Origin's
"Crate that Midas Touch"
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Choose Your Guide
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Merch ▪ Midas ▪ Mystery
I | II | III
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Guide II of III
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus
A Foreword
Hi everyone, I'm Origin / IGN TrueOrigine. Some of you may know me as TrueOrigin(s)/Starweaver or my twink BabyOrigine.
A while ago, I wrote Thrill of the Trade to help new players find their feet. But as I went along, I realized my guide barely brushed the surface. I came to understand that it’s not realistic to expect most people to stay off crates – they are, after all, a heavy part of AL's success formula and working very well for it. Sure, there are many players who are unhappy about it. You might be one of them, but hey, you’re still here. 
And so am I.
As with most controversial topics, there's very little info out there that's actually useful. I hope that my chronicalizing of this experience will be beneficial for you, and help maintain a win-win situation for gamers and game devs.
Introduction
AL is a nice game, I think. It's simple - 5-buttons if your pet starved to death (you ANIMAL!), 8 if you count the potions and are a good pet owner - but hey that's why I like it! u probably do, too. It’s free to play, but most of us inevitably hit a wall of frustration.
Thing is, most our desires go way more than what free play gives.
So instead of telling you to stay off crates, I wanna work with ya and talk about how they can work for -you-, if you choose to use them... until you’re ready to say "ok, that’s enough for me".
Want to earn gold without plat spend? Then this guide is probably more for you.
The Aim
What this guide aims to do, is help set u up to :
• Learn to pace and moderate yourself with crates.
• Actually get something out of the crates, with greater potential for less overall spend
• Stop worrying about the basics
• Create “enough” for the next expansion
• Be happy with your choices - whether you decide to use the crates or not, to stop opening or continue as a longterm crate user - how to do it on a positive note (enough good experiences, ready to move on), not on a negative note (too many bad experiences, lost too much $).
Hopefully, what I show you today will help you make the best out of .. anything, really. Coz if u’re happy, you’ll have something good to take out of the game when u go. But if you’re miserable, you only attract more misery here and elsewhere. It doesn’t just go away.
Knowing the Danger Zone
So the #1 thing here I want to target is the gambling element. That rush of getting lucky, right here right now; The seduction of an easy way out - winner takes all! Next thing ya know, your credit card bills have hit the roof. When you've lost big and ya know it, it's never a good feeling.
Look, I'm not gonna wave any books here and tell people that they're bad, this game is evil, blah3. I don't buy that, anyway. But I’ve heard a lot of ppl describing being a victim of some kind. Or going out of control opening crates. That, I think is a big problem.
Power of Choice
As an individual, I believe u have power over yourself, the power of choice. I don't rly believe in victims, I believe in good/bad choices and being streetwise.
I wrote this guide to talk abt how to maybe manage that power a bit better so that, well, you get to make life work for you, not the other way round (as much). When we're ready, we're simply able to move on to create the new reality we have in mind. That’s the beauty of it all, nothing needs to be forced when one is ready.
Life is just that anyway isn't it, how well we roll with the punches. We don't reaaally know much more beyond that. 
It's that simple.
Speaking of punches, let's talk about..
㊎ Crates. THEM DARN CRATES.
Love them or hate them, they r here to stay. First up, U gotta realize that every experience is gonna be different for you, for everyone. You can't control what u get, but I can tell you that if you buy n' blow 300 crates straight off the bat you’re pretty likely to end up with nothing and feel like a nothing. If you plan on getting something good out of it at some point, then Self-Control and Stamina are KEY.
Here's how I do it.
Before you open,
it might help to :
• Be in a good “space”, not be clouded with all kinds of emotions.
• Already have some kind of personal target - what's "enough” to get you started (you, not someone else)? 10m? 20? 50?
• Have x crates prepared.
• Already have plat you bought during a sale.
• Have something else to look forward to for the day.
The Opening :
Opening Overview
Again, some ways that have worked for me that you might consider for yourself :
• Test the waters before jumping in, that's all I'm gonna say!
• Pace and open in bursts. Watch the video for an idea of how it's done.
• Might wanna keep your inventory clean especially when opening large batches.
• Stop for a mini-break when a) u loot something good, or b) u have a few consecutive 'bad' crates. This helps you maintain that cool-headedness, a sense of groundedness. Talk to friends, keep them close. Merch at the same time. These help you stay detached from crates, but milk the most out of them.
• Call it a day when u've reached your target OR hit your crate quota.
VIDEO DEMO
I made this video during last weekend's event, at the suggestion of Naitowoka, the French player who sold me his leftover crates. It shows you a method of "pacing" yourself. Credit must go to Vietwar here - he first introduced me to the idea of pacing, which was really helpful! Over time, it evolved into this.
P.s - u're gonna have to view it on a desktop/laptop. It's not viewable on most mobile devices coz of the music. But hey it's awesome music! (Shape of my heart-sting, hotel California-the eagles, battle scars-guy Sebastian ft Lupe fiasco)
The Yield
(rough numbers)
The rough spend :
• 1.7k x 2 plat ($49.99x2). Leftover 300+ plat (big clue here, may delete this part)
• 330 or so crates (5m+/-)
Disclaimer : After talking to a few people, I understand that this was a particularly lucky streak. So it's probably not at all realistic to expect a midas touch in one attempt, from 3k plat, and/or during a normal drop-rate weekend!
