Originally posted by ayuchan Originally posted by Torak Originally posted by Peturbado Originally posted by JMoney95 ... spend 100 hours farming something boring as hell ... ... to save me the time and boredom ... ... farming is NOT fun.
Now this is interesting, it breaks down all my theory on why ppl play MMORPG.
I assume that you would not play if you hadnt find it fun.
So, what part of the game you find funnier, JMoney? And why?
This is the exact point of the thread, why he bought it. Not interested in what he finds fun or not fun unless it relates to why. He did it because of time/boredom. Let it be this is like saying...i think soccer's boring because there's not enough scoring...
so i'll pick up the ball with my hands and throw it in the goal...now it might be more fun for the player...but it's not following the rules of the game
if you don't like the game you don't cheat...you simply play another game
The whole point of this is to get to the core of why people buy currency. I am not interested in debates with each individual person. I would like to know players overall do it.
I would have say, based on the people who have replied it looks like a time/fun issue but we need more to reply. Attack each of them will not get the thread anywhere.
SUBJECT - "Why do players buy currency"
not - "attack the people who explain why."
Now look at what you guys did, you made my post look like a Christmas tree
Originally posted by JMoney95 Originally posted by ayuchan Originally posted by Torak Originally posted by Peturbado Originally posted by JMoney95 ... spend 100 hours farming something boring as hell ... ... to save me the time and boredom ... ... farming is NOT fun.
Now this is interesting, it breaks down all my theory on why ppl play MMORPG.
I assume that you would not play if you hadnt find it fun.
So, what part of the game you find funnier, JMoney? And why?
This is the exact point of the thread, why he bought it. Not interested in what he finds fun or not fun unless it relates to why. He did it because of time/boredom. Let it be
this is like saying...i think soccer's boring because there's not enough scoring...
so i'll pick up the ball with my hands and throw it in the goal...now it might be more fun for the player...but it's not following the rules of the game
if you don't like the game you don't cheat...you simply play another game
That doesnt apply, in your analogy I'm ruining the game for EVERYONE involved. In people buying currency it ruins it for NOONE.
It should be more like "I think playing soccer by myself is boring because I hate kicking, so I'll pick it up and throw it in the net"
actually it does ruin the game for everyone...but most are too stupid to notice
I think the players who pay real money for virtual currency are the players who are in the game for the main purpose of reaching the endgame and being the best possible character they can as fast as they can.
For many of us, just playing the game and gradually accomplishing the games content is enough to enjoy it. But for some, instant gradification is what they want, and buying in-game currency gets them where they want to be quicker.
SUBJECT - "Why do players buy currency" not - "attack the people who explain why."
if you spent ten hours playing a poker game and you found out someone was cheating...you'd be pretty pissed about it...now imagine playing hundreds of hours...and seeing people cheat
i think it's pretty obvious why people cheat...to get the edge on the other players...anyone that says anything else is an idiot...sorry to hijack your topic...but i hate cheaters
Originally posted by Tymora I think the players who pay real money for virtual currency are the players who are in the game for the main purpose of reaching the endgame and being the best possible character they can as fast as they can. For many of us, just playing the game and gradually accomplishing the games content is enough to enjoy it. But for some, instant gradification is what they want, and buying in-game currency gets them where they want to be quicker.
See that's a common misconception. Farming is not content.
I enjoy the CONTENT of the game. The quests, the raids, the PvP (if any), the social aspect.
Originally posted by ayuchan SUBJECT - "Why do players buy currency" not - "attack the people who explain why."
if you spent ten hours playing a poker game and you found out someone was cheating...you'd be pretty pissed about it...now imagine playing hundreds of hours...and seeing people cheat
i think it's pretty obvious why people cheat...to get the edge on the other players...anyone that says anything else is an idiot...sorry to hijack your topic...but i hate cheaters
Again you are equating it to RL. This is a video game. Do you think farming is skillful?
In your newest analogy you are playing AGAINST people, not with them.
