So, this came to my thoughts during discussions of GTN credit inflation in another thread. And right now my curiosity is brimming about how it would affect the game...

What if the GTN was a bind-on-purchase deal? No changes would be made to what items are bound or not, but if it goes through the GTN, the buyer would only receive it as a "bound-to-legacy" item, preventing "flipping" an item and reselling it several times. I imagine if the feature had changes made to it, that limit could be expanded to 2 or 3 passes through the GTN.

At first I thought it would be a good way to prevent players amassing too many credits by treating the GTN like a stock market, but now I'm imagining it would reduce the circulation of all the items in the market, and drive up their prices if the players knew they would never be resold again.

I'm honestly not sure what might happen, so any thoughts?

Making it more difficult to sell items on the GTN won't change the main problem with the economy - which are too many credits chasing too few desirable items.

They could reduce the number of credits in circulation and / or add more desirable items.

Reducing credits in circulation (without some sort of reset) would require some combination of reduced credit inflows and increased credit sinks.

Adding more desirable items would require things such as reducing the costs to buy CC, reducing the costs of items in the CM, providing more ways to earn CC / CM items in-game, and increasing the monthly CC stipend.

The first set of changes would probably tick off players, the second set of changes would probably tick off the bean counters at EA.

The first set of changes would probably tick off players

Would tick off this one.

The GTN tax is likely by far the largest credit sink in the game

Reducing the amount of transactions on the GTN would just make the apparent problem worse, not better

Honestly I'm not really that concerned about inflation. Sure the numbers are bigger going ou, but they are also bigger coming in, so who cares? Bigger numbers aren't scary...

So, this came to my thoughts during discussions of GTN credit inflation in another thread. And right now my curiosity is brimming about how it would affect the game...

 

What if the GTN was a bind-on-purchase deal? No changes would be made to what items are bound or not, but if it goes through the GTN, the buyer would only receive it as a "bound-to-legacy" item, preventing "flipping" an item and reselling it several times. I imagine if the feature had changes made to it, that limit could be expanded to 2 or 3 passes through the GTN.

 

At first I thought it would be a good way to prevent players amassing too many credits by treating the GTN like a stock market, but now I'm imagining it would reduce the circulation of all the items in the market, and drive up their prices if the players knew they would never be resold again.

 

I'm honestly not sure what might happen, so any thoughts?

This has got to be one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while.

This has got to be one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while.

Why? Preventing scalping and people driving prices up would be a good thing.

This has got to be one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while.

There seems to be an overabundance of them lately. Bad ideas, that is.

Usually happens when people try to solve non-problems.

Why? Preventing scalping and people driving prices up would be a good thing.

I'm with Ziva. It's a bad idea, it ranks among the worst, and we've seen some really BAD ideas on the forums.

Why? Preventing scalping and people driving prices up would be a good thing.

For several reasons, it would stop people using the gtn, which would stop credits going out of the game, it'll increase people selling in chat, probably general, as many people can't seem to distinguish between gen and trade

Also people would stop buying stuff from the CM, as they won't be able to sell as much, as other won't buy them to flip them, which in turn leads to less income for BW, less income means less content....and people are already complaining we're in the middle of a drought...

One of the main problems with the games economy is the fact the gold spammers have been permitted to establish a rate of exchange. Anyone that spends any amount of time in Fleet gen chat on a Sat*rday night is aware of the prices advertised. I'm not saying it's right, but it's not hard to do the math. It's a problem that goes all the way back to the Lineage 2 days. NCsoft's answer to that was Guild Wars. Which, while I was playing it was very effective at addressing the issues that plagued Lineage 2. One of the best game economies I have seen is CCP's EVE Online. I have played that game on and off for 13 years and in that time the game's economy has remained very stable. Mind you, CCP hires economists to help them keep it that way and publishes regular reports on the games economy. EVE Online can be an interesting game if you can get past the gank squads.

