Quote Originally Posted by GenJoe View Post
Do you believe that gathered mat prices will inflate so much that its relative value will remain similar to what it is right now?
For example, right now, I think you can gather about 1.5m gil worth of shards a day if you go at it all day long. In $ that would be about $5. Let's just say that a botter makes $5 a day. Adjusting for inflation of gil and the drop in its exchange rate. (In reality, it's probably a bit more, but for simplicity's sake)

i.e. Do you think, if what I described was implemented, a simple gathering bot would still make $5 a day? I don't think it will, gathering in general will become a less profitable venture in terms of relative wealth. I think it'll drop at least half, maybe even more.. Below the point of profitability = RMT company moves on to something easier.
That's just it though, to me there's far too many RMT companies that have been in business for years for me to believe despite any kind of attempt to control the economy on the player side. So long as people agree with whatever prices gil sellers set, they could very easily still make their quota. I have seen something as simple as dyes in other games rise from 10K gold a dye to $1-2 million per dye while the price in the cash shop never changed. Now each game is unique, but even if gathering is inefficient in this game that wouldn't stop RMT from doing it because they don't really lose anything from it. There's also the risk that even less legit players would go into gathering, which would mean that there's a much higher chance that any money spent on crafting mats goes to bots anyway. To the point where they can control that part of the market almost by themselves if they don't already. So yeah, I do think they easily could make that same $5 a day because they've already proven they can in other games.

It's a bit of doomsday thinking to be sure, which I hate, to be honest

Quote Originally Posted by GenJoe View Post
I'd also be very interested in how that would play out.. I think that WOULD eliminate RMT almost completely. RMT simply will not be able to compete in the market against SE who can just print out items for zero cost.. Depending on how they would determine the gil <-> $ ratio, and if it'll be a constantly variable exchange rate, I would be behind the idea..
While I came up with that idea literally off the top of my head, I'm actually really surprised more game devs haven't tried this. I would be all for a pay-by-gil option in the cash shop, because it seems to accomplish what we would both want. And who better to set a dollar to gil ratio than SE themselves?

Also, I honestly do hope I haven't sounded too vehement or horrid in my replies to you. Looking back at some of them it's like I'm shouting via text without caps x_x So for that I apologize. I'm not at the point where I have nothing else to spend gil on, but looking at my prospects I could see why players who are there are feeling a desperate need. I just hope if they do go the route of more cash shop items they spend equal time on in-game ready content. The expac will hopefully have more stuff for us to spend gil on.