The truth is that SOE handles things like the in game economy just as bad as their customers and the games themself. In other words, it's a total failure!

Not sure if it's true, but knowing SOE all to well I find it likely that it is true? Apparently there's now a title called billionaire which can be bought for just that, a billion credits! That's a typical SOE solution to a problem, truley priceless!

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

One of the issues SOE highlighted as a reason for the NGE was that crafted goods had become too expensive for new players.

First of all, I'm not really sure how much of a problem this actually was.  New players could still buy crafted stuff from other new players, or from someone who had just switched to a crafting profession.  You had to craft and sell off lesser quality stuff for lower prices to progress up the crafting trees.

Also, if you found yourself a good guild, they'd set you up with whatever you needed.  Or, you could always barter.  Crafters needed things that only other professions could provide for them.  I used provide resources to crafters from my combat character and get finished goods in return.

For the sake of argument though, let's just assume someone new to the game had a hard time finding affordable crafted gear.  So, they didn't meet a newbie crafter, couldn't find a guild, didn't find anything on the price-capped bazaar, and didn't learn how to barter.

SOE's solution was to introduce free loot that dropped out of almost everything that was superior to all crafted goods.  For example, I'd punch a womp rat in the head, and a blaster pistol would drop out.  I'd kill a nightsister, and a piece of armour (with new enhancements) would drop out. 

Crafted stuff became utter crap, and many (probably most) of the crafters quit, understandably.  I'd say that's not a good solution. 

So, if you thought inflation was really a problem, and you didn't want to make crafters completely useless, what would you have done to correct the problem?

My first thought would be to regulate the economy.  I've seen this done by using price caps on goods, components, resources etc..  I've also seen this done by regulating supply and demand via drop rates etc.  Both