Read in the Paper: Ea is going to add P2W to all their games

Hmm... and here I thought the best PvE gear was freely tradeable on the GTN. Aren't the level 27 things top-end? That's off-topic though. That stuff doesn't come from CM.

It's entertaining that you call the crystals "straw man".

Do they give any ingame advantage at all from levels 10-49? The only answer can be yes. It's a binary question.

Is there any way to create them that doesn't result in money flowing into EA's bank account? The answer can only be "no".

Ingame advantage for RMT is p2w.

There is no strawman there.

I fully appreciate that a whole lot of people don't care about these for a variety of reasons:

• It's not that big an advantage
• The PvE ones don't count because they don't consider anything PvE as a candiate for p2w
• Bolster mitigates the impact in PvP
• They can be purchased on GTN for credits and we overlook how they're created
• Some posters are "white knights"

But none of that changes the fact that they grant a (very tiny) ingame advantage and are created solely through RMTs.

They're a very brilliant first step toward the p2w cash cow. That's all. I'm marveling at EA's brilliance.

That's not at all what I'm trying to do, not even close. But if I told you what I was trying to do, it wouldn't work. BTW, I think it did work.

And no, it wasn't baiting him either.

I'm still here. Till the work day is done, and I can go home and *play* the game.

See you there?

Wasn't trying to get rid of you either.

Probably won't see you there. Odds say we're on different servers.

But thanks for the forum-games during work.

It's nice to see other people aware of this game.

Star Wars 1313 is, I feel, the new direction SW will be taken by Disney. A more visceral, nitty gritty, and darker type of path.

Nothing in this game is Binary save for the actual computer bits moving around in the sever and your computer, so give it a rest.

There is one material advantage in game of the level 10 color crystals... the ability to have more color crystal variety then otherwise offered in game. And let's be honest... this is their commercial draw for almost all players. And that is only a material advantage to some because of the "cool factor" or the "appearance factor".

The stats have no material advantage for even a level 10 player unless they are gearless and in a nekkid duel (except for weapons) with an opponent wielding a bent butter knife.

Now... let's take note of the fact that you cannot actually purchase level 10 color crystals with +41 stats on them from the Cartel Market.

They are simply a random perk drop from cartel packs... so the only real method to consistently obtain one is via the GTN.

As for the cartel packs themselves, while we all know there are some people that will spend real money for coins to buy them....MOST purchases come from subscribers spending their FREE COINS in the shop and more then half of these players are probably reselling them unopened on the GTN.

TL;DR: it's not at all clear that the crystals represent any material RMT into EAs treasure chest. People do not buy Cartel packs to get the level 10 color crystals. They do however buy them for a chance at more rare items (level 50 white crystals to name just one).

So yeah... your constant adnauseum about the +41 crystals IS a "strawman" to this threads topic. Even the developers have commented at length about that fact since before they patched the crystals into the game.

So the +31 to +10 stat bonus the crystal gives over one that is crafted, quest reward, or vendor-bought is actually zero material advantage?

Then why aren't the crystals +0?

Asked and answered already. Not going to keep mashing the same potatoe.

What is your point? You are grasping at thin air now.

But hey.. ask Bioware if you simply have to know.

Nevermind... I will project an answer for you, in two parts:

1) level capped players won't use +0 stat crystals, and if they only offered the unique colors in +0stats... everyone... you included would be crying up the forums about it.

2) the single crystal in each color with +41 stats is a short cut for Bioware. They wanted players who are not level 50 to have access to them yet they wanted them to be good for end game as well. If they offered them with +3 stats, people would demand that they be offered in other level appropriate increments... and Bioware would have to put special vendors into the game that people could buy new crystals (turning in their old one as proof to purchase), and that is frankly an unncessary complication and extra effort from a single mod item that won't materially change a players strength of play in game. So they made a practical compromise AND they analyzed the impact to game balance AND publicly commented on that analysis and rationale before the crystals went live months ago.

I call BS on that. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, you'll just be dismissive when it all comes down to it. Our points are made, our lines are drawn and you're still arguing.

Okay then...

Stopped reading when I saw "Telegraaf". That newspaper is the dutch version of fox news and if you don't know fox news then you've missed some hilarious hogwash.

Sure there might be truth in adding micro transactions but it's the dutch version of fox news we're talking about so they see loads of things like they just smoked some marijuana, tossed some shrooms and drank loads of booze and then start to imagine things while shouting very loud.

Yeah Telegraaf, the newspaper who's just like Fox. Hysteria incarnated.