Markups are declining, as you point out, but it is a fall, rather than a crash, which is where I think the game was heading, next year, the year after...eventually. This gives time to build up the new-player base, time for current players to adjust to the new conditions, and time for investor confidence to stabilize, albeit at a lower level, and avoid a panic. (Like the New Deal, although you are right of course that direct comparison is a stretch, but the use of analogies isn't, and hopefully without the drastic adjustments of the Second New Deal.)
The move toward a more "freemium" model used by other games is probably needed to draw new players, and, to be fair, the other games started it. Most large, western, MMOs were subscription based in 2009 when Turbine switched DDO to free to play with great success, making most of their money from webshop purchases, then followed with LOTRO a year later. Following their example, the industry as a whole shifted (loosely) towards the EU model.
Last note, on pill-crafting...I have a nanobot BP I could toss on auction.
Thanks for the comment.
The fall has been heavy on most mining materials, at first common ores/enmats to below 105% and now seems to be affecting materials such as energised crystal and pre change traditionally higher mark up materials. Of course there are exceptions such as dianthus, but overall has made profit mining extremely difficult.
Hunting mark ups also dropped over the last year, after introduction of shrapnel that temporarily raised mark ups on oils etc (cut supply); then followed explosive mania that cut demand for oils etc and put mark ups back to where they began in the main. This confused me greatly as the two decisions seem at odds with the perceived intention of the other.
As for the "freemium" model it is cool that players don't get stuck at the midpoint of career with their introduction, however with constant supply won't we get back to where we started back in PE before the (l) revolution? By this i mean players leaving game will sell excess "bought from MA" stuff creating more than needed in economy. Yes i agree the stuff being done of late (upgrades/buy from MA/webshop deals) is done widely by other games, however the difference is ofc that EU is RCE and none of the others are.
As for the "run on bank" possibilities, my fear is that investor type players, and older players may start to withdraw/sell-out. Traders and high end item owners in game i would imagine account for quite a large % of ingame liabilities to MA. My hope is this doesn't happen, but is at the forefront of my mind at this time.
I just hope that there is a bigger picture that i'm not seeing, but for now as we always say adapt or quit (or go into cryo and wait till things become more apparent).
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