Smithore valuation (supply / demand)

[Keybounce]

There is a major issue in how the store values smithore, compared to food/energy.

Smithore is valued based only on the shortage and last turn's pricing.
Food and energy are based on shortage, last turn's pricing, *and the production this turn*

If you had 150 units of food/energy made, the price would plummet.
But if you have 150 units of smithore made, they can all sell for 230.

This isn't minor. From what I've seen, people who can manipulate smithore never have to bother with Crystie. The ability to unload large amounts for large profits actually means that smithore is the only way to go at the high level of play.

In the past, when I've asked for longer game play, people have replied that this would make Crystie the only option, and that right now it is balanced. I'd like to claim that it is NOT balanced right now -- smithore manipulation wins over either plain smithore production, or crysite lottery winnings.

(No, I do not know how the commodore/atari versions handled store demand and pricing in this case. Specifically, while I know that you could unload large amounts of ore for large pricing, I don't know if food/energy could also, and I never saw smithore max out twice in one game without a store fire.)

[C64 nostalgia]

This isn't minor. From what I've seen, people who can manipulate smithore never have to bother with Crystie. The ability to unload large amounts for large profits actually means that smithore is the only way to go at the high level of play.

You should have played the games where smithore never spoiled (in some earlier Plant MULE versions)!

[goblin]

By the date of your post you may have played the new Oct 5 2010 release of MULE.
I have not. 

In the original game you could get smithore to 250 dollars only if the store was low on mules and/or there were empty plots.   You could stop this by getting smithore and selling it to crash the market.

The other players could buy it up but if they went past holding 50 units any unit past 50 would rot.

Buying it at 250.00 per share will drain all their money.  Now they will loose Land auctions, they will be forced to sell crystite low for extra cash.   If they are low in FOOD or Energy they are in trouble too.

The programmers of this do not have the source code from the original so getting the FEEL of the original has not been as easy one might think.  Yes its 2010 and you would think with todays technologies we could make a cruddy 1980s game easily.   Humans still have to write the code though.

I think they can get the FEEL of the original with time.   One way would be for them to buy an old Atari 800 with Joysticks and actually play it over and over. 

That is how Atari wrote Donkey Kong for the 800.  The Atari version was the best and they did it without the source code from the acade version.   How they did it was, and you won't believe this.
They gave the programmer and bag full of quarters and told him to go play the arcade Donkey Kong.

This guy hated the game but he had to get so good he saw all the levels.   So he does this and then recreates the Atari game from playing the coin op version.   It worked and is still the best version. next to the arcade version and it was done without the source code.

Buy an 800 and play MULE only then will they get the FEEL of the game.  They will need 4 people which makes it a bit harder task than single player Donkey Kong.

[Chuckie Chuck]

I don't see the smithore valuation as a bug, it nearly if not perfectly matches the original mule if you played 4 human players.  With AI in the original, it was very difficult to pull off (was doable if you were patient enough, but it really took strategy to keep the store balance where the computer wouldn't focus on making ore for the smithore shortage until you wanted a shortage and could afford to buy out the computer.

[Keybounce]

Bumping; none of the replies addressed the point.

Whether or not the smithore abuse matches the original (and I think it does), food and energy (and the new butenol) do not have that abuse. Only smithore.

I'm pretty sure (memory, years old) that the original, if you could get food/energy to go high, it stayed high if you produced huge that turn.

[Chuckie Chuck]

I would need to replay original to verify that, but you may be correct.  There is some abuse that can be done with food/energy in P.M. but if you do get someone to buy food high, and produce high amounts the next turn and prevent a shortage, it doesn't drop to 15, but value does seem to drop about 30% immediately after the shortage is remedied.  I notice this with smithore as well though, it's just harder to cause those circumstances with food/energy, because most everyone tries to meet their own needs thoughout the game, while balancing against need to produce smith/crystite.

Thought I answered pretty well though, the abuse does match original to my recollection.