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Skihids
Bullet Cluster
Legacy Rising
2875
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Posted - 2014.02.21 01:23:00 -
[1] - Quote
The world of difference is that BPOs don't generate passive ISK as PC farming does.
A player has to get in match and play to earn the match reward. He is investing his time and is providing CCP with targets for their paying customers to shoot at. The low level of the gear means new players have a good chance of getting a fair fight.
PC farming is a passive ISK fountain that directly funds proto stomping gear that is more likely to drive off new players.
I'll take CCP's BPO concern seriously once they deal with the easy problem that is actually having a damaging effect on the game as it stands. |
Skihids
Bullet Cluster
Legacy Rising
2879
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Posted - 2014.02.21 14:51:00 -
[2] - Quote
No doubt the numbers themselves are accurate, but you need to be careful about the interpretation. I'm sure their economists could explain it to them, but I'll give it a shot here:
The BPO "ISK loss' is just as real as the Recording Industry's estimate of losses due to illegal downloading. In this case it would be limited to the back catalog of "B" artists as the BPOs are all low level gear. A huge amount of the downloads would never have been purchased, and it's the same way with the equipment. A good deal of usage is just to fill a slot that would otherwise go empty if I had to pay for it. Or it goes on a suit that I'll use when I'm going up against a redline situation. Or it replaces a starter fit. Or it simply keeps me in the game instead of standing around in the back waiting for the match to end.
The PC ISK is equivalent to opening the till and handing out cash to their friends to buy the latest albums.
One loss is theoretical and the other real (at least as real as a virtual loss can be). |
Skihids
Bullet Cluster
Legacy Rising
2886
|
Posted - 2014.02.21 19:47:00 -
[3] - Quote
What's more is that there is no meaningful economy and what there is is determined solely by CCP via the public match payouts.
In a real economy you have upkeep expenses. We don't pay rent, we don't worry about utilities.
In a real economy you have choices about what you want to buy. Here we don't have any luxury goods. The only thing we can buy are supplies with which to fight. Why do we fight? Because it is our form of recreation.
There is no reason to fight other than the joy of combat. We can't spend our pay on anything other than the ability to fight, and we don't need to fight. We could stand in our quarters until the end of the universe.
Absent any luxury goods all our pay will go toward more equipment. If we save a few ISK with a BPO, that ISK will just get spent on higher tier gear. Why? Well, what else is there to do with it? And since we are just here for gladiatorial combat we want the best gear we can afford.
So rather than shrink the economy, BPOs actually have zero effect. Excluding a little bit of savings all of the public match payouts will be spent on gear. The more the NPCs pay out, the more expensive gear gets fielded. If the payouts shrink, then the cost of the gear goes down to match. Why? Well, we can't spend what we don't have, and why not spend it?
The problem comes in when payouts are made outside of the normal match system. PC farmers get a concentrated ISK injection that allow them to dramatically outspend anyone not farming. So rather than the general level of gear going up, only a small segment of the population's gear goes up. And it goes up all out of proportion, funding full time proto.
Instead of everyone playing with neat toys most of the players are frustrated when they meet the farmers in match. Despite any protestations to the contrary, I don't see where CCP is aware or concerned about the issue. |
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