Bay 12 Games Forum

So, uh, where do I find more about GURPS?

Heh, I was thinking of making some kind of 'open-source' game rules system since I don't like any of the ones I know, but if GURPS works, it might be better.

Hmm.. an interesting observation from this project so far - it seems that there's a heavy "greed markup" on impulse purchase items like soda and drinks. Soda at a roadside Shell convenience store or at 7-11 costs about 15% more than soda at a regular convenience store.

Bread is actually cheaper.

Things like jewelry, furniture, and automobiles are all significantly cheaper where there's competition.

Where I live, automobiles, cell phones and computer hardware are cheapest in the big city (savings of thousands for top quality goods and services). Normally at some of the more dodgy looking run-down malls.
Furniture is cheapest and highest quality off the major highways, savings from 50%-80%, at much, much higher quality and lifetime warranty.
Jewelry is cheapest at a sleazy, overpopulated, heavily Chinese town, as the Chinese around here often buy a lot of jewelry, and the Chinese millionaires often invest their savings in starting jewelry stores.

Worst place to buy things are at the trendy shopping malls. Things like jewelry can go up to 3-5x price.

Also, best to buy late at night, making the deal about 30 mins before the shop closes, because that's when sellers get desperate to close a sale. And often best to buy at stores with very poor advertising - these stores often have little startup money and are willing to sell at much lower prices and offer good services because they don't have many customers. Don't try to negotiate down prices, best to ask for free things with the purchase, like jailbreaking or accessories like nicer seats, mousepads, etc.

Quote from: Muz on May 05, 2012, 12:05:53 am

Ugh, getting tired of this game. Pace is far too fast for a browser game, too much clicking, it's more like a MUD's pace. The Auto Union project doesn't seem so bad, though, because the work is spread out among lots of people. Maybe the right way to play this game is to split up a company among 4 people and get some kind of communication.

It all depends on how you play it. I ditched stores completely, focusing on pure production and research, selling on b2b and it works fairly well. Also i make large batches that take several days to complete, so it's less micromanagement, and queues allow me to check in just once a day (or even less potentially). You could check in twice a week and still be successful.

Also i just noticed that at some point, export of high Q stuff could be an important source of income, if the b2b market doesnt buy my high volumes fast enough and at a higher price.

Yeah, I did the same thing, ditching stores and focusing on research/production. Maybe I'm still in the stage where I have to log in regularly to rebuy stuff for my factories. Mostly right now I'm cancelling production after researching 5 or so levels and reselling, and a while back, I was logging on all the time to make use of empty markets.

I didn't know that export prices go up with high Q, very useful info.

Oh, another tip: This is definitely not a single player game. Don't hunt alone, don't rob people by yourself, don't even leave the gates alone. If you want to travel between cities, get an escort or some gith/gortok/mekillot/spiders will eat your face off, or you'll end up running off a cliff. Pretty much 70% of my character deaths were outdoors, and 100% of them were going solo against others.

This is probably why the game is such a time sink, you need to develop relationships with other characters, and find the right friends to move your goals forward.

If you can, just look at the boards in the tavern, and contact clans that fit your character. Everyone highly suggests joining T'zai Byn because they're designed towards newbies, but they're not the only newbie experience you get. Salarr and Kurac are probably more interesting clans, but more hazardous.

If you do want to play a loner, try a ranger, and get a mount. Don't go far from the gates without a mount; mounts are so important that I almost always reserve starter money to buy one in case I have to travel. The lands around Tuluk are far more forgiving than the southern lands, because you can actually forage for food/water out there as a ranger. And rangers have a bunch of exclusive skills which make them extremely employable.

I'd be surprised if your character does wake up by the time you log on; sleeping in the desert is a good way to die.

we built 100 chassis with the intention of making a buttload of cars, but I wasn't there when they got out of the factory and they were half sold at the stores 

They sell for better profit than cars themselves, so not really a problem 

Yeah, I think all the Auto factories need to expand to 200 m3. Don't bother with power plants and wells.

I logged in for the first time, walked around some small town and didnt see anyone who I thought might be a human player, then was killed by an elf in an alley. I kinda felt like I had nothing to do, and nothing is really drawing me back in. How many people actually play this? Seemed pretty empty to me.

Oh, yeah, you should probably make a character in either Allanak or Tuluk. All the other cities do have their fun moments, but those two are where all the action happens. Labyrinth is basically a free for all PK zone (with a lot of interesting RP around surviving that). Luir's is a trading city, but you'll rarely see traders because of the outdoor hazards. Red Storm is just really hardcore. You'll rarely find people there, often freaks and spice (drug) dealers.

Seeing how you just got randomly ganked by an elf in an alley, I'm guessing you either went to Labyrinth or Red Storm. Random killing is shunned upon in Arm... the threat of death or murder is often very real, but most people use it as a last resort out of OOC sympathy. It varies though.. but even if you do get randomly attacked by a player in the 'rinth, they'll usually avoid a killing blow if possible and just take all your stuff.

If you want to interact with people, sit around in the main taverns. They'll usually be able to identify a newbie from your boots

Yeah, you didn't approve my application either