i'm pretty sure you're right that price is (also) based on what Talans think about you (although i haven't actually done "research").
you can ask merchants about their 'current prices', and (if you've been good to the Talans) the merchants will encourage you to wreck havock so they can increase their prices. I'm not sure if there's one 'final message' which indicates they are at their lowest; i'm under the impression that there are 2 different 'final messages'.
but the thing is, all other weapons + upgrades that i've bought, were bought at the lowest price stated in the ini file.
so, maybe those 3 items i've mentioned are bugged (or "bugged"). because the alternative, i guess, is that i haven't hit the lowest possible prices on those particular items yet. (which i doubt, since all my other purchases matched whatever was in the ini file.)
and the "m_teleport" doesn't actually show up in the list of things you can buy from merchant #2. so maybe the ini file is just a reference-file(?), rather than the file out of which the actual data is taken.. :D
anyway; to reply to your thoughts on the ini file and the "base prices": it seems to me that the ini file doesn't actually mention the increase of prices based on how bad Talans think you are.
it does, however, clearly state base prices for items:
m_simple_ammo=20.000000
m_tracer_ammo=20.000000
m_flame_ammo=150.000000
m_boom_ammo=120.000000
m_dart_ammo=100.000000
m_perf_ammo=100.000000
m_holo=50.000000
m_dynamite=20.000000
m_o2=50.000000
m_trip=15.000000
m_health=50.000000
m_invis=50.000000
m_teleport=80.000000
m_detonate=40.000000
m_scope=100.000000
m_tracer=300.000000
m_perf=400.000000
m_flame_up=800.000000
m_dart=300.000000
m_tracer_up=300.000000
m_boom=500.000000
m_simple_up=200.000000
m_laser=100.000000
m_flame=900.000000
m_simple=200.000000
m_boom_up=500.000000
after the base price: each merchant has it's own "multiplier" per item sold, which apparently sets the lowest price the item can be bought for from that specific merchant.
m_1_simple_ammo=0.100000
m_1_tracer_ammo=0.200000
m_1_flame_ammo=0.000000
m_1_o2=0.100000
m_1_holo=0.500000
m_1_dynamite=0.300000
m_1_tracer=0.300000
m_1_perf=0.200000
example: m_1_perf=0.200000 means that 20% (of the base price) is added on top of the base price, to create the
lowest price that that specific merchant (in this case merchant #1) can sell that specific item for.
the base price for m_perf (HAWK-MK8) is 400, which would mean 400 + 80 = 480.
if you've been good to the Talans, and you'd check merchant #1, his HAWK-MK8 would indeed sell for 480.
and, on top of that merchant-specific multiplier, there is that "good or bad" multiplier (i think), which increases/decreases the price, based on how kind you have been to the Talans.
the ini file also shows some names of items that i think were initially planned to be in the game, but were later removed..
there is "m_scope", "m_dart" and "m_laser". now, i'm not exactly sure about m_laser but, the other two are definitely the SLNT-B.
but the base price for m_dart is 300, while the base price for m_scope is only 100, despite both names are clearly referring to the SLNT-B, in-game.
all the other weapons have a linear gap between prices, but the price of the SLNT-B goes from 120 to 450 (because m_dart starts at 300 and goes up with jumps of 30, while m_scope starts at 100 and goes up with jumps of 10).
and the 450 would probably be even more, if you hadn't been treating the Talans very well :)
my guess is that when they decided (or had) to remove these weapons, they just made them refer to an already existing weapon that made sense.
anyway (blah blah blah):
merchant #10 should be selling the HAWK-MK8 for 440, but i simply can not find this merchant.
the upgrades for the FT-74 X should be sold for 960 by merchant #5, but he sells them for 980. (i guess i should presume this is some kind of bug or miss-coding.)
merchant #2 sells two F-Links, but the ini file does not state this.
bonus: i noticed that Zolass talks like he's about to give you a reward, but he doesn't actually give you anything. i bet it was intended that he gives you some items or/and zorkins (for completing the quest to deliver the Twon-Ha to Zalinass). (just listen to the dialogue when you deliver the message from Zalinass.)
[/outcast] :D
