Hey all.

In my recent Skill Ranking post, I mention that two others would be started, namely monetary rewards and base price tweaks.

I am still trying to get those posts written, but having problems getting all the information I really need, namely, how the money is awarded because it's multiplied by weapon used, so need to understand exactly what that means and be able to replicate it in a spreadsheet to test how different settings can be used to make the game a little fairer and more enjoyable to those that don't start the game well.

Also, for base prices I'm trying to understand how the freemarket's working, to get an idea of what the base price changes will have.

In this thread I would simply like to open discussions on balancing, primarily, Dirt and hogs.

I miss using hogs and have occasionally dabbled with dirt, but it's always been so cheap, I feel like I'm abusing a flaw in the system.

For me, the price of hogs is far too low. If the really good players started using them regularly, most people would be getting 1 shot kills and that's not fun, because with the pricing, it would be possible to use them for A LOT of shots in a game.

If the price was higher and I had to choose between a selection of other weapons to give me flexability OR a couple of hogs, I wouldn't feel bad about using them, nor would I be bothered about being hogged, knowing that the other player put a chunk on money into buying them.

As for dirt, I have a very similar opition as I do with hogs.
Dirt can be used a very flexable shield, whether placed wholley over oneself, ot plonked just infront, so as to block a player using 45 degrees, but allowing yourself to carry on using 75 or something, maybe block shots coming direct, while you continue using the walls.
Granted, self dirting leaves you open for a hogging, but hogs often 'get confused' when somone's burried under dirt and hogs also work against actual shields, but costs (these are base prices btw) 6.7k for 2 tons atm, where a heavy shield is 45k and force is 40k (weird).

If dirt was maybe 2/3 the price of a heavy shield, I think a lot more people would use it and far less would have a problem with its use, which is my aim with the price balancing, to get all weapons used by all persons (please note I said aim, not a definate outcome).

Please discuss, again this is the game we love and we're all missing having to queue to get into 'main'.

Peanut.

P.S
If you have contact with any former players that are currently AWOL, please do drop them a line and ask them to check us out again, we need regular players playing, activity on the servers.
The players and community are what's important IMO anyway.
We had 9 people on main earlier, was fun, several new players a couple of returning players and that bad odor, uh, what's it called.
Oh yea, Hayt

Freemarket description here:
http://www.scorched3d.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Freemarket

Thankyou Gavin.

Looking at what's posted there and having a bit of a think (yep, it does actually happen about once a week), I think the freemarket has been a bit screwy due to the lack of players and the abundance therefore of MCB games.

When we had 6-9 players in the other day, the prices did start moving in the right directions, with Hot Napalm increasing (the one that's really bugging me at the moment), leap frogs and the like.

So come on folks, let's start getting our friends and acquintences trying this game and frequenting the servers ourselves to encourage newbs to stick around!

Yep, something is wrong with prices. Looks like free market doesn't work well.
Here some examples:
Roller (weapon lvl 9) costs 3010, while Hot Napalm (w lvl 3) costs 2220. What kind of system is that? Especially that Hot Napalm is overused by most of players and it's price doesn't seem to change. Heavy rollers are also way too expensive (12000, lvl 8 ). On the other hand sanhogs are ridiculously cheap (1142, 2066, 6165 respectively baby, regualar nad heavy). And I don't understand very high price of Funky Bomb (29350), since it's not that good any more.
And so on...
I think there should be narrower range within given weapons price can fluctuate. So high level couldn't be more expensive that lower ones.
But price of Hot Napalm should be tweaked first and ASAP. It's price totally destroys whole economy, there is way too much cash in circulation. Because in hand of skilled player HP is deadly they mostly take advantage of current situation. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable using them.