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Fox Gaden
Immortal Guides
3574
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Posted - 2014.06.03 15:16:00 -
[1] - Quote
Salvage Companies, Digital Tokens, & Universal Inventory
Digital Tokens:
With the ability to download into a clone half way across the galaxy, you can travel a the speed of data, but your stuff canGÇÖt.
To accommodate the logistical challenges that this poses, the Universal Inventory Corporation created the Digital Token system, so that your stuff can travel at the speed of data as well. A Digital Token represents ownership of an item. When you spawn into battle, 1 Digital Token is transferred to the Corporation operating the Warbarge for every item on your fit. If you donGÇÖt die, you get the Digital Tokens back at the end of the match when you turn in your gear. If you do die and lose the gear, then the Corporation can redeem those Digital Tokens at a Universal Inventory warhouse to replenish their inventory, so that the Corporation is reimbursed for any gear that is lost (with the exception of gear lost when the MCC blows up, which is a direct financial loss to the Corporation).
This places the fiscal risk on the Mercenary rather than the Corporation. Before this system was in place, the Corporations wanted to impose standard cheap fits to reduce their financial risk. The Mercenaries felt that they knew better what equipment worked best in the heat of battle. With the new system the Corporations would still provide the standard fits (starter fits) but Mercenaries can buy Digital Tokens with their own ISK which they can redeem with the Corporations to be able to use better gear. Thus the Corporations did not have to take the financial hit if expansive gear was lost in battle.
The key to the system is that the physical items are not sold. They can only be exchanged for the correct Digital Token. Instead it is the Digital Token which is sold.
Salvage Companies:
Salvage Companies operate Warbarges as well, but they are not hiring Mercenaries to fight battles for them. Instead they are selling their services to the Mercenaries. Once a Salvage Company finds a promising salvage area, they will advertize it, and Mercenaries will purchase batches of clones from the Salvage CompanyGÇÖs Warbarge, and redeem Digital Tokens to fit those clones, in order to search for salvage.
When an item is salvaged it is turned over to the Salvage Company, which enters it into the Universal Inventory database, and provides the Mercenary who found the item with a Digital Token, provided by Universal Inventory, for that item (make & model). Once the Digital Token has been provided to the Merc, the item belongs to Universal Inventory. The Salvage Company will tern in all such items at a Universal Inventory warehouse at the end of their salvage mission. The Salvage Companies make their profit from a markup on the clone price which they charge to the Mercenaries who use their services.
Universal Inventory:
Universal Inventory is actually a Corporation that runs the Digital Token system. Universal Inventory makes its profit off of small service charges on every transaction. When an item is entered into Universal InventoryGÇÖs database, Universal Inventory takes the physical item in exchange for a Digital Token which represents ownership of 1 of that item.
When a Corporation fits out a Warbarge they need to purchase a complete inventory of every item their Mercenaries might need in battle while the Warbarge is deployed. To stock the Warbarge these Corporations go to Universal Inventory and turn over a Digital Tokens for each item that they need. If they donGÇÖt have the necessary Digital Tokens, then they must buy them from the market. This results in a large percentage of the Digital Tokens returning to Universal Inventory.
When an item is destroyed in battle, that item is removed from the Universal Inventory database, and Universal Inventory then destroys one of the Digital Tokens in its possession. This insures that there is only 1 Digital Token in circulation for every physical item being tracked in the Universal Inventory database. If Universal Inventory accumulates more Digital Tokens than they need to insure the balance of Tokens to Items, then they will sell the excess Digital Tokens on the open market, and those tokens can then be used to redeem items from Universal Inventory warehouses.
Life Cycle of Salvaged Items:
- Mercenary finds an item, which is given to a Salvage Company in exchange for a new Digital Token.
- Salvage Company turns the item over to Universal Inventory.
- Combat Corp acquires Digital Tokens, which they give to Universal Inventory in exchange for the physical items those tokens represent, in order to fill the inventory on their Warbarges.
- When a Mercenary spawns into battle the Corporation which owns the Warbarge exchanges the item for an appropriate Digital Token.
- Item is lost in battle and the Combat Corp notifies Universal Inventory that the item is lost. Universal Inventory destroys one of the Digital Tokens in their possession.
Life Cycle of a Digital Token:
The Digital Toke is created when the Salvaged item is entered in the Universal Inventory database, and a Digital Token is destroyed when the item is removed from the Universal Inventory database.
Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
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Fox Gaden
Immortal Guides
3574
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Posted - 2014.06.03 15:36:00 -
[2] - Quote
Manufacturing:
If Manufacturing is added to Legion, even if it is not in the initial iteration, it would work just like Salvage. The Manufacturer would turn the items they produce over to Universal Inventory in exchange for Digital Tokens, and then they would sell the Digital Tokens on the open market.
Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
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Fox Gaden
Immortal Guides
3574
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Posted - 2014.06.03 16:06:00 -
[3] - Quote
BPO:
The DUST version of the Blue Print Original is actually an unlimited Digital Token Plan, offered by Universal Inventory Corp. (We can blame Universal InventoryGÇÖs marketing department for calling it a BPO. They thought the BPO analogy would make it easier to explain.)
The idea is that Universal Inventory would sell you a Digital Token Plan for an item for substantially more than the item is worth (say 500 or 1000 times its value), but the GÇ£PlanGÇ¥ meant that every time you lose the item, Universal Inventory will replace the Digital Token for that item.
The idea was that people would pay a lot of ISK for something that was unlimited. But since the BPOGÇÖs were all for low grade items, most mercs would actually stop using them before they had exceeded the value of the initial purchase. For example, Universal Inventory would sell a Standard Assault Rifle BPO (Digital Token Plan) for 1000 times the price of a Standard Assault Rifle, but most people who bought it would only ever use 500 to 700 Standard Assault Rifles because they would eventually upgrade to better Assault Rifles, or switch to using a different weapon. Even if a few BPO purchasers used more than 1000 Standard Assault Rifles, there would be enough that wouldnGÇÖt that it would be profitable.
However, Universal Inventory underestimated how many people would stick to using the BPOGÇÖs to cut costs, even thought they were inferior, so the BPO Digital Token Plans did not prove as profitable as expected, and some types of BPOGÇÖs even resulted in substantial losses. With the BPOGÇÖs potentially representing a continuing liability for a long time to come, Universal Inventory decided to stop selling BPOGÇÖs. Now they are only offered on a limited bases, usually in relation to some sort of promotion. Even these promotional offers are usually financed by another Corporation who agrees to pay Universal Inventory for every Digital Token supplied under the plan.
Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
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Fox Gaden
Immortal Guides
3583
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Posted - 2014.06.04 11:56:00 -
[4] - Quote
Yeah, that was my thinking Regis. The NPC Salvage Companies only give you access to the publically accessible scavenging grounds. You would have to contract a Warbarge (whether from an EVE pilot or NPC) to access a PC District in Low Sec. Fully player run in Null Sec.
An EVE pilot with a Warbarge would have to replenish their inventory from Universal Inventory, but the process should be optimized so that it does not become a hassle.
It is mostly an RP explanation for how the game runs, but it can be used as a basis for future development when getting into more player run Null Sec logistical design.
Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
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Fox Gaden
Immortal Guides
3583
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Posted - 2014.06.04 18:25:00 -
[5] - Quote
Kincate, it is a question of putting complexity where it belongs.
The physical items still need to get to the battlefield. In Public matches and Public Access Scavenging grounds those logistics are handled by NPC Corps, and the players donGÇÖt need to give that any thought.
However, in Planetary Conquest, and whatever they do in Null Sec the Corp will be responsibly for arranging their own transportation. This will likely mean EVE Player piloted Warbarges. Keeping player owned Warbarges stocked will be a player responsibility. Granted it might be an EVE player responsibility rather than a DUST player responsibility, but I believe that dealing with transportation of goods between planets should remain the responsibilities of the people with the space ships.
Complexity that makes you solve strategic problems is Good. Complexity that make doing simple tasks a gigantic hassle is Bad.
Complexity in transporting equipment is Good in EVE because in EVE we are flying ships and mobility between systems is one of our major strengths as EVE pilots. Interstellar logistics is a challenging problem that we have the tools to find creative solutions for.
Complexity in interstellar logistics is Bad in Legion (or at least it would be hard to make it Good) because Legion Mercs donGÇÖt have the tools for interstellar transport of items. We are either dependent on EVE players, or we are dependent on NPCGÇÖs, and would have to deal with delays which we have no control over. It would just be a frustrating and aggravating hassle.
We DO want Complexity in Legion, but that Complexity needs to be in the areas where we have the tools to deal with it, so that it makes fun and engaging game play. That is, we need to have complexity on the ground where we operate. Things like customized district defences; resource management in the district or on the battlefield; fitting customization options; strategies in PVP and PVE; team coordination, etc.
A Legion Merc should only be worrying about interstellar logistics when they are running a Corp or Alliance and giving direction to EVE pilots.
Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
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