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Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 19 post(s) |
Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.25 13:23:00 -
[1]
I see no reason not to denounce the micro-transactions beyond vanity for EVE publicly, unless there is something going on that takes us there!
Best response to the CCP Zulu dev blog so far.
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.26 06:49:00 -
[2]
Micro transactions are harmless?
So after seeing numerous pilots ask the question if micro transactions are harmless, letĘs take a look at it shall we?
Micro transactions ū vanity
These goods are introduced in the cash shop adding fluff to an EVE experience. I have no objection to these things in fact my business may increase a little because of it. This stuff is harmless indeed.
For example I manufacture thrashers just for fun. If CCP introduces skins, logos and what not my revenue has the potential to increase as well. Pilots have more options when buying a thrasher in my shop; they can have a paint job or add other bells and whistles.
Micro transactions ū functionality
These are things that are added to pilots to give them more functionality like hangars, standings, fittings, wallets etc. to use. It will give a slight advantage over other pilots when managing things in station, in manufacturing, in trade or other stuff. This type of micro transaction is acceptable for some but not for me, if used well you can exploit this advantage over other pilots that do not have it.
(It is worrying that some functionalities in game have been removed lately, paving the way to re-introduce the extra functionality for aurum in the future?)
Micro transactions ū completely
Here micro transactions are used for all kinds of deals (ships, modules, blueprints etc.). The implications are massive for me. Over the years I have built up a small business in EVE selling stuff for ISK, itĘs what I do, itĘs what I like doing, its fun for me, my own shop.
Scenario 1
Suddenly this new non-player cash shop (NPC shop) is introduced that pulls items out of its arse => a crap shop.  This new competitor competes with me on my local markets and will never go away.
Alarm bells are ringing in my shop for here is a competitor that is going to dictate prices and is going to take away some of my business. How? Well the new items in this new shop are introduced and have a price that is directly linked to PLEX. This price is variable and will fluctuate from time to time. I have two things to consider:
1. My manufacturing price has to be lower then this new shop price otherwise I am going to make a loss. I am not going to do that so in this case my business is not sustainable, in other words I lose business.
2. The new shop price creates a roof price for my prices. If I sell above that no one will buy my stuff and pilots will directly buy from the new shop. So my prices have to stay below this price. The result is that my profits are lower then before, in other words I lose income.
Either way I am losing business and make less profit overall. So every time a new item is introduced in the NP shop my business will diminish, this is not a good prospect for me to have. I cannot compete with this shop the regular way, I cannot declare war on it, I cannot block his resources, industrials or freighters, I cannot drive this shop out of my station.
In short my incentive to play EVE will diminish over time and will stop at some point when all my business is lost. Knowing this beforehand I have lost the incentive to manufacture stuff anymore, CCP has taken away my fun with their shop. Once manufacturers like me drop out the EVE economy will slow down and can do so to a point at which it is no longer sustainable.
In the last years CCP is slowly but surely removing all NPC stuff from the game and has given it to the players. Therefore I do not understand that a company that wants to give all economic activities to the players possibly wants to introduce harmful NPC shops. *facepalm*....
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.26 06:51:00 -
[3]
Scenario 2
Here it can get even uglier. LetĘs say our corp has wardecced another. We have gathered intel on their ships undocking and docking out of a station for days. At some point we have trapped 5 players in the station. Having intel on their ships we have a good assessment of their strength. The new NPC shop can **** this up; our enemies bought 5 ravens with fittings from the shop and undock all guns blazing. Of course they could have bought it from the market (if it existed at all on that station) but letĘs say they did not.
Micro transactions ū all the way Dust 514
Here it can become complex. Probably Dust will introduce micro transactions that can buy you an advantage over others, which can have an impact on the EVE economy indirectly or directly i.e. it can drive certain businesses out of an area when not carefully introduced.
As I see it micro transactions are harmless for vanity items only, I would be happy to pay $1-2 more to my subscription fee to keep harmful ones out, I also would be willing to pay a $5-7 subscription to Dust 514 if the harmless micro transactions are used there as well.
Once greed takes hold in the mindset of a company it is difficult to reverse, for the focus shifts from making stuff that is interesting and fun to making stuff that increases profits. You can have both but you need to be very careful in balancing this and not get corrupted at some point.
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.26 12:31:00 -
[4]
Fix Hilmar
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.26 15:52:00 -
[5]
Please confirm that no NPC shop is being introduced that pull competing market items out of their arse = crap shop
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.27 09:36:00 -
[6]
Interesting presentation.
http://www.slideshare.net/bcousins/paying-to-win
There are however 2 big differences here:
- EVE did not start as a free to play model
- EVE has a player driven economy
-> the new micro transactions shops with items will compete with real businesses that have been set up by players in EVE
-> Many businesses in EVE will loose income for they are competing with these shops everywhere
-> the shops cannot be driven away by regular in game business PVP methods, I cannot wardecc them, block them or destroy or bankrupt them
-> the shops take away fun from the players with 100% business professions in EVE
Problems can be addressed if the basic items come from the player driven economy which are then changed in the shop using blueprints and what not to a new upgraded item. If not then economic activities done by the players are taken out of the game and replaced by these micro transactions shops.
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Elayae
Gallente
Re-Awakened Technologies Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.27 13:57:00 -
[7]
Of course our posted issues and concerns will decline at some point, when we talk to a brick wall.
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