Economy ruined by slicers

[reillan]

Slicing is really starting to irritate me.

 

I went BioAnalysis, BioChem, and Diplomacy with the intent to make stims for my guild's flashpoints.

 

However, since I don't get to sell anything I get from missions, and the lower-level crafted stims are worth nearly nothing - I lose money constantly with this crew skill. I'm struggling to keep 15k in my inventory for the last 3-4 levels, and I'm almost at my speeder. At this rate I will be far below the 40K for the skill, not to mention the rest of my level 25 skills.

 

A guild-mate has slicing, and is level 21. He's got over 100k already. Slicing is absolutely silly! It's to the point where tonight I plan on dropping my lowest crew skill and going slicing just so I don't have to keep having money issues.

 

Slicing is 100% ruining the economy, it should not be giving 1/2 what rewards it does.

 

It's only in the mid-range that you'll see this. At 50, slicing is practically pointless, and your bio skills will be raking in cash

[Kryptorchid]

Actually, no, it isn't. Crew skills that return actual items are being buffed. Why? Because the money you earn from those mats/crafted items/schematics goes UP.

Why do you keep assuming there is a market for crafted goods in this game? There is virtually no market because everything a crafter can make gets circumvented by a) better drops from Flashpoints/Operations/PvP reward, or b) the ease of buying commendation gear and mods.

 

So no, the "money you earn" from crafted items does NOT go up, because no on is buying them (or ever really will). The only crafting profession that this doesn't directly happen for is Biochem because it makes best-in-game items, but it has it's own problems -- very few people buy med packs from the GTN while leveling and you can do virtually all content without stim buffs.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Kryptorchid

[Ecinev]

I have slicing at 400 ( I noticed the obvious OP of this crew skill) and even I think it should be removed. its making a fast game even faster.

[Strongfort]

It's only in the mid-range that you'll see this. At 50, slicing is practically pointless, and your bio skills will be raking in cash

 

Maybe so, but it makes Slicing a necessary skill to have leveling to 50 otherwise you'll have a crazy hard time having the money for essentials. I'm irritated to heck that I'm basically feeling pressured into dropping a guild-helping skill just so I can afford my own things.

[Jediwran]

Maybe so, but it makes Slicing a necessary skill to have leveling to 50 otherwise you'll have a crazy hard time having the money for essentials. I'm irritated to heck that I'm basically feeling pressured into dropping a guild-helping skill just so I can afford my own things.

 

Same, I think I'm going to have to drop it, I can't afford my upgrades at the rate I'm having to spend to keep my skill up. I'm at level 23 and it's been nothing but a money sink. Probably hasn't helped that a lot of the nodes/plants I've found have been bugged and unlootable.

[Strongfort]

Same, I think I'm going to have to drop it, I can't afford my upgrades at the rate I'm having to spend to keep my skill up. I'm at level 23 and it's been nothing but a money sink. Probably hasn't helped that a lot of the nodes/plants I've found have been bugged and unlootable.

 

I'm an Operative anyways so the best part of BioChem (reusable stims for myself) are almost redundant.

 

I think tonight I will just get the 3 most profitable gathering skills. Any suggestions everyone which are the best 2 other than Slicing? Underworld Trading and Treasure Hunting? I guess it's a case of "Can't beat 'em, Join 'em!"

Edited December 23, 2011 by Strongfort

[Icebergy]

Maybe so, but it makes Slicing a necessary skill to have leveling to 50 otherwise you'll have a crazy hard time having the money for essentials. I'm irritated to heck that I'm basically feeling pressured into dropping a guild-helping skill just so I can afford my own things.

 

This is flat out incorrect. My main is Arch/Synth/Investigation and I have not had any issues buying my speeder skills or class abilities. Not sure what you mean by "essentials", but I make about 10-20k credits an hour questing at level 32.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Icebergy

[chavoda]

Crafting is a long term investment, I got a biochem, makes great stims ,far far better then the stuff you get on the market. med packs heal way more.

 

Im loosing money to, am always poor due to the heavy cost of learning all those schematics but in the long term everyone will buy my stims and med packs to quest and pvp and then they will need the slicing profession to get the credits in order to pay me or a other crafter.

 

Also slicing does not give that much credits, sure if you let every companion run missions you do have a steady income but as said, they will need it to pay us later.

[spicycookie]

Does anyone know if there is a level restriction to Slicing?

 

Like can my level 10 alt hit 400 slicing?

[Strongfort]

Does anyone know if there is a level restriction to Slicing?

 

Like can my level 10 alt hit 400 slicing?

 

It appears not. My level 21 friend is mid-300s in slicing right now.

 

A level cap would probably help greatly with this crazy money maker imbalance.

[Scoobings]

Does anyone know if there is a level restriction to Slicing?

 

Like can my level 10 alt hit 400 slicing?

 

There is a cap in the returns you get from the missions. At least that is my understanding. I'm hearing that people who have hit 400 slicing but are only ~level 20 are not getting access to bountiful and rich level 400 missions. I assume that applies at levels lower than 20 as well.