The thing is, I could have two identical characters with identical gear. One I farmed, one I bought the stuff. You couldnt tell the difference.
Here is a question for you: What difference does it make TO YOU if I farm for a month to get some certain gear or if I buy it now? Either way, I'm gonna get it. How does me getting it one month earlier effect your game play?
You may find it fun to sit in a zone far below your level slaughtering endless npcs for days on end and have some feeling of accomplishing something. Grats for you. I don't. Mindless farming is not something I'd be proud of or brag about, I'd feel like I've lost alot of game hours doing something I don't like.
JMoney, I respect your view, thanks for your openess about the subject.
I tend to agree with his opinion of the mechanics of farming...it adds NOTHING to the game. Neither does grinding for that matter BUT it is a CORE feature of ALL MMORPGs.
Here is a question for you: What difference does it make TO YOU if I farm for a month to get some certain gear or if I buy it now? Either way, I'm gonna get it. How does me getting it one month earlier effect your game play?
good point...
but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
Here is a question for you: What difference does it make TO YOU if I farm for a month to get some certain gear or if I buy it now? Either way, I'm gonna get it. How does me getting it one month earlier effect your game play?
good point...
but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
in a pve game this might not be such a big deal
I have played L2, but never bought currency for it. I have bought for EvE, it has PvP, but honestly PvP isnt something I'm really interested in for most games. WoW buying gear doesnt matter since to be decent in PvP at 60 you'll have epic items / dungeon gear, not much bought stuff. I have never, and will never, buy hundreds of dollars worth of money. THAT isn't worth it to me, if I REALLY needed that much money for somethig I'd go to farming. I didnt clarify that earlier. I WOULD buy a small amount, say $50 or less worth. I wouldnt buy so much that it totally gears me out to the max.
I would buy a small amount to get me started on something, as an example: Say I was interested in trading in EVE. Well obviously the more you have the more you can make. So maybe i'll buy one GTC to get me a starting capital and work my way up, I wouldnt buy 10 GTC's for like $500 and start trading in th billions. Or as another example, say I believe some spell or item that costs a decent amount may help me be faster / better at farming if I need to do it, I'll buy what I need for said item, then farm for the rest, if it's alot.
ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete.
I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices.
In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
Originally posted by Peturbado Thanks for your answer, JMoney. I see there are people then that finds funny to look for items, while others (more casual players) like only the pure gaming. Looks like the game developers have noticed this fact recently, as they are making games more centered in adventure/quest and less in search of items.
That is very true, Everquest was an "items" game. Was huge. But now all the MMO's are heavily quest based, like EQ2 / WoW. More going out and following stories etc, Everquest had no real worthwhile quest, just sit in a spot and grind for hours, hoping for some item.
Originally posted by ayuchan but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
Lets see it on the other side: What if he parties with other players and his purchased gear helps them to gain exp faster?
Originally posted by Torak ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete. I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices. In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
yes torak i have followed and respected a lot of your posts here
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Originally posted by ayuchan but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
Lets see it on the other side: What if he parties with other players and his purchased gear helps them to gain exp faster?
Or what if I saved his life from another attacker!!
Anyways, straight up, people whoa re hugely against will always say stuff like how people who buy it have no lives, no jobs (kind of contradictory really, no job no money no buying), aren't skilled, want to be the best etc. But I will tell you, straight from someone who has bought it, that it is PURELY a time and enjoyment issue for me, and many people. That's all. I get limited time to play, so I want that time to be fun.
Originally posted by ayuchan Originally posted by Torak ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete. I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices. In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
yes torak i have followed and respected a lot of your posts here
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
I didnt make it far in L2, and I dont use JMoney as my ingame in any games.
I do agree that buying a LARGE amount in EvE would be bad for PvP, I could deck out a Cerberus in named mods worth billions. But the most I WOULD buy in ANY game would get me about 270 million in EvE, barely enough to buy the Cerberus itself, with zero mods, no good to anyone. While 270 million probably sounds like alot if you havent played it, it isnt much, a battleship costs like 100 million, with zero mods.
