Base Issues Tangent thread: Plot costs.

I almost hate to open this can of worms yet again, but here goes.

Problem: People want a strictly-PVE base that is cheaper than the current plots.

Proposed solution:
Make a set of Public Plots. Charge a nominal fee for changing from a Hidden to Public plot and from a Public plot to a Hidden Plot.

The fee should be a percentage of the price, like the auction house sales fee.

What is a Public Plot?
<ul type="square">[*]The plot will not be able to hold any Items of Power, batteries, anchors, or base defensive items.[*]The plot should also be subject to higher rent to balance the low costs.[*]Allow anyone of the group's faction to enter the base *(see note below).[/list]*note: This will need to have some/a lot of code to put in place to be able to select which base to enter. Maybe it would need to have a public building with a SG registrar (need more of those by the way, at least 1 in every (edit) regular city (/edit) zone) where you can do a search of public bases and enter the one you choose.

Base items should only work for those in the group or coaliton. So a character could not use the teleporter in a public base if they were not a part of the group, for instance.

Proposed costs:
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>Public Plots
Name Size Cost Upkeep
Tiny Public Spot 8x8 0 0
Small Public Spot 8x12 551,287 30,000
Public Spot 12x12 1,181,329 64,500
Small Public Location 12x16 1,796,727 97,500
Public Location 16x16 2,748,975 157,500
Large Public Location 16x20 3,919,686 217,500
Small Public Complex 20x20 5,635,547 300,000
Public Complex 20x24 7,793,114 420,000
Large Public Complex 24x24 10,911,414 525,000
Massive Public Complex 24x28 18,981,392 915,000


Hidden Plots
Name Size Cost Upkeep
Tiny Hidden Spot 8x8 0 0
Small Hidden Spot 8x12 1,653,861 20,000
Hidden Spot 12x12 3,307,722 43,000
Small Secret Location 12x16 4,671,491 65,000
Secret Location 16x16 6,597,540 105,000
Large Secret Location 16x20 8,623,310 145,000
Small Hidden Complex 20x20 11,271,093 200,000
Hidden Complex 20x24 14,027,605 280,000
Large Hidden Complex 24x24 17,458,263 350,000
Massive Hidden Complex 24x28 26,573,949 610,000

Secure Plots
Name Size Cost Upkeep
Small Secure Location 12x16 11,250,000 200,000
Secure Location 16x16 20,000,000 420,000
Large Secure Location 16x20 31,250,000 750,000
Small Secure Complex 20x20 48,828,125 1,300,000
Secure Complex 20x24 70,312,500 2,100,000
Large Secure Complex 24x24 101,250,000 3,200,000
Massive Secure Complex 24x28 137,812,500 5,000,000</pre><hr />
What this will do:
Balance the costs as to use, help smaller groups have a larger area to decorate, but would cost more for upkeep.

Edits:
To ask for registrar for city zones.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

I'd agree, except

[ QUOTE ]
The plot will not be able to hold any Items of Power, batteries, anchors, or base defensive items.

[/ QUOTE ]

As I pointed in other posts, some of the craftable defenses look very good and I've been using them to decorate. If "decoys" of those items are not made available as regular decorations, I have to either lose them, or stay with my Hidden plot.

What about allowing those items, but making them inactive?

It kind of goes without saying that I would welcome the decoy items (and I have been asking along with everyone else since the idea of decoys first appeared in this section as well).

As to allowing inactive items, I'm not going to go there as I wanted the least amount of coding needed to "get the job done". Far better (code wise) just to set the maximums to zero.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

[ QUOTE ][*]Allow anyone of the group's faction to enter the base *(see note below).

[/ QUOTE ]

I dunno. Free reign for the type of person you find standing under Atlas to come stand in your base and do whatever it is they want to do?


Instead of a whole list of new plots, how about just 1 to address a certain problem for small groups....
8x10 plot for 650k, 10k upkeep.

(here I go on the Keep It Simple designs.)

[ QUOTE ]
It kind of goes without saying that I would welcome the decoy items (and I have been asking along with everyone else since the idea of decoys first appeared in this section as well).

As to allowing inactive items, I'm not going to go there as I wanted the least amount of coding needed to "get the job done". Far better (code wise) just to set the maximums to zero.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, I think "decoy" items is misleading. as is a phrase like "place this but have it not work".

If everyone wants a decorative Chain Gun they should make a decorative object using the Chain Gun artwork.
"Decoy" is then a potential use for it, just like people asking "what's this glowing techy thingy do?" and the answer depends on what the architect was thinking. or how you put other decorative objects to use in PVP by making a maze, but that spike thing isn't called a "Maze Wall" in the editor.



