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Possible Solution to the Zen exchange and the Vip issues

corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
the 2 main issues that I saw and heard of lately are the Zen Exchange store and VIP

the main solution for the ZAX and I know this is controversial but to remove it all together Neverwinter is not a game that is meant for
this form of system having 2 separate currencies was never compatible with how the game works having Astral diamonds as the main currency
is actually enough a player should be able to buy astral diamonds directly and the Zen shop should just be a regular shop with AD as the
main currency which also creates an AD sink which is what both the developers and the game market actually require to keep the game going

now bear with me I know this is not the most popular decision but it's better than 90% of the solutions suggested that just solve the issue
temporarily but then it just has to be addressed again later so by doing this a player can buy directly items from the store with or without discounts depending on the vision of the developers and the project manager.

Essentially this will create 2 things:

An AD sink which will reduce the very high amount of AD in the game which will make the resources easier to manage for the creators.

It gives the Devs a Price regulator role which was needed a small proof is (the very high cost of preservation wards which became a black market and i am doing it myself so I am admitting that I myself am making resources from the black market where players just have to abide by whatever price the people with Zen place which is just currently too much) so this system is not revolutionary in the game because it already exists in the Wonderous Bazaar where you can purchase marks of potency with AD and the prices are always within the range of the wonderous bazar prices which makes it extremely hard for a black market to be created.



As for VIP it also must be removed and the creators have been mentioning it and it was considered by some as basically a mistake it was
too good for what it offers since removing the ZAX (Zen Exchange store) creates a very large AD sink it actually makes it possible to
remove the 10% AH cut without having to worry too much so it does give more control to the creators so it's not a great deal for the
players but it can help create a market that is foreseeable and stable so no more gigantic profits or miniature rewards for a lot of time spent

Remarks:
these are drastic measures and will make me one of the most hated players in Neverwinter but they have a good chance to work.
these problems were problems way before and I doubt keeping a system that is basically uncontrollable and a market that is prone to a black market where there is no competition and a certain group of players simply agrees on a certain price and the community suffers a bit
it opens a possibility to introduce whatever the creators want since the market is AD based and 1 currency so less trouble and prices can be regulated through the AD shop (EX Zen shop) so nobody can over price so this way AH has to always be under the price of AD shop.

Thank you for reading this even if it was a little long.
Aozen Dreyar (Ur).
«13

Comments

  • xenocide#6577 xenocide Member Posts: 228 Arc User
    The main reasons people complain about the zax is because there are items that can only be purchased with Zen, and because players who use it for profit have to wait longer to make their ad.

    My suggestion is this.

    Make EVERY Zen market item tradable via auction house or p2p trades.
    VIP should be a token when purchased via Zen market that you could use or sell.
    Enchanted keys should be sell/ tradable.
    Account wide mounts.
    Everything on the Zen market should be tradable, this would reduce the demand on the zax and may help with the backlog.

    This would make items like vip available to all players without having to wait the 87 days and counting,. And you guys at cryptic still get paid because someone bought that item with Zen.
    In fact, maybe they bought 2 this time, one to use and one to sell, or give to a friend.
  • thefiresidecatthefiresidecat Member Posts: 4,486 Arc User
    it is necessary to have the zax for this to be a free to play game. the zax gives a "gold standard" to diamonds as a currency. without it inflation would be rampant.
  • corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
    to everyone here who do not understand what i am saying YOU CAN STILL BUY AD WITH $$$ the difference is ONLY removing the 2 CURRENCY SYSTEM
  • corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
    the funny thing about these comments is in the end what does Zen offer more than AD? in the end of the day Zen items are turned into AD through the Ah it is just a matter of time so don't give me these senseless comments buying AD out flat is the same as buying Zen most buyers just end up buying at discounts and selling at high for more AD in profit if the prices are set properly buyers will buy AD directly without complaining to advance their game i never said give 750k ad for 10$ it should be increased but i am saying The Zen System is obviously flawed and the Zen Exchange won't be lasting much longer so why have 2 currencies when they are unmanageable it is simply Silly to keep 2 currencies the way they are now so having a single currency purely AD is the solution and if your complaints are AD rarity and what not there are many ways to handle that and give AD more value but the 2 currency system has to go it's not good for anyone and made no sense to begin with also the way i am providing has a built in AD sink which by nature will make AD rarer so sorry guys but my solution still works
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited January 2021

    the funny thing about these comments is in the end what does Zen offer more than AD? in the end of the day Zen items are turned into AD through the Ah it is just a matter of time so don't give me these senseless comments buying AD out flat is the same as buying Zen most buyers just end up buying at discounts and selling at high for more AD in profit if the prices are set properly buyers will buy AD directly without complaining to advance their game i never said give 750k ad for 10$ it should be increased but i am saying The Zen System is obviously flawed and the Zen Exchange won't be lasting much longer so why have 2 currencies when they are unmanageable it is simply Silly to keep 2 currencies the way they are now so having a single currency purely AD is the solution and if your complaints are AD rarity and what not there are many ways to handle that and give AD more value but the 2 currency system has to go it's not good for anyone and made no sense to begin with also the way i am providing has a built in AD sink which by nature will make AD rarer so sorry guys but my solution still works