Originally posted by ayuchan Originally posted by Torak ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete. I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices. In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
yes torak i have followed and respected a lot of your posts here
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Thanks,
Do you see my point here though? I am not interested cross examining each individual. I just would like to know "from the horses mouth" so to speak, why players do it.
We all speculate alot, I have harsh views on it myself. Mine are for more selfish reasons, I hate competeing with farmers over the areas. I have very limited time to play so when a farmer shows up it screw me up for the evening. There where combat macros in AC when I played, there where loads and loads of farmers in WoW and there are bots (although not near as bad as WoW) in L2. I hate having to put up with farmers.
Although I can understand why someone would buy currency because MMORPGs simply are not very good games. The thing that keeps most of us enthralled is the social aspect. Without the "massive multiplayer" part, these games would suck as RPG's.
people buy 'virtual' cash is hopeing that they can get the best of everything in the game, mostly because they are new to the game and poor. But game administer have also a system that is stopping some of these trade , a good example is the BoP( binds on pick-up) items for high levels. But anyway it is their wish, we can't force them anyway.
But after some time, people may realise that the '3rd party "virtual cash"' will be a waste of real money when they feel bored about that game. ( just my opinon, hopefully no one here will fame me of abusing the post here )
Originally posted by Torak Originally posted by ayuchan Originally posted by Torak ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete. I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices. In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
yes torak i have followed and respected a lot of your posts here
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Thanks,
Do you see my point here though? I am not interested cross examining each individual. I just would like to know "from the horses mouth" so to speak, why players do it.
We all speculate alot, I have harsh views on it myself. Mine are for more selfish reasons, I hate competeing with farmers over the areas. I have very limited time to play so when a farmer shows up it screw me up for the evening. There where combat macros in AC when I played, there where loads and loads of farmers in WoW and there are bots (although not near as bad as WoW) in L2. I hate having to put up with farmers.
Although I can understand why someone would buy currency because MMORPGs simply are not very good games. The thing that keeps most of us enthralled is the social aspect. Without the "massive multiplayer" part, these games would suck as RPG's.
Oddly enough I dont like the farmers at all either, even though I would support them if I needed money in a game other then EvE (EvE money comes from players buying time cards to extend there subscriptions, I dont actually go to some site and buy the ISK. Time cards are LEGAL to sell for ISK.) I suppose it's kind of a support and destroy relationship for me and farmers.
Originally posted by hotart people buy 'virtual' cash is hopeing that they can get the best of everything in the game, mostly because they are new to the game and poor. But game administer have also a system that is stopping some of these trade , a good example is the BoP( binds on pick-up) items for high levels. But anyway it is their wish, we can't force them anyway. But after some time, people may realise that the '3rd party "virtual cash"' will be a waste of real money when they feel bored about that game. ( just my opinon, hopefully no one here will fame me of abusing the post here )
See that's more speculation, not that you can't have your opinion, but i know for a FACT I don't do it to get the best. I do it instead of farming, which bores me to death. That's all.
Torak is just looking for people who DO buy it to tell why, not why people think other people do it, because they can't read minds, they can only say "Well I think it's because of x". I'll tell you it's because of y.
Now I'm sure SOME people do do it to be the best, and spend hundreds of dollars attaining it, but most of us (the buyers) don't. We will do it just to not have to farm, most just spend small amounts of money to get a bit of cash going. Not going to buy 50 Zillion gold. And get every best item in the game. It may seem like a waste of money to you, but I make about $40,000 a year at work (not bragging, that isnt really that much, it's above average, but many people here make more), and $30 isnt gonna be missed and regretted.
I will prevent him from being singled out and admit that I have also bought virtual currency. I have sold it as well in UO, but in Dark Age of Camelot, I purchased plats quickly and easily on eBay a few years back.
