It's time to reevaluate the idea of adding a PLEX/Chronoscroll-like system to FFXIV

[Laerad3993]

This is exactly what I've been saying would happen. Inflation. There is solid evidence right there in a game that implemented such a system that inflation would go poorly.Simple items shot up in price for no other reason than too many people now had a lot of money. People need to pay attention to these examples and how bad the side effects are. It isn't just about people getting free accounts, or stopping RMT. There ARE other effects on the game that can very easily be very negative. How long before buying the RMT cash becomes required just to stay competitive in the market???

Lol, that item dropped to 7m in value. Fast. Inflation did not last long and other than the people that manipulated prices at the GE when free trade was remove, it hasn't been anywhere as bad since. Quit fear mongering.

[Tiggy]

Lol, that item dropped to 7m in value. Fast. Inflation did not last long and other than the people that manipulated prices at the GE when free trade was remove, it hasn't been anywhere as bad since. Quit fear mongering.

Inflation is a very valid concern and even you say "it hasn't been anywhere near as bad since' meaning IT DIDN'T GO AWAY. So it's perfectly valid. Please don't deprecate my concerns just because you don't agree. It's not fear mongering to talk about details that clearly did and continue to happen. It's called reality.

[Bishop81]

Inflation is a very valid concern and even you say "it hasn't been anywhere near as bad since' meaning IT DIDN'T GO AWAY. So it's perfectly valid. Please don't deprecate my concerns just because you don't agree. It's not fear mongering to talk about details that clearly did and continue to happen. It's called reality.

Explain how inflation happens then.

No new currency is minted with the introduction of a PLEX-type system.

So how does inflation occur?

[Tiggy]

Explain how inflation happens then.

No new currency is minted with the introduction of a PLEX-type system.

So how does inflation occur?

Did you not read that article? I don't have to regurgitate what is already written in that link.

[Bishop81]

Did you not read that article? I don't have to regurgitate what is already written in that link.

This one? http://services.runescape.com/m=foru...46,68,65222901

Funny that link also has people disagreeing about whether bonds are to blame.

I don't think that can be considered "inflation", all that happened was that a new good was introduced. People switch from producing a certain good A, to the new good B (i.e. bonds). Prices of good A increases due to reduce supply.

Price fluctuations like this happens all the time, every time something new is introduced into the game. New armor that is very good and requires a motherlode of electrum ore? Electrum ore surge in price. Players try to cash-in, switching production from cobalt ore to electrum ore. Cobalt ore raises in price due to reduce supply.

[Tiggy]

Funny that link also has people disagreeing about whether bonds are to blame.

People disagreeing on the internet? You don't say.

I don't think that can be considered "inflation", all that happened was that a new good was introduced. People switch from producing a certain good A, to the new good B (i.e. bonds). Prices of good A increases due to reduce supply.

Except that doesn't appear to be case. People didn't stop using those cheaper items moving on to others instead leaving the supply lower. They just got more expensive and the demand on them stayed the same. Meaning the supply and demand relationship for these crafting items didn't change but per item price went up. Inflation.

[Bishop81]

Except that doesn't appear to be case. People didn't stop using those cheaper items moving on to others instead leaving the supply lower. They just got more expensive and the demand on them stayed the same. Meaning the supply and demand relationship for these crafting items didn't change but per item price went up. Inflation.

And I'm telling you, it happens.

Say they introduce a new ore, and the ore is need for new popular weapons. New ore will be in high demand. Some players stop mining old ore and mine new ore. Old ore price increases due to lower supply.

Low supply = higher price (assuming no change in demand)

Problem?

What you are calling "inflation" is just the market changing as the types of goods available for sale changes.

[axemtitanium]

People disagreeing on the internet? You don't say.



Except that doesn't appear to be case. People didn't stop using those cheaper items moving on to others instead leaving the supply lower. They just got more expensive and the demand on them stayed the same. Meaning the supply and demand relationship for these crafting items didn't change but per item price went up. Inflation.

I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what "inflation" means as an economics term. Inflation only refers to buying power: when inflation is high, buying power increases at a slower rate than the average price of goods. When inflation is low, your buying power (per unit currency) remains steady or slightly increases compared to the rate of increase of price of goods.

Imagine a hypothetical scenario where all RMT activity (bots, gil buying, account hacking, tellspam, etc.) were completely eliminated tomorrow by some magical force. What do you think would happen? RMT botting activity causes inflation because it injects massive amounts of gil into circulation, as well as trivializing the supply of certain basic goods like shards, fleece, etc. It also allows the buyers of RMT gil to compete to pay a premium for certain extremely high-end luxury items like rare minions, HQ crafted equipment, materia for melds, the prices of which are all driven up by pent-up demand and surplus of gil concentrated in the hands of the "rich". If all RMT were eliminated instantly, it would have a complex impact on the economy in which low level basic goods like shards and fleece would increase in price and extreme luxury items would decrease in price as a result of natural redistribution of wealth through "normal" commerce. It's easy to misconstrue that Runescape forum thread to suggest that the introduction of Bonds caused inflation, when in reality, it merely caused the economy to normalize itself along producer and consumer lines. Currently, it's impossible to make a profit in FFXIV by producing low level goods because you're instantly out-competed by RMT bots who can afford to undercut you forever. If all bots are eliminated, the price of shards would invariably go up (this is not "inflation") since it would now actually require effort on the part of real players to produce this basic good. However, this ultimately stimulates the economy because the players who go through this effort are rewarded with larger profits than before.

I still see people perpetuating the myth that PLEX could be easily defeated by RMT if the RMT merely lowered their prices. It doesn't work that way. Are you mad when you get undercut 5 minutes after putting something up on the Market Board? By putting players in competition with RMT, you have every single PLEX-buying player in direct competition with RMT who will undercut the living hell out of the RMT constantly. THAT's why PLEX beats RMT.

This is explained in more detail in this post (follow quoted post)

[ScarletDawn]

This is a bad idea, subs keep the game running if we introduce a method to make players with more cash get rich faster, then prices will skyrocket due to people having 100s of millions. Not only that there is no counter to having tons of money like in Eve with ships being destroyed permanently, so this removes a currency value aspect from the game. However with mmos, currency is constantly generated while gold sinks are very small and limited. Basically plex works in Eve because its pure pvp with massive gold sinks.

Also RMTs would inflate the plex item prices so yea, you would make the rmt problem worse.

[Laerad3993]

Inflation is a very valid concern and even you say "it hasn't been anywhere near as bad since' meaning IT DIDN'T GO AWAY. So it's perfectly valid. Please don't deprecate my concerns just because you don't agree. It's not fear mongering to talk about details that clearly did and continue to happen. It's called reality.

I'm going to forever remember you all when it inevitably happens and you all cry yourselves out of this game. Don't think for a second this game is some hip niche thing that it won't be a part of because YOU wouldn't support it. Might as well jump ship now, because you're a minority.