Purpose of Gold

[Kingofthebear]

I've been playing for a while and noticed that over the last couple of weeks the market for trading items has quickly turned to sky-high prices of gold. I'm not quite sure why this trend started, nor am I sure what the purpose of having that much gold is.

If you have a bunch of pinks, and then sell them for gold, what are you trying to accomplish? If you want to use it to buy items, why not just trade the ones you have? I do suppose that gold is a common medium which would make it easier to turn pinks of one class into those of another, but I can't see why this alone has pushed prices so high.

Say you do this, and end up with hundreds of thousands of gold. Now what? You're not buying low-level items from the store with it. The only continual need for gold I have is to buy health/mana pots, but I don't need the ~40k that most high-level items are going for. So why do you wealthy players need it?


tl;dr the demand for gold is unjustified because at lvl 35 you can't really do anything with it.

[Gavry]

People are getting prepared for Alien Oasis. There will be a heap of new pinks hitting the market when that expansion lanches. People want cash to buy them as they come out.

[Tobikuma]

I've been playing for a while and noticed that over the last couple of weeks the market for trading items has quickly turned to sky-high prices of gold. I'm not quite sure why this trend started, nor am I sure what the purpose of having that much gold is.

If you have a bunch of pinks, and then sell them for gold, what are you trying to accomplish? If you want to use it to buy items, why not just trade the ones you have? I do suppose that gold is a common medium which would make it easier to turn pinks of one class into those of another, but I can't see why this alone has pushed prices so high.

Say you do this, and end up with hundreds of thousands of gold. Now what? You're not buying low-level items from the store with it. The only continual need for gold I have is to buy health/mana pots, but I don't need the ~40k that most high-level items are going for. So why do you wealthy players need it?


tl;dr the demand for gold is unjustified because at lvl 35 you can't really do anything with it.

Because gold is currency
Currency transends items, level and zones.
For the same reason you would not trade a Sniper bayou bow for a sniper battle crossbow, Zombie shield for conqueror frozen shield, or Mamboza voodoo fire pin for Lightning wand of mastery.
People will not want to trade Oasis items for swamp or others. Gold will dictate sales from thus furthor, as trades are usually only done with items of equal value and are somewhat difficult as you would need the item the other needs that has yours.
Yet Oasis item will surely be put up for sale and auctions (and trades if you have what they are looking for) Gold is just an easier way to obtian your item without finding the right person to swap

[Kingofthebear]

People are getting prepared for Alien Oasis. There will be a heap of new pinks hitting the market when that expansion lanches. People want cash to buy them as they come out.

Yeah that was the possibility I could come up with, but then it makes it seem like the prices are pretty arbitrary.

This whole system seems like a giant bubble, and it can pop without another update: right now there are 35 level people who used to have valuable pink items, but now are just sitting on 100k with no use for it. That seems like a pretty bad transition of resources. Now yes, this will have use once new pinks come out, but we're back to the same pattern of ridiculous inflation. Oasis pinks will be worth more than Swamp pinks, and so we'll see prices pushed to an average of like 80k. It all seems pretty superficial, doesn't it?

It'd make more sense if people started trading the best items for platinum, because then you can have actual uses for it besides starting the inflation cycle up again (new maps, respecs, items you're too lazy to farm for). Gold, credits, whatever you want to call it it worthless, and the current system that's set up seems a bit tenuous because there's nothing backing it.

edit: Tobikuma I think you, myself, and Gavry are on the same page in that we understand that gold is a means of translating between pinks of different classes. If you have a great pink sword but really want a pink staff, you're stuck if you're trying to get it from a Mage. I understand that.

It's just that we've already come into a rapid instance of inflation these past couple of weeks.

[Neurion]

Welcome to the wonderful world of MMOG economies :P
(the same in real world really)

[Kingofthebear]

Welcome to the wonderful world of MMOG economies :P
(the same in real world really)

haha yeah over the past couple of days I've realized how the whole housing market thing happened

Now, PL is my first foray into MMORPGs since Diablo II (<3), but I can't imagine that other platforms are too different in the sense that the best items were sold for real money. This can easily be done with platinum. Instead of people getting their hands on a pink and running around yelling 50k, items would go for like 4, maybe 5 plat. Since it's actually based on something real (relatively, the dollar) you're not going to have people running around demanding 10 plat for an item, and we'd have a much more responsible, controlled trading economy.