Tips that might help you Cut Spend, Increase Potential Profit -
• Buy and stock lots of crates when prices are low.
• Start opening during event.
• Good to clear out inventory very regularly – as regular as every opening spurt/batch.
• Try to use plat bought on discount for crate opening. Reserve full-price plat for respecs, lixes.
• Be patient. Wait for GOOD events to open big batches.
eg. In the past we had the myth event, first ever myth weps. Most recently, 40% plat discount & new myth weps.
• If u rly must open in between events, you could limit opening to, say, 5 at a go, 10 a day, 3 times a week.... Etc.
*** Do NOT buy plat or gold from other players, u're just gonna get yo butt scammed and/or permabanned one day – do it only if you’re ready for a full loss/write off!***
'
Now we come to the 2nd important bit :
㊖ Checking Out & Cashing In
You might wanna consider :
• Selling your leftover crates during event, when prices are high.
Naito had opened 800 and said it was enough for him, so he sold me his 100+ leftovers at 22.5k each. Assuming he'd bought at 10k/pop before the patch, thas a nice way to recoup. Good stuff!! It also lets you avoid temptation to continue.
•
Selling off your yields when prices r at a peak. I can't teach you how to get a feel for this beyond what I wrote in
Thrill of the Trade, but you can develop your own gut instinct. Try to get a feel during the event.
•
Paying finders fees for closed sales
- This will encourage players within your extended circles of friends to refer potential buyers and sellers to you. The idea is to pay them commission for a successful deal.
* Also might be good to check that your runners' runners aren't unwittingly trying to sell your own stuff back to you, HAHA. Make sure ppl know u're the seller.
㊣ Turning your Winnings into Earnings
This is another important part because up to 70% of lottery winners lose their winnings within a few years (google it). Let’s say 3-7 years in RL; in-game it would be like 2 weeks to a few months or something. I think it's really easy to happen if you’re not prepared.
Most people will jump the gun and spend right away, buy new shiny things, before they start making any profit. And AL has plenty of shiny new things. That’s a sure-fire way to stay poor, and have to pump more money in again too soon for comfort.
I’d recommend you make your money work for you. Talk to people, start with what you know, don’t be afraid to start small till you find a formula that works for you. There's a breakdown of it in Thrill of the Trade if you're interested.
One way is to merch until you’ve maybe doubled your profit before taking a reward of, say, 25% off those earnings. How quick / well you do in this area is up to you.
Last Words:
All considering, sts and devs do a fantastic job of keeping this game amazing, they've got a winning formula and are consistent and quick in their delivery. So yes, a big thank you goes out to them for that, and ofc for the nice bonus ^_^
But y'know, I'm the kind of person that lives across the road from a casino, has to walk through it almost every day for work, yet has never gambled all their life. Crates in AL were a first for me. No regrets - I now know how hard it can be to resist temptation - but I hope never to have to open crates again if I can help it! It's just a personal choice; In a way, I wrote this guide as a promise to myself.
In reality, we're not perfect, shouldn't have to be.. but I think it's good to keep evolving. The game is like a recreation of society on a small scale. Good practice grounds! Well what’s "reality", anyway, it's just what's made real through how we choose to handle what life throws at us. Whether we like it or not we are all inter-connected with each other through these choices. For better or worse.
Perhaps everything is already perfect and as it should be, one day we will be sitting with our homies in some place, relaxing with all the time in the world, and laughing over our misadventures and marveling about how easy this all was. Hope this has been beneficial for you.
Life’s short, no time for bad juju. Good times!
Peace out good peepols.
TrueOrigine signing off. :*
㊍ Beneath this mask is an idea, and ideas r bulletproof ㊍
26/5
Psst. you've just found my nearly-semi-secret diary entry that I've inserted here coz ik most people would never find out anyway. boohahaha. ;'D
Btw, did u enjoy the Midas video? :')
Whenever I can sneak in a moment in my busy life, my inner child comes out to play! ^^ I seldom publish stuff, so I like to make each one count. Each piece is like a tiny expression of my soul, and a whisper of a drop from my mind's ocean. The slightly unfinished look is a bit of a signature. I don't participate in forums and contests much - there's too much fighting and not enough exploring and sharing. The world will always provide enough for you as long as you learn to honour its natural laws. Don't you see? :')
Despite my ideas, however, I'm really not setting out to change anything or anybody. But I'd like you to imagine what a tiny shift in perspective could do for you - you stay the same, it's just viewing things from a different point.
For now, relax and enjoy a little taste of flaming freedom.. and if u've already watched it don't be disheartened, u never know when I might update the link.......... :')
shh >;'D wkwkwkwkwk
Made in April this year, part of an unpublished guide.
TrueOrigins' Crate that Midas Touch (+ video tut)
Originally Posted by matanofx
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