Topic: Few balance issues
Issue 1. Module cost
t4 modules are better than t1 modules in 1.4 times. They have material cost 4+ times better than t1.
So, to gain advantage in, lets say 10% you should spend 100%+-10% more efforts.
You should work harder in ten times to get advantage in one time. Even if you buying ores for 1 nic, and selling modules for 2 nics, it means that someone done 10 times work for you.
Q. You asking why people leaving?
A. Because there is not so many carebears who are ready to give 10 to get 1.
Issue 2. Combat
Small-scale pvp (1-v-1 or 2-v-2, up to 5-v-5) have duration under and equal 5 minutes. Anti blob mechanics, currently interference system, cuts efficiency of light squad after 20 agents in a blob (80b/4b), or 15 mechs(90b/6b), so the game is intended to limit squad count to 15-20 people. Lets take that 20 people can do 1-2 volleys to kill one of the enemy. Given that we have 9 second average weapon cycle, duration of combat should be near 9*20=180 sec or roughly 3 minutes. As intended.
But players don't care about interference and continue to use megablobs and mass pvp have duration from 40 min to 1-5 hours.
Q. Why people anyway making this blobs?
A. The vitality in large squad is greater than in small squad, so players have no choice to make zerg. Assuming that you don't want to loose 10 times of your work in 7 minutes, so risk-vs-reward is better in large squads over small one.
Issue 3. Alliances
Its obvious that alliances are not intended because we have no alliance mechanics atm. You can see that benefits from outpost can have only one corp.
Q. Why most of corporations don't running their business independently on outposts?
A. See issue 1 and 2.
Q. ?
A.:
Currently each of beta islands have enough epriton for lets say 100 of players. To have enough epriton to use it for your modules (issue 1) and to have opportunity to protect your bots (issue 2), given that average size of corp is 10 active members because of issue 1 and 2, its easier to assemble an alliance to cover 3-4 teleports in your island while game still not dead.
Thoughts?
http://www.perp-kill.net/related/239910