RMT is crap, guess we need to wait on games like Jumpgate Evolution or Darkfall to fix this issue :p

( If you wonder why these games, because they are twitch based games, so you cant bot and farm :p )

Greetz

For those that are interested, here is another comment by John Smedley on gamasutra.com about the announcement. There is a really good warning to those that would use the overseas farmers to make transactions, too! Anyway, here's the article: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17268

Originally posted by Lyolas

You can only trade with guildies. This includes gear, coin, trade skill materials, everything. Trades can be done via guild bank only just as an added layer of scrutiny perhaps. You can only be eligible to trade within your guild after being a member of said guild for a minimum of 30 days, maybe longer, maybe 45 or even 60 days. Existent rules for guild formation remain unchanged assuming that forming a guild is not a 1 person affair in whatever the game is, etc.

Just a thought that popped into my head. Consider that like a brainstorming thing. In other words, don't shoot me. I am just tossing that out as an idea without thinking a lot about it. On the surface it would seem to work although it does introduce an element of inconvenience that I would probably argue is worth it considering it puts gold sellers out of business.

How many people would drop their guild for say 45 days and join a gold sellers guild to make a buy?

How about no trading until mid levels on top of that? This would assume some way for your main to pass down twinks your main aquires personally for your alts but you could not buy them gold, items, etc. You get them yourself, they get them themselves, or they/you do without twinks.

Of course, this removes the player economy largely and there is no longer a need for an auction house or bazaar. I don't know if I like that much but I think I like it a lot better than being spammed and having to play in completely ruined economies with rampant inflation and devalued currency, etc.

Could something like this be the lesser of evils? Somehow I doubt we will ever know and this is because there is no money to be made in fixing the games vs milking them.

I think what would happen is that each guild would then invite their own farmers.  Uber guilds really have them already, they just don't trade/sell outside their guild usually.

Originally posted by Hexxeity

 

Originally posted by uncus

Why doesn't SOE [or any publisher, for that matter] just have servers where they sell the currency themselves?!    If I ran a publisher, I'd look at the stats [28:2] and open 1 server in 15 as an RMT server.  Hell, I'd even offer free character transfers TO that server [NEVER FROM that server, however!]  That way you can start on a "real" server and if you find you advance too slow or whatever, you can transfer to the RMT server.  If you're doing it to 'keep up with friends" - no problem - they can transfer their characters, too.  Maybe even allow a character over-write when transferring?  Or a stats but not items over-write, so you could play your real character on the real server and transfer it as it advances, but not wipe out what was purchased on the RMT server?  Cut out the middleman and farmers!

Because with sanctioned RMT, they get a cut of the transaction PLUS two subscriptions (the farmer and the buyer).

 

And they don't have to worry about balancing the amount of currency coming into the game, as it is all earned legitimately, as opposed to being "created from nothing" when someone buys gold from them directly.

If they feel the need to limit the currency, they could do exactly that - limit purchases per day or week or month.

I guess what I'm trying to do, without having ever played in an RMT game, is justify how it could cut down on farming and help the casual player "keep up", while still making a profit for the company.

Originally posted by Corpoces

I give kudos for trying to do something about the farmers, even though it’s purely for reasons of profit. But what this is going to do is turn everyone into farmers. People that never farmed before will start to farm cause they can do it legally now without worry. It will be like those social games where point of the game is to earn property in the game so you can sell it for real money.

Making burglary legal and taxing it because other burglars are making money from it and it is oh SOOOO hard to police dosen't make burglary a good thing.

Does this make sense?

RMT is the death of these games in the long term, but the stupid arsed companies out there now are willing the slaughter the goose to get that golden egg so they just don't give a damn.

I have played SOE games since EQ1 since beta, and been a vocal supporter of their work since.

But no more.

I am finally done with them as a company, as I will be with any other dev that condones and/ or participates in RMT.

Originally posted by uncus

 

Please elaborate - what is this "You buy, you keep policy"?

 

Do you mean a "Bind on acquire"-type thing?

Personally, I prefer a "Bind on Equip" system, but I can see where that is abusible...

Do you mean "Bind on Acquire" for items from RMT shop only?  That would be an interesting idea.

