TIERS - General unillustrated description

[ram]

A system of socalled TIERS has been introduced, applying to tools, weapons, and armor parts.

There are 10 tiers, each associated with a SOCKET into which an ENHANCER may be plugged, thereby enhancing the functionality of the item. When an item is newly looted or crafted, all sockets are locked, and must be sequentially unlocked.

Each item has a Tier score, beginning at 0.0, With use, the Tier score gradually rises by increments of 0.1. Upon whole numbers being reached, L items automatically achieve the next tier level, the corresponding socket becoming unlocked and available for use. [Enhancers are installed into the socket displayed on the item info window, not onto the item itself as with an amp etc]. There is some minor fanfare upon tier levelling / socket unlocking. If a tier level has been reached for the first time on any item, the event is recorded as a HOF, with all attendant hoopla.

The case of unlimited items is different. While the tier level increments with use - I believe - final Tier levelling / Socket unlocking is achievable only by means of crafting an upgrade [yes - items can indeed be upgraded now - not a scam]. As to the crafting process, there is a tier upgrader profession, and an associated skill, working in conjunction with other (presumably mainly crafting) skills. I believe no other ingredients are necessary but the item, but I did hear something of a bug stupidly requiring an extra item of the same type as that to be upgraded. Byte knows about this I believe. The real point to note is that, like all crafting, upgrading is risky. There is some serious chance the item to be upgraded will be lost. I have heard the figure of 5% chance of loss being bandied about, but also that it is variable depending upon the Tier level - ie: how ready the item is for upgrade.

Tere has reported to me that a player has already lost an ML35 - successfully upgrading once, and failing on a try at another upgrade, presumably to a level the gun's Tier score was not yet approaching. No doubt this has received some discussion among the cognoscenti, actual or otherwise, on EF.

Each tool, weapon or armor part has a list of values called Tier Increase Rates (TIRs), one for each tier. The higher the better, each item having its own unique values. Mostly high TIRs means rapid progress to each Tier level. In theory, high or very high TIRs should boost the market value of a weapon, as it will more easily rise though Tiers, allowing faster and further enhancement. In practice this remains to be seen.

The Market value window now automatically goes to prices relevant to the Tier level of the item. A selector at the bottom allows movement through the prices for each tier. Thus, the auction records price variations for different Tiers achieved, but not for the varying TIRs. Perhaps this is as it should be, for on UnL items, high TIRs are nothing without a successful ( & risky) upgrade. On L items, nothing is required but use, so TIR's ought eventually be reflected in price. So far I have acquired 3 different L items with very very high TIRs at normal market price. Unlocking the sockets by simple use then occurs rapidly, allowing resale at a premium to lower tier items. This market effect is not yet consistent, but will become so as the system is better understood. Such buying opportunities will then also be rare.

The biggest factor causing uncertain market response to the Tier system is the paucity of enhancers available at auction. Crafting enhancers is also a new thing to which some, but insufficient, have turned their hand. As with all new things, enhancers are currently extremely highly priced, From my own experiments with range enhancement on both a pistol and a rifle, the enhancements certainly do not merit the prices. A Range Enhancer I (or whatever its name) added less than 2m to a pistol range, fractionally more to a Laser Carbine. At 40 pec tt, paying 23ped or so for one ( as ppl were) is ludicrous. They are stackables and randomly break, requiring replacment. Range Enhancer II, also 40 pec tt was selling for 66ped. I bought one to check its effect - paltry! (another 2 or 3 m) - and resold.

As more craft them, prices will tumble no doubt. While they remain as they are, and also while III or IV remain the highest levels of enhancers available, the market cannot properly reflect the value of TIRs or Tiers achieved. An HL 6 I used eventually got up to tier 7. None had sold at that tier, or above 4. I sold it for the Tier 4 price (I was now using an LR63 and needed ammo) but the reality is, as we speak, no one can enhance beyond Tier 5 because the enhancers have not yet been made. I had tried to sell the HL 6 after achieving Tier 3, but was impatient for ped and no one had touched it at the premium Tier 3 buyout price for a day or two. The reality is, at current enhancer prices, an HL 6 user is much better off forking out for a better weapon, or even better skills to use a better weapon, than they are paying a premium for a higher Tier and then paying through the nose for the enhancers to make use of it. And lets face it, in the scheme of things, an HL6 is a small gun. With Market prices for looted weapons, the typical HL6 user is strapped even to buy the gun, let alone pay a premium for Tier level and then for enhancers, which must be replaced.

