[TC] PPC Forges

[incognito253]

OK, as I sit down to build a real fleet for the first time, I go to look at the prices of big gun forges, and promptly soil my pants.

The fab costs 12,000,000 to 13,000,000 to start up.
The average credit value of its product vs. time spent producing is: 194,772 credits.
However it expends 900 energy cells, 150 ore, and (using the Argon forge as an example) 600 meatsteak cahoonas per hour. This costs seventy thousand credits and change per hour.

In the end, you earn 117,972 per hour on average with this forge, which requires around thirteen million and up in total startup costs. You get one PPC every 5 hours, and the forge will take 110 hours to pay itself off. Somehow, this just doesn't seem to be that big of an upside - by the time it has paid for itself, 110 real hours (or I guess 11 hours if you sit there on max SETA the whole time) will have passed, and it will have produced enough guns to (almost) equip ONE destroyer's front/right/left arcs.

I guess if you're a multi-planetary government's military, you can think long term, so I have to give them points for realism. But as a player, I'm probably just going to buy that shtuff.

[ScytheBlade1]

I built PPC forges into my massive complex for one simple reason: availability. I needed 32 of them (for a single ship!), and quite simply, there weren't 32 in the universe that I could find. The same goes for all the shields (I'm only missing a 5MJ complex).

They're pricey, sure. The question is which is faster and how big your pocket is.

I'm quite confident that I built every PPC I needed in half the time it would have taken me to buy them around the universe.

[DaveyP]

Same here. I'm just about to build a complex with 40 of them and 4x 2Gj shields. That will produce them fast enough to equip the J's I'm going to be building at my PHQ when I get it.

[delray]

Script respawns them in Boron and Argon EQs every game day.

[Aro]

Why not just use the duplication method?

1. Sell one PPC to a trading station linked to a shipyard.
2. Buy two TS' from the same shipyard.
2a. If you intend to use the ships, upgrade them. More storage may be helpful.
3. Buy one PPC. You actually get two, one in each ship.
4. Sell one PPC back to the dock.
5. Buy two PPC's from the dock.
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 until you have enough or run out of cash.

Can be used for many wares. Some see it as an exploit, others as a time saver. You pay for the item and save time equipping, so it's up to you.

[jlehtone]

But as a player, I'm probably just going to buy that shtuff.

520 uploaded PlayerStats exceed 110 hours of "Elapsed time in game". Top ten entries exceed 3000 hours. "Player" is an odd species.

"110 hours" is also typical "get your money back" time for self-sufficient Complex, I think.

2. Buy two TS' from the same shipyard.

Two? Make it ten!

[Kapakio]

2. Buy two TS' from the same shipyard.

Two? Make it ten!

The method described by Aro is more efficient. With only two and buying selling the PPC back a forth you get as many guns as you need (or can buy) in just one shot.

[jlehtone]

The method described by Aro is more efficient.

Please explain. I was under the impression that the method relies on your ability to buy multiple ships simultaneously combined with ability to buy/load (within that transaction) into each new ship as many units of ware as there are available on nearby Equipment Dock (ED), even though the ED has ware for only one ship.

[Kapakio]

Please explain. I was under the impression that the method relies on your ability to buy multiple ships simultaneously combined with ability to buy/load (within that transaction) into each new ship as many units of ware as there are available on nearby Equipment Dock (ED), even though the ED has ware for only one ship.

Well, the "exploit" only work when you buy, not when you sell. So, if you buy two TS and then equip them with 2 PPC, you are actually getting 4 (reducing the stock of the dock by just 2), so you cloned 2 PPCs. Then you sell one (you are actually selling one from each ship) but this time the dock really get the two PPC.

Continue to buy and sell one until you run out of money or cargo space

[jlehtone]

"Move GPPs back and forth between the Dock and the ships you are about to buy until you have enough, and before actually completing the ship purchase." That bad? Well, at least the cycle time of X2 gPPC Forge was over 20 hours ...

[LocTheToker]

Personally I like to have self sustaining weapons and shields. 13Mil is not really that much money (fake money). Its nice to have a bunch of the guns ready when you need to equip one ship or a few. I built a 200 MJ shield complex once i started getting M6's and built a 1 GJ once i started getting M7's.... etc

When it comes to my time v/s my virtual dollars I always consider my time more important
And this comes from a guy who has farmed more virtual gold in more games than is healthy for a 22 year old