Bind on acquire would reflect my idea here.  Since RMT are going to be hidden as well in game in every market, I would expand it to the whole market, but without expanded or not, anything is better than nothing.  Speculation hurt the RMT themselves, althought on a superficial level, they are the one doing it the most and the best, and should be the one benefacting from them.  But if you take a deeper layer of understanding, speculation on a first layer hurt the casuals, but in the long run, anything which hurt the casuals hurt everyone else in the game.

You buy, you keep.  Simple, efficient, and fullfilling the goal of the market, which is the trade of goods for peoples who need them.  The more this system work without interferance, the better everyone, including the RMT, would be.  Happier and healthy casuals reflect in many ways.  (of course, if 1 RMT does speculate and other doesn't...those who don't are shafted badly).

See, unlike some who are officially hunting goldsellers, I see them as my friends.  And if a friend is doing something which hurt himself and other, I have to try to put some sense into their head so they stop hurting other first, and second, themselves.  A bind on equip would not remove RMT, it would complicated their existance granted.  But it would in fact remove most speculation and artificial inflation from the game.  A serious RMT organisation would want to see such a feature, as it may outright kill some competition in the same time...and me; I care mostly for the casuals and the game overall health.

I am not the best at explanations however...so I will try the simple equation...

Bind on equip = 99% speculation decrease = less inflation = casuals purchasing more items they want = more real trades = more troubles and complexity for speculators and RMT = less speculators = more careful planning = better game = more casuals = more business for RMT (and less competition)  (The more REAL trades happen, the more they want, the more they want, the more business as well for RMT)

Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this like it's something new?  Sony has been running the Station Exchange servers for over 2 years now.  This is just switching the process to a new company.

I play on one of the servers, and I love the exchange.  I make well over 300 bucks a week selling plat on the game.

Heh... As though we needed another example of how low SOE will go for the almighty $$$.

It's a wonderful spin they put on it. "We're doing it to help the players from getting scammed".  They're  just doing what's best for their subscribers. Aww how thoughtful. They said the same thing of the NGE and we all know how that was received. But, surely SOE *must* be totally honest and looking out for their loyal customers, right?

No they're not.

They're embracing the idea so they get both ends of the deal - the sub fee *and* the RMT money. Come on people. It's clear as crystal. The only thing SOE is dedicated to is their bottom line. If they *really* cared, they would be putting more effort into improving some of the games under their umbrella for the players who still loyally play them in hopes that they will. But they don't. They just soak up whatever revenue they can while doing the absolute minimum with them. Meanwhile, they're negotiating deals with some RMT company to expand their "sanctioned RMT" business. Yeah, their hearts are really with the players.

As for those saying that it's "urban legends" or "myths" that RMT can have an adverse effect on the game... you're full of it. I've seen it happen, before and after, in FFXI, as one example. RMT was running rampant in that game for a while, inflation was out of control, and it was driving people away - especially new players. The lowest level, newbie gear was out of reach for many new players as they simply couldn't make enough to afford it. So they gave up.

And don't even get me started on the higher level rare stuff. RMT groups would actively and openly monopolize certain named mobs who dropped these items, 24/7, so they controlled the market on them, driving the prices up and up and up to the point that people would feel they had no choice *but* to buy the money if they were ever to get one. They would routinely mob-train competing groups of legit players also trying to get claim of the mob. It was to the point that SE altered the mob aggro code so that could no longer happen. But the RMT is harmless right? Has no effect on the game or on legit players, right? It's all just a myth. Yeah.. just keep those blinders on.

See, it's not only the economy that's screwed with. The tactics RMT groups use to get their gil are often intrusive to other players as well - monopolizing mobs, overrunning areas, flooding market with certain items that they can fish/craft/farm 24/7... and on and on. Some have gone as far as trying to hack accounts. So when you're supporting RMT in a game not designed with it in mind (ie. Second Life, etc), you're also condoning those kinds of actions. Good job.

SE finally got serious and started aggressively combatting it in FFXI, removing billions upon billions of ill-intended gil from the economy and making a few in-game changes to certain high-demand items... The result? The economy has come back down to earth;  it's now lower in many cases than it was even when I first started 4+ years ago at the NA PC launch. Items that were in the millions are now under 1 mil in price. People just starting out can actually realistically afford gear now that was once out of their reach.

