They have no intention of changing any of this. With the backlog the way it is, it ensures that folks will buy Zen. It also ensures most folks won't resort to 3rd party sellers for AD to convert to Zen. This is really an optimal situation for the developers. All you need to do is post your orders and wait. It might take 2 weeks but eventually you will get your Zen.
0
beckylunaticMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 14,231Arc User
Is it really so complicated to understand? You dont buy AD with ZEN on the ZAX. As I just posted to that other guy, you buy for example coals with ZEN and sell them on the AH to make AD, then you put that AD back on the ZAX... Summary for you: You get more and more ZEN with this method.
Some people are less interested in their pocketbooks than they are in avoiding ripping other people off. They understand that they could, but they don't want to. Is that so hard for you to understand?
Is it really so complicated to understand? You dont buy AD with ZEN on the ZAX. As I just posted to that other guy, you buy for example coals with ZEN and sell them on the AH to make AD, then you put that AD back on the ZAX... Summary for you: You get more and more ZEN with this method.
And this is the entire root of the problem , while desirable and necessary items can be flipped on the AH for a 50% mark up or more nobody is going to continue to put zen up for sale hence the entire market comes to a halt , flipping items for a huge markup is not what the ZAX was ever intended for .
0
adernathMember, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 0Arc User
Some people are less interested in their pocketbooks than they are in avoiding ripping other people off. They understand that they could, but they don't want to. Is that so hard for you to understand?
It is pointless to talk about ppl who dont touch the market atm. What counts is that the backlog is raising because of the actions of those others (which number is probably not low). And this is what I am talking of course. :rolleyes:
Suggestions to improve NW:
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
Is it really so complicated to understand? You dont buy AD with ZEN on the ZAX. As I just posted to that other guy, you buy for example coals with ZEN and sell them on the AH to make AD, then you put that AD back on the ZAX... Summary for you: You get more and more ZEN with this method.
Read my comment again. Context is your friend. No, wait, I'll save you time and reiterate: I have no interest in ripping-off other players. Following through on your genius idea is to do exactly that - if not that then there is zero profit, in fact it would be a loss (time by a week or two and money with the House's take) - which reiterates the rip-off of other players.
I know there are a large number of players with your mindset: "screw 'em, if they're willing to pay more than they should or could by choice then it's their choice". Fine. I prefer the high road of morality in this case. This is a game. It's nothing more than entertainment for me. I am not here to earn pixel-money that has zero legal tender value whatsoever. My business is with Cryptic Studios is done with Zen. All Astral Diamond spending and earning is simply business with *other players* - not Cryptic. People just aren;t getting that.
And this is why Cryptic will not, should not ever interfere in any way shape or form with the function of the ZAX, other than plugging exploitable holes if any exist (which I do believe I have never seen a ZAX exploitable bug).
As for buying AD with Zen (I never sell the other way around - never have, never will) - when the value and worth of AD come back in-line with the value of Zen (which is permanently fixed, based on the U.S. Dollar) - trey I will use there ZAX to buy AD and help with that backlog in my own way.
***
However, it is people like you, Adermath, as to why there is a backlog in ZAX as I refuse to buy AD with Zen and I know many, many others with the same financial capability as myself feel the same way. Allow me to prove it to you:
The value of AD is measured by the price in the Auction House (which you, Adermath, are a proponent of inflating by ripping off impatient or uninformed players). It is simple math and anyone familiar with running a budget, such as business-minded or responsible households will tell you:
100 Zen = $1.00 <- this never changes - it is the baseline by which everything else is measured.
1 Zen buys 500 AD x 100 = 50,000 AD
Thus: 50,000 AD = $1.00 U.S. <- new baseline to measure Auction House prices (based on conversion rate).
Helmet gear in AH that used to cost 100,000 AD = $2.00 U.S. Okay, why not? I'll do that.
(Need more AD? Okay, use ZAX to convert Zen to AD, filling AD-to-Zen proffers)
Same Helmet gear in AH that now sells for 500,000 AD = $10.00 U.S. (!!!)