So WHY you ask. The answers really have already been given. And those answers some might assume as being "lazy". I would classify it as more wanting to play the aspects of the game that I enjoyed the most instead of those aspects that I didn't enjoy so much. Farming for money is pretty easy in DAoC. But PvP on my old server Andred (now Mordred) was very expensive. If you did PvP on the PvP servers, you got ganked all the time, and some of the time you had good fights. Regardless, the PvP was insanely fun at ANY level. But as you level up, the money loss and cost to repair your armor and weapons gets more and more exensive and adds up very fast. I didn't feel that it was worth going out and farming cash for 6 hours to go have 1 good solid hour of PvP fun and be able to buy back my con (health) and repair my goods. See when you die in PvP on DAoC... or atleast it used to be like this...you lost a few points of "con" or your maximum health level went down with each death. If you didn't buy that back from an NPC healer, then pretty soon, your avatar was ridiculously fragile and weak.
And since $20 or so on eBay basically covered more gold then I could farm in a month, it was a very tempting and wise choice for me to avoid those aspects of the game I considered boring and get to the aspects of the game I found fun and excting.
Here come the flames, regardless of the OP's good advice in the first post and posts through-out not to flame away.
Few are willing to admit to taking part in a "grey" activity. Can fully understand why they wouldn't want anyone to know about it. Even on a legitimatised server like SoE's EQ2 Bazaar the process is completely private.
"I dont want people to know I am selling stuff online can users see my identity?
To protect the privacy of all our users - all auctions, as both sellers and buyers, are anonymous.
Bidders are referred to as Bidder #1 and Bidder #2, etc. Bidder numbering resets for each active auction, therefore the same user is never the same Bidder number.
Sellers are not shown the names of the characters that are available for auction and the sellers account name is not visible to the bidder.
The transaction between buyer and seller is anonymous for everyones safety and game-play fun.
Upon receiving a character, the new user is informed of the character name and is optionally allowed to change this name.
The sellers account identity is never shown, even to successful bidders."
It's a nice little earner for SoE:
"Listing Fees:
Items are $1.00 Coin is $1.00 Characters are $10.00
Station Exchange also collects a 10% Service Fee from the final closing price of an auction."
Another point is that when you first join a MMORPG it can extremely difficult, depending on the game.
I mean look at Final Fantasy 11. That game is NEAR IMPOSSIBLE without some kind of monetary support from either a higher level or a web site. I was lucky to have a max level friend to help me out, but otherwise I gaurentee I would be look up some money on ebay or something.
It also makes the game alot more fun. Grinding is not very fun as it is, but with the added deaths and running out of ammo, it is enough to make people stop playing. Who doesnt love to be able to level faster and easier for an extra 10 dollars, and it really only effects the early levels of a game.
I personally have no problems with it, alot of game companies have embraced the idea, with cash shops and item malls being the ONLY form of payment, rather than a monthly fee. I like that idea. It would improve player bases in every game out there, and I gaurentee they would still make the same amount of money per month =D.
I'm going to start out by saying that any game where you can buy victory isn't worth a damn. I can go out and buy the best Tennis, Boxing, Fencing, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, ect, equipment out there but it still won't allow me to win if I suck at that particular game. This principle also applies to a well developed PvP game.
I have never actually bought currency in a game. I have, however, bought in-game items. The first place I did this was in the online only CCG Chron X, then later in Magic: The Gathering Online. Lately I've been thinking about buying into Star Chamber. TBH, I don't see a whole lot of difference between buying in game stuff an playing a collectable miniatures game like Shadorun Duels. If the game is designed with the sale of in-game equipment and currency in mind during the preproduction stage, the whole business becomes a non-issue.