See, that's the difference.

SE, Blizzard, and other companies see RMT for the problem it is, from all angles, and the effect it has on their players long term and aggressively combat it.

SOE sees RMT only as untapped $$$ in their pockets and embrace it wholeheartedly - while still having the gall to try coming out smelling like a rose by saying they're "doing it to protect the players". They're not protecting anyone.. last I checked "non-sanctioned" RMT was alive and well in EQ2. SOE's merely getting their cut of the pie.

So believe whatever you want. Tell  yourself whatever you will about how "harmless RMT is on a game". I've seen empirical evidence of it with my own two eyes that it absolutely does have an effect. Of course, I speak only for those of us who believe in playing the game and not buying our way through.

It does sorta amuse me when the people whose progress in a game can be tracked back to charges on their credit card or bank statement, beyond the sub fee, insist RMT has no affect on the game. Well of course not.. Not for you. Not when you see everything you want in the game as "just a transaction away" and buy your achievements instead of actually playing the game as designed. For those who actually still believe in *playing* the game and don't feel entitled to "keep up because they have a job and can't play as much" it has a very real effect. I've seen both extremes of it. So, no, it's not "urban legend" or myth. It's quite real. Though, I realize it's hard to see that when you won't look past your own nose.

I've read all the reasons and rationales and excuses. It all comes back to "I don't want to have to put in the same effort others do to get what I want, so I shouldn't have to. ANd as long as I get what I want out of it, who cares how anyone else is affected by it". The classic "me me me" attitude.

Strange how Smedley says this new service will be better because it can deal with fraud more effectively since most fraud occurs overseas and acknowledges that Blizzard did the right thing by suing Peons4hire, an American company, yet he can't explain why SOE has never sued Playerauctions, also an American company, which made millions off of sponsoring classic EQ gold sales when Ebay removed them.

It's just more bullshit.

Originally posted by Hexxeity

And they don't have to worry about balancing the amount of currency coming into the game, as it is all earned legitimately, as opposed to being "created from nothing" when someone buys gold from them directly.

Originally posted by Samuraisword

Strange how Smedley says this new service will be better because it can deal with fraud more effectively since most fraud occurs overseas and acknowledges that Blizzard did the right thing by suing Peons4hire, an American company, yet he can't explain why SOE has never sued Playerauctions, also an American company, which made millions off of sponsoring classic EQ gold sales when Ebay removed them.

It's just more bullshit.

Because Smedley and co don't count on people, like yourself, to look at the situation that closely or critically. They rely on the people who will buy into everything they're told and not question it. And, besides, if it means more $$$ in the end for them, what does a little hypocrisy matter?

Originally posted by zaxxon23

 

Originally posted by Lyolas

These suits must think that most of us were born yesterday. This is clearly about extracting maximum revenue from customers and nothing more. Period.

In a perfect world a smart business would actually think about its customers first and as a result see the profits roll in.

 

 

It is obvious you don't understand the market.  Despite the fact that you may dislike RMT, the simple fact of the matter is that you are in the minority.  This is a thriving online business, and SOE recognizes that many of their customers desire the ability to participate in RMT transactions.  In reality, SOE is most definately thinking about its customers first.  You're just mad because they aren't thinking about YOU first.

I think I understand the market reasonably well and so does SOE. This is why there are only two RMT servers in EQ2 following the poll they did. This is why they did not at that time make them all RMT. I'd say that is better evidence than your presumtions about me being unhappy, etc.

Originally posted by WSIMike

Heh... As though we needed another example of how low SOE will go for the almighty $$$.

It's a wonderful spin they put on it. "We're doing it to help the players from getting scammed".  They're  just doing what's best for their subscribers. Aww how thoughtful. They said the same thing of the NGU and we all know how that was received. But, surely SOE *must* be totally honest and looking out for their loyal customers, right?

No they're not.

They're embracing the idea so they get both ends of the deal - the sub fee *and* the RMT money. Come on people. It's clear as crystal. The only thing SOE is dedicated to is their bottom line. If they *really* cared, they would be putting more effort into improving some of the games under their umbrella for the players who still loyally play them in hopes that they will. But they don't. They just soak up whatever revenue they can while doing the absolute minimum with them.

