Something needs to be done.

[gs 059]

I too do not support limited research, one week is actually like 5 days for me atm (I know I do not have very many faction points...), so I can only research for 117 hours (real time not actuall amount of research). does not make much sense at all to me. I also just do not like limiting advancement as much as it has been. first rev, than lower research returns and higher server cost, now you want to make it so we cannot research almost at all... maybe we should just sit and wait for the secret servers to dish out better software, since they will be able to research it faster than we can...

[DamascuS]

I may support the idea of overloading only up to 10X, if this comes in the same time as the limiting of research tasks to a maximum of 168 hours / task.

The two ideas seem to complement each other to achieve more balance, since otherwise the protection research would go ahead of the breaker research.

I myself am not too sure about limiting the research, i can't decide whether it would be good/bad. Mainly because some people (myself included) like to 'stack' research, for instance, 20 x 168h research tasks, then 20 x 336h research tasks, and so on. And i figure if it gets limited to 168 hours, the AP costs are going to go through the roof, because we are going to have to resort to things like 1000 x 168h tasks just to get the same effect, lol.

In short, i really have to agree with Gin and gs on this one, research is just right at the moment (albeit a little too diminishing for me lol) and doesn't need limiting anymore, and as for the sense of loss, i know i had a big rant about it earler, but i suppose that's just one of the risks that you take when starting research that long

My suggestion would be to implement the 10x max overload, and see how much it changes things.

[Eledran]

I may support the idea of overloading only up to 10X, if this comes in the same time as the limiting of research tasks to a maximum of 168 hours / task.

The two ideas seem to complement each other to achieve more balance, since otherwise the protection research would go ahead of the breaker research.

Looking at the complains for the research limiting, we can make it in order to make it only take 100HPD/hour for tasks below 168 hours (getting the granted 120 ranks points/research hour right now) and making it take 1000HPD (yes, ten times more) per each hour after the 168 hours and getting only 120 points of rank for each hour after the 168 hours. It is like a fine for over-researching.

A little piece of code:

Code:

if ($research_hours =< 168)
{
$hpd_cost_for_research_task = $research_hours * 100
//This way you can only waste up to 16800HPD per task
//Now it needs to connect to the DB and update the HPD value on the user data table for the player, lowering it by the value of $hpd_cost_for_research_task. As I do now know your DB structure, I will leave this up to you, emi.
}
else
{
$research_fine = $research_hours - 168
$hpd_cost_for_research_task = ($research_fine * 1000) + (168 * 100)
//Now it calcs for the fine you have to pay after the 168 hours
//Now it needs to connect to the DB and update the HPD value on the user data table for the player, lowering it by the value of $hpd_cost_for_research_task. As I do now know your DB structure, I will leave this up to you, emi.
};

Otherway, we could make tasks of research under or equal to 168 hours impossible to being killed, visible when connected to remotehost but with some sort of tag.

Perhaps:

Secure research file # FILE_ID | FILE_NAME v FILE_VERSION ([owned])[TIMER]

[Cookie_II]

Now I have read though this post and a lot of sugestions have been made. I do not think that limiting research is a good idea. if you want to research for 1000 hours then you are going to have to protect that server. I have had a server running research for over 1000 hours now and it has never been cracked. Now if you are using your main server for research then it is easier for people to find your IP and crack it.

One sugestion I would make would be this right now when you overload password break .35 up to around 1.4 the resourses you use are the same as running a 1.4. here is an example.
Special Password Break  1.30368 / CPU 2607 / MEM 162960 This is a  0.358154 overloaded
 Password Break  1.43307 / CPU 2866 / MEM 179134 This is not overloaded

So as long as I have the resources to run a higher password break I do not need the higher break to crack someone. What I would suggest is that it when you overload a lower version the resources to run it should be doubled so I would have to have twice the resources.

[DamascuS]

Hmm, it was my understanding that the resources are already doubled when you overload, and then then once you complete the task, they go back down to the level reflecting the version. (Yep...that little buggy is still there )

Oh noes...did i just say bug!?

In any matter, i say just DON'T allow overload AT ALL.....Ok that may be a little extreme, but more realistic no? After all, we can't overload our protects to compensate.

To avoid extremes (and possible flaming) i'll say we could always just allow an overload up to a maximum of 5x, that gives plenty of room to crack the secret servers when you are first unable to do research, like when you first start out, but doesn't allow just anyone and everyone to walk right in the front door of a top 10 player's server without lifting so much as their little finger