I'm kind of meshing this all together, so let me try to break this down a little more clearly. I can buy a footlocker of Magic cards or a closet of Mage Knight figures and it wouldn't really give me that much of an advantage over any other player. You see, both those games have mechanics that prevent me from having an overwhelming advantage, even when I've invested more money than someone else. In MtG, I can only have 60 cards in a deck and only four copies of any given card. In MK, I can only use figures that add up to equal or less than the point total of my opponent. Similar mechanics can be put into MMORPGs. The easiest way is the expanded "paper, scissors, rock" model that usually has elemental aspects on equipment (earth, wind, fire, water, light, dark, etc.) as well as different kinds of damage. Add in a few more aspects to equipment and it becomes less a matter of who has the "best" gear and more of a "who has the RIGHT gear" kind of set up. The player should still be left to decide whether they want to farm or pay for this or that item. I don't think that paying RL cash should ever be mandatory.
Having said all that, I've been playing Turf Battles quite a bit more these last couple of weeks and it's been very tempting to lay down $5 for a pack of +50% XP scrolls and go power leveling. Leveling comes pretty fast in TB anyway, but if I miss a few days I tend to fall behind the people that I group with the most often. There are also restat scrolls that you can buy in case you made a bad decision with your stats during leveling which is very cool. I don't like the idea that if I mess up my character, I have to start all over. Being able to restat at will is part of what like about Guild Wars.
In the end, it's not about being lazy or cheating. It's about enjoying the parts of the game that you want to enjoy and leaving behind the boring bits. If the game is designed for currency / item sales, then this is a total non-issue.
Comments
Now this is interesting, it breaks down all my theory on why ppl play MMORPG.
I assume that you would not play if you hadnt find it fun.
So, what part of the game you find funnier, JMoney? And why?
This is the exact point of the thread, why he bought it. Not interested in what he finds fun or not fun unless it relates to why. He did it because of time/boredom. Let it be
this is like saying...i think soccer's boring because there's not enough scoring...
so i'll pick up the ball with my hands and throw it in the goal...now it might be more fun for the player...but it's not following the rules of the game
if you don't like the game you don't cheat...you simply play another game
The whole point of this is to get to the core of why people buy currency. I am not interested in debates with each individual person. I would like to know players overall do it.
I would have say, based on the people who have replied it looks like a time/fun issue but we need more to reply. Attack each of them will not get the thread anywhere.
SUBJECT - "Why do players buy currency"
not - "attack the people who explain why."
Now look at what you guys did, you made my post look like a Christmas tree
Now this is interesting, it breaks down all my theory on why ppl play MMORPG.
I assume that you would not play if you hadnt find it fun.
So, what part of the game you find funnier, JMoney? And why?
This is the exact point of the thread, why he bought it. Not interested in what he finds fun or not fun unless it relates to why. He did it because of time/boredom. Let it be
this is like saying...i think soccer's boring because there's not enough scoring...
so i'll pick up the ball with my hands and throw it in the goal...now it might be more fun for the player...but it's not following the rules of the game
if you don't like the game you don't cheat...you simply play another game
That doesnt apply, in your analogy I'm ruining the game for EVERYONE involved. In people buying currency it ruins it for NOONE.
It should be more like "I think playing soccer by myself is boring because I hate kicking, so I'll pick it up and throw it in the net"
actually it does ruin the game for everyone...but most are too stupid to notice
I think the players who pay real money for virtual currency are the players who are in the game for the main purpose of reaching the endgame and being the best possible character they can as fast as they can.
For many of us, just playing the game and gradually accomplishing the games content is enough to enjoy it. But for some, instant gradification is what they want, and buying in-game currency gets them where they want to be quicker.
i think it's pretty obvious why people cheat...to get the edge on the other players...anyone that says anything else is an idiot...sorry to hijack your topic...but i hate cheaters
See that's a common misconception. Farming is not content.
I enjoy the CONTENT of the game. The quests, the raids, the PvP (if any), the social aspect.
I don't enjoy mindless zombie farming.
i think it's pretty obvious why people cheat...to get the edge on the other players...anyone that says anything else is an idiot...sorry to hijack your topic...but i hate cheaters
Again you are equating it to RL. This is a video game. Do you think farming is skillful?
In your newest analogy you are playing AGAINST people, not with them.