 

Slicing is really great while leveling, there's no doubt about that, but I'm definitely gonna switch up for another gathering that will have a higher return once I hit 50. There's no doubt in my mind that slicing is going to drop off in usefulness once more valuable materials are on the market and in demand.

[Goshee]

I have slicing 400 and sit at 200k at level 30.

 

Exact same here, also got massive amount of investigation missions on the way Only had about 5 slicing ones though :L.

[Scoobings]

On a side note, simply because I'm uninformed, can anyone tell me why there isn't an angry mob about treasure hunting? I thought they could do missions for items that you sell for credits. Is that not the case?

[KalSpiro]

And how long per mission set out for what return do you get on that time spent.

 

Its just stupid that one profession generates all the cash you need while if you don't take that skill you just flat out get hosed.

 

I just broke 300 skill at 31, because I only run Grade 5 lockbox missions between playing. It's 1-2K, 3 on a crit every 45 minutes. Or 500ish with 1-2K on a crit every 12 minutes are grade 3 with a high chance to crit. Much more lucrative.

[KalSpiro]

On a side note, simply because I'm uninformed, can anyone tell me why there isn't an angry mob about treasure hunting? I thought they could do missions for items that you sell for credits. Is that not the case?

 

Every slicing mission comes back with a profit. The only way you don't get a profit is if you fail. From what I've been hearing, though I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself, TH is still gambling. Sometimes you make a big profit, but usually you come back with less than you paid in the first place.

 

The thing that people aren't taking into account, at least where Slicing missions are concerned, is that in order to make that 1000 credit return I paid 900 credits. Nodes are where the profit is, but I usually have to fight my way to them. While missions are a continual profit, they aren't a profit for the number you get out of the box.

 

This is why I run Grade 3 missions over Grade 5. The return is faster for about the same gain often times.

[TheBlitzace]

posts like this make noobs like me realize i made a mistake by NOT taking slicing. see, if you'd stop crying about it, people wouldnt see stuff about how OP it is for making money and they wouldnt do what im about to do.. drop a profession and take up slicing

[Strongfort]

posts like this make noobs like me realize i made a mistake by NOT taking slicing. see, if you'd stop crying about it, people wouldnt see stuff about how OP it is for making money and they wouldnt do what im about to do.. drop a profession and take up slicing

 

Same. I'm done with crafting until 50 I guess, money-making only for now. Feels silly, but what are you gonna do?

[OSUNightfall]

Well apparently Bioware just wanted to have people auto generate money..

 

 

Slicing at 400 i am told yeilds 6-10k credits...

 

 

people that are in their 20's are up to a million creds

 

Synthweaving i have to compete against drops, vendors , token gear.

 

No ones buying my junk i'm basicly losing money trying to level the skill..

 

Everyone take slicing make tons then switch to a real profession if you just don't wanna just you know buy it all with your mountain of cash.

 

 

Fail system Bioware.

 

1. Slicing doesn't have nearly that margin, and you're also not taking into account what it takes to send the crew on missions.

 

2. I have slicing 400 on my level 18 pvp guy. There is no way a level 20 has a million credits unless he is macroing slicing 24 hours a day, and even then I doubt it. The high level missions take almost half an hour to complete, for a 2k profit if you're lucky.

 

3. I make far more with scavenging and armormech on my main at 150 skill than I do with 400 slicing on my 18 alt.

 

4. Don't believe everything you hear. Hyperbole is everywhere.

[Scoobings]

Every slicing mission comes back with a profit. The only way you don't get a profit is if you fail. From what I've been hearing, though I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself, TH is still gambling. Sometimes you make a big profit, but usually you come back with less than you paid in the first place.

 

The thing that people aren't taking into account, at least where Slicing missions are concerned, is that in order to make that 1000 credit return I paid 900 credits. Nodes are where the profit is, but I usually have to fight my way to them. While missions are a continual profit, they aren't a profit for the number you get out of the box.

 

This is why I run Grade 3 missions over Grade 5. The return is faster for about the same gain often times.

 

My experience with slicing is what you said with TH though... It's like a 50/50 split for me to make or lose money. I guess that's why I'm confused, but maybe I've just been unlucky with slicing. The last few days I've actually lost money on slicing, but as you say I've been running grade 5, not grade 3, because I've been trying to skill it up. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

[Scoobings]

1. Slicing doesn't have nearly that margin, and you're also not taking into account what it takes to send the crew on missions.

 

2. I have slicing 400 on my level 18 pvp guy. There is no way a level 20 has a million credits unless he is macroing slicing 24 hours a day, and even then I doubt it. The high level missions take almost half an hour to complete, for a 2k profit if you're lucky.

