Stackable logs and ores

[Jeville]

Hello!

Whenever we plan out which gathering-type items should/should not be stackable we always need to consider how many items that a player could bring back home after one session. For example, if we changed logs or ores the number they could take home would increase ten-fold. Therefore we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy and be careful when considering such adjustments. With that in mind, we do not have plans to make these items stackable at this time.

This is only really true if pickaxes/hatchets do not break, which they do (and they cost some gil). So they usually go home whenever all their pickaxes/hatchets break, not really when their inventory is full. Look at harvesting, stuff from that do stack and sickles breaks less often, and it's not hurting the economy any.

[Sargent]

This is only really true if pickaxes/hatchets do not break, which they do (and they cost some gil). So they usually go home whenever all their pickaxes/hatchets break, not really when their inventory is full. Look at harvesting, stuff from that do stack and sickles breaks less often, and it's not hurting the economy any.

Not to mention if you could carry 12 times more ores/logs, you'd need 12 times more hachets etc to mine/log them (roughly speaking).

[Elphy]

They each stack to 99 in xiv, dont see any adverse effects on the economy other than ppl actually lvl crafts that use these items more often

[Glamdring]

Hello!

Whenever we plan out which gathering-type items should/should not be stackable we always need to consider how many items that a player could bring back home after one session. For example, if we changed logs or ores the number they could take home would increase ten-fold. Therefore we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy and be careful when considering such adjustments. With that in mind, we do not have plans to make these items stackable at this time.

2 things wrong just off the bat, it would be 12 or 99 fold given the stacking sizes in current use, and the effect on the economy would be negligeble. You see, the time to gather the logs/ores would be the same, i.e. 12 or 99 times as long as it currently is, the only loss being the mandatory trip back to town to unburden yourself . Actually, the biggest effect on the economy would be a revival of the non-cooking/fishing crafts. The biggest danger to the economy would be a possible revival of the RMT woes we had years ago, but it can be hoped that with the drasticly reduced playerbase the RMT would simply overlook FFXI as not being sufficiently lucrative. After all, with most of the worthwhile gear being r/ex there simply isn't the RMT outlet given the ludicrous ease of play in most things now.

[Istabpeople]

Hello!

Whenever we plan out which gathering-type items should/should not be stackable we always need to consider how many items that a player could bring back home after one session. For example, if we changed logs or ores the number they could take home would increase ten-fold. Therefore we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy and be careful when considering such adjustments. With that in mind, we do not have plans to make these items stackable at this time.

No. Just.... no.

What this would ACTUALLY do is maybe make them worth selling as stacks on the auction house and encourage people to craft (especially those who maybe haven't done a craft yet and are put off because they simply don't have the space to start one up). Whereas right now these items are almost exclusively sold to NPCs with very few exceptions because they not only clog up your inventory, they also clog up your available auction house slots (which you've already said you won't be increasing).

In my opinion, this issue really needs to be rethought by the dev team. Because with all due respect I can see their point. However I don't feel that this will have anywhere near the impact on the economy that they do. I personally don't think this would affect the economy anymore than the way geodes are currently stackable. What I mean by that is that most people probably wont bother to collect full stacks and those that put singles on the AH currently will likely continue to do so and those that NPC them will likely continue to do the same. The benefit, like how stackable geodes 9 times out of 10 benefits those who collect them to use for trials rather than profit, is that stackable ores and logs would benefit crafters who need the space rather than those who sit on them until they get enough to sell a stack for profit.

Again, no disrespect to you guys with the community team... I'm not shooting the messenger, I just really think the logic behind this decision needs to be looked into a little further.

[Catmato]

Whenever we plan out which gathering-type items should/should not be stackable we always need to consider how many items that a player could bring back home after one session.

Are the devs so disillusioned and so far removed from they game that they actually believe this? No one is getting ores and logs from mining and logging; they come from VW and Abyssea. Logs and ores are junk drops and consolation prizes. A very large majority of these items are dropped, vendored, or simply never taken from boxes.

we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy

Sadly, this wasn't the case when Abyssea was released and items such as Jacaranda Log, Orichalcum Ore, and many, many others became junk drops. They flooded the market, lost nearly all of their value, and effectively killed HELM.

[Avina]

They each stack to 99 in xiv, dont see any adverse effects on the economy other than ppl actually lvl crafts that use these items more often

Quoted for truth. People actually do level their crafts in XIV, and the stackable logs and ores are a huge help. If I decide to go and level Botanist and down a couple hundred trees, I can turn around once I get back to town and start crafting with an ample supply of materials. It's, dare I say lest SE turn around and nerf it, a FUN part of the gathering/crafter experience in XIV.