The thing is, I could have two identical characters with identical gear. One I farmed, one I bought the stuff. You couldnt tell the difference.
Here is a question for you: What difference does it make TO YOU if I farm for a month to get some certain gear or if I buy it now? Either way, I'm gonna get it. How does me getting it one month earlier effect your game play?
You may find it fun to sit in a zone far below your level slaughtering endless npcs for days on end and have some feeling of accomplishing something. Grats for you. I don't. Mindless farming is not something I'd be proud of or brag about, I'd feel like I've lost alot of game hours doing something I don't like.
JMoney, I respect your view, thanks for your openess about the subject.
I tend to agree with his opinion of the mechanics of farming...it adds NOTHING to the game. Neither does grinding for that matter BUT it is a CORE feature of ALL MMORPGs.
but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
in a pve game this might not be such a big deal
but if you played in L2, which is a pvp with exp penalties then you did cause injury to other players because you caused death that you might not have been able to cause with inferior gear
in a pve game this might not be such a big deal
I have played L2, but never bought currency for it. I have bought for EvE, it has PvP, but honestly PvP isnt something I'm really interested in for most games. WoW buying gear doesnt matter since to be decent in PvP at 60 you'll have epic items / dungeon gear, not much bought stuff.
I have never, and will never, buy hundreds of dollars worth of money. THAT isn't worth it to me, if I REALLY needed that much money for somethig I'd go to farming. I didnt clarify that earlier. I WOULD buy a small amount, say $50 or less worth. I wouldnt buy so much that it totally gears me out to the max.
I would buy a small amount to get me started on something, as an example: Say I was interested in trading in EVE. Well obviously the more you have the more you can make. So maybe i'll buy one GTC to get me a starting capital and work my way up, I wouldnt buy 10 GTC's for like $500 and start trading in th billions. Or as another example, say I believe some spell or item that costs a decent amount may help me be faster / better at farming if I need to do it, I'll buy what I need for said item, then farm for the rest, if it's alot.
Thanks for your answer, JMoney.
I see there are people then that finds funny to look for items, while others (more casual players) like only the pure gaming.
Looks like the game developers have noticed this fact recently, as they are making games more centered in adventure/quest and less in search of items.
ayuchan....look at my sig....I've been playing L2 since Sept when I left SWG. I have top gear for my grade C and never needed to buy currency to compete.
I have to work the market like a slave (no not grind levels, hunting gets you no where in L2 for money) but I did it. Actually had a lot of fun haggeling over prices.
In L2 you need TIME and a bit of skill at negotiating. You MUST interact with the community to succeed at L2.
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Or what if I saved his life from another attacker!!
Anyways, straight up, people whoa re hugely against will always say stuff like how people who buy it have no lives, no jobs (kind of contradictory really, no job no money no buying), aren't skilled, want to be the best etc. But I will tell you, straight from someone who has bought it, that it is PURELY a time and enjoyment issue for me, and many people. That's all. I get limited time to play, so I want that time to be fun.
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
I didnt make it far in L2, and I dont use JMoney as my ingame in any games.
I do agree that buying a LARGE amount in EvE would be bad for PvP, I could deck out a Cerberus in named mods worth billions. But the most I WOULD buy in ANY game would get me about 270 million in EvE, barely enough to buy the Cerberus itself, with zero mods, no good to anyone. While 270 million probably sounds like alot if you havent played it, it isnt much, a battleship costs like 100 million, with zero mods.
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Thanks,
Do you see my point here though? I am not interested cross examining each individual. I just would like to know "from the horses mouth" so to speak, why players do it.
We all speculate alot, I have harsh views on it myself. Mine are for more selfish reasons, I hate competeing with farmers over the areas. I have very limited time to play so when a farmer shows up it screw me up for the evening. There where combat macros in AC when I played, there where loads and loads of farmers in WoW and there are bots (although not near as bad as WoW) in L2. I hate having to put up with farmers.
