What i personally think its MA and FPC attempt to finish this year in annual report at very positive state. Each sold deed can be stated as profit (i.e. refined ped out of system, injected almost zero TT, took out a $6m), maybe not all till the end of 2011 but still.
Acitvity of game economics is tiny somo general ore, weapon and other item sale graps (in-game ofc) and all recession started after SGA, when a lot of medium playerbase just left game, and medium paleys are who deposit (who wanna skill, advance, gain gear, etc), ubers profit from they proffesions, no need for deposit ....
Btw i left also soon after SGA, now in 2011 september came back, i see a lot new cool features but still no taming, no beacons ....also makeup is just now back ... oh yes vesicles are cool, quests etc ... all good, but still to slow ... i think old systems had to be back first.
Nothing new and crative made ... oh just now some mission tokens to gain items instead of blazzar and other crap, true 10k chain gave some skills ...
That says me they have still same thinking. With this deeds they kinda sell opportunity to kinda earn, im sure deed will pay pack in 5 years or more if not game dies 1st lol.
MA made new island, new mob, ppl hunted it for few days, whinned about lagging .. now i dont see this mob globing/hofing ... sand king scam broken trust of looting something ... the Rextellum in end didnt droped any new item (or i missed it) what ppl expected to hit in loot ... and came back to regular mobs they hunt. Just same mob, different look at different location.
There are zillions of ways how to make game exciting, mysterious and discoverable all the time with little of development ... a lot ideas are posted here on forum, but MA just take in mind few suggestions at development when she ask - to kinda have communication. It took so much time for ma to make mission system that ppl were tired ask.
As for example: some mobs drop certain item part and you need collect all parts from different mob to combine it together. The recipe is unknown same as mob DNA to make. When someone makes and item it could bring such a discussions, wanting to find parts ... ties you in hunting ... some extra markup, improved activity of game. Items that combines dont need to be unL, like Ancient Isis LR53(L) of TT of sum of combined parts TT used ... with some improved stats ... unique items u cant get regularly ... something you need to find out your self etc etc ... sent this to MA (in bit advanced way using all profession in game mining, hunting, crafting) like 3 years ago i think. This might not be best idea ofc, there are plenty of them and better of this.
Gold, Adomasite, Valurite and other ores are cheaper then lyst ... epic ... MA make ore rare but with no use, what that is for balance ... there are plenty of wrong things in-game now.
Mentoring is back just now ............. it had to be 1st thing to remake after VU10 to keep steady income of new players, and look its nothing super cool made now, mentor register and rating and different algorithm to check graduation cant take that much time.
MA need steady, regular growth of new players injected into game all time as someone of existing leave, they basing business of existing players and dont think how to get more new in ...........
I could write and write and write ... but why .....