However, since it has a use (of a sort) as a decoy in raids, the cost may have to be appropriate. For that reason, I wonder if they shouldn't just make decorative sentry guns that look different. Architects get their goal - place a gun here for roleplay/design purposes - and it doesn't even enter into the raid question. Likewise, instead of a decorative version of the monitor bank, give us wall-mounted plasmascreens and I'll make a bank of them myself. Don't bother blurring the line between decorative and functional. It's like how you can have a Fire Aura but it doesn't look the same as the Fire Armor's aura, it serves the roleplay need just fine.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ][*]Allow anyone of the group's faction to enter the base *(see note below).

[/ QUOTE ]

I dunno. Free reign for the type of person you find standing under Atlas to come stand in your base and do whatever it is they want to do?


Instead of a whole list of new plots, how about just 1 to address a certain problem for small groups....
8x10 plot for 650k, 10k upkeep.

(here I go on the Keep It Simple designs.)

[/ QUOTE ]
The free reign is part of the price cut .

I just wanted to give people what they were asking for: Cheaper prices for all the plots for those that don't want to PVP.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

[ QUOTE ][*]Allow anyone of the group's faction to enter the base *(see note below).[/LIST]
[/ QUOTE ]

So instead of a SG building themselves a base they will in effect be building a free for use party room for griefers to hang out and cyber in. Even if the 24x28 plot was free with no rent that would just be too high of a price to pay.

I have the feeling that some wouldn't mind. The only other way I could think of making the base public is to have a percent change for an ambush to happen from an equal level mob whenever someone enters the base. I figured that no one would like that idea.

Besides, some of those same people asking for cheaper plots are asking for the ability to show off their bases without the ways we have now.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

Clobbertime and I are both saying that public access is not a good cost to replace Prestige. Got any better ideas?

Look at it from the bottom-up, not from comparing what we have now.
You have someone who starts at 0, saves up enough for your proposed 8x12 public plot. Now they need to keep saving more to make that an 8x12 hidden plot. From their point of view, the game is imposing a rather large(*) cost just upgrade the base access to keep out the random vagabonds.
(* - it's gotta be "rather large" or the cost different you're proposing isn't worth making these new plots, right?)

You quoted but didn't respond to my suggestion of an 8x10 plot for 650k, 10k upkeep. That would also address the problem you stated of wanting cheaper plots, but would do so with a different cost balance - area instead of public access.

What other cost balances can you come up with since the public cost has the potential flaws that we mentioned?

I wouldn't mind making our base public for certain times to show it off, but all the time? I can't imagine this ending any way other than me finding random people cybering in there while I'm trying to make IOs.


Maybe it's just me.

[ QUOTE ]
Clobbertime and I are both saying that public access is not a good cost to replace Prestige. Got any better ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]
Instead of 1.5 times the rent of the equivalent sized hidden plot, double it.

Proposed costs without the public option, but still not allowing any PVP object (no anchors, no vaults, no IoPs, one control main, one power main):
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>Small Public Spot 8x12 826,931 40,000
Public Spot 12x12 1,653,861 86,000
Small Public Location 12x16 2,335,746 130,000
Public Location 16x16 3,298,770 210,000
Large Public Location 16x20 4,311,655 290,000
Small Public Complex 20x20 5,635,547 400,000
Public Complex 20x24 7,013,803 560,000
Large Public Complex 24x24 8,729,132 700,000
Massive Public Complex 24x28 13,286,975 1,220,000
</pre><hr />
This would halve the plot cost, but double the rent.

[ QUOTE ]
Look at it from the bottom-up, not from comparing what we have now.
You have someone who starts at 0, saves up enough for your proposed 8x12 public plot. Now they need to keep saving more to make that an 8x12 hidden plot. From their point of view, the game is imposing a rather large(*) cost just upgrade the base access to keep out the random vagabonds.
(* - it's gotta be "rather large" or the cost different you're proposing isn't worth making these new plots, right?)

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, it has to be "rather large" to make these new plots available.

[ QUOTE ]
You quoted but didn't respond to my suggestion of an 8x10 plot for 650k, 10k upkeep. That would also address the problem you stated of wanting cheaper plots, but would do so with a different cost balance - area instead of public access.

[/ QUOTE ]
The 8x10 suggestion doesn't cover the request to have all the current sized plots made available for PVE only use at a reduced cost. It doesn't balance the reduced cost vs rent, nor can you (thanks to the 1 space around each room) use that extra room to put 2x2 rooms in. 8x11 would be better.

[ QUOTE ]
What other cost balances can you come up with since the public cost has the potential flaws that we mentioned?

[/ QUOTE ]
The reason I selected the public option is that it has the comic book feel. Some would think that random ambushes would be a benefit, rather than a cost.

I would have also suggested a seperate "public" entrance, but I didn't want to take art time for this suggestion.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters