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Guild Wars 2 with a "Gem" Exchange

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited March 2012 in Ten Forward
As per EP of GW2:
Article wrote:
In Guild Wars 2 we have three currencies: gold, karma, and gems. Gold is the common in-game currency. Karma, which players earn in-game but cannot trade, is used for unique rewards. And gems are the currency that’s bought and used to purchase microtransactions.

We have a new player-driven market that allows players to trade gold for gems and gems for gold. If you want something, whether it’s an in-game item or a microtransaction, you ultimately have two ways to get it: you can play to earn gold or you can use money to buy gems. We think that’s important, because it lets more players participate on a level playing field, whether they use their free time or their disposable income to do it.

MMO veterans will note the similarities of our system to EVE Online’s PLEX system. As in that case, our system takes gold trading out of the hands of real-money trading (RMT) companies and puts it directly in the hands of players.
Replace "gold" with "energy credits", "karma" with "gold-pressed latinum" and "gems" with "dilithium", and you can eerily replace "Guild Wars 2" with "Star Trek Online".

Naturally, the initial reactions from the community have been mixed.

I for one have been looking greatly forward to GW2 after being a longtime player of GW1, and I this announcement has not changed my outlook. I am interested how if the ArenaNet / NCsoft version will differ from what we have from Cryptic / PWE (if at all).
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Intricated wrote: »
    I for one have been looking greatly forward to GW2 after being a longtime player of GW1, and I this announcement has not changed my outlook. I am interested how if the ArenaNet / NCsoft version will differ from what we have from Cryptic / PWE (if at all).

    It will differ in that their "GPL" will most likely grant players access to actual functional game items instead of useless trophies and holoemitters :3
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Intricated wrote: »
    As per EP of GW2:Replace "gold" with "energy credits", "karma" with "gold-pressed latinum" and "gems" with "dilithium", and you can eerily replace "Guild Wars 2" with "Star Trek Online".
    Eh, not really.
    Their karma sounds more like the Boff/Doff skill pool.

    And it´s actually relieving to see they have copied one of the better "F2P" systems. What EVE and STO suffer from most is that their systems got added quite a while after the economy developed. Bringing all the inflation problems.

    We´ll see how this pans out when it´s implemented right from the start. The commitment to shun Pay4Win (unlike STO :( ) is very encouraging.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Letting the article sink in a bit more, I come to think (other than the grammar in my rushed post,) that it is indeed encouraging to see AN's emphasis on anti-PW2 (to just short of saying those words). It aligns to their game philosophy to have a player's chance at "winning" be more based on skilled usage of character abilities and traits in situational contexts rather than gear (and character level to some extent).

    That being said, gear will still play a role in player effectiveness and thus be coveted to some extent to the typical player segments (min/maxers, money>time, etc.). We still have to see what gear will be made available for gold/gems via vendors, but perhaps this is where taking a(nother) page (ideally only the idea not the execution) from STO in regards to the high-end gear put behind a grind wall (namely STFs or crafting to a lesser extent) with its own pseudo-currency to represent accumulation towards the gear is what AN could do to avoid the P2W stigma. Perhaps karma (assuming it will still be acquired through general/all gameplay, but it now (more) for "unique rewards") ends up being the currency used to obtain the better (non-tradable) gear. So:

    gold = EC
    karma = hybrid STF salvage/tech + GPL + Defera tech (and possibly still used to impact a character's personality)?
    gem = refined dilithium (integrated with dilithium ore and CPs)

    Curious and curiouser...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Well pre order for GW2 is open from 10th April and includes access to all the Beta weekends so we will all be able to see.

    Guess this means no money for STO in April from some folks unless they do really good sales.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I was expecting it, not surprised, but as I knew what it was like in GW1, I can say I don't mind at all, I was fortunate to get to have a go of it at Eurogamer in the UK and was very very impressed with it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I have absolutely no interest in GW2 yet another hack/slash elves MMO by NCsoft (got burnt long ago by Lineage II)

    Besides ... it is not Star Trek :p
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    jkstocbr wrote:
    I have absolutely no interest in GW2 yet another hack/slash elves MMO by NCsoft (got burnt long ago by Lineage II)

    Besides ... it is not Star Trek :p
    There's no elves in GW...?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    momiji wrote: »
    There's no elves in GW...?

    You know what I mean :p ... Fantasy, swords, armour and alike.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    And guns, turrets, grenades, flame throwers and harpoon launchers, not to mention swimming.

    As for Elves maybe the Sylvari are elves of sorts :/ but they have Asura Yoda's for the TOR crowd.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Gems seem more like C-Points than dilithium. There's no use for it in buying something inside the game. Like when you buy something from the C-Store here, you actually can just use C-Points. Now you can convert D for C here, but bottom line you're still using C-Points (unless you were crazy enough to merge with PWE account and risk credit card information being stolen).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Yes, gems are C-points, gold is EC, and GW2 has no 'dilithium'.

    Which is actually a weakness, since there is no way to gate how much gold people gain in a day. On the other hand, they are starting out fresh, so they don't have the problem of pre-existing inflation that Cryptic had.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    They also have the advantage that nobody is being given free gems every month for being a lifetime subber.

    Initially markets will be strange as people try to sell gems for gold, as people wont actually have much gold at all until they get established. The system should work as they control how much people get from drops etc and all gems have been bought so doesnt matter how much they sell for.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Hasn't Guild Wars always had microtransactions though? There's plenty of stuff (like new clothing) to buy in the cash shop in the first game from what I remember.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Amosov wrote:
    Hasn't Guild Wars always had microtransactions though? There's plenty of stuff (like new clothing) to buy in the cash shop in the first game from what I remember.

    They came very late in the game, well after the final expansion came out.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Quote of the relevant part
    Here’s our philosophy on microtransactions: We think players should have the opportunity to spend money on items that provide visual distinction and offer more ways to express themselves. They should also be able to spend money on account services and on time-saving convenience items. But it’s never OK for players to buy a game and not be able to enjoy what they paid for without additional purchases, and it’s never OK for players who spend money to have an unfair advantage over players who spend time.
    This here is the MAJOR buying incentive for me.

    No Pay 2 Win like STO has now become!

    It is going to be vanity items only and so called account services. So probably adding character slots etc.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    ivarST wrote:
    Quote of the relevant part

    This here is the MAJOR buying incentive for me.

    No Pay 2 Win like STO has now become!

    It is going to be vanity items only and so called account services. So probably adding character slots etc.

    To be fair, Cryptic said mostly the same thing a long time ago.... among other things. ;)

    Still, Guild Wars was my first online game so I have to check this out as well. :)
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