Seems to me, unless a player is highly solvent and playing at a very high level, repeated expenditure on enhancers and higher Tier premiums is not going to be a priority. While the market may eventually efficiently represent the nuances of the Tier system at higher levels, I suspect at lower levels, such representation will remain fairly crude, and indeed, minimal.

[admin]

Sucks to be whoever it was that lost an ML35. Ouch.

[ram]

Back in, after much reinstalling.

For the benefit of those as yet unable to enter the game:
Here is an item info window with TIRs showing. At top, out of view is the Tier value, 7.0 or higher in this case.



These are very high TIRs, which I've only seen on L items. Most L or UnL items have TIRs below or around 100, so you can see this is a freakishly high one, hence getting the weapon to Tier 7 before it died. But it's of no benefit unless I was using enhancers in those sockets you see there, or, if I could get the Tier level high enough while there was sufficient value remaining to make it worth someone's while buying for a premium to the market. As discussed, until enhancer prices settle into a range of values approaching sanity, as well as higher enhancers being made at all, there is little prospect of commanding any appreciably high premium for a higher tier item.

[admin]

So these enhancers, are there different types of enhancers? Like damage enhancer, range enhancer, rate-of-fire enhancer, etc? I don't see much of a use for them unless they significantly increase the efficiency or effectiveness of the weapon, especially for limited weapons if the prices are as high as they sound... and I'll be darned if I'm going to risk a foxtrotME or any weapon of good value to enhance it if there's a risk of losing the weapon itself.

[ram]

Yea there's range, accuracy and damage enhancers. Not seen rate of fire enhancers. Damage enhancers most expensive right now. Lowest range enhancer only adds a small percentage to weapon range. Accuracy enhancer interests me - seems to increase chances of crit hits. I have not used one yet. You pay a lot for these things and they break randomly - may last ages or no time at all. The idea is to buy a stack and put the lot in the socket, I think. Finder enhancers increase range, don't know what else.

As far as I understand, if an item has a high eough Tier score - EG 0.9 - the risk of upgrading to Tier 1 is less. Trying for Tier 2 would be highly risky. I don't know about this yet, not having tried it or read it up.

[Chrome]

An item must be at Tier 0.9 in order to be upgraded to 1.0, 1.9 in order to reach 2.0, etc.

Enhancers are different levels and are SPECIFIC to each slot.  Level 2 enhancers may ONLY be used in the Level 2 socket, etc.

Enhancers break at random.  I've had some last hundreds of rounds on a weapon, and I've had one break after only 30 swings on a melee weapon.

Enhancers may be found on auction, or in shops like Auktuma's, Buzz's, etc.

I have a couple Tier 10 (L) weapons I have messed around with:

http://www.entropiaforum.com/forums/weapons/180984-tier-10-weapon.html

http://www.entropiaforum.com/forums/weapons/181675-tier-10-kesmek-slo-l.html


Let me know if you have questions. - Chrome

[admin]

Hey, that is kinda cool.

[ram]

An item must be at Tier 0.9 in order to be upgraded to 1.0, 1.9 in order to reach 2.0, etc.

Enhancers are different levels and are SPECIFIC to each slot.  Level 2 enhancers may ONLY be used in the Level 2 socket, etc.

Enhancers break at random.  I've had some last hundreds of rounds on a weapon, and I've had one break after only 30 swings on a melee weapon.

Enhancers may be found on auction, or in shops like Auktuma's, Buzz's, etc.

I have a couple Tier 10 (L) weapons I have messed around with:

http://www.entropiaforum.com/forums/weapons/180984-tier-10-weapon.html

http://www.entropiaforum.com/forums/weapons/181675-tier-10-kesmek-slo-l.html


Let me know if you have questions. - Chrome

Yes, my early posts on this topic reveal limited and on some points, erroneous understanding. I posted merely for the benefit of those as yet unable to enter the game. See the thread on EK2600 for my latest thoughts.