Slicing post-nerf, please look at the numbers BW

[Battilea]

When?

 

Because inflation has already guaranteed that materials are worth significantly more than what the static credits from Slicing gives on the servers I play on.

 

This wasn't true during the first part of early access but it is now.

 

While this is true, it is only so because most people who harvest don't sell the stuff. When everyone was slicing, I made a killing with UT, easily outstripping the pre-nerf slicing...and that's with them harvesting world nodes. But it didn't take much to crash to market. A couple of guildies followed my lead. And that was really about all it took.

 

On my server, for T6 scavenging, as an example, the compounds run a bit over 1k. The metals for half that. Your typical node has 3-4 of each. So you're looking at 4.5 - 6k per node. That exceeds slicing.

 

But there are only a couple of people actually selling the stuff. If it caught on as the money maker, the market would rapidly be flooded and the price would plummet. It only works because a few people do it.

[ArmoredJuneBug]

On my server, for T6 scavenging, as an example, the compounds run a bit over 1k.

...

That exceeds slicing.

...

It only works because a few people do it.

While that's true it's not really a problem, because it's unlikely a large number of people ever will.

 

This applies to any MMO, in WoW I made a killing selling herbs because people just couldn't be arsed to farm stuff themselves.

 

As long as there's ample credit income from endgame sources, questing/PvP/dailies/space missions/etc., there's always going to be a market for materials. And people who's chronically broke and can't understand why.

 

That's an inherent balancing assumption for a working in-game economy, if everyone chose the ideal synergistic crew skills and farmed their stuff themselves the GTN wouldn't exist.

 

The only real threat to the need, and thus price of, crafting materials is the inability of crew skills to provide competitive gear. Unless we get a continuous influx of rich alts it's likely the economy will stagnate as no one will want anything players can produce.

 

That's a bit beyond this particular discussion however.

[rivnen]

I'm curious as to why slicing should be the only skill that makes money from doing it? All other crafting skills lose money, slice up some augments and try to make money like all the other crafting skills have to.

[ArmoredJuneBug]

I'm curious as to why slicing should be the only skill that makes money from doing it? All other crafting skills lose money, slice up some augments and try to make money like all the other crafting skills have to.

Can't tell if serious...

 

• Every other non-crafting skill gives significantly higher credit return than Slicing, while also offering more than pure credits.
  
• Running Augment missions is a terrible waste, as you have no control of what kind and quality of Augment you get. The good ones need to be priced at 20k+ just to break even.
  

[PhoR]

I keep seeing people say "you only get credits from slicing missions", but that's not exactly true. You also get skill ups.

 

No other gathering skill allows you to skill up from 1-400 without spending any credits or setting foot outside your home planet. Skilling up slicing takes FAR less time/money than any other profession.

 

Stop thinking of "Credit Box" missions as the goal. To make them the goal would severely break the economy, as Bioware has already attested to with an official post in this very thread.

 

Slicing nodes and Augments are the goal.

And to that end, Augment mission costs/yields DEFINITELY need to be adjusted.

But the nerf to credit box missions is entirely justified.

 

 

 

 

As an aside:

I keep seeing ArmoredJuneBug compare making money from credit missions to making money with underworld metal missions and I can't help but point out that that comparison is apples to oranges.

 

Credit missions inject more money into the economy.

Selling Mandalorian Iron on the GN not only doesn't inject more money, it's entirely subject to server demand.

 

Slicing allows you to gather credit nodes WHILE your companions are out on other missions.

Underworld Trading is entirely reliant on having empty crew skill time.

There is a HUGE difference between the two.

[Ash_Haryukishima]

/bump

[ArmoredJuneBug]

No other gathering skill allows you to skill up from 1-400 without spending any credits or setting foot outside your home planet.

No other gathering skill fails to give you any crafting materials either.

 

Again, as Slicing only gives you credits it has to offer competitive returns. Right now it doesn't.

Credit missions inject more money into the economy.

It's irrelevant, a single high-level mission gives you 5-figure credits returns. To say nothing about vendor thrash from mobs.

 

The most efficient Slicing missions (Moderate/Abundant rank 3/4/5 ones in my experience) return a net of less than 1k an hour. Frequently in the range of a couple of hundred credits an hour.