As for those saying that it's "urban legends" or "myths" that RMT can have an adverse effect on the game... you're full of it. I've seen it happen, before and after, in FFXI, as one example. RMT was running rampant in that game for a while, inflation was out of control, and it was driving people away - especially new players. The lowest level, newbie gear was out of reach for many new players as they simply couldn't make enough to afford it. So they gave up.

And don't even get me started on the higher level rare stuff. RMT groups would actively and openly monopolize certain named mobs who dropped these items, 24/7, so they controlled the market on them, driving the prices up and up and up to the point that people would feel they had no choice *but* to buy the money if they were ever to get one. They would routinely mob-train competing groups of legit players also trying to get claim of the mob. It was to the point that SE altered the mob aggro code so that could no longer happen. But the RMT is harmless right? Has no effect on the game or on legit players, right? It's all just a myth. Yeah.. just keep those blinders on.

SE finally got serious and started aggressively combatting it, removing billions upon billions of ill-intended gil from the economy and making a few in-game changes to certain high-demand items... The result? The economy has come back down to earth;  it's now lower in many cases than it was even when I first started 4+ years ago at the NA PC launch. Items that were in the millions are now under 1 mil in price. People just starting out can actually realistically afford gear now that was once out of their reach. So believe whatever you want. Tell  yourself whatever you will about how "harmless RMT is on a game". I've seen empirical evidence of it with my own two eyes that it absolutely does have an effect. Of course, I speak only for those of us who believe in playing the game and not buying our way through.

It does sorta amuse me when the people whose progress in a game can be tracked back to charges on their credit card or bank statement, beyond the sub fee, insist RMT has no affect on the game. Well of course not.. Not for you. Not when you see everything you want in the game as "just a transaction away" and buy your achievements instead of actually playing the game as designed. For those who actually still believe in *playing* the game and don't feel entitled to "keep up because they have a job and can't play as much" it has a very real effect. I've seen both extremes of it. So, no, it's not "urban legend" or myth. It's quite real. Though, I realize it's hard to see that when you won't look past your own nose.

I've read all the reasons and rationales and excuses. It all comes back to "I don't want to have to put in the same effort others do to get what I want, so I shouldn't have to. ANd as long as I get what I want out of it, who cares how anyone else is affected by it". The classic "me me me" attitude.

I couldnt have put this better myself.

Originally posted by vesavius

 

Originally posted by WSIMike

Heh... As though we needed another example of how low SOE will go for the almighty $$$.

*snip*

I've read all the reasons and rationales and excuses. It all comes back to "I don't want to have to put in the same effort others do to get what I want, so I shouldn't have to. ANd as long as I get what I want out of it, who cares how anyone else is affected by it". The classic "me me me" attitude.

QFT

 

I couldnt have put this better myself.

Its interesting that in these discussions, the 'against' always come off as really emotional and the 'for' come off as seeming generally interested in a reasoned discussion.

That said, no matter how many people 'quote for truth', there is nothing empirical about 'what you see with your own eyes'.  That is annecdotal.  You are giving *your opinion* of what you observed in FFXI.  There are a million variables you are overlooking and any number of conclusions that could be drawn that arent the same as yours.

Some basic concepts need to be agreed upon or these discussions just come down to inflamed ideologues of one type or another screaming from the mountain while their like minded supporters cheer them on and their detractors either leave the debate or jeer equally loudly.

The first is that people ALWAYS look out for themselves and look for the path of least resistance.  This is human nature hard wired into our DNA and there really isnt anything wrong with this basic instinct.  If you claim you're immune, you're a liar.  Perhaps in *online games* you are some self perceived shining beacon of virtue, but I suspect that *somewhere in life* (probably somewhere a LOT more important), you are cutting a corner or acting out of self interest.  If not, then congratulations - you are in the fractional percentage of super humans.