Are you fekking kidding me? Ummm, NO.
Hence: I don't need any AD... no need to convert Zen to AD... save Zen for new shinies coming to Zen Market.
The "price jump" example is exaggerated, but my point is made. It now takes twice as much Zen (which is twice as much $ U.S.) to buy the same item at the new price. THIS is how the prices in the Auction House affect the value of AD and how that affects *value of ZEN*. Get it?
I might be a "whale" who spends a lot of money with Cryptic buying Zen Points, but I'm not stupid (contrary to popular belief in the "New Dragonborn" threads). So I ask again, since the Auction House is the main area for spending Astral Diamonds, WHY would I even want to convert my Zen into Astral Diamonds again?
So, to fix backlog of ZAX, prices in AH need to decrease. However, the only way this will happen is with patience and time. Economies are giant complicated machines. Just like the weather: a butterfly floats to the left in China and a Storm develops over New York, but if he floats to right then a heat wave develops in New York. There are just too many variables involved.
For example: the amount of "excess" AD in game is NOT an issue. Why? Because people like me don't want to farm anything like skirmishes or professions. I'd rather just BUY my AD through the ZAX because I am LAZY that way and I am a casual player. And here's a fact: there are a helluvalot more people like me than you think who'd rather just buy than farm and they aren't doing that because of my example above.
Read my comment again. Context is your friend. No, wait, I'll save you time and reiterate: I have no interest in ripping-off other players. Following through on your genius idea is to do exactly that - of not that then then there is zero profit, in fact it would be a loss (time by a week or two and money with the House's take) - which reiterates the rip-off of other players.
I know there are a large number of players with your mindset: screw 'em, if they're willing to pay more than they should or could by choice then it's their choice". Fine. I prefer the high road of morality in this case. This is a game. It's nothing more than entertainment for me. I am not here to earn pixel-money that has zero legal tender value whatsoever. My business is with Cryptic Studios is done with Zen. All Astral Diamond spending and earning is simply business with *other players* - not Cryptic. People just aren;t getting that.
And this is why Cryptic will not, should not ever interfere in any way shape or form with the function of the ZAX, other than plugging exploitable holes if any exist (which I do believe I have never seen a ZAX exploitable bug).
~shrugs~
I appeciate your opinion, but in practice people will always try to make the best out of a given situation. Certainly you understand this.
As I explained above, by making coal drops obtained by praying bound Cryptic already interfered into the ZAX heavily. Making these changes reverse or changing all ZEN items to BoA are simply options which are modifications of the kind they already did in the past.
Suggestions to improve NW:
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
0
onecoolscatcatMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 575Arc User
edited August 2014
AD devaluation is only part of the problem. The root cause is this:
More and more established players have increasingly massive amounts of AD, but we have fewer and fewer new players willingly shelling out real life money for this massively flawed game. There simply isn't enough incoming zen to meet demand.
You want to fix the economy? First fix the glaring flaws. Provide Neverwinter with both replayability and content requiring all the shiny new toys modules 3 and 4 provide. PvP is the only reason to bother grinding T3 gear, but the overwhelming majority of players are only interested in PvE. This is according to Cryptic's 6-month old self-published statistics. Make Neverwinter worth investing real life money into. Neverwinter needs a complete overhaul. ZaX backlog is a symptom, not a cause.
As it stands people are leaving in droves. Xboxers will temporarily increase player populations, but this is a short term band-aid. Console gamers are notoriously fickle. If a game sucks, they move on and never look back.
AD devaluation is only part of the problem. The root cause is this:
More and more established players have increasingly massive amounts of AD, but we have fewer and fewer new players willingly shelling out real life money for this massively flawed game. There simply isn't enough incoming zen to meet demand.
Which is why Cryptic has special promotions like the Armored Polar Bear if you transfer 20k Zen or the special promotion to get a bunch of shinies if you buy a bunch of enchantment stuff. BUT THEN People bit.ch-and-whine like little three years-olds about it because it either "isn't fair" or because the the big kids get cookies and they don't.
