Confused by lootstage cap & biome badges. What part of this am I misunderstanding?

[Sapient6]

I recently unlocked the wasteland badge and happened to look at my loot stage in the forest and in the wasteland.
Wasteland: 185
Forest: 55

I poked through the base xml files, and near as I can tell the forest loot stage cap should be 40 (base) + 100 (badge 4).
Wasteland is, of course, uncapped (rather, it's capped at 999999). And it grants a lootstage bonus of +20.

Since my lootstage in the wasteland is 185, that would suggest my current unmodified lootstage is 165.
Shouldn't my lootstage in the forest, then, be at the 140 cap rather than 55?

 

[theFlu]

Since my lootstage in the wasteland is 185, that would suggest my current unmodified lootstage is 165.

Iirc, vanilla multipliers for loot stage go up by 0.5 per biome. So, 1.0 forest, 1.5 burnt, 2.0 desert, 2.5 snow and 3.0 for wasteland. 55 x 3 + 20 = 185, so I guess the "constant increase" for wasteland is 20.

 

[Sapient6]

Iirc, vanilla multipliers for loot stage go up by 0.5 per biome. So, 1.0 forest, 1.5 burnt, 2.0 desert, 2.5 snow and 3.0 for wasteland. 55 x 3 + 20 = 185, so I guess the "constant increase" for wasteland is 20.

The math checks out so I figure you're right. I take it that multiplier is something that has been part of the game pre v2.0? I never paid much attention to loot stage before, so I'm absolutely looking at this stuff for the first time.

 

[Vaeliorin]

The math checks out so I figure you're right. I take it that multiplier is something that has been part of the game pre v2.0? I never paid much attention to loot stage before, so I'm absolutely looking at this stuff for the first time.

At least since A21, iirc.

 

[hampy_251]

The only thing I'm bothered by in biome badging....is the ■■■■ed mining!!! "Find some shale 10 times in the desert; it's prevalent"
B, no it's not. I've been crisscrossing the stinking desert for 2 hours and have 4 out of 10.
Smh.

 

[bdubyah]

The only thing I'm bothered by in biome badging....is the ■■■■ed mining!!! "Find some shale 10 times in the desert; it's prevalent"
B, no it's not. I've been crisscrossing the stinking desert for 2 hours and have 4 out of 10.
Smh.

Huh? The mining is just a flat 500 oil shale. Which isn't very many ore blocks really. By 10 are you meaning the spitters or something?

 

[hampy_251]

50x10=500.

I have a lvl 5 steel pick and I mine 50 pieces per rock. Thus, I require 10 deposits.

 

[Riamus]

50x10=500.

I have a lvl 5 steel pick and I mine 50 pieces per rock. Thus, I require 10 deposits.

No. Dig down. You don't just mine the ore on the surface. A single node will get you way more than the 500 you need.

Also note that your map will show any ore you go near, so even if you don't see it while driving around, you can look on your map and find them pretty easily as long as there were any close enough to where you've been.

 

[hampy_251]

Aaah! Thanks for this advice.
How did I not know? Haha

 

[Rahfta]

I recently unlocked the wasteland badge and happened to look at my loot stage in the forest and in the wasteland.
Wasteland: 185
Forest: 55

I poked through the base xml files, and near as I can tell the forest loot stage cap should be 40 (base) + 100 (badge 4).
Wasteland is, of course, uncapped (rather, it's capped at 999999). And it grants a lootstage bonus of +20.

Since my lootstage in the wasteland is 185, that would suggest my current unmodified lootstage is 165.
Shouldn't my lootstage in the forest, then, be at the 140 cap rather than 55?

You can by pass the loot stage sorta.... go intelect max better barter and daring adventure. Traders loot stage isn't affected by the badges. Make a bunch of mini bike handle bars and just buy your way to the top.

 

[Vaeliorin]

No. Dig down. You don't just mine the ore on the surface. A single node will get you way more than the 500 you need.

Also note that your map will show any ore you go near, so even if you don't see it while driving around, you can look on your map and find them pretty easily as long as there were any close enough to where you've been.

This is true, but the default color for Oil Shale just doesn't stand out very well on the map, so that in particular might be a bit difficult to find.

 

[Riamus]

This is true, but the default color for Oil Shale just doesn't stand out very well on the map, so that in particular might be a bit difficult to find.

True. I never understood why they made the color of the ore that is only in the desert a tan color. I modded that a long time ago so it is red.

 

[Roland]

On my map the oil shale dot is purplish pink.

Iron - Orange
Coal - Black
Nitrate - White
Shale - Purplish Pink
Lead - Bluish Green

 

[Riamus]

On my map the oil shale dot is purplish pink.

Iron - Orange
Coal - Black
Nitrate - White
Shale - Purplish Pink
Lead - Bluish Green

I called it tan, but it isn't really tan. But the color is close enough to the desert to make it very difficult to see. Regardless what color it technically is, do you agree that it is hard to see if you're not looking really closely at the map? I can quickly see any other ore on the map without having to zoom in or look closely. But shale with the default color was very easy to miss seeing on the map. It can be seen, but it just doesn't stand out. That's why I changed the color of it. Red is a bit excessive, I'll admit, but it was kind of my response to it being hard to see in the first place that I chose to make it extremely easy to see instead.

 

[theFlu]

I can quickly see any other ore on the map without having to zoom in or look closely.

That wouldn't be so bad if the map didn't zoom so sloooow... feels like a book's worth of scrolling to go from high to low.

 

[Balun]

That wouldn't be so bad if the map didn't zoom so sloooow... feels like a book's worth of scrolling to go from high to low.

Isn't there a setting to speed it up?

 

[theFlu]

Isn't there a setting to speed it up?

I don't remember ever seeing one. Not that I have looked.

 

[BFT2020]

I called it tan, but it isn't really tan. But the color is close enough to the desert to make it very difficult to see. Regardless what color it technically is, do you agree that it is hard to see if you're not looking really closely at the map? I can quickly see any other ore on the map without having to zoom in or look closely. But shale with the default color was very easy to miss seeing on the map. It can be seen, but it just doesn't stand out.

As you are well aware, I will whip up a mod if I think something needs changing or improving, but I have never had a reason to mod the oil shale deposit color on the maps. They stand out fairly well against the yellow biome color.

 

[theFlu]

They stand out fairly well against the yellow biome color.

I can see them just fine as well, but that might be a monitor thing, or even a color vision thing. Red/green is the common issue, but people seem to have all kinds of issues, diagnosed or not.

 

[Riamus]

I can see them just fine as well, but that might be a monitor thing, or even a color vision thing. Red/green is the common issue, but people seem to have all kinds of issues, diagnosed or not.

Actually, from that screenshot, it's pretty easy to see. Not sure if they changed it at some point after I made my mod or if the game just renders it differently for me than what is shown in that screenshot. I'd have to remove my mod to test, but there isn't really any need. Even if it's easier to see now than in the past, there's no harm in leaving it modded.