The second is that corporations exist to provide profit to their shareholders and an income to those who work for them.  ALL of us work for SOME corporation unless we're self employed, UNemployed, or govt employed (which amts to the same b/c govt cash comes from TAXES which come from corp/employees income).  If a corporation being driven by profit is somehow a disturbing shock to you, you have some issues to work through if you want to live under capitalism. 

And keep in mind, I doubt many "cooperative" social models would place a high importance on video gaming and let you spend 12 hrs a day talking about, complaining about, and playing MMOs since the majority of people on earth think this is all childish BS. Maybe the corporate model isnt so bad, eh?

All of these drives - the drive for profit, the drive of self interest, the tendency of people to be lazy - they can all be dangerous and destructive.  Society is about people coming together and agreeing on rational limits to keep humanity as a whole healthy.  Inevitably the lines move over time one way or the other and folks exist who choose to break/stretch the rules. 

What most suggest here, because they have a VERY extreme viewpoint, is that HUGE effort be put in to completely counteracting two of the basic drives, rather than SOME effort being put in to LIMITING the impact of these drives while also SATISFYING another (profit). 

If the devs were to say "no more new content or bug fixes for X number of months while we completely re-engineer the system to stop farmING and then we'll probably have a yearly blackout to block whatever they come up with", MAYBE the zealots on these threads would cheer.  DOUBTFUL as I suspect the disgruntled are always disgruntled.  MOST players would say 'huh?' and then eventually get annoyed with lack of bug fixes, bored with lack of content, and leave.

The game with the most farming (WoW) has the highest subscriber base (by FAR) and makes the most money.  The game where farming is legendary, Lineage, is solidly number 2.  Games with official RMT from day one THRIVE (Second Life).  What does this tell you about the importance of this issue? (no matter HOW impt it is to you).  Thats pretty empirical.

EQ2, like FFXI, has a very insignificant number of subs.  So the sample size becomes much more specific.  It is possible that the only folks left playing these niche games are comitted game zealots.  Or at least some sizeable percentage is.  In this case, if you're down to like 100,000 people and 20% of them feel this is a HUGE issue, then the corporation has no choice but to do SOMETHING.

What I wonder though, is why the emphasis on RMT and farmERS.  I suppose all of you still want the mechanisms in place to allow legitimate farmING, right?  So its ok for players who have the luxury of 200hrs a week of play time to monopolize the market for high end items.  Just as long as its not some guy in China doing it for cash.  Or perhaps there should just be no high end items and no differentiation at all?  After all, not everyone has the same amount of money or same amount of playtime, therefore everything should be artificially leveled and a standard grey suit can be handed out at lvl 1.

I dont see how you can even begin to address RMT in a reasonable way without speaking to this broader discussion.   In life, self interest causes people to always envy those who have more than them (doesnt really matter if you have $1, or $1M, someone always has more).  In life, there isnt a lot you can do about it short of becoming some sort of revolutionary (which always ends stupidly and badly) or some sort of criminal (which is very high risk).

In persistent world gaming, the same psychological drivers are there, but the rules are different.  There is an almighty you can complain to about "unfairness" - the developers who, in this case, are "god".  You can ask the universe to change its rules. 

So if you're going to ask the universe to change its rules, what are you asking for specifically?  "No farmers!" just trades one inequity (folks with more cash than time) for another (folks with more time than cash)

Wow!! Such a thorough bashing of ignorance. I wish I was as eloquent. It's heartening to see someone well educated in the ways of the world speak up.

Now if we could only kick the village idiots out of our village, we could live happier lives. (After all, we wouldn't have as much stress from idiots trying to create mountains out of molehills.)

OK, what happens when your officially sanctioned RMT gear is nerfed by SOE's capricious developers?

What happens when, on the whim (or mistake) of some codejockey some item is debased that you've paid actual money for?

I know that there have been RL lawsuits over virtual transactions/items/property in Second Life. 

When we talk about real money, we're talking about people getting pissed when they discover that they've been ripped off, particularly by the corporation running the entire show, and profits from RMT.

This to me is an incredible can of worms.  Restricting it to specific servers might give it the air of being a voluntary thing...but you can bet that there's someone with deep pockets and a law degree out there who can smell an opportunity here to get in on the game as well.  I"m not talking about the game everyone else is playing, but Smedley's "let's pick the pockets of our customers" game.

