If you can think of a more efficient way to get 1/4th, 1/3rd, or maybe even half of the way to a master key in 15-20 minutes without selling something, please share. Sorry if I'm ignorant. You're right that as a Foundry author, I rarely grind.
Tour the universe. A few of my fleetmates run it, have got it down to an art form and earn 2-3m EC for an hours flying. Twice a day.
Foundry grinding gets you 200-600k once per day. That's nothing. You seem to think that foundry grinding is paying for embassies and starbases and everyone's elite gear. It isn't, not even close.
Unfortunately, there really is no way to know what is really out there. Complain loudly. Personally, I would like see Cryptic do something about the exploits. It costs them money.
For example, yesterday I contemplated spending $10 to buy a cxp boost, not knowing that they're on the exchange for around 400k ECs. Then, when I found out, I needed 400k ECs. I started to use legit means of getting those ECs until I thought, "you know, let's just see what a certain 'Admiral doofus goes to war' grants. After all, it's the number 2 and number 5 top rated Foundry mission."
After 20 minutes, I had farmed enough ECs to buy $20 worth of zen store cxp boosts.
Sorry Cryptic, you just gave away something that I was willing to pay for. Sorry that I and so many players are stealing from you.
That's the reality of what is going on. The entire grind system of endgame content is exploiting the Foundry as step 1 to farming tons of ECs used to buy what the starbases, embassies, dilithium mines, and doff systems require.
Solution: Make the nebula effect map-wide. There shouldn't be a legit reason for me to shoot fish in a barrel.
Actualy that foundry ec farm made them money instead of losing it. Now the person that bought the boost and put it on the exchange will buy another and put it on the exchange because they are selling and he wants the EC for a lockbox ship or whatever. Same with the mini packs and fleet modules, people farm foundry missions to get the EC to buy them, if it takes 4 times as long to get the EC then there will be less sold on the exchange. Faster the people get EC and buy them the more that is bought for zen.
You have to consider those that buy those items with EC will not be buying with zen, so the faster they can get enough EC to buy the faster they sell for zen. It is simple bussiness, 1 buys from you because they can exchange it with someone else who cannot for what they really want.
OT: The foundry should be split into categories... farm, heavy combat, and story missions are a few categories. Better would be to add keywords to the missions that remove missions with that keyword from a search. So if you are looking for a mission that deals with tholians but no farm missions you can check farm in the keywords and then search for tholians, no farm missions come up and then you can pick one of those. keywords can include enemy types so if you dont want to see a particular enemy just make that keyword checked.
Join Date: Nobody cares.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
So far as the search thing.
I have long held that it is the best solution.
And we dont need dozens of tags.
we need 2.
(1) combat
and
(2) story
An author can only choose one of the lists for his mission to appear in.
grinders and farmers would obviously fall under combat.
After every play, players are asked to click a button of what of the 2 tags they thought it was. After 10 or 25 or 50 or 100 votes the system can weigh the votes and see if the mission need be moved.
Things like comedy, action, exploration, etc .... just another layer of confusing for an automated system. If your mission is a comedy, clearly state that in the mission description.
Now THIS is a GREAT idea!!! I Definitely Agree with this idea! Cause it also allows the Players to decide what kind of category the Episode falls under.
Myself, when I create my Foundry Episodes, I tend to create it for the Story idea that I have at the Time. Yet I try to balance it out so that there is good action as well. (An obvious importance I think).
My point is, I really like the idea of the Player choosing what it was to Them, cause it's ultimately the Player's opinion that matters (to me anyhow), since they played it, they know what category it was to them.
I'm not very good at explaining things. All-in-all, I think that idea, by hippiejon, is a Perfect one!
Yet the question remains.....will anyone listen......(dramatic music plays " dun dun dunnnnnnn!")
Comments
Tour the universe. A few of my fleetmates run it, have got it down to an art form and earn 2-3m EC for an hours flying. Twice a day.
Foundry grinding gets you 200-600k once per day. That's nothing. You seem to think that foundry grinding is paying for embassies and starbases and everyone's elite gear. It isn't, not even close.
Kirk's Protege.
Actualy that foundry ec farm made them money instead of losing it. Now the person that bought the boost and put it on the exchange will buy another and put it on the exchange because they are selling and he wants the EC for a lockbox ship or whatever. Same with the mini packs and fleet modules, people farm foundry missions to get the EC to buy them, if it takes 4 times as long to get the EC then there will be less sold on the exchange. Faster the people get EC and buy them the more that is bought for zen.
You have to consider those that buy those items with EC will not be buying with zen, so the faster they can get enough EC to buy the faster they sell for zen. It is simple bussiness, 1 buys from you because they can exchange it with someone else who cannot for what they really want.
OT: The foundry should be split into categories... farm, heavy combat, and story missions are a few categories. Better would be to add keywords to the missions that remove missions with that keyword from a search. So if you are looking for a mission that deals with tholians but no farm missions you can check farm in the keywords and then search for tholians, no farm missions come up and then you can pick one of those. keywords can include enemy types so if you dont want to see a particular enemy just make that keyword checked.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
Unfortunately, I agree. I think they would be like that.
That's what I thought...
Now THIS is a GREAT idea!!! I Definitely Agree with this idea! Cause it also allows the Players to decide what kind of category the Episode falls under.
Myself, when I create my Foundry Episodes, I tend to create it for the Story idea that I have at the Time. Yet I try to balance it out so that there is good action as well. (An obvious importance I think).
My point is, I really like the idea of the Player choosing what it was to Them, cause it's ultimately the Player's opinion that matters (to me anyhow), since they played it, they know what category it was to them.
I'm not very good at explaining things. All-in-all, I think that idea, by hippiejon, is a Perfect one!
Yet the question remains.....will anyone listen......(dramatic music plays " dun dun dunnnnnnn!")