 

This is entirely insignificant compared to any other game activity, be it instancing, PvP, farming mobs or running (non-crew skill) missions.

Slicing allows you to gather credit nodes WHILE your companions are out on other missions.

Underworld Trading is entirely reliant on having empty crew skill time.

There really aren't that much different, unless you're farming nodes exclusively.

 

Then again, if you are you could be picking up another gathering profession instead and earn more credits due to the materials being worth more than pure credits are.

 

Inflation guarantees a static return crew skill will always end up worse than one which gives you materials, thus there's no need for Slicing missions to be as terribad as they are.

 

On top of being bugged, that is.

[Raelstrom]

My experience with Slicing post-nerf is not as dire as others have stated. I have made a modest sum sending my Companions on missions. Occasionally, I will lose money on a mission. However, that is easily offset by the fact that the overall gain is decent. Nothing stellar. Not going to retire to a quiet planet and just send my Companions on slicing missions by no means. It is not a complete FAIL though. When you add in the credits from slicing I do in the field it is quite a good bit of income. Then you throw in the occasional schematic or mission that drops it is pretty nice income. After 109 missions with an average lockbox level of 5.1 I have made almost $40K profit. That is only the credits earned less the cost of doing the missions. This does not include slicing nodes in the field or schematics or mission drops from missions.

[Drewser]

My experience with Slicing post-nerf is not as dire as others have stated. I have made a modest sum sending my Companions on missions. Occasionally, I will lose money on a mission. However, that is easily offset by the fact that the overall gain is decent. Nothing stellar. Not going to retire to a quiet planet and just send my Companions on slicing missions by no means. It is not a complete FAIL though. When you add in the credits from slicing I do in the field it is quite a good bit of income. Then you throw in the occasional schematic or mission that drops it is pretty nice income. After 109 missions with an average lockbox level of 5.1 I have made almost $40K profit. That is only the credits earned less the cost of doing the missions. This does not include slicing nodes in the field or schematics or mission drops from missions.

 

Agreed. It certainly is not the most profitable gathering skill but it had to be nerfed from its released version.

[ArmoredJuneBug]

After 109 missions with an average lockbox level of 5.1 I have made almost $40K profit.

That's about 4-8 UT missions, or 1 if it's a crit.

 

And that's without any schematics or such dropped as well.

 

Slicing missions are more craptastic than they should be, no doubt about that.

[Drewser]

That's about 4-8 UT missions, or 1 if it's a crit.

 

And that's without any schematics or such dropped as well.

 

Slicing missions are more craptastic than they should be, no doubt about that.

 

You can also make 30+K from one level 5 slicing missions that crits. In fact I made over $90k on 10 slicing missions I ran yesterday on an alt.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Drewser

[Raelstrom]

You can also make 30+K from one level 5 slicing missions that crits. In fact I made over $90k on 10 slicing missions I ran yesterday on an alt.

 

I can make a lot more credits, a lot faster just playing and killing stuff while questing. The added credits for the missions is nice though.

[Drewser]

I can make a lot more credits, a lot faster just playing and killing stuff while questing. The added credits for the missions is nice though.

 

I doubt you can make 90K in the time it took me to switch characters, send the companions then check on the results and resend.

 

But I agree, particularly at level 50, there are plenty of ways to make easy creds and very little to spend them on at this point.

[Marlaine]

The following is my take on the situation:

 

Slicing missions are not meant to make money. They are meant for the sole purpose of helping to level slicing.

 

At 400, you should not be doing any more slicing missions, with the exceptions of discoveries. Instead, you should be roaming the world making money off of the slicing nodes. Those nodes are where you make money. Not missions.

[Raelstrom]

I doubt you can make 90K in the time it took me to switch characters, send the companions then check on the results and resend.

 

But I agree, particularly at level 50, there are plenty of ways to make easy creds and very little to spend them on at this point.

 

Well, I have no idea how fast you make credits but in the time it took me to do 109 missions I could have made LOTS in the field. LOTS. Way more than what I made doing the missions.

[Pherdnut]

I doubt you can make 90K in the time it took me to switch characters, send the companions then check on the results and resend.

 

But I agree, particularly at level 50, there are plenty of ways to make easy creds and very little to spend them on at this point.

 

A comment with multiple layers of irony in a slicing nerf QQ thread. All a lot of the posters here want is easy money but what are they supposed to buy if that's all anybody goes for.

 

Slicing is a nice way to boost cash as you actually play the game and it's the only skill that gets you augments other than Cybertech. The missions weren't intended to make you rich by sitting on your butt and not actually selling or doing anything.

 

It does not compare to selling mats or anything else, because there are markets for that stuff. Too much of the same means stuff ends up being worth less which makes a given mat or recipe easy button self-policing.

 

When everybody spams massive credits, credits become worth less. Suddenly anything you can't buy from a vendor will cost millions. You don't want the old slice. It was so broken it's absurd and it would have ruined the economy. TBH I'm shocked it's still even possible to net a profit from the missions in raw credits at any skill level/difficulty.

[Pherdnut]

Well, I have no idea how fast you make credits but in the time it took me to do 109 missions I could have made LOTS in the field. LOTS. Way more than what I made doing the missions.

 

But that's what your 7 other toons are for. Get it?

[Drewser]

Well, I have no idea how fast you make credits but in the time it took me to do 109 missions I could have made LOTS in the field. LOTS. Way more than what I made doing the missions.

 

I am not talking about your 109 missions. I am talking about the missions I ran on my slicing alt that resulted in 90k once the mission drops were sold.

 

Total time including login/logouts, sending 2 companions, mailing missions and putting on GTN was under 20 mins of my time.

[ArmoredJuneBug]

You can also make 30+K from one level 5 slicing missions that crits.

If you get an artifact UT mission that requires 340 skill, sure. As that's the only thing you get from Slicing worth anywhere near that amount.

 

That adds precious little to the average returns from Slicing missions, however.

 

The lockboxes are barely breaking even and certainly not on high-yield missions. Even the premium or prototype lockboxes from crits on high-yield missions provide roughly the same amount as the standard ones from low-yield missions.

Slicing missions are not meant to make money.

Then the skill is pointless and should be removed altogether, folding Augments into one of the crafting skills.

 

It's a gathering skill, you'd be wasting your time leveling it up using missions to start with.

 

And again, since it only gives credits back those credits have to offer a better incentive than they currently do.

[Jadeneye]

I think they listened, I'm getting more credits again. 4.5k from a green lockbox, 3 times in a row. Not sure if it's a bug or anything.

[Drewser]

If you get an artifact UT mission that requires 340 skill, sure. As that's the only thing you get from Slicing worth anywhere near that amount.

 

That adds precious little to the average returns from Slicing missions, however.

 

The lockboxes are barely breaking even and certainly not on high-yield missions. Even the premium or prototype lockboxes from crits on high-yield missions provide roughly the same amount as the standard ones from low-yield missions.

 

 

Wrong - 340 UT, TH, BioA and Arch all sell for over 20k on my server and plenty of 300s are selling for 15k plus.

 

Lockboxes are no where near just "barely breaking even".

[Dosma]

I think they listened, I'm getting more credits again. 4.5k from a green lockbox, 3 times in a row. Not sure if it's a bug or anything.

 

Yea I think they might have. It looks like average yield on lockboxes has been tweeked up a bit. Maybe it's just getting lucky but after a mornings worth of slicing it seems like its been buffed back a touch. Hooray!

[IamthegreatM]

So far, seems like it was buffed a bit; working with just two companions, I've made just over 8K in 40 minutes; not that great, but at least it's making (decent) money now, especially for a 22.

[Alegebra]

Confirming they buffed it. Pulled 7k out of a green box. That's never happened before.

[ArmoredJuneBug]

Wrong - 340 UT, TH, BioA and Arch all sell for over 20k on my server and plenty of 300s are selling for 15k plus.

Multiple random factors (crit/specific item/specific server) aligning to make one particular mission run doesn't mean that Slicing missions are profitable overall.

Lockboxes are no where near just "barely breaking even".

Averaging a couple of hundred credits back from half-hour missions isn't worth the time or effort, thus 'barely breaking even'.

I think they listened, I'm getting more credits again. 4.5k from a green lockbox, 3 times in a row. Not sure if it's a bug or anything.

Was this from a high-yield mission?

 

If so that's good news, as that might make those meaningful to run again.