 

3. I make far more with scavenging and armormech on my main at 150 skill than I do with 400 slicing on my 18 alt.

 

4. Don't believe everything you hear. Hyperbole is everywhere.

 

Yeah I don't even respond to people when they say they have a level 20 slicer with 1 million credits, because that's so clearly not true. I am running slicing missions whenever I'm on my character and the most credits I've ever had before I bought my mount was 140k. Which is a lot more than most people not leveling slicing to be sure, but I feel like that's far from gamebreaking.

[thewatcheruatu]

I sort of regret not taking slicing, myself. I'm looking at the diplomacy crafting materials up on the GTN, and people are selling stuff at below procurement costs, and even at that, they're not moving very quickly. In hindsight, it would have been better just to have the credits to purchase this stuff.

[pokota]

The call for a Slicing nerf seems a bit silly, in my opinion. The point of Slicing is to generate credits. What else could it be for? 1.5k for a random Augment that sells on the AH for 100 credits? If you have Slicing and a crafting profession, then what are you doing with those credits? I've spent several fortunes buying Underworld Metals. It's a complete trade-off, basically. It's the same with taking any skill with the intention of generating profit. I could be making a huge profit off Underworld Trading, if I wanted, by selling to people who went with Slicing.

 

I plan to drop Slicing later on. It looks to be great while leveling, but gimped in the long run. It needs to be adjusted, not nerfed, so that people actually use it for Augments. The other gathering professions are fine, because people CAN use them to make credits if they choose to sell their materials. I've sold plenty of Scavenging mats. It's just the crafting professions that need boosting.

 

What we're really seeing is people who when went with a crafting skill are unhappy that people who went for a money making skill are making more money than them. Should crafters get the benefit of making their own gear and gadgets AND make as much money as those who are just looking to make money? Somehow that doesn't seem right.

 

Crafters should make less money in the short-term, especially while leveling their craft, because they get extra benefits from that craft. In the long-term, in the end-game, Slicing has very little appeal. A year from now, the forums will likely be flooded by people proclaiming that Slicing needs help because no one is using it. Who will care about running missions for 3k credits after the economy has inflated and end-game materials are selling for huge amounts? Who will bother with Slicing when they've got hundreds of thousands of credits in the bank?

 

It might need some adjustments, but then, so does everything else. Nerfed? No, not really.

[Scoobings]

The call for a Slicing nerf seems a bit silly, in my opinion. The point of Slicing is to generate credits. What else could it be for? 1.5k for a random Augment that sells on the AH for 100 credits? If you have Slicing and a crafting profession, then what are you doing with those credits? I've spent several fortunes buying Underworld Metals. It's a complete trade-off, basically. It's the same with taking any skill with the intention of generating profit. I could be making a huge profit off Underworld Trading, if I wanted, by selling to people who went with Slicing.

 

I plan to drop Slicing later on. It looks to be great while leveling, but gimped in the long run. It needs to be adjusted, not nerfed, so that people actually use it for Augments. The other gathering professions are fine, because people CAN use them to make credits if they choose to sell their materials. I've sold plenty of Scavenging mats. It's just the crafting professions that need boosting.

 

What we're really seeing is people who when went with a crafting skill are unhappy that people who went for a money making skill are making more money than them. Should crafters get the benefit of making their own gear and gadgets AND make as much money as those who are just looking to make money? Somehow that doesn't seem right.

 

Crafters should make less money in the short-term, especially while leveling their craft, because they get extra benefits from that craft. In the long-term, in the end-game, Slicing has very little appeal. A year from now, the forums will likely be flooded by people proclaiming that Slicing needs help because no one is using it. Who will care about running missions for 3k credits after the economy has inflated and end-game materials are selling for huge amounts? Who will bother with Slicing when they've got hundreds of thousands of credits in the bank?

 

It might need some adjustments, but then, so does everything else. Nerfed? No, not really.

 

People are short sighted, and want instant gratification. I hope BW gives it time to see how the economy balances out, because I suspect that in a few months people are going to be dropping slicing en masse. Then I'm going to ressurect every one of these posts just so I get to say "I told you so."

 

Well not really, I'm too lazy, but I'll think it in my head.

[Dzhokhar]

So far, I've leveled slicing to a little over 100 and netted <500 credits from doing so. Either it gets dramatically better later or it's fine and other gathering skills will balance out with it once inflation kicks in.

 

 

It does sound like the drop rate on commendations might need to be reduced a bit in order to improve demand for crafted gear though.

[BourbonDingo]

It's weird. I took slicing with my smuggler.

 

At 25, my Jedi Knight (Artifice, Arch, TH) had 50,000 credits. This is with about 200 in all my crafting skills, having sold nothing on the AH. I was hurting at 26 for enough to train, but nothing an hour of play couldn't overcome.

 

At 25, my Smuggler (Slicing, Armstech, Scavenging) had 70,000 credits. This is with 320 in Slicing without selling anything on the AH.

 

Yes, it's more... but I'm not seeing this 100,000 I'm supposed to have magically appear in my bank account ten levels ago.

Edited December 23, 2011 by BourbonDingo