    Yes, Zen offers much more than AD. If not, nobody cares about Zen.
    There are many things AD can't buy such as VIP, character slots, lockbox key, bank slot, race packs, Zen mount, Zen companion, ....
    You do not find them in AH.
    Zen is where the company earn real money.
    No idea why you said Zax will not last much longer. When I started, the wait time was over 6 months.
    The current system is not broken for the company. It helps them to earn money. They have been 'changing' it so that they can earn more money. Did you notice they intentionally keep on adding more easy AD to the game? The longer the wait time, the better their bottom line.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • tchefi#6735 tchefi Member Posts: 417 Arc User
    edited January 2021

    the 2 main issues that I saw and heard of lately are the Zen Exchange store and VIP

    the main solution for the ZAX and I know this is controversial but to remove it all together Neverwinter is not a game that is meant for
    this form of system having 2 separate currencies was never compatible with how the game works having Astral diamonds as the main currency
    is actually enough a player should be able to buy astral diamonds directly and the Zen shop should just be a regular shop with AD as the
    main currency which also creates an AD sink which is what both the developers and the game market actually require to keep the game going

    now bear with me I know this is not the most popular decision but it's better than 90% of the solutions suggested that just solve the issue
    temporarily but then it just has to be addressed again later so by doing this a player can buy directly items from the store with or without discounts depending on the vision of the developers and the project manager.

    Not a good idea at all... In my opinion it would create a heaven for third-party RMT (Real Money Trading) whereas the period we are currently in, with huge backlog since mid2018, is quite not in their favor... (and probably the reason why i can now go around the bank in PE without seeing every 2 minutes a /s or /z "mywebsite . com sells 7,5M AD for 25$" [some were even able to bot their way to /w or ingame mail back in 2016/2017]). I would rather have a huge backlog and Cryptic geting all the money rather than no backlog (and fluctuating Zax) or no zen "inbetween" currency and see third parties RMT laundering their dirty money or making a parallel business behind both Cryptic and players' back.

    https://pideeco.be/articles/aml-money-laundering-and-video-games/#:~:text=Multiple methods co-exist to,use of convertible virtual currencies.

    In 2013, cybercrime analyst Jean-Loup Richet wrote in a report titled "Laundering Money Online : a review of cybercriminals’ methods,” that microtransactions are what attracts criminals to the worlds of online video games.

    A criminal may download a free online game on their PC, phone, or tablet, then proceed to create a character or an avatar. Alternatively, they can also hack an already existing account to further protect their identity.

    The criminal will then channel the proceeds of their illegal activity or stolen credit cards into the game and convert the money to the game’s currency. Inside the game, they will buy rare weapons or power-up their characters through microtransactions, then sell their characters or their stash of in-game virtual currency at a discounted price on grey secondary market websites such as eBay, PlayerAuctions, G2G, or iGVault.

    Most online games only allow the player to acquire items through microtransactions, meaning that most currencies, skins, or weapons can be bought with fees that are below $200. This allows criminals to cover their traces easily and not drawn attention to themselves.


    In June of 2019, FATF added an interpretive note to Recommendation 15 in relation to virtual asset activities and service providers, particularly related to money laundering and terrorist financing. The note puts forth approaches to regulating and supervising virtual asset service providers (VASPs). A game company that sells virtual currencies may be considered a VASP. Many disagree with this notion, stating that many in-game items are not intended to be traded or sold on unauthorised third-party websites and that game developers shouldn’t bear the burden of AML/CTF regulation.


  • corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
    1-to plastic bat 1 you would be able to buy with with AD but VIP to begin with has to go ( because cryptic don't want it anymore) but anything you could get with zen you would still be able to get it with AD
    2-to tchefi that is not an issue now? you think none selling stuff for irl money right now? there are many examples of people doing this behavior and it does not require in game items specifically anyway bro this is the least of our worried because this is already happening ( don't bring me into this discussion here) but if you think there is anyway to stop people from making real money from free to play games or even pay to play games you seriously don't know how the internet works
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited January 2021

    1-to plastic bat 1 you would be able to buy with with AD but VIP to begin with has to go ( because cryptic don't want it anymore) but anything you could get with zen you would still be able to get it with AD

    The first question is: Will Cryptic get significantly more money? If yes, they may want to spend resource (which costs money) to change stuff to increase profit. If not, they won't. If they will earn even less money, they definitely will not.