Unfortunately this is probably just a theory at best. If most people are willing to settle for taking gold then the system won't change. Really, we need Oasis items to only be marginally better than Swamp items (but enough to be helpful in the 5 level difference) so Swamp pinks still have value. Then, we need to keep having max level people "max" out of gold, realize it's not worth anything, and start getting something useful on their resources: low levels of plat.

[flaimdude]

Like I said before in the other topic, simple supply and demand. People finally realized they weren't gonna pay 100k for one stupid pink, so prices plunged. It's for the better, really.

[SlipperyJim]

Gavry & Tobi are right, but it's not all about hoarding for the next expansion.

Here's a real-world example: I've been selling my lvl 30 pinks to folks. I don't need them anymore, but the up-and-coming folks can use them. I haven't put any significant effort into it, but I've made some sales and accumulated some cash. Now, another lvl 35 warrior had a Swamp Rat's Croc Tooth Sword that didn't thrill him. I wanted it, but I didn't have any Swamp pinks of comparable rarity. So I traded him a Swamp Rat's Swampy Trident and 11k gold for his Croc Tooth Sword.

The tl;dr summary: I sold a bunch of lvl 30 pinks, got some gold, then used some of the gold and a common Swamp pink to trade for an uncommon Swamp pink that I really wanted to try.

[Away]

I'm pretty sure people are trying to sell their pinks before the prices start falling after the release of the Alien Oasis map.

[Tobikuma]

The thing about prices falling is a rapid sell off attempt
(sry guys I beat you to the punch)
But as more and more were released into the population, and with competetion, then adding desperation the prices plummeted.
Personally in the future they should rise, in my opinion.
1-10K for lvl 30> is a decent price for that lvl range
5-30k should be a decent range for the swamps (going by what you can get just lvling and farming)
Prices will continue to grow (not counting the supply and demand) as more gold is available with higher lvls
Supply and demand will determain the price of the NOW, but things will go to a set price after that NOW is more like last months items.
Swamp was over farmed (yes I said it) so the items value there is questionable in the future. However this is more due to (sry spacetime) but Spacetime adding new items.....requiring us to go back to and get the item. Im pretty sure I speak for many people that they wouldnt even bother with swamps now if it were not for hats (as they were never priorly introduced) causing yet again a feeding frenzy on bosses. Without this circumstance I feel most of us would have just gone on with whatever suited us best (seeing as I feel swamps are no longer a profit even worth my time) and waited for oasis.
Items will as far as gold always start off high until it sets into a normal price margin.

[Warchanter]

there should be a "real" high end level store where you can buy good armor or weapons for insane amount of gold. At least then you would have a reason to collect gold not just for pots and drops. maybe armor that are special and benefit 2 classes instead of one. maybe giving u both strength and dex buffs etc etc... example maybe an orange color with req for strength xxx and gives you 3 strength and 3 dex crit and dodge.

you can mix it up but for high prices of gold i mean high...

what ya think?

[Tobikuma]

there should be a "real" high end level store where you can buy good armor or weapons for insane amount of gold. At least then you would have a reason to collect gold not just for pots and drops. maybe armor that are special and benefit 2 classes instead of one. maybe giving u both strength and dex buffs etc etc... example maybe an orange color with req for strength xxx and gives you 3 strength and 3 dex crit and dodge.

you can mix it up but for high prices of gold i mean high...
what ya think?

Thats horrible, and would ruin the game.
Most games whether 1 or multi player the better weapons are boss dropped, treasure/quest found or player crafted.
The more costly a peice of equipment, the less likely someone will buy it in the wait for a drop/trade.
More Gold purposes will be implied Im sure.
Until then take solice that gold is is just currency, and not very important at this time.

Keep in mind every measure creates a counter measure.
The players said pinks arnt rare so they nerfed pink drops.
Youve (the players) already said gold is useless so they cut liquidation prices.

Exactly what are you trying to accomplish?
I feel its quite greedy trying to make it impossible for others to obtian what you already have.
(keep in mind gold was ALOT easier for you then someone newer with all game changes)

Any change to gold (once again) like you say will split a huge gap in the weathy players and the rest
1.5-3 mil seems to be the new "rich", so charging "high" as you say ,is a different to who. Putting something GOOD in the store for even 100k will just be pocket change, as most will be frusted to have to obtian the same amount. Then what?