Now I can think of a few ideas to help this game's economy better than the OP's suggestion that free enterprise be abolished...

As for what we the players can do...

Report the gold spammers when you seen them.

As for what EA can do...

Wouldn't hurt to have some in game moderation on a Sat*rday night parked in Fleet chat to shut the gold spammers down more quickly.

As for some gold sinks...

1: Character, Legacy, and Guild name changes should purchasable with Credits or Cartel Coins. Make it cost a lot of credits.

2: The Character Appearance Edits should also be purchasable with Credits as well as Cartel Coins. Again, make it expensive.

3: Add an in game vendor that offers a few random Cartel Market items purchasable with credits and have the inventory change weekly or daily or however often. Kind of like a cross between Kai and the Cartel Cert vendors in the Bazaar. These items wouldn't need to be "Unlocked" in collections so to speak. Sort of like the Marka Ragnos set, or the weapons like Valor and Gallantry, that you can get from the Cartel Cert vendors, but in this case it could be say the Humble Hero's set or Gav Daragon's set, just to name a couple random armors. It could even be some of the CM decorations that are only available from the random loot boxes. I'm just spit balling.

These thing could make effective gold sinks without hurting EA's bottom line as far as the Cartel Market is concerned. What's more, is this could allow EA establish a rate of exchange that is more agreeable to the health of the games economy. And while they may not be inclined to establish that sort of value on the in game currency, refusing to address the fact that it has already been done will only allow the problem to get worse.

I agree with op. This whole buy low, sell high thing gets more abused than anything else in this game. You can't make f2p players happy, if you try to be nice and sell account unlocks for a million, because they will be instantly bought and relisted for 50 million. You can't put up cheap low level implants and earpieces, because somebody thinks, they should cost 500k each for level 10 players.

But i see, that this idea will never be put in the game, because too much players rely on making everything -and i mean literally everything- more expensive. You might as well propose, that nim mounts should be bind after pick up.

One of the main problems with the games economy is the fact the the gold spammers have been permitted to establish a rate of exchange.

Anything that gives players more options, more freedom, and a better QoL - I can support that. So, I like these ideas.

I agree with op. This whole buy low, sell high thing gets more abused than anything else in this game. You can't make f2p players happy, if you try to be nice and sell account unlocks for a million, because they will be instantly bought and relisted for 50 million. You can't put up cheap low level implants and earpieces, because somebody thinks, they should cost 500k each for level 10 players.

 

But i see, that this idea will never be put in the game, because too much players rely on making everything -and i mean literally everything- more expensive. You might as well propose, that nim mounts should be bind after pick up.

It's not about making things more expensive.

It's about me being able to buy stuff off the GTN on my sub account that has the cartel coins available to then be able to hand something off to one of my pref accounts.

It's about a guild being able to buy things off the GTN to then hand out as rewards to outstanding guild members.

The OP's suggestion would stymie just far too much in unintended ways and remains a really bad idea.

I'm with Ziva. It's a bad idea, it ranks among the worst, and we've seen some really BAD ideas on the forums.

So it's just bad, no explanation...okay. What's your ideas to fix the issue then?

Anything that gives players more options, more freedom, and a better QoL - I can support that. So, I like these ideas.

Gold farmers exist because people buy credits because there is a market for them. Especially when people keep raising the prices up higher and higher because they are sitting on billions from scalping and playing the market helping to create the very issues we now have.

This isn;t more options, its continue the status quo for people who like things the way they are.

It's not about making things more expensive.

 

It's about me being able to buy stuff off the GTN on my sub account that has the cartel coins available to then be able to hand something off to one of my pref accounts.

 

It's about a guild being able to buy things off the GTN to then hand out as rewards to outstanding guild members.

 

The OP's suggestion would stymie just far too much in unintended ways and remains a really bad idea.

So BIND to Gift. Can be given to someone not sold. Become this after added to GTN, so can't be added back to GTN. Once claimed. Becomes bound as normal.