The problem with Final Fantasy XI has always been the outrageous cost out of your pocket to level a craft. In the earlier days though, this was somewhat mitigated by the results: you spit out a cursed hauberk -1, you are set. The gil you could gain in the 'crafter endgame,' if we can put it that way, could justify the means to get there.

This is not the case today. And furthermore, unlike the earlier years, a crafter can't really sell much of anything anymore to help offset the cost. Because guess what? SE eliminated the point of having any gear from levels 1 to, we'll say, 90. Which has invalidated any stepping stone crafters used to have in their climb to the top.

It's only at level 100-110 that crafters might actually see some minor benefit to their hard work getting there. This is a sharp contrast to the pre-abyssea days when crafters would see major benefit from their hard work to get to the top.

A way to correct for this and still make the game challenging would be to make certain ores unstackable, common ones used for the recipes through, lets say, 1-90, stackable. As SE has made a crafter worthless unless they are 100 or higher, effort should be made to get us through the colossal waste of time getting from 1-90.

[Avina]

2 things wrong just off the bat, it would be 12 or 99 fold given the stacking sizes in current use, and the effect on the economy would be negligeble. You see, the time to gather the logs/ores would be the same, i.e. 12 or 99 times as long as it currently is, the only loss being the mandatory trip back to town to unburden yourself . Actually, the biggest effect on the economy would be a revival of the non-cooking/fishing crafts. The biggest danger to the economy would be a possible revival of the RMT woes we had years ago, but it can be hoped that with the drasticly reduced playerbase the RMT would simply overlook FFXI as not being sufficiently lucrative. After all, with most of the worthwhile gear being r/ex there simply isn't the RMT outlet given the ludicrous ease of play in most things now.

The subscription paying player base should not be saddled with the responsibility of fighting the RMT on Square-Enix's behalf. Square-Enix has taken this stance before by nerfing other legitimate means of farming gil through npcing items to "fight the RMT." But taking those routes--routes legitimate players use--instead turns into "Fight the Players." Because that's the effect that it has.

If Square-Enix were to stop fighting the RMT and focus on supporting the players, I think more players would be happy and less tempted to think to rely on RMT.

[Godofgods]

Hello!

Whenever we plan out which gathering-type items should/should not be stackable we always need to consider how many items that a player could bring back home after one session. For example, if we changed logs or ores the number they could take home would increase ten-fold. Therefore we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy and be careful when considering such adjustments. With that in mind, we do not have plans to make these items stackable at this time.

I usually try not to harp on the Dev team much because i know they have a lot going on. But this one just doesn't make any sense.

if we changed logs or ores the number they could take home would increase ten-fold. And? So i get to craft everything straight through, instead of buy a few, craft a few, buy a few more, craft a few more. Repeat. Repeat. I don't quite get that. If anything it would help move items on the AH faster.

In regards to other ppl trying to get the same item, Id rather fight over stacks (which i can use) rather then camp AH for single items. And if i get (for example) 3 ores, and cant get anymore, i have to deal with that -inventory. Other side is, supply amount would increase if stackable.

Therefore we need to consider all the effects this could have on the economy. The effect is quite simple to see in this case. It would increase the economy. Tons of ppl refuse to put logs and ore on AH because of the room it takes up. They have other, more important (to them), items that need to go up instead. So they just npc them. Taking items out of circulation is not good for an economy.

If they stack, they can still be sold as singles, which means it wouldn't change anything for the worse. (since thats how it is sold now). But with stacks taking up less auction house space, you drastically increase the likeliness of sellers putting their goods on the AH instead of NPCing them. - More items on AH - More ppl able to buy - Economy grows - Win.

[Glamdring]

The subscription paying player base should not be saddled with the responsibility of fighting the RMT on Square-Enix's behalf. Square-Enix has taken this stance before by nerfing other legitimate means of farming gil through npcing items to "fight the RMT." But taking those routes--routes legitimate players use--instead turns into "Fight the Players." Because that's the effect that it has.

If Square-Enix were to stop fighting the RMT and focus on supporting the players, I think more players would be happy and less tempted to think to rely on RMT.

I think you miss my point. What I was saying is that with the current reduced number of players the fear that this might become RMT fodder was negligible. The market is just too small, and game play too easy that those who would choose a return to HELM aren't looking at deriving a significant income from it. In addition, gil isn't the issue it once was, so the market for buying gil is largely gone. Lastly, since end-game gear is almost exclusively dropped-not crafted-the main appeal to the increased materials is mostly to a few completionists who simply want to cap their crafting, not as a source of income. Back in the heyday of RMT ('04-'06) stacking would have been yet one more way to make the server economy hell, but the elements just aren't there now, and are not conducive to a return.