. ok, before this morphs into another propaganda thread, lets finish the discussion. which group are you complaining against? for I can provide RP backing in each case. might make it much more quicker
@Osama: its no use starting a thread like this. it doesnt make any difference to the lore or the game, in general, except for more and more traders everywhere and no miners.
@Moriarity - Aegira isn't a shipping company, so it's not an apples to apples comparison. (Better comparison to them would be manufacturing/tech firms like Cryer, Synth, Solar Engineer, none.of which are active in any meaningful way) Also....I think other IDs can still buy/ship Gate and Lane parts, unless that has been restricted. So, aside from some little bit of RP pride, that essentially means nothing.
My point is that gameplay as a shipping company seems ultimately pointless aside from just putting yourself out there as a target for pirates (which isn't as much fun as you may think), whereas gameplay as miners, pirates,.military, etc. has much more specific perks.
I would like it if shippers had a bit more tangible perk.
@ Seven - of COURSE we trade ores to make money, but I'm saying that the simple reason of making money isn't necessarily a better draw for a player to go into shipping than into mining. If anything, it's worse.
Name me one benefit of playing as ANY shipping company, and I could probably point to 2,3 or more benefits that one or more mining factions have over them with the current game setup.