    VIP currently is their cash cow. It is popular. VIP user need to keep on buying it. Many want it. Many can't play without it. Many pay real money just to have it. Why will Crypt not want VIP anymore? No business removes their cash cow. They all want the cash cow to grow bigger.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
    plasticbat no they don't want vip because right now it is their only as you call it cash cow the problem is it is so good nothing else is worth buying on the zen shop and the devs know this so they want to get rid of the too good to be true deal if you compare vip to anything you can buy in the entire game vip wins hands down and this is their issue it is too good so they have to take it out ( if i agree with it or not ) so other items look good and stop being compared to vip ( which nothing can come close to) if you were to add anything to the zen shop both me and you know nothing can compare to vip XD unless you want to add a different form of vip which just leads us further down the ( people won't buy anything else) so this is why they want to remove vip it is costing them money the return for vip is way too high and vip gets you more vip XD you are acting as if so many people are buying it while most are getting 1 month vip which they turn into 2 months vip and so on with zen to ad trade so by removing vip they can leave room for some other stuff and make other ( in my opinion very silly items in the zen shop ) seem better you get it?
  • kharkov58kharkov58 Member Posts: 667 Arc User
    If you remove VIP from the zen shop, what are you going to sell to make up for all that lost revenue. If Cryptic was able to just whip up something else that would make us tell them to "shut up and take my money", they would have already done it.

    Nothing else in the zen shop even comes close. Removing VIP would remove most of Cryptic's revenue.
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited January 2021

    plasticbat no they don't want vip because right now it is their only as you call it cash cow the problem is it is so good nothing else is worth buying on the zen shop and the devs know this so they want to get rid of the too good to be true deal if you compare vip to anything you can buy in the entire game vip wins hands down and this is their issue it is too good so they have to take it out ( if i agree with it or not ) so other items look good and stop being compared to vip ( which nothing can come close to) if you were to add anything to the zen shop both me and you know nothing can compare to vip XD unless you want to add a different form of vip which just leads us further down the ( people won't buy anything else) so this is why they want to remove vip it is costing them money the return for vip is way too high and vip gets you more vip XD you are acting as if so many people are buying it while most are getting 1 month vip which they turn into 2 months vip and so on with zen to ad trade so by removing vip they can leave room for some other stuff and make other ( in my opinion very silly items in the zen shop ) seem better you get it?

    Hard to read your stuff without period.
    It is simple. Zen store is where they earn money from this game.
    You remove the best seller from Zen store (and you considered the other stuff are not good).
    Where can they make money to cover the lose revenue of VIP?

    The logic of removing the best stuff from Zen store to make other stuff looks 'good' does not make any sense.
    You go to a store which is famous for (say) vanilla ice cream and nothing else every week. One day, they remove vanilla ice cream from the menu. Will you go back there to buy something else every week? I know I will not go to that store, period.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • krsbawskrsbaws Member Posts: 28 Arc User
    This is not the worst or craziest idea that I've heard, but I don't think that the developers would ever go for it because it requires a leap of faith!

    The missing link, is that items that are bought on the ex-ZEN store or now extended wonderous bazaar (eg. wards & VIP as the OP is proposing)...this AD is removed from the game...so whilst in the short-term, it would reduce the income of real $$$ buying ZEN...it's not like the AD where the AD goes back in to the game and only a little is removed by the posting fee...

    ...I would possibly suggest that vip could be bought directly with $$$ as under this proposed system, there's less incentive to spend real money

    Also, it would probably be a good idea to have a caveat that you can't buy VIP until yours has expired and there's nothing greater than a 3-month pack available
  • corazonxdxcorazonxdx Member Posts: 40 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    Krsbaws thank you bro for understanding and yes there are many tweaks that can happen to make this a smoother process but honestly the cryptic team can't expect to solve years of bad practices which have resulted in the situation we are in now without doing some drastic things they can handle VIP in anyway they want since that was always in their power and they talked about Removing VIP entirely before ( it is not something i mentioned it was there from the start) without reducing the huge ridiculous amount of AD that we have in game there is no possible way to get a hand on the market and make it stable also for the people who keep thinking it will somehow lead to a black market where people buy and sell AD for $$$ i assure you it is already being done entire accounts are being sold and it's not just about resources even services in game are being sold for real money and the devs should be aware of that it's just a risk that comes with games in general. and thank you for not panicking like other people do without thinking of a possibility for it to be beneficial my solution is for the long run to keep the game alive and going it's not a popular decision but working decision are rarely the popular ones.

