AE ticket cap (per mission) is too low

[Ukase]

As some of you may be aware, for various reasons, sometimes the prices of invention salvage increase a fair amount beyond what some would consider a "normal" or average amount. 

Because I tend to think the worst of folks, I suspect the increase in salvage prices (rare salvage) is from someone that's buying it cheap, and relisting it at a higher price. No value added there - shame on these people! 

I am aware that salvage is seeded, and that the most I'd have to pay for a rare is 1M. 

But, I tend not to buy salvage anyway. I typically run AE for tickets, and use the tickets to get the salvage I may need. 

Now, it stands to reason, that if I want tickets, I would get a fire tank or brute, and just sit in the center of an asteroid type farm, wait a couple of minutes and reset. 

The problem is, the max number of tickets that may be earned per map is too low. You can't even finish a mission before the ticket cap is reached. 
If I leave at the efficient point where I get a bonus that just about matches the tickets I've earned already - I'm barely in the map a couple of minutes. 

It just seems to me that we should increase the max number of tickets to be earned to be about parallel to however many tickets it would take to replicate what might drop in standard rewards. As an example, about 4 rares, a dozen uncommons, and 30 common, and 5 uncommon recipes. That's about what I'd expect from a normal map that I don't exit because of meeting some ticket cap. 

I think 1500 would be a better target than the current 750. Alternatively, a ticket should be worth more than what it's worth now. Seems like I spend more time exiting and entering the mission than I do actually playing the mission. 

[MoonSheep]

you feel the rewards are too low for sitting idle in game? 

 

this post is hilarious 

Edited June 19, 2022 by MoonSheep

[SwitchFade]

Considering how absurdly skewed the rewards for AE are vs any other content, I'm not inclined to sign on to any buff.

 

If AE have no more rewards than regular content, that would be the proper balance, in my opinion.

[Rudra]

If I recall correctly, the AE mission ticket cap was made based on the average return of a single non-AE mission. In that the tickets gained would be more or less commensurate with the expected return of doing other content. (Or more likely, slightly below the expected return rate of a non-AE mission.) Farming was never part of the math. Though I may be wrong.

 

So unless the devs decide to change that math or find that the ticket cap does not equal the average gain rate of other missions, this probably won't be changed. Unless of course, a different metric than I think is used is actually used and the devs find that the AE ticket cap does not match up with it.

 

Edit: It should probably be pointed out that when they introduced AE, there was a lot of back and forth over the ticket gain rate and the ticket cap. Even those of us that didn't bother with the forums were aware of the bickering going on and the arguments being made, including by the devs to defend their calculations. Which I believe at least in part led to AE being able to give standard rewards rather than just tickets. (The whole "fine, you can gamble on your reward or you can go with the set reward, whichever you prefer".) Which was not originally available and AE only awarded tickets. And tickets are also awarded to players that made AE content whenever anyone played their content. Which I think was also part of the devs argument for the cap, but I don't remember if that was part of the argument or not.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Rudra

[golstat2003]

Yeah no. The rewards for AE are fine seeing as how you can just sit there doing nothing and get rewards.

 

As I've said before I'm against making the game harder by force for everyone (it should be optional to play on harder difficulty) AND I'm ALSO against making it any easier.

Edited June 20, 2022 by golstat2003

[Zappalina]

On 6/18/2022 at 8:17 PM, Ukase said:

As some of you may be aware, for various reasons, sometimes the prices of invention salvage increase a fair amount beyond what some would consider a "normal" or average amount. 

Because I tend to think the worst of folks, I suspect the increase in salvage prices (rare salvage) is from someone that's buying it cheap, and relisting it at a higher price. No value added there - shame on these people! 

I am aware that salvage is seeded, and that the most I'd have to pay for a rare is 1M. 

But, I tend not to buy salvage anyway. I typically run AE for tickets, and use the tickets to get the salvage I may need. 

Now, it stands to reason, that if I want tickets, I would get a fire tank or brute, and just sit in the center of an asteroid type farm, wait a couple of minutes and reset. 

The problem is, the max number of tickets that may be earned per map is too low. You can't even finish a mission before the ticket cap is reached. 
If I leave at the efficient point where I get a bonus that just about matches the tickets I've earned already - I'm barely in the map a couple of minutes. 

It just seems to me that we should increase the max number of tickets to be earned to be about parallel to however many tickets it would take to replicate what might drop in standard rewards. As an example, about 4 rares, a dozen uncommons, and 30 common, and 5 uncommon recipes. That's about what I'd expect from a normal map that I don't exit because of meeting some ticket cap. 

I think 1500 would be a better target than the current 750. Alternatively, a ticket should be worth more than what it's worth now. Seems like I spend more time exiting and entering the mission than I do actually playing the mission. 

Since I play content and don't afk farm like on a spine farmer (yet) like I think the other people are mentioning that they possibly do, I think it's a good idea. I didn't even think of AFK farming reading your post, just when the others mentioned it.  I rejoined the game on HC a bit ago and I remember when the game mechanics seemed (in my opinion) focused on making game play easier/enjoyable for peeps and also balanced.  It's not meant to be like real life, so what if peeps are afk getting tickets? for realz. Then they can craft recipes and make their characters more fun for them with the salvage that they get.  Also it increases the potential for market recipes, it increases the market economy but providing more stock.  I don't see it as a problem.  I think it's a good idea. It's a game.

[lemming]

Just putting a place holder post to think about a plan to test this out.   From what I remember, ticket caps are hit very easily, but I haven't done a comparison in ages.

 

Not going to do a AFK test, but just run thru some scenarios

[Rudra]

Yes, with the bonus tickets AE gives up to the ticket cap, reaching the cap is quick. As opposed to before the bonus tickets were given when people would run AE missions (not the +4/x8 farms) and not reach the caps. So personally, I view the bonus tickets as a guarantee players get to the cap. However, that also means that people running x8 AE missions will max out tickets fast in each mission.

 

Which is another reason I am against raising the cap. The bonus is what makes the cap seem too small, but the bonus was provided because players were complaining they weren't getting even close to the cap prior to it.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Rudra
Edited for word choice: "to" to "too".