Case-in-point: The new Dragonborn package and the ridiculously adolescent-level whining that's going on in there, not all of them, of course, but you'll know the ones when you read them. Guess what? I bought one. Sure, THAT money goes directly to Cryptic. But do you really think people like me who bought one of those never buy Zen and convert it to AD? But no, the overwhelming consensus among that thread's commentator pool is that I have more money than sense and I am an "idiot" for "falling for Cryptic's big rip-off".
So which is it going to be? The very people who help support the game studio AND help the economy without exploiting anything are then chastised and insulted for doing that very thing? Fortunately I've a plate of armor for skin because I could;t care any less what other people think of what I do or not. Because if I were so darned sensitive as those throwing the mud I'd have left the game running fast as I can with my tail between my legs and crying all the way home.
Seriously people: you just can't have your cake and eat it, too.
onecoolscatcatMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 575Arc User
edited August 2014
I haven't dropped $75 on the dragonborn pack because I feel Neverwinter isn't going places and the pack contents lack value, but that's another discussion....
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adernathMember, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 0Arc User
However, it is people like you, Adermath, as to why there is a backlog in ZAX as I refuse to buy AD with Zen and I know many, many others with the same financial capability as myself feel the same way.
I am poor, I dont have any ZEN leftover to make a profit of the current situation. But I dont blame people when they simply try to make some profit within legit bounds of the system.
The value of AD is measured by the price in the Auction House (which you, Adermath, are a proponent of inflating by ripping off impatient or uninformed players). It is simple math and anyone familiar with running a budget, such as business-minded or responsible households will tell you:
100 Zen = $1.00 <- this never changes - it is the baseline by which everything else is measured.
1 Zen buys 500 AD x 100 = 50,000 AD
Thus: 50,000 AD = $1.00 U.S. <- new baseline to measure Auction House prices (based on conversion rate).
1 ZEN buys 500 AD <-this is true, but only impatient or very stupid people would do this. As I told you, usually people sell ZEN items on the AH to make alot more profit. I.e. the conversion from ZEN to AD is market dependent. Only the other way, AD to ZEN is stable at 500 (since we have a cap and a large backlog). Therefore your conversation from real cash to AD is wrong. It is wrong, because ZEN items are currently more worth on the AH than your 500-1 conversion rate. Especially this makes the in-game AD less real cash worth than your calculation (you get more AD for the same money). And AD will decrease in its value the higher the prices for ZEN items on the AH raise.
Hence: I don't need any AD... no need to convert Zen to AD... save Zen for new shinies coming to Zen Market.
If you would purchase ZEN through the ZAX and have enough time to wait, you can make more ZEN than you had before (which corresponds to more wealth in $$). No idea why this is still not clear for you.
The "price jump" example is exaggerated, but my point is made.
Not all items are affected. I am watching certain items over weeks and many of them are generally stable in prices. We certainly have some sort of inflation, but it is hardly noticable when watching only certain items. But ZEN items are generally related in its value to the backlog waiting time. Random stuff like a Helmet are very unlikely to be affected by this problem as long as it can not be purchased in the ZEN shop.
It now takes twice as much Zen (which is twice as much $ U.S.) to buy the same item at the new price. THIS is how the prices in the Auction House affect the value of AD and how that affects *value of ZEN*. Get it?
As I said before, it is pointless to talk about random stuff on the AH. Other items went cheaper again, even today. These are often normal market variations. You can not extrapolate from the value of a single random item to the general value of ZEN. What you only know is that you get 1 ZEN for 500 AD (in the current situation). But the other way around, i.e. ZEN to AD is dependent on the current market, since you can sell your ZEN items on the market.
I might be a "whale" who spends a lot of money with Cryptic buying Zen Points, but I'm not stupid (contrary to popular belief in the "New Dragonborn" threads). So I ask again, since the Auction House is the main area for spending Astral Diamonds, WHY would I even want to convert my Zen into Astral Diamonds again?
I hope that you finally understand how it works. I dont know how often I have to repeat that you should not convert ZEN into AD using ZAX. But you make profit when you convert your ZEN into AD using the AH. To answer your question: To make profit.
