Topic

The economics of extremely hallowed shrine powder

This is in response to the post asking about selling extremely hallowed shrine powder, which has an official value of 2000 currants.

By my reckoning, it takes 172 Sparkly and 103 Dullite to make EHSP, and those ingredients have a combined official value of 2235 currants. There is also the substantial energy required to grind, compound, and mix.


Conclusion: It does not make (economic) sense to sell EHSP at the official going rate.


(I suspect this is true of many of the more complex items in the game.)

Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Don't most people sell it for 5k-10k?
    Posted 21 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That would make a lot more sense.

    I usually auction things at their official rates... partly because after you reach a certain level there's kinda more currants than you can use anyway. Except to buy things to donate, I suppose.
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What about fairly hallowed shrine powder?  That uses significantly less elements to make.
    Posted 21 months ago by Aldaris Subscriber! | Permalink
  • the big question is how much additional xp you get by using the shrine powder versus spending 2k on a tool and donating that instead.
    Posted 21 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You can throw "going rates" out the window. there's no volume of anything to base that on (if it even gets adjusted yet). That said, you speak of economic cost for the maker - but there are also other benefits such as XP, badges and other freebies when grinding it and putting it together.

    I'd be curious about a similar analysis for the usage of powder by the minor (closed loop). I've avoided making it out of laziness, but do you get more out of it by making an using it then donating the resources, or selling the resources and buying other things to donate.
    Posted 21 months ago by Another Chris Subscriber! | Permalink
  • FWIW: I don't think you get XP for grinding, which has seemed curious to me, given how much energy it takes.

    And there are only so many badges (so far).

    I'm not sure the analysis you're looking for with a miner's use of powder? I think it can't quite be done because you could use it to donate one amber now, or save up till you have 100 amber, to be donated all at once, etc. I suspect the potential gain from the powder is unlimited in that sense. 

    (Granted, you don't score your emblems along the way on that path, but as someone who scored scores of emblems before reset, and piled them up in my house... they really weren't that useful. I could pick them all up and contemplate them (or whatever) to gain XP, but that's a really tedious way to gain only marginal XP.)
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hah, that last post added extra line spaces.

    So I am posting again just to test if they are added again.


    I am using a 3yo MacBook, still running 10.5.8.


    And Safari 5.0.4.
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm leaving that.

    Curiously, the first one did not get the extra line added, which was also true of my first posting.


    One more line, for the hell of it.
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have to say I agree Clare - It seems a little bit like the powder being less than the sum of its parts!  That said, the game would be dull if all we did was sell mined rocks.
    Posted 21 months ago by Bob Apple Subscriber! | Permalink
  • clare, you piled up emblems? When you turn them in it lets you learn new skills...so that's pretty useful...
    Posted 21 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Grinding does give some xp, but a marginal amount.  I believe with Mining II, it's only 2xp per rock.

    And clare, your second paragraph is completely true.  While the powder might not be useful for one gem, when dealing with large number is most certainly is.
    Posted 21 months ago by Aldaris Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Rascalmom... I got up to, I dunno..... level 58 before the reset? I had scores of emblems after spending the first 11 (one of each). They're not currently very useful beyond that point, save for maybe little XP, mood, or energy boosts.
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • oooh, I see clare. I shoulda known since you're way up the leaderboards lol
    Posted 21 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As in life, many things in the game seem to be less than the sum of their parts, but if you enjoy making them, go for it.  If not, there's always something else to do.  Personally, I'm pretty sure that I should be doing something with crystals other than using them in street projects, but I like the projects, and I get a kick out of catching fireflies. 

    Also, I'd imagine that future skills will require spending more emblems, so it may make sense to stockpile them.  When I had extras, I did carry them with me so I wouldn't have to forage for food and beverages as much, and the extra XP was nice, too.  In that respect, they're sort of like quoins in your pocket.
    Posted 21 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I always made lots of shrine powder early because donating without it seems so....wasteful. I have to admit, I was probably just indulging my long abandoned childhood dream of being a chemist - I loved playing with beakers and test tubes. I didn't realize it might make more sense to just sell or donate mined rocks. It felt more elegant to grind them into powders.
    Posted 21 months ago by Helcat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Another option is to use 4/5 of the uses of any powder, then sell/donate for the same value as if it were brand new

    Posted 21 months ago by mungo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have wondered about auctioning used powders or tools... does the recipient get them in a used or a full state?

    (I've never done it in case the recipient gets a defective item.)
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Mungo, yes, good point.  I figured this out during the last test, used four of the five fairly hallowed shrine powder sprinkles, and sold the last one for 700 currants.  I was going to make extremely hallowed powder, but would've had to go back on the no-no in order to mine and grind enough elements for it.  It was much faster and easier to just donate an extra gem or two.
    Posted 21 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ clare: I hope someone answers because I'm very curious about that. If not, maybe next test we could arrange some sort of trade/trade back where you sell a 4/5 used powder, i buy and let you know whether it's full or defective and then return it to you.

    It occurs to me though, I hope it sells as defective or you could have people with two accounts recycling one powder batch to themselves over and over, which wouldn't be fair. But let's find out if someone doesn't know...then we could tell devs, too.
    Posted 21 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You can also sell nearly-expired tools for what I believe is full value. That seems wrong.
    Posted 21 months ago by Helcat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ^ Yeah, true. Seems like a flaw yet to be fully taken advantage of. Hmm :/
    Posted 21 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like the idea of testing it out... thanks Rascalmom!

    I kinda agree that they SHOULD be sold in their used state, but then there needs to be a way for the seller to know what they're getting.
    Posted 21 months ago by clare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I dont know, but I got my extremely hallowed shrine powder at a good price from rube.
    Tinkertool > Fairly hallowed > Extremely hallowed
    Posted 21 months ago by AlphaKatana Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh and another thing re the original question: you have to do so much mining to get enough elements for shrine powder that the gems pile up, which throws off the equation.
    Posted 21 months ago by Helcat Subscriber! | Permalink