    PS: my solution can even be a temporary one and they can bring back ZEN later for all i care it's their company in the end but without having a stable market with resources that they can at least keep track of the game won't survive for long it's not only about the ZEN back log what about the absurd prices on the AH when will that ever be addressed? my solution also handles the internal black market which has lead to some items selling constantly for prices way above their actual value which have not dropped for over 6 months ( if you need proof go see how much 99 preservation wards are costing) they are up to 1.4 ---> 1.5 million AD when they cost people with Zen no more than 525 k till 600k depending on the Zen coupon or discount event so it is in the 130% to 140% profit on an item which is almost a necessity for upgrading almost everything we use) I know some people are enjoying these profits but honestly as a community players are suffering this is what I am trying to solve if players can level up more they will spend more and play more and probably eventually BUY stuff to support the game.
  • franciscoperolafranciscoperola Member Posts: 50 Arc User

    Cryptic will never give up ZEn, otherwise it would run out of revenue. However, if I told the players to offer a higher value than the exchange rate, making it a free market, I could, for example, offer 1,000 AD instead of 750 AD, thus drastically reducing transaction times.
  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,083 Arc User
    Yes, reduced right up until the demands hit cap again. Which would take all of the time it would take for everyone to cancel their current orders/listings and put them back up at the higher rate. We saw this when the cap went up to 750.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User


    However, if I told the players to offer a higher value than the exchange rate, making it a free market, I could, for example, offer 1,000 AD instead of 750 AD, thus drastically reducing transaction times.

    It does not. Yes, those cancel and re-list early could get their Zen fast on the first day. After that, everything back to 'normal'. The price of Zen item in AH will just be raised higher.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • kharkov58kharkov58 Member Posts: 667 Arc User
    Why do so many people assume that there is a problem with the ZAX and VIP. Nothing is wrong with either of them that a little planning ahead can't take care of. The problem is everybody that lacks the patience to buy zen from the ZAX.
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited March 2021
    kharkov58 said:

    Why do so many people assume that there is a problem with the ZAX and VIP. Nothing is wrong with either of them that a little planning ahead can't take care of. The problem is everybody that lacks the patience to buy zen from the ZAX.

    Personally, I don't consider both Zax and VIP are problem at all, at least not at this moment. I also don't think Cryptic considers it is a problem internally although they may express it is a problem to public for PR reason.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • xenocide#6577 xenocide Member Posts: 228 Arc User
    You could always go play magic legends.

    Although the team has admitted to manipulating the Zen market over in that game after a disastrous launch, kind of makes you wonder doesn't it?
  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,083 Arc User
    kharkov58 said:

    Why do so many people assume that there is a problem with the ZAX and VIP. Nothing is wrong with either of them that a little planning ahead can't take care of. The problem is everybody that lacks the patience to buy zen from the ZAX.

    Because they don't get their zen from AD fast enough to please them and they refuse to actually spend money to get their zen.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • wintersmokewintersmoke Member Posts: 1,641 Arc User
    greywynd said:

    Yes, reduced right up until the demands hit cap again. Which would take all of the time it would take for everyone to cancel their current orders/listings and put them back up at the higher rate. We saw this when the cap went up to 750.

    How long did that take, after the 750 increase again?
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited April 2021

    greywynd said:

    Yes, reduced right up until the demands hit cap again. Which would take all of the time it would take for everyone to cancel their current orders/listings and put them back up at the higher rate. We saw this when the cap went up to 750.

    How long did that take, after the 750 increase again?
    Few hours if not within an hour.
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • jules#6770 jules Member Posts: 709 Arc User

    You could always go play magic legends.


    Although the team has admitted to manipulating the Zen market over in that game after a disastrous launch, kind of makes you wonder doesn't it?

    :D They do indeed have bigger issues than NW alone.
    - bye bye -
  • grogthemagnifgrogthemagnif Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,651 Arc User

    it is necessary to have the zax for this to be a free to play game. the zax gives a "gold standard" to diamonds as a currency. without it inflation would be rampant.

    1 Zen used to be 100-200 Zen, now it's 1 Zen for 750 AD. I'd call that inflation. The minimum AD purchase used to be 10,000-20,000, now it's inflated to 75,000 in 7 years.
  • grogthemagnifgrogthemagnif Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,651 Arc User
    What about the players who left with Zen owed by the ZaX?
  • plasticbatplasticbat Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 12,183 Arc User
    edited April 2021

    What about the players who left with Zen owed by the ZaX?

    Players never "leave" unless they decide to delete their account (which I don't know how to do or anyone actually jumps through the hoops to figure out how to do that) or Cryptic decides to delete the account. Zen will drop to their account when Zax process transaction or stay in the Zax forever (if the bid is less than 750).
    *** The game can read your mind. If you want it, you won't get it. If you don't expect to get it, you will. ***
  • jules#6770 jules Member Posts: 709 Arc User
    Appearently you can ask support to delete your account.
    - bye bye -
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