So, to fix backlog of ZAX, prices in AH need to decrease. However, the only way this will happen is with patience and time. Economies are giant complicated machines. Just like the weather: a butterfly floats to the left in China and a Storm develops over New York, but if he floats to right then a heat wave develops in New York. There are just too many variables involved.
I agree that they are complex, but in this case it is IMO very obvious what drives the backlog. Add the latest event and the incoming mod4 on top of that which creates an even more demand for ZEN.
Suggestions to improve NW:
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
I am a fool for trying too hard to convince a brick wall. I give-up.
@Adermath: I'll say again: I refuse to take unfair advantage of other players in any way, shape, or form - if this makes me an "impatient" or "stupid" person" then so be it - I'll wear the label proudly and flaunt it. All my numbers are pretty clear and accurate based on the example exchange rate of 500:1. The numbers would obviously be different as the exchange rate changes, even changing artificially with your suggested scheme; the AD does not gain any additional value with your way.
You seem hell-bent on trying to teach me then insist I use a method of exchange I am already very familiar with (note the "join date" under my name at the left. I've been here a very long time). You're just not getting it. But that's okay.
Now, with that made clear, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.
The reason items are inflated in the ah is due to the mass influx of illicit ad. You cannot expect to resolve this problem by hoping that will fix itself. The problem does appear to be getting worse so whatever Arc did it wasn't enough.
So many people predicted/warned of this happening.meanwhile they just looked on.
Between the botting and the exploiting AD it will be very hard to fix now.
Its as if everyone just noticed the Zeppelin was on fire.
Not sure what can be done now.
The millions and millions of AD stored by so many players now put the economy so out of wack its hard to even fathom a fix.
I feel really sorry for any new players.
Well something needs to be done or they might as well just shut down. Some things need to be at least tried.
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lonewolfmk1Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 137Arc User
edited August 2014
Well there are to my mind 3 possible ways to solve the issue with the ZAX. The first two (creating new AD sinks/create further incentives to exchange ZEN for AD) have already been discussed at length. There is also a third and most radical way. Fix all exploits, using the experiences gathered so far, create a completely new currency and get rid of AD alltogether, the same way in real life a hyperinflation is generally "cured". And this is coming from someone who has around 14 mio AD liquid and around 2-3 times that amount in assets.
That way prices would instantly drop again, the ZAX backlog would disappear since buying ZEN and exchanging it for the new currency would again give you a decent amount of value. And as an added benefit the AD-sellers would be out of business.
Of course that means that the longterm players (like myself) with several million AD will be hit hard. On the other hand, those players are usually those who already have gathered all the gear they want and so are the least likely to actually invest real money into the game.
To take myself as an example, i have been playing, since Neverwinter has been released and invested around 150 € into the game over the first year. After that i made a lot of AD with CN runs and especially by buying a large amount of enchantments when they where still very cheap prior to module 2 and selling them later on. Nowadays i do what most players with large AD reserves do, buy zen items and sell them for profit. My point is, there is no reason for me anymore to invest real money into the game, and i think thats quite common for long time players.
Its the new players who are most likely to spend money on the game, to get their gear more quickly. This is also the playergroup that would benefit the most from resetting the market by introducing a new currency.
So even from an economical point of view, such a decision might make sense. Just some food for thought.
Well there are to my mind 3 possible ways to solve the issue with the ZAX. The first two (creating new AD sinks/create further incentives to exchange ZEN for AD) have already been discussed at length. There is also a third and most radical way. Fix all exploits, using the experiences gathered so far, create a completely new currency and get rid of AD alltogether, the same way in real life a hyperinflation is generally "cured". And this is coming from someone who has around 14 mio AD liquid and around 2-3 times that amount in assets.
That way prices would instantly drop again, the ZAX backlog would disappear since buying ZEN and exchanging it for the new currency would again give you a decent amount of value. And as an added benefit the AD-sellers would be out of business.
Of course that means that the longterm players (like myself) with several million AD will be hit hard. On the other hand, those players are usually those who already have gathered all the gear they want and so are the least likely to actually invest real money into the game.
