Making Money

[Teru]

Hi Everyone,

With 3.0 fast approaching and the introduction of trading, how much are you expecting to make protecting cargo freighters?

Do you think a percentage of profit is best or a flat rate?

 

[maynard]

...With 3.0 fast approaching and the introduction of trading, how much are you expecting to make protecting cargo freighters?

Do you think a percentage of profit is best or a flat rate?

Flat rate for sure. You could end up working for nothing if you take a percentage of an unprofitable deal.

If you have the savvy to be a good trader, specialize. You are better off hiring transport and escorts than doing everything yourself.

The value of being in an org like TEST is having a large pool of people you can work with to do commerce efficiently.

 

[Beerjerker]

I wouldn't expect the pay scale to be very representative to what they will end up being in game. If getting killed in game is as substantial a setback as proposed by the "death of a spaceman" mechanic, dangerous work becomes much more valuable. But if loads of people still want to do it, it would become cheap as cheap gets to hire fighters (which would, in turn, inspire them to turn to piracy maybe?).

Fuel, repair, rearmament, and medical costs will all be a bit up-in-the-air as things go forward. All those expenses will have to be taken into account for a escort pilot. Charge a flat rate that makes it worth your while. Basically, the trader shouldn't be deciding what missiles you bring to save money.

I'd expect sooner npc missions do escort transports rather than players hiring other players. The npcs' pricing will, hopefully, set limits on what's reasonable to charge.

 

[Duckforceone]

flat rate for sure. But negotiable, depending on all sorts of factors.

 

[Xian-Luc Picard]

Definitely depends on the mission and cargo, but I think a percentage would be the normal way of doing business... escalating based on risk.

 

[Duckforceone]

of course if it's TEST security, i expect an equal share between all partners.

 

[Bruttle]

of course if it's TEST security, i expect an equal share between all partners.

I expect this will be the case as well. If it's a company affair, it really doesn't matter which of us is hauling and which is running escort. We get a run going, and we all grab the ships that are needed to do the job. So everyone from the freighter captain to the aurora running along side is entitled to a share. The only difference would be if, for instance, someone fronted all the cash for a big load. That may be worth a bigger share. That would just be based on financial risk though.

 

[BUTUZ]

Flat rate in line with the kinda money you could get doing probe missions etc.

I.e, Get me safe from Here to docked in there There, you get 1000 for a 10 minute job. No? Ok how about 1500?

What/??? 2000???? *spits tea out onto the floor*

 

[supitza]

If you're going to hire escorts, make sure to always use protection and keep an eye out for five-o.
Oh, wait. I'll show myself out.

 

[DeepDrum]

Cover all my costs (food, fuel, armaments, ship repairs, entertainment, beer, a hug, a kiss and a partridge in a pear tree).
That's the deal. Love it or leave it.

 

[marctek]

I would say start with a flat rate as a minimum. With an escalator clause based on a % of the revenue on top of the minimum rate.

That way you are guaranteed to pay your bills with a chance to make some extra spending money if things go well.

 

[Printimus]

What if I dont want to "escort" them, what if I want to be the hauler, or be the pirate, or abstain from all this? Did you automatically assume my role?!

 

[Lexicon]

I'd do a flat base rate roughly equivalent to fuel, gonz and one respawn, plus a scaling base rate per jump (scaling by safety, per jump), and a "penalty fee" for doing shit that makes us more likely to get shot at.

Let's toss some numbers. Say we're making a five-jump trip; two jumps are through poor-security space, one jump is actively in enemy territory, and the hauler is hauling a very small load of very high profit margin items (a pirate's ideal target goods, earning him the Penalty Fee). The cost would be:



1x Flat Fee......................||1x 1500cr.....1500cr
1x Penalty Fee................||1x 500cr.........500cr
2x Safe Jump Rate.........||2x 250cr.........500cr
2x Low Sec Rate............||2x 500cr.......1000cr
1x Enemy Space Rate....||1x 750cr.......1500cr

Total:.....................................................4250cr

EDIT: I am inordinately upset that the

tags don't work.

 

[Han Burgundy]

What if I dont want to "escort" them, what if I want to be the hauler, or be the pirate, or abstain from all this? Did you automatically assume my role?!

If this is your approach, you will be required to purchase an Idris and run a Deli out of it. (The Ham torpedo will be a SMASH hit, especially if they are delivered using my patented Sandwich-delivery railgun system.)

 

[Printimus]

If this is your approach, you will be required to purchase an Idris and run a Deli out of it. (The Ham torpedo will be a SMASH hit, especially if they are delivered using my patented Sandwich-delivery railgun system.)

WHY ARE WE NOT FUNDING THIS!?

 

[Lexicon]

Make sure it's the Idris M. M of course stands for Meatball Cannon, the spinal-mount capital ship meatball-and-parm railgun.

 

[Printimus]

Negative, the Idris P has a cargo capacity of 1720 which means more space for Deli meats

 

[Han Burgundy]

Everyone knows that the Idris P is exclusively for Pasta, and modding it to accept deli meats is a long shot (Obviously i don't need to explain why). What the dealership WONT tell you, is you'd better have a starfarer too to haul around all that Marinara sauce you'll need with all that space-pasta. THATS how they get you.

 

[Kirk B]

And this thread has found it's way to the only topic worth discussing, food fights in space. I tend to specialize a bit more, with my aurora LN and I being dedicated exclusively to lasagna based warfare. Sure I can't compare to the sheer volume of the Idris-P's pasta cannons, but for surgical hit and run missions nothing hits harder than my mother's lasagna after it's sat out and solidified for a week, fired out of a Sledge II at 1500 meters per second.

 

[Printimus]

Everyone knows that the Idris P is exclusively for Pasta, and modding it to accept deli meats is a long shot (Obviously i don't need to explain why). What the dealership WONT tell you, is you'd better have a starfarer too to haul around all that Marinara sauce you'll need with all that space-pasta. THATS how they get you.

Well its a good thing i know a scruffy-looking nerf-herder that has a starfarer...
My freelancer MAX is only good for hauling top quality cheeses unfortunately.