Never bring a disgruntled SWG vet into a discussion about Sony...it degenerates into an accusation of how the company robs, pillages and roughs up puppies.

If a company wants RMT, then they understand the risks of what they're doing. You did not attend the meetings that happened prior to the policy, you did not read the risk assessments that would've been produced, nor did you see the financial projections of what the move meant. You are working on limit knowledge of the inner working of the company and basing your argument on personal bias.

They change something you bought, then take them to small claims court. You may even get your money back, though not the time you put into the effort. It's not that difficult to do...to win, well that's a bit more of a problem.

Originally posted by edmonal

If a company wants RMT, then they understand the risks of what they're doing. You did not attend the meetings that happened prior to the policy, you did not read the risk assessments that would've been produced, nor did you see the financial projections of what the move meant. You are working on limit knowledge of the inner working of the company and basing your argument on personal bias.

 

Oh, I don't think so.

I think they see dollar signs, and think they can use a EULA as a shield to save them from dealing with the consequences of their actions.  SOE thought they were covered with the Trials of Obi-Wan expansion, when they advertised it to their players with features they KNEW they would removed from the game only a few weeks after they released it.  Their customers knew they had been ripped off, rage was building, and eventually formal legal action would have resulted.  It took only a short time before SOE took the unprecedented step of offering refunds on ToOW, something they stated flat out before they'd never do, in the face of this firestorm of their own creation.

Their vaunted risk assesment abilites seem to have failed them then, a consequence of their own greed.

In China (admittedly not the US) courts have held that if you pay real money for virtual items, there are real money consquences for messing with virutal items.

Second Life has had to deal with this, and the courts have not dismissed legal action against them out of hand.  Paying real money for virtual items opens up a new can of worms.

I disagree with your example. Star Wars is a different set of circumstances, they probably didn't have to refund people for the pre-order, they did to attempt to salvage any shred of their now defunct reputation. It did not go to court, and I feel that the courts would side with the company. Admittedly this is because I feel that the American legal system is heavily biased towards companies at the moment.

And yes they see dollar signs, but any decision made in a large company is done with a risk assessment attached to it. So I still stand by my claim that they have thought out the possible ramifications of this move.

Originally posted by mlambert890

The second is that corporations exist to provide profit to their shareholders and an income to those who work for them.  ALL of us work for SOME corporation unless we're self employed, UNemployed, or govt employed (which amts to the same b/c govt cash comes from TAXES which come from corp/employees income).  If a corporation being driven by profit is somehow a disturbing shock to you, you have some issues to work through if you want to live under capitalism. 

Imagine you go to a movie. You paid for the ticket, so you expect to see a movie. But, every 10 minutes they show commercials. Wouldnt you be angry? You paid your money for the ticket. That should be enough, there is no other reason to show adds during showtime other then excessive cash milking.

What most suggest here, because they have a VERY extreme viewpoint, is that HUGE effort be put in to completely counteracting two of the basic drives, rather than SOME effort being put in to LIMITING the impact of these drives while also SATISFYING another (profit). 

 

If the devs were to say "no more new content or bug fixes for X number of months while we completely re-engineer the system to stop farmING and then we'll probably have a yearly blackout to block whatever they come up with", MAYBE the zealots on these threads would cheer.  DOUBTFUL as I suspect the disgruntled are always disgruntled.  MOST players would say 'huh?' and then eventually get annoyed with lack of bug fixes, bored with lack of content, and leave.

I believe your opinion here is the extreme one. I mean, what is the point of video games? Its to have fun, right? So how can you have fun if the game suddenly lets someone with a fat wallet instantly make his character extremely powerful? The whole challenge of ANY competition is to test your skills, NOT your bank account. Imagine Olympic sports allowing for sportsmen to use steroids... but only if they can afford to pay a really big penalty fee. Some will be able to afford it. but would that sport be fair and fun? No.

In any video game, there HAS to be equal opportunity - your bank account should not have any weight in it. If something is really hard to get (rare item for example), then if I do overcome the challenge and obtain that item, I want to be proud of my achievement, I want to know that if someone else also has that item, that means that they also had to go through the same challenge. if they can just buy that item, then the whole point of the game becomes invalid.