To take myself as an example, i have been playing, since Neverwinter has been released and invested around 150 € into the game over the first year. After that i made a lot of AD with CN runs and especially by buying a large amount of enchantments when they where still very cheap prior to module 2 and selling them later on. Nowadays i do what most players with large AD reserves do, buy zen items and sell them for profit. My point is, there is no reason for me anymore to invest real money into the game, and i think thats quite common for long time players.
Its the new players who are most likely to spend money on the game, to get their gear more quickly. This is also the playergroup that would benefit the most from resetting the market by introducing a new currency.
So even from an economical point of view, such a decision might make sense. Just some food for thought.
The best case scenario from that option is 50% of players quit imo. It would probably actually be higher. That would be the nuclear option and should only be done if it's a choice between close the server as we can't fix it, or try the nuclear option.
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lonewolfmk1Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 137Arc User
edited August 2014
Of course that would be the last measure to get the market back under control.
But id imagine most of the players who would quite at that point are those who dont invest real money into the game (anymore). Because for those who have little AD anyway and thus are much more likely to spend money on the game, there would only be advantages.
Also i think that that figure of 50%+ quitting the game is exagerated. Nowadays the situation is, that new players get frustated with the game once they fully realize how much they have to grind to even get a lesser enchantment or some rank 7 stones etc. Basically in my (relative small) guild i see many new players play a char until level 60 and soon quit thereafter. I have talked with another guildleader and he sees the same problem (of course there are also other reasons why new players quit).
Economically speaking new players are more important for Neverwinter than the veterans for the above given reasons. Also if the influx of new players dimishes to a certain degree, this game will die off pretty quickly. Now i am not saying that this is the only or even the best way to solve the market problems, but its an option worth considering if all else fails. And, as the German proverb goes, sometimes an ending with terror is better than terror without end.
0
schweifer1982Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,662Arc User
Fix all exploits, using the experiences gathered so far, create a completely new currency and get rid of AD alltogether, the same way in real life a hyperinflation is generally "cured". And this is coming from someone who has around 14 mio AD liquid and around 2-3 times that amount in assets.
That way prices would instantly drop again, the ZAX backlog would disappear since buying ZEN and exchanging it for the new currency would again give you a decent amount of value. And as an added benefit the AD-sellers would be out of business.
Of course that means that the longterm players (like myself) with several million AD will be hit hard. On the other hand, those players are usually those who already have gathered all the gear they want and so are the least likely to actually invest real money into the game.
To take myself as an example, i have been playing, since Neverwinter has been released and invested around 150 € into the game over the first year. After that i made a lot of AD with CN runs and especially by buying a large amount of enchantments when they where still very cheap prior to module 2 and selling them later on. Nowadays i do what most players with large AD reserves do, buy zen items and sell them for profit. My point is, there is no reason for me anymore to invest real money into the game, and i think thats quite common for long time players.
Its the new players who are most likely to spend money on the game, to get their gear more quickly. This is also the playergroup that would benefit the most from resetting the market by introducing a new currency.
So even from an economical point of view, such a decision might make sense. Just some food for thought.
Exelent idea Print new money and boa on Zen Store .
Of course that would be the last measure to get the market back under control.
But id imagine most of the players who would quite at that point are those who dont invest real money into the game (anymore). Because for those who have little AD anyway and thus are much more likely to spend money on the game, there would only be advantages.
Also i think that that figure of 50%+ quitting the game is exagerated. Nowadays the situation is, that new players get frustated with the game once they fully realize how much they have to grind to even get a lesser enchantment or some rank 7 stones etc. Basically in my (relative small) guild i see many new players play a char until level 60 and soon quit thereafter. I have talked with another guildleader and he sees the same problem (of course there are also other reasons why new players quit).
Economically speaking new players are more important for Neverwinter than the veterans for the above given reasons. Also if the influx of new players dimishes to a certain degree, this game will die off pretty quickly. Now i am not saying that this is the only or even the best way to solve the market problems, but its an option worth considering if all else fails. And, as the German proverb goes, sometimes an ending with terror is better than terror without end.
