Please no items binding to players....

[Zezlar]

I apologize. I for some reason can not quote the way I would properly like to but i'll address your points in different sections.

There should be a decent balance of non ex gear, and gear that is found within dungeons. If I want to test gear out I should be able to purchase let's say two items from the wards with different stats. Then go into battle and compare. This system says "Too bad, you gained 1 xp on both items." Now you're stuck with it, and out the cash you just spent on both items.

Same point as above.

The Materia system did a good job at removing gear from the economy. The ridiculously low meld rates were proof to that. Raising the success rate on the melding means there will be even more gear on the wards, because it will now require less items to do. We're at the same end here, only now we are screwed with account binding once you gain that 1 xp point. Gear will always lose value over time. That is how things operate, but if you go with this system your value is completely wiped away that instant you fight a monster.

In the end I will not buy items from other players. I can make everything myself, so why decrease my value twice by purchasing materials or items from other players, and completely losing all of that value once bound. That means all my Gil is already worthless. The problem we had with 1.0 is that there was no damn reason to make low level gear. It was useless.

I can see that the system does work, but it doesn't work in a way that I find pleasing, or even acceptable. I'm honestly dumbfounded that people have allowed such an archaic component to exist.

[fusional]

Now you're stuck with it, and out the cash you just spent on both items.

unless you finish the SB, convert them to materia and sell it- and passing on that option is a personal choice, not a design flaw.

The Materia system did a good job and removing gear from the economy

it did a *fair but not great* job of removing gear from the economy, because most people with any intention of melding or SBing crafted their own stuff to save money.

for SB, the only items which really were frequently removed from circulation were cheap belts and rings, and that's primarily as a result of two functions: first because both slots converted into highly coveted materia, and second because it was easy to swap out regular pieces for SB pieces without sorely impacting performance

for melding, generally only whatever slot pieces which were considered 'the best' for whatever job or function were bought to meld with. everything else just sat there.

so yes, the materia system did remove some gear from the economy, but it's too easy in this game to level multiple crafting jobs and even with our relatively tiny dedicated playerbase the wards still quickly flooded with unwanted gear. if ARR is successful and a flood of new players also participate in the economy, this will only serve to exacerbate the problem

In the end I will not buy items from other players. I can make everything myself, so why decrease my value twice by purchasing materials or items from other players

which, again, plays a large role in why the wards get flooded with gear in the first place. almost anyone can craft. the more people you have crafting, the more gear you have introduced into the economy. and when you combine more gear being introduced into the economy by players with more gear being introduced to players through quest/dungeon rewards, thereby lowering the demand for crafted items- you've created a problem which multiplies exponentially and as a result you must figure out ways to remove gear from the economy even more quickly

I can see that the system does work, but it doesn't work in a way that I find pleasing, or even acceptable. I'm honestly dumbfounded that people have allowed such an archaic component to exist.

you still haven't suggested a reasonable alternative which would solve the problems that the lack of a binding system would create. and really neither has anyone else.