Hye Torque
0
   |
Posted - 2011.10.25 19:18:00 -
[1] - Quote
Killgor wrote:The devaluation of the isk IMO is what is hurting the game currently, mainly/solely driven by the introduction of Plex. The ability to spend cold hard cash and receive plex, which in turn can be sold in game for isk has really really devalued its worth. So, instead of having to work together towards a common goal you can go out and buy 10-20 Plexes and just buy what you need. Items that used to take weeks or months to save up for and work hard for now can simply be purchased. It takes the need away from teamwork and allows people to be more solo or less involved with the game itself. And over time, this can cause a certain amount of isolationism and then boredom sets in. Acquiring wealth in Eve used to take a long time but now it can simply be purchased with out of game money and converted.
I think that is what is driving the older players away from the game. The game has lost some of its "pure" allure. You used to have to work very hard to get what you need but now if you have a good bankroll you can simply just buy your way to wealth or fame.
I still love the game but just a bit less and have a different view. I think if you could go back in time to say 2004-2005 and take a look at now most people would be disappointed in how the economy works.
The introduction of the Plex item long time ago made, makes and will make the ISK more valuable then if it didn't exist. Because:
1. Every Plex transaction on the market (be it contract or market sale/buy order but not direct trade) takes a small percent of ISK value outside the game. Less ISK in game -> more valuable it is.
2. If the people spending the ISK on Plex would buy any other item (supposing Plex wouldn't exist), the price of that specific item would go up. Hence the devaluation. But since the Plex does exist, people can buy IT from the market with ISK and not some other item so the prices of the other items go down.
The Aurum has a similar advantage of making ISK more valuable. People can buy Plex from the other players (sinking ISK through trade tax) to convert it to Aurum (besides game time, players have now another incentive to buy Plex). So instead of the item prices getting bigger by player purchases, Aurum conversion makes ISK more valuable. That's why CCP must invent periodically new in game items, to keep the price inflation down. You will rarely see CCP replacing items with ISK (old skill books were replaced with the new skill books not reimbursed with ISK).
CCP is closely monitoring the balance of ISK sinks and faucets and when the situation will get critical ISK wise, they will create more content and modify game mechanics according to their analysis.
The only ways to directly create ISK in game are: bounties for killing NPC, mission agent rewards, ISK received from NPC for item sales, insurance payout. These are the reasons why the OP feels like there is more ISK in the game then before. |