Furthermore, the fact that some people are able to "bypass" normal means of obtaining something forces others to do so as well - you gotta be competitive or quit playing. Next thing you know, people without money leave the game altogether, and people with money keep buying new items. Who wins? the company that takes service fee for each transaction, because since every single item is virtual, they dont really have to spend ANY resources making it. Who is the biggest losers? regular players, because they have to spend extra time farming for items they normally wouldnt be forced to do so. The only alternative to that would be buying those items - spending more and more real cash on something that doesnt really exist. This is a perfect scenario for SOE - clients spend time and effort while the company earns a profit. SOE just couldnt resist that one.

The game with the most farming (WoW) has the highest subscriber base (by FAR) and makes the most money.  The game where farming is legendary, Lineage, is solidly number 2.  Games with official RMT from day one THRIVE (Second Life).  What does this tell you about the importance of this issue? (no matter HOW impt it is to you).  Thats pretty empirical.

EQ2, like FFXI, has a very insignificant number of subs.  So the sample size becomes much more specific.  It is possible that the only folks left playing these niche games are comitted game zealots.  Or at least some sizeable percentage is.  In this case, if you're down to like 100,000 people and 20% of them feel this is a HUGE issue, then the corporation has no choice but to do SOMETHING.

Here I agree with you.

What I wonder though, is why the emphasis on RMT and farmERS.  I suppose all of you still want the mechanisms in place to allow legitimate farmING, right?  So its ok for players who have the luxury of 200hrs a week of play time to monopolize the market for high end items.  Just as long as its not some guy in China doing it for cash.  Or perhaps there should just be no high end items and no differentiation at all?  After all, not everyone has the same amount of money or same amount of playtime, therefore everything should be artificially leveled and a standard grey suit can be handed out at lvl 1.

No, its not OK to make someone who can spend 200hrs a week to monopolize the market. But its not OK to promote unfair competition either. Lets resort to common logic:

Lets assume the game has 100000 active casual players and 1000 active hardcore players.

Scenario A:
The game has strict anti-farming policy. no RMT whatsoever. Most likely all 1000 hardcore players would have most of the high end items. They would split their time between farming, PvPing, trading, exploring and what have you.

Scenario B:

No strict anti-farming policy OR there is a legit RMT system. Most hardcore players would be spending a lot more time farming now, due to the fact that RMT allows them to actually make good money. Furthermore, a lot of casual players would try to do the same because suddenly a large number of high end items are on the market available to anyone who can purchase it (no effort involved). Some players will not have the luxury of that added effort nor can they afford money to purchase those items.

Result? Scenario B has a lot more high end items. A lot of people are doing excessive farming. There will be much bigger rift between different types of players: hardcore, casuals who can afford the extra effort or money and casuals who cant afford it.

Scenario B will have a vastly greater number of cases where one player will have unfair advantage over another.

I dont see how you can even begin to address RMT in a reasonable way without speaking to this broader discussion.   In life, self interest causes people to always envy those who have more than them (doesnt really matter if you have $1, or $1M, someone always has more).  In life, there isnt a lot you can do about it short of becoming some sort of revolutionary (which always ends stupidly and badly) or some sort of criminal (which is very high risk).

In persistent world gaming, the same psychological drivers are there, but the rules are different.  There is an almighty you can complain to about "unfairness" - the developers who, in this case, are "god".  You can ask the universe to change its rules. 

 So if you're going to ask the universe to change its rules, what are you asking for specifically?  "No farmers!" just trades one inequity (folks with more cash than time) for another (folks with more time than cash)

The "fair" type of competition is when the game allows you be equally competitive with anyone else without the influence of external factors like bank account. After all, the games we play were made for us to level our characters by investing our time into fighting, trading, manufacturing, harvesting, exploring, traveling. Show me one game where it was written on the box "Join the endless adventure directly connected with your bank account, the richer you are - the more powerful you get".

The ONLY inequity that is fair in this case - when a person has more time and/or skills then the other. And THATS what the spirit of competition is, spend more time to increase your skills to become a better player, not spend more time and money to buy your top character with uber gear in 5 minutes. Are these games about competition of skills or bank accounts?