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First, you'll be glad to know that the differential prices of colours, even though they might arbitrary, are actually rationally grounded in the sound economic principle of "added value".
It all begins with unrefined Pixels, which PGI buys in bulk at a relatively low costs. These unrefined pixels are white ... but they contain all the colours of the rainbow. In order for PGI to be able to supply separately the many colours within the raw white pixels, PGI needs to refine them into their component colours.
This initial rough refining process yields the lowest cost colours, the "Standard" colours.
However, just as some chefs prefer Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of just plain Virgin Olive Oil, PGI knows that some MechWarriors prefer a higher degree of purity in their Mech camos. For these players, PGI undertakes a secondary, much more finely-calibrated refinement process using specially-developed centrifuges. These remove up to 0.01% of other colour impurities, and yield the "Premium" colours.
The one exception to the refining process is Black. In order to create Black, PGI needs to vacuum all the colour out of the white pixels, leaving them devoid of colour. As this is an entirely separate process - labour intensive and time-consuming - it's no surprise that Black is only available at a Premium price.
Finally, you may be wondering about the Basic colours ... the dull red and orange colours available for purchase through just CBills alone.
In a somewhat surprising twist, it turns out that these colours are actually the unwanted by-products of the white pixel refining process. Whereas other game developers might have simply discarded these in the local waste management facility, PGI cleverly recycles the leftover waste products (in the mining industry they'd be called 'tailings') in an eco-friendly way, making them available to us for mere CBills.
I hope you've found this behind-the-scenes look at how PGI creates custom colours for its Mech Lab. And next time you see Premium colours on sale, you'll doubly appreciate the discount on these highly refined and value-added pixels.
Edited by Appogee, 21 October 2015 - 11:17 AM.