[ed anger]

if they do 15 levels for the expansion i could see there being up to 3 tiers of Oasis gear (each 5 levels), which would prob render most Swamp gear obsolete pretty quickly.

[Tobikuma]

Hmm I hate being so negative, so I kinda just thought of something.

instead of armor, Clothes, graphic clothes.
Could bum around town in hawaiin shirt, sunglasses, holding lunch box and pop can or some punk rock hait, leather jacket and a guitare, IDK.
Seems interesting, but who pay to equip something just for town, moreso if its alot of gold.
And INV space is an issue. IDK it at least a more positive look at your idea. It sounds kinda pet sims though XD
Supposedly were getting player housing, put a dresser to store the clothes (good save)

[Tobikuma]

No gear is useless (im not counting junk crap) as long as people are leveling, they will need equipment

[FluffNStuff]

I think what Warchanter and Tobikuma are getting at might be part of the solution to counter balance the devaluation of gold. The issue right now is Gold has no intrinsic value because there is not a finite amount of it. The biggest issue is that you can farm lower levels for gold with out it costing you any resources. Thus there is an unlimited supply of Gold coming into the system and nothing taking it out. Trading b/t players is just shifting it around. An infinite source of farmed items being traded for an infinite source of gold. I paid 10k for a pink two days ago, but replaced that 10k in a half hour farming the frozen level. The only solution is a gold sink. There needs to be something sold by the vendors for a high enough price and that has value to all classes. This would provide two benefits. First, it would take gold out of the game. And second, it would put a value on gold. By comparing an item to this ~vendor special~ you could price it.

[Tobikuma]

I think what Warchanter and Tobikuma are getting at might be part of the solution to counter balance the devaluation of gold. The issue right now is Gold has no intrinsic value because there is not a finite amount of it. The biggest issue is that you can farm lower levels for gold with out it costing you any resources. Thus there is an unlimited supply of Gold coming into the system and nothing taking it out. Trading b/t players is just shifting it around. An infinite source of farmed items being traded for an infinite source of gold. I paid 10k for a pink two days ago, but replaced that 10k in a half hour farming the frozen level. The only solution is a gold sink. There needs to be something sold by the vendors for a high enough price and that has value to all classes. This would provide two benefits. First, it would take gold out of the game. And second, it would put a value on gold. By comparing an item to this ~vendor special~ you could price it.

Spacetime is still adding things.
Housing and pets have been on the list.
Lets just wait and see how these affect our financial responsibilities
But as far as mercent equips, they should never be better then a drop EVER.
Sorry but if it takes a weeks for you to get the drop your looking for, something better should be so simply bought from a NPC.
Unless they are implementning a totally new way to equip items, like I said clothing, or a possible accessory.
O and the new elixers are a way to drain gold out of the pool, Im sure many are planning on buying EXP one in particular for oasis.
And Im speaking from experience, they are EXPENSIVE needing to be used every 5 min or death/zone.

Most of the people with massive amounts of money didnt plan it that way, it just happened in farming, or sellling off extra farming items

[FluffNStuff]

Spacetime is still adding things.
Housing and pets have been on the list.

This would meet the "something sold by vendors" criteria. When those are released, and if they cost a significant amount of money, then yes they will definitely help control the system.

[Tobikuma]

This would meet the "something sold by vendors" criteria. When those are released, and if they cost a significant amount of money, then yes they will definitely help control the system.

This is the problem Im trying to address.....

100k hell 300k is like a sneeze to me as well as others.
This isnt the case for most players.........
Make it too expensive and the mass population will suffer.

[smokester]

again i think this purpose of gold we are dicussing and being bored with the game there should be more stuff to do in the game, well we should all just chill out because there are gonna be plenty of things in the future to spend gold on for example pets, housing, guilds (prob a big chunk), and who knows what else the incredible devs will think up... right now i agree there isnt much use for gold other than pots and elixirs but think about the future, the new map and the above mentioned things, i think one should save up some money for these things... the game is not complete yet we can be looked as beta testers so lets just enjoy what we have now and not take things for granted... thank you and have a nice day lol