Although I can understand why someone would buy currency because MMORPGs simply are not very good games. The thing that keeps most of us enthralled is the social aspect. Without the "massive multiplayer" part, these games would suck as RPG's.
But after some time, people may realise that the '3rd party "virtual cash"' will be a waste of real money when they feel bored about that game. ( just my opinon, hopefully no one here will fame me of abusing the post here
)
i think Jmoney was in KE which was a respected clan...maybe im thinkin of someone else
i'm glad he didn't ebay in L2, but he still shouldn't have done it EVE either cuz you can really fuck someone up badly in that game too
I don't mean to be so negative on this subject...but i always feel that if people tolerate this cheating then it will only get worse...ebaying is no different then having a gm adjust your stats...i know i said it before but it needs to be said over and over until the designers figure out a way to stop it
Thanks,
Do you see my point here though? I am not interested cross examining each individual. I just would like to know "from the horses mouth" so to speak, why players do it.
We all speculate alot, I have harsh views on it myself. Mine are for more selfish reasons, I hate competeing with farmers over the areas. I have very limited time to play so when a farmer shows up it screw me up for the evening. There where combat macros in AC when I played, there where loads and loads of farmers in WoW and there are bots (although not near as bad as WoW) in L2. I hate having to put up with farmers.
Although I can understand why someone would buy currency because MMORPGs simply are not very good games. The thing that keeps most of us enthralled is the social aspect. Without the "massive multiplayer" part, these games would suck as RPG's.
Oddly enough I dont like the farmers at all either, even though I would support them if I needed money in a game other then EvE (EvE money comes from players buying time cards to extend there subscriptions, I dont actually go to some site and buy the ISK. Time cards are LEGAL to sell for ISK.) I suppose it's kind of a support and destroy relationship for me and farmers.
See that's more speculation, not that you can't have your opinion, but i know for a FACT I don't do it to get the best. I do it instead of farming, which bores me to death. That's all.
Torak is just looking for people who DO buy it to tell why, not why people think other people do it, because they can't read minds, they can only say "Well I think it's because of x". I'll tell you it's because of y.
Now I'm sure SOME people do do it to be the best, and spend hundreds of dollars attaining it, but most of us (the buyers) don't. We will do it just to not have to farm, most just spend small amounts of money to get a bit of cash going. Not going to buy 50 Zillion gold. And get every best item in the game. It may seem like a waste of money to you, but I make about $40,000 a year at work (not bragging, that isnt really that much, it's above average, but many people here make more), and $30 isnt gonna be missed and regretted.
I agree with JMoney completely here.
I will prevent him from being singled out and admit that I have also bought virtual currency. I have sold it as well in UO, but in Dark Age of Camelot, I purchased plats quickly and easily on eBay a few years back.
So WHY you ask. The answers really have already been given. And those answers some might assume as being "lazy". I would classify it as more wanting to play the aspects of the game that I enjoyed the most instead of those aspects that I didn't enjoy so much. Farming for money is pretty easy in DAoC. But PvP on my old server Andred (now Mordred) was very expensive. If you did PvP on the PvP servers, you got ganked all the time, and some of the time you had good fights. Regardless, the PvP was insanely fun at ANY level. But as you level up, the money loss and cost to repair your armor and weapons gets more and more exensive and adds up very fast. I didn't feel that it was worth going out and farming cash for 6 hours to go have 1 good solid hour of PvP fun and be able to buy back my con (health) and repair my goods. See when you die in PvP on DAoC... or atleast it used to be like this...you lost a few points of "con" or your maximum health level went down with each death. If you didn't buy that back from an NPC healer, then pretty soon, your avatar was ridiculously fragile and weak.
And since $20 or so on eBay basically covered more gold then I could farm in a month, it was a very tempting and wise choice for me to avoid those aspects of the game I considered boring and get to the aspects of the game I found fun and excting.
Here come the flames, regardless of the OP's good advice in the first post and posts through-out not to flame away.