50% is most likely underestimated. Players would still quit at the same rate after hitting 60 just like they have since open beta started. The reason is that they get to sixty and realize how the enchantment and loot system work and how much it takes to get geared and say no I'm not paying. Then you have a fundamental mistake about the value of free players. They fill up the game, without them the game is empty and the whales leave because they don't want to play alone. Do you think people would pay to play a game where they can't find enough people to run a group? This is an option that has a greater chance to kill the game than help it and should only be used if the game is going to die anyways as a last ditch effort to save it. It's an option for if they have nothing left to lose because most likely it will lose. I really believe that the accurate numbers for people that would quit from the removal of ad as currency would be closer to 90% not 50, I'm underestimating things to give you the benefit of the doubt.
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lonewolfmk1Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 137Arc User
I'm underestimating things to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Hopefully we will never have to find out, because you know, i like my AD too :-)
But personally i wouldnt quit the game if such a measure where to be taken. I am far more likely to quit the game when there is nothing left to do, as it has been for some time for me now, save playing pvp. Thus my hopes for module 4 are high indeed.
Comments
They have no intention of changing any of this. With the backlog the way it is, it ensures that folks will buy Zen. It also ensures most folks won't resort to 3rd party sellers for AD to convert to Zen. This is really an optimal situation for the developers. All you need to do is post your orders and wait. It might take 2 weeks but eventually you will get your Zen.
Some people are less interested in their pocketbooks than they are in avoiding ripping other people off. They understand that they could, but they don't want to. Is that so hard for you to understand?
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
And this is the entire root of the problem , while desirable and necessary items can be flipped on the AH for a 50% mark up or more nobody is going to continue to put zen up for sale hence the entire market comes to a halt , flipping items for a huge markup is not what the ZAX was ever intended for .
It is pointless to talk about ppl who dont touch the market atm. What counts is that the backlog is raising because of the actions of those others (which number is probably not low). And this is what I am talking of course. :rolleyes:
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
Read my comment again. Context is your friend. No, wait, I'll save you time and reiterate: I have no interest in ripping-off other players. Following through on your genius idea is to do exactly that - if not that then there is zero profit, in fact it would be a loss (time by a week or two and money with the House's take) - which reiterates the rip-off of other players.
I know there are a large number of players with your mindset: "screw 'em, if they're willing to pay more than they should or could by choice then it's their choice". Fine. I prefer the high road of morality in this case. This is a game. It's nothing more than entertainment for me. I am not here to earn pixel-money that has zero legal tender value whatsoever. My business is with Cryptic Studios is done with Zen. All Astral Diamond spending and earning is simply business with *other players* - not Cryptic. People just aren;t getting that.
And this is why Cryptic will not, should not ever interfere in any way shape or form with the function of the ZAX, other than plugging exploitable holes if any exist (which I do believe I have never seen a ZAX exploitable bug).
As for buying AD with Zen (I never sell the other way around - never have, never will) - when the value and worth of AD come back in-line with the value of Zen (which is permanently fixed, based on the U.S. Dollar) - trey I will use there ZAX to buy AD and help with that backlog in my own way.
***
However, it is people like you, Adermath, as to why there is a backlog in ZAX as I refuse to buy AD with Zen and I know many, many others with the same financial capability as myself feel the same way.
Allow me to prove it to you:
The value of AD is measured by the price in the Auction House (which you, Adermath, are a proponent of inflating by ripping off impatient or uninformed players). It is simple math and anyone familiar with running a budget, such as business-minded or responsible households will tell you:
100 Zen = $1.00 <- this never changes - it is the baseline by which everything else is measured.
1 Zen buys 500 AD x 100 = 50,000 AD
Thus: 50,000 AD = $1.00 U.S. <- new baseline to measure Auction House prices (based on conversion rate).
Helmet gear in AH that used to cost 100,000 AD = $2.00 U.S. Okay, why not? I'll do that.
(Need more AD? Okay, use ZAX to convert Zen to AD, filling AD-to-Zen proffers)
Same Helmet gear in AH that now sells for 500,000 AD = $10.00 U.S. (!!!)
Are you fekking kidding me? Ummm, NO.
Hence: I don't need any AD... no need to convert Zen to AD... save Zen for new shinies coming to Zen Market.
The "price jump" example is exaggerated, but my point is made. It now takes twice as much Zen (which is twice as much $ U.S.) to buy the same item at the new price. THIS is how the prices in the Auction House affect the value of AD and how that affects *value of ZEN*. Get it?
I might be a "whale" who spends a lot of money with Cryptic buying Zen Points, but I'm not stupid (contrary to popular belief in the "New Dragonborn" threads). So I ask again, since the Auction House is the main area for spending Astral Diamonds, WHY would I even want to convert my Zen into Astral Diamonds again?
So, to fix backlog of ZAX, prices in AH need to decrease. However, the only way this will happen is with patience and time. Economies are giant complicated machines. Just like the weather: a butterfly floats to the left in China and a Storm develops over New York, but if he floats to right then a heat wave develops in New York. There are just too many variables involved.
For example: the amount of "excess" AD in game is NOT an issue. Why? Because people like me don't want to farm anything like skirmishes or professions. I'd rather just BUY my AD through the ZAX because I am LAZY that way and I am a casual player. And here's a fact: there are a helluvalot more people like me than you think who'd rather just buy than farm and they aren't doing that because of my example above.
Go figure.
~shrugs~
I appeciate your opinion, but in practice people will always try to make the best out of a given situation. Certainly you understand this.
As I explained above, by making coal drops obtained by praying bound Cryptic already interfered into the ZAX heavily. Making these changes reverse or changing all ZEN items to BoA are simply options which are modifications of the kind they already did in the past.
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
More and more established players have increasingly massive amounts of AD, but we have fewer and fewer new players willingly shelling out real life money for this massively flawed game. There simply isn't enough incoming zen to meet demand.
You want to fix the economy? First fix the glaring flaws. Provide Neverwinter with both replayability and content requiring all the shiny new toys modules 3 and 4 provide. PvP is the only reason to bother grinding T3 gear, but the overwhelming majority of players are only interested in PvE. This is according to Cryptic's 6-month old self-published statistics. Make Neverwinter worth investing real life money into. Neverwinter needs a complete overhaul. ZaX backlog is a symptom, not a cause.
As it stands people are leaving in droves. Xboxers will temporarily increase player populations, but this is a short term band-aid. Console gamers are notoriously fickle. If a game sucks, they move on and never look back.
Which is why Cryptic has special promotions like the Armored Polar Bear if you transfer 20k Zen or the special promotion to get a bunch of shinies if you buy a bunch of enchantment stuff. BUT THEN People bit.ch-and-whine like little three years-olds about it because it either "isn't fair" or because the the big kids get cookies and they don't.
Case-in-point: The new Dragonborn package and the ridiculously adolescent-level whining that's going on in there, not all of them, of course, but you'll know the ones when you read them. Guess what? I bought one. Sure, THAT money goes directly to Cryptic. But do you really think people like me who bought one of those never buy Zen and convert it to AD? But no, the overwhelming consensus among that thread's commentator pool is that I have more money than sense and I am an "idiot" for "falling for Cryptic's big rip-off".
So which is it going to be? The very people who help support the game studio AND help the economy without exploiting anything are then chastised and insulted for doing that very thing? Fortunately I've a plate of armor for skin because I could;t care any less what other people think of what I do or not. Because if I were so darned sensitive as those throwing the mud I'd have left the game running fast as I can with my tail between my legs and crying all the way home.
Seriously people: you just can't have your cake and eat it, too.
up to here its ok 1 ZEN buys 500 AD <-this is true, but only impatient or very stupid people would do this.
If you would purchase ZEN through the ZAX and have enough time to wait, you can make more ZEN than you had before (which corresponds to more wealth in $$). No idea why this is still not clear for you.
- Dualspec
- Better rewarding foundry and foundry pvp maps
- Custom PvP leagues with leaderboards instead of the current 'matchmaking'.
- Armory
- make jumping cost stamina (to reduce hopping in pvp)
I am a fool for trying too hard to convince a brick wall. I give-up.
@Adermath: I'll say again: I refuse to take unfair advantage of other players in any way, shape, or form - if this makes me an "impatient" or "stupid" person" then so be it - I'll wear the label proudly and flaunt it. All my numbers are pretty clear and accurate based on the example exchange rate of 500:1. The numbers would obviously be different as the exchange rate changes, even changing artificially with your suggested scheme; the AD does not gain any additional value with your way.
You seem hell-bent on trying to teach me then insist I use a method of exchange I am already very familiar with (note the "join date" under my name at the left. I've been here a very long time). You're just not getting it. But that's okay.
Now, with that made clear, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.
Between the botting and the exploiting AD it will be very hard to fix now.
Its as if everyone just noticed the Zeppelin was on fire.
Not sure what can be done now.
The millions and millions of AD stored by so many players now put the economy so out of wack its hard to even fathom a fix.
I feel really sorry for any new players.
That way prices would instantly drop again, the ZAX backlog would disappear since buying ZEN and exchanging it for the new currency would again give you a decent amount of value. And as an added benefit the AD-sellers would be out of business.
Of course that means that the longterm players (like myself) with several million AD will be hit hard. On the other hand, those players are usually those who already have gathered all the gear they want and so are the least likely to actually invest real money into the game.
To take myself as an example, i have been playing, since Neverwinter has been released and invested around 150 € into the game over the first year. After that i made a lot of AD with CN runs and especially by buying a large amount of enchantments when they where still very cheap prior to module 2 and selling them later on. Nowadays i do what most players with large AD reserves do, buy zen items and sell them for profit. My point is, there is no reason for me anymore to invest real money into the game, and i think thats quite common for long time players.
Its the new players who are most likely to spend money on the game, to get their gear more quickly. This is also the playergroup that would benefit the most from resetting the market by introducing a new currency.
So even from an economical point of view, such a decision might make sense. Just some food for thought.
But id imagine most of the players who would quite at that point are those who dont invest real money into the game (anymore). Because for those who have little AD anyway and thus are much more likely to spend money on the game, there would only be advantages.
Also i think that that figure of 50%+ quitting the game is exagerated. Nowadays the situation is, that new players get frustated with the game once they fully realize how much they have to grind to even get a lesser enchantment or some rank 7 stones etc. Basically in my (relative small) guild i see many new players play a char until level 60 and soon quit thereafter. I have talked with another guildleader and he sees the same problem (of course there are also other reasons why new players quit).
Economically speaking new players are more important for Neverwinter than the veterans for the above given reasons. Also if the influx of new players dimishes to a certain degree, this game will die off pretty quickly. Now i am not saying that this is the only or even the best way to solve the market problems, but its an option worth considering if all else fails. And, as the German proverb goes, sometimes an ending with terror is better than terror without end.
Exelent idea Print new money and boa on Zen Store .
50% is most likely underestimated. Players would still quit at the same rate after hitting 60 just like they have since open beta started. The reason is that they get to sixty and realize how the enchantment and loot system work and how much it takes to get geared and say no I'm not paying. Then you have a fundamental mistake about the value of free players. They fill up the game, without them the game is empty and the whales leave because they don't want to play alone. Do you think people would pay to play a game where they can't find enough people to run a group? This is an option that has a greater chance to kill the game than help it and should only be used if the game is going to die anyways as a last ditch effort to save it. It's an option for if they have nothing left to lose because most likely it will lose. I really believe that the accurate numbers for people that would quit from the removal of ad as currency would be closer to 90% not 50, I'm underestimating things to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Hopefully we will never have to find out, because you know, i like my AD too :-)
But personally i wouldnt quit the game if such a measure where to be taken. I am far more likely to quit the game when there is nothing left to do, as it has been for some time for me now, save playing pvp. Thus my hopes for module 4 are high indeed.