So it's just bad, no explanation...okay. What's your ideas to fix the issue then?

Issue? What issue?!

There's no issue.

There are just people who want shiny stuff that they actually don't need and they want them at a very low price in credits. And they're jealous of people who've played the game for years and accumulated credits through prudent behavior.

That's not an issue. That's entitlement.

So it's just bad, no explanation...okay. What's your ideas to fix the issue then?

Thats the thing, We don't think there is an issue full stop.

Gold farmers exist because people buy credits because there is a market for them. Especially when people keep raising the prices up higher and higher because they are sitting on billions from scalping and playing the market helping to create the very issues we now have.

 

This isn;t more options, its continue the status quo for people who like things the way they are.

Catel items sold on GTN has nothing to do with gold sellers. They were there long before GTN prizes were high. No matter what, and this appiies to everything not just this game, there will always be poeple who will exploit others.

Issue? What issue?!

 

There's no issue.

 

There are just people who want shiny stuff that they actually don't need and they want them at a very low price in credits. And they're jealous of people who've played the game for years and accumulated credits through prudent behavior.

 

That's not an issue. That's entitlement.

Oh give me a break. It has nothing to do with getting shiny stuff...if you believe that then...best OBI WAN VOICE...then your lost. Then again maybe your projecting your motives on to others.

Catel items sold on GTN has nothing to do with gold sellers. They were there long before GTN prizes were high. No matter what, and this appiies to everything not just this game, there will always be poeple who will exploit others.

Certainly. But without a market to sell to they won't. They get worse when the demand increases. Many of the people driving the prices up are the same ones selling gold out the back lol Sure people will always exploit others....if we allow it.

Oh give me a break. It has nothing to do with getting shiny stuff...if you believe that then...best OBI WAN VOICE...then your lost. Then again maybe your projecting your motives on to others.

Tempted to respond as to how Obi Wan is unlikely to say "your lost." In this context.

Certainly. But without a market to sell to they won't. They get worse when the demand increases. Many of the people driving the prices up are the same ones selling gold out the back lol Sure people will always exploit others....if we allow it.

Can you prove that? As far as I can tell by players in chat rooms, players that buy high cost items are players that buy off cartel and sell items or much in demand crafted items. None of which means they buy off gold sellers or are themselfs gold sellers.

Sure some players must buy from them or they would not be around, none of this translate to anything to warret what you or the OP are asking for. Most of us just don't see the GTN as a problem. Gold sellers are, but that is BW's problem not mine or yours. No matter what BW do they won't be going away, they will just keep comeing back under new names and accounts. What yoiu are asking for will have zero impact on them but will bring anadditional burdon to genuine players.

What players sell their items for is none of your busness , you only get to decide if you buy it or not.

While GTN prices has gone up so has the amount of credits you can earn. The amount of credits one can earn in game will always be reflected on the GTN for items sold. With or without gold sellers.

However the original post mentioned nothing about gold sellers in the first place.

Can you prove that? As far as I can tell by players in chat rooms, players that buy high cost items are players that buy off cartel and sell items or much in demand crafted items. None of which means they buy off gold sellers or are themselfs gold sellers.

 

Sure some players must buy from them or they would not be around, none of this translate to anything to warret what you or the OP are asking for. Most of us just don't see the GTN as a problem. Gold sellers are, but that is BW's problem not mine or yours. No matter what BW do they won't be going away, they will just keep comeing back under new names and accounts. What yoiu are asking for will have zero impact on them but will bring anadditional burdon to genuine players.

What players sell their items for is none of your busness , you only get to decide if you buy it or not.

While GTN prices has gone up so has the amount of credits you can earn. The amount of credits one can earn in game will always be reflected on the GTN for items sold. With or without gold sellers.

 

However the original post mentioned nothing about gold sellers in the first place.

I couldn't decide which part to edit out from this post. All of it is so true. So, QFT the whole post.