- Zaxx
Few are willing to admit to taking part in a "grey" activity. Can fully understand why they wouldn't want anyone to know about it. Even on a legitimatised server like SoE's EQ2 Bazaar the process is completely private.
"I dont want people to know I am selling stuff online can users see my identity?
To protect the privacy of all our users - all auctions, as both sellers and buyers, are anonymous.
Bidders are referred to as Bidder #1 and Bidder #2, etc. Bidder numbering resets for each active auction, therefore the same user is never the same Bidder number.
Sellers are not shown the names of the characters that are available for auction and the sellers account name is not visible to the bidder.
The transaction between buyer and seller is anonymous for everyones safety and game-play fun.
Upon receiving a character, the new user is informed of the character name and is optionally allowed to change this name.
The sellers account identity is never shown, even to successful bidders."
It's a nice little earner for SoE:
"Listing Fees:
Items are $1.00
Coin is $1.00
Characters are $10.00
Station Exchange also collects a 10% Service Fee from the final closing price of an auction."
No annoying animated GIF here!
I mean look at Final Fantasy 11. That game is NEAR IMPOSSIBLE without some kind of monetary support from either a higher level or a web site. I was lucky to have a max level friend to help me out, but otherwise I gaurentee I would be look up some money on ebay or something.
It also makes the game alot more fun. Grinding is not very fun as it is, but with the added deaths and running out of ammo, it is enough to make people stop playing. Who doesnt love to be able to level faster and easier for an extra 10 dollars, and it really only effects the early levels of a game.
I personally have no problems with it, alot of game companies have embraced the idea, with cash shops and item malls being the ONLY form of payment, rather than a monthly fee. I like that idea. It would improve player bases in every game out there, and I gaurentee they would still make the same amount of money per month =D.
I'm going to start out by saying that any game where you can buy victory isn't worth a damn. I can go out and buy the best Tennis, Boxing, Fencing, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, ect, equipment out there but it still won't allow me to win if I suck at that particular game. This principle also applies to a well developed PvP game.
I have never actually bought currency in a game. I have, however, bought in-game items. The first place I did this was in the online only CCG Chron X, then later in Magic: The Gathering Online. Lately I've been thinking about buying into Star Chamber. TBH, I don't see a whole lot of difference between buying in game stuff an playing a collectable miniatures game like Shadorun Duels. If the game is designed with the sale of in-game equipment and currency in mind during the preproduction stage, the whole business becomes a non-issue.
I'm kind of meshing this all together, so let me try to break this down a little more clearly. I can buy a footlocker of Magic cards or a closet of Mage Knight figures and it wouldn't really give me that much of an advantage over any other player. You see, both those games have mechanics that prevent me from having an overwhelming advantage, even when I've invested more money than someone else. In MtG, I can only have 60 cards in a deck and only four copies of any given card. In MK, I can only use figures that add up to equal or less than the point total of my opponent. Similar mechanics can be put into MMORPGs. The easiest way is the expanded "paper, scissors, rock" model that usually has elemental aspects on equipment (earth, wind, fire, water, light, dark, etc.) as well as different kinds of damage. Add in a few more aspects to equipment and it becomes less a matter of who has the "best" gear and more of a "who has the RIGHT gear" kind of set up. The player should still be left to decide whether they want to farm or pay for this or that item. I don't think that paying RL cash should ever be mandatory.
Having said all that, I've been playing Turf Battles quite a bit more these last couple of weeks and it's been very tempting to lay down $5 for a pack of +50% XP scrolls and go power leveling. Leveling comes pretty fast in TB anyway, but if I miss a few days I tend to fall behind the people that I group with the most often. There are also restat scrolls that you can buy in case you made a bad decision with your stats during leveling which is very cool. I don't like the idea that if I mess up my character, I have to start all over. Being able to restat at will is part of what like about Guild Wars.
In the end, it's not about being lazy or cheating. It's about enjoying the parts of the game that you want to enjoy and leaving behind the boring bits. If the game is designed for currency / item sales, then this is a total non-issue.