Xhieron
Member
The Krono problem really needs an economist, because it's absolutely not as simple as "ban Krono". For that matter, the "the RMTers will just sell the plat directly instead" defeatist argument isn't a solution, however accurate it might be. If the market can be manipulated by Kronos, the pressure to have them will be felt by the entire server population, and that will drive inflation. This isn't a hypothetical scenario: we need look no further than other DPG servers that are being played right now.
Would I prefer a server in which Krono and, by extension, RMT, was less impactful? Of course, but that requires a much more thorough look at how the game's currency works and what plat can and can't be used for. It's obviously not a simple problem (or they would have solved it by now). I genuinely hope part of the server's budget is devoted to managing the game economy, because not only do we need someone in the company telling the devs where the plat sinks should go, but we also need someone making the case that a healthier game economy can be better for the company's bottom line.
On the broader topic, I agree with the notion that the cash shop should similarly be low impact, and most of the suggestions so far have been good--XP/vit pots should offer only small improvements and what not. That said, I'm very curious to see what the pacing looks like.
For me, the journey was always the game: I wasn't ever really a fan of raids as a content type, and I had a lot more fun doing quests and grouping. The gotta-go-fast level cap race stuff always felt counterproductive: why are you skipping the best parts of the game? So I hope there's some leisure to progression. On the other hand, it's entirely possible to go too far. I honestly felt like the early days of EQ2 (as compared to EQ1) were almost ideal. You could hit milestones with cool new toys without overleveling content you wanted to see--but there was also low risk of burnout. The WC/FG/Varsoon leveling band is some of the most fun I've ever had playing games, but it could easily become a slog if things are tuned poorly.
Would I prefer a server in which Krono and, by extension, RMT, was less impactful? Of course, but that requires a much more thorough look at how the game's currency works and what plat can and can't be used for. It's obviously not a simple problem (or they would have solved it by now). I genuinely hope part of the server's budget is devoted to managing the game economy, because not only do we need someone in the company telling the devs where the plat sinks should go, but we also need someone making the case that a healthier game economy can be better for the company's bottom line.
On the broader topic, I agree with the notion that the cash shop should similarly be low impact, and most of the suggestions so far have been good--XP/vit pots should offer only small improvements and what not. That said, I'm very curious to see what the pacing looks like.
For me, the journey was always the game: I wasn't ever really a fan of raids as a content type, and I had a lot more fun doing quests and grouping. The gotta-go-fast level cap race stuff always felt counterproductive: why are you skipping the best parts of the game? So I hope there's some leisure to progression. On the other hand, it's entirely possible to go too far. I honestly felt like the early days of EQ2 (as compared to EQ1) were almost ideal. You could hit milestones with cool new toys without overleveling content you wanted to see--but there was also low risk of burnout. The WC/FG/Varsoon leveling band is some of the most fun I've ever had playing games, but it could easily become a slog if things are tuned poorly.
