SE Please implement a Chonoscroll/PLEX system in FFXIV: ARR

[axemtitanium]

A few questions related to this chart.

1. What specific month and year was plex implemented? The chart does not show this.
2. What caused the fast spike and fast decline on February 2008?
3. What caused the fast spike and slow decline on August 2009?
4. What data is available in this last 12 months?

To answer your first question, I believe it was sometime in 2008 but I couldn't get more specific than that. Couldn't find the answer after 5 min of searching on Google lol. I'm afraid I can't answer the other questions either, but I will refer you back to the original article: http://rushprnews.com/2012/07/11/new...nomy-by-mmobux

The authors of the article might be able to respond with more specificity. As the article states, there's been a steady 14% drop in the prices of RMT'd currency in that game since 2007, which amounts to over 50% drop in value in 5 years on average. As the graph shows, there are random fluctuations so the actual impact ranges from 40-75%. Amusingly, there seems to be a "Chinese New Year's" price hike as all the RMT go on vacation (see 2nd graph in the article).

The paper was published fairly recently (July 2012), but their data only goes to October 2011, so it's likely that there is some kind of delay involved in processing the data.

[Abriael]

So you are unwilling to provide facts that may support your side?

I provided plenty. For almost 50 pages, most of which you disregarded.

You certainly would gain additional credibility if you did share it. That seems like a fair tradeoff

I simply don't need to do further digging work. Yoshida already took a look at it and judged it interesting. He'll consider it for the future. With that premise, persuading you is inconsequential and doing further work to that end simply a waste of my time, especially considering that a full timeline of the history of EVE is not available (besides the one in game)

The fluctuations are probably expansions. EVE Online has two free expansions a year. One in the winter and one in the summer (normally june). They match with the spikes. Expansion = More people playing = More demand for ISK.

[Sasanctus]

from the article I linked

Highest and Lowest Recorded ISK prices

For the trivia buffs, the highest ever price recorded in our pricing data was $39.96 for 400 million ISK on June 19, 2007, which coincidentally was also the launch of the Revelations II expansion. Just a week after that – and the subsequent release of the Game-Time Card – ISK prices plunged by a third to roughly $26.

The lowest recorded ISK price was $9.34 on June 18, 2009, after which followed a massive spike in ISK prices that would persist for more than a year.

Since the recording of the data, prices have made a slight dip, but stayed in the range of around $10 for 400 million ISK throughout 2012 as can be seen in our current day chart.

[GodseijuroHiko]

At least someone is willing to find what the graph really means. Thank you.

Going off your posts so far: You think the system makes a bit of sense yes? You also don't approve because you're not comfortable with RMT. One can respect that. You're demanding from the OP what almost 50 pages of mudslingers wouldn't even do. He's been providing statement after statement responding to astounding ignorance and personal bias. If you wish to find out more about the chart, then YOU research it. He brought it to our attention. You really are grasping at straws man. I respected all of your posts, and I know you're smart enough to know that you are grasping at straws. Let it end.

I maybe wrong, but I think you're not being honest about the intent of your questions. If YOU can find more data concerning the questions you asked to show why the system is an ULTRA BAD idea as other's have suggested, have at you.
You came back just to lay the burden of proof on the OP, and for what? You have demonstrated that you did research while you voiced your opinions. I can only assume you came up with nothing. You don't like the idea of RMT, that much is clear. Let it end. Please.

[Jynx]

It's a shame the chart doesn't tell us about actual activity and not just prices.

Lower prices doesn't mean they are making less money...

[Rylock]

You can check the current going prices on that mmobucks site, the current going price for isk appears to be ~$9 / 400m, which is less than the lowest price in the graph that covered the last few years, though it seems the price has been flat for a few months.



The big spikes in the market appear to coincide with expansions, chinese new year, and the big spike in 2009 seems to be when someone robbed a bank. Yep. There was a bank. And someone walked away with it. And then the CCP banned a bunch of farmers so people lost all their money and supplies were low.

[Andrien]

It is quiet apparent that some individuals don't know how PLEX work. Participating in the thread without some knowledge of the system is plane ignorance.

I present this search tool to educate all those in need. It should take less than 5mins to learn all about PLEX and its history.

Use this superpower well.
http://www.google.com/

[axemtitanium]

It's a shame the chart doesn't tell us about actual activity and not just prices.

Lower prices doesn't mean they are making less money...

Actually it generally does. The only reason the price would go up or down is because of supply and demand. We can make a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery rough assumption that the same volume of RMT transactions holds equal across the timeline of the chart. The RMTers react to dips in volume of transactions by decreasing the price and surges in transactions by increasing the price (i.e. reacting to demand). Thus, when we see the price go down, it's because demand for RMT'd money has gone down and the RMTers have to lower their price to stay competitive and maintain their volume of transactions.

[Abriael]

It's a shame the chart doesn't tell us about actual activity and not just prices.

Lower prices doesn't mean they are making less money...

It actually does. The EVE population has grown constantly since it's beginning, so it's safe to assume that activity has grown. The only real dip in EVE population has been with the Incarna debacle from June 2011 to when CCP made amends in the winter (it has now recovered fully and more).

The fact that the price of ISK drops, still means that ISK sellers are making less money compared to what they would make if it was to remain constant, or grow, regardless of activity.

Not that we really need it to know that PLEX (and GTC before, but less because the system was kind of unwieldy) made a dent on the earnings of RMT.

When you introdice an element of competition in the market, profit always drops. And PLEX are an element of competition against RMT.

[Jynx]

Actually it generally does.

Corelation =/= Causation.

Just because it would make sense that lower prices meant slower sales, it could also just be they find they get overall more sales at this price point and find no need to adjust the price in a dog eat dog market. Having a stable customer base even for RMT isn't something to sneeze at.

I'm ashamed to admit I had some business dealings with RMT companies a while back (Not as a buyer but as a designer for their web-adds) and in the process I got to know one of the guy behind a fairly large english lead RMT market, it's pretty business like in their neck of the woods at least.

Not sure about the Chinese RMT, but the guy I knew would go for stabillity over short term profits and customer loss to the competition.