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One Step to Fix NWO's Economic Fail Pattern
ambrosianectar
Member Posts: 136 Arc User
The major contributor to our sinking economy, player unhappiness and Cryptic/PWE revenue strains is the bot.
What follows is a description of the Economic Fail Pattern and the one step to fix it.
KEY
$:H
"Real money paid vs Hours Played ratio", a measure of each individual account's value
HF2P
Honest (never exploit) F2P players. Low $:H ratio, but needed to populate the game, add quality to game.
HPfC
Honest (buys only from the company) Pay for Convenience players, High $:H ratio, the major revenue stream.
KGC
"Keep Gear Competitive" cost, the amount of game currency required to maintain the median gear score.
BMD
Black Market Dealers, sellers of unauthorized/illegal game currency, primary tool is the bot.
DP
Dishonest player, exploits or does business with BMD, lowest $:H, potentially a -[$:H], -revenue stream
Economic Fail Pattern
1) Bots amass countless resources, far more than any HF2P could ever acquire.
2) AH is flooded with goods, lowering the price on all items and causing inflation.
3) HF2P get frustrated that they cannot compete in the AH to earn KGC.
They complain to the company, quit or become DPs, furthering the inflation.
4) KGC rises with inflation
5) HPfC get frustrated because of rising KGC.
They complain to the company, quit or become DPs, furthering the inflation and lowering revenue.
[Here is the economic fail point]
6) Company gets frustrated with the complaints and falling revenue.
They respond with...
a) Broad-sweeping economic restrictions targeting DPs (not bots).
These restrictions also affect HF2P.
Examples of these restrictions include new "bind on accounts" (keys, coal wards, Dungeon Chest gear, etc...), blocking or removing content popular with both DPs and HF2Ps (Foundry AD Hour, leadership AD)
b) Focus resources on replacing lost HF2P and HPfC by heavy advertising/development of future product/Mods.
KGC rises further.
7) Return to Step 3 and repeat
Solution
6) Company redirects all development resources to bot elimination.
Yes, it CAN be done. Captcha-style "human check" gates on the character-change screen and AH posting page.
Enhanced bot/macro-searches at farming entrances.
No new restrictions on DPs until bots are controlled. DP population will deflate when bots and KGC deflate.
No new development, no new Mods, no new content until the bot infestation is controlled.
This will not be popular with anyone at first.
But with the bots gone, the KGC will fall rapidly....
7) DPs convert back to HF2P and HPfC. Revenue increases. Company has more resources for newer, better content.
TL;DR
Bots are the single biggest threat to NWO.
Shifting all development resources to the elimination of bots is the solution.
Thanks for reading.
Discuss among yourselves.
0
Comments
Sophisticated bots can bypass and beat any captcha. That issue has been addressed.
The solution for bots requires a more aggressive stance... it cannot be solved with passive actions. Cryptic will not put future releases on hold to handle this issue.
I agree that bots are a huge threat... but not as bad as alienating a large population of the players in game.
Taking sound advice from very knowledgeable players and implementing them would be wiser than just trying to sweep the bots under the rug. As with all MMOs there is a VERY large population of geniuses and experts who play the game... be the smart MMO and use that for an advantage.
You may not like it, but the fact that AD is worth now more than before is a fact.
Instant trade AZ/ZEN is positive for HF2P, not negative.
Another fact is that certain fixed prices are getting a look at and will be reduced in the near future (marks of potency).
Only this would be enough to indicate that the current situation is better than the previous one.
And let's be honest, it was not just the bots being a problem, even legit players with leadership alt armies were a problem, as they were putting a huge opportunity cost on whoever refused to be drawn in that mindless meta-game.
and "Company redirects all development resources to bot elimination." would just spell the end of the game for good. There are more important aspects to a game than the economy. For one, content, you know, the thing you actually play when you log in. How long has it been since we had a new proper dungeon delve? Oh, mod 4, right. *rollseyes*
What else is there? Bug fixes, class balance and quality of life changes. All more important than fixing the economy. You gotta sort your priorities right, and overly simplicistic solutions will only drive the game into the ground faster than before.
Auto Chat filter can be apply, like person type same text twice in couple min = chat ban. Since most of bot are using same text templates it would not be so hard to clear some chat.
In order to deal with bots, u must have active Staff member who work by style, Search and destroy. Which mean, u run around, probably run some dungeon, or as what StrumSlinger usually does, and in same time killing bots.
Because in know that there in so system which can't be cracked/hacked or bypassed. Even if developers create new game security feature, bot developers will found solution to bypass it.
“The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
Gustave Le Bon.
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1.) Players no longer can sell anything on the AH as ALL equipment, runes, enchants, potions, scrolls, etc. are now bound to Account.
2.) Cryptic now opens the CRYPTIC store and sells all equipment, runes, enchants etc. (as BoA)
3.) Cryptic can now increase the amount of AD you can now make in Dungeons, salvaging, professions, etc. because all AD will go directly to Cryptic when you buy anything.
So then, if a army of Bots do nothing but Leadership for AD, that AD is now unless to them, other then to buy Zen and resell, rinse and repeat.... OR buy items from Cryptic that they HAVE to use do to being bound.
Bots can no longer will sell on 3rd party web sites.. no way to get AD to players through game because the AH will have been removed.
Thoughts? Can this actually work?
- One in Neverdeath Graveyard to hit the botters farming grounds.
- One to watch the Auction House, to tag any supsicious sales of junk items for millions of AD, and to hit the selling grounds.
- One in PE to hit the goldsellers advertising grounds.
Especially if GMs would at some point find and bann the accounts, where the botters store their farmed AD.
And bann real players, that buy AD from botters with real money, in the process too...
It's not that complicated, and this would really hurt the botters.
Enough to add some chat filtering features..
In LFG and zone block text's like WTT, WTB, WTS + adding possible variations like W_T_S, W T S, W.T.S or ect. After all for trading game have trade channel, And zone + LFG is not for it..
Next add filtering for words trade, lfg, say and zone channels, >> www, w w w, w_w_w or ect. In other words possibility to write websites.
Only exclude guild and private chats only.. After all guild chatting policy is guilds owns stuff. And private messages also its own player policy if he want chat about some videos or whatever...
Next add feature like measure chat spam rate..
if same player write same text in multiple chats in ~3 seconds = its either breaking rules of chat policy or its bot. And repeat same spam like 3~ in 1 min, which lead to chat silence for 10 min. After 10 if person repeat same spam and breaking chat policy he receive 20 min chat silence. next 40 min and so one..
In the end Staff only need to check chat logs who receive this SILENCE punishment and decide either ban or just send warning.
And if guy promoting own guild its ok if he write in zone chat like 1 or 2 messages in 1 min. But if he repeat it like 8 times in 1 min = he either maniac who seek attention or bot.
It will not kill all gold sellers or bots, but slightly decrease amount of them + decrease pointless chat spam.
Next as for bots in game, well its other story. I don't know do Neverwinter have any game protection feature at all. IF they have then it is bad one :P
“The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
Gustave Le Bon.
==================================================
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflation Thanks, no.
— (The unwritten rule)
LOL.
The entire game was set up for the need of AD from leadership and then they nixed it, without changing the entire economy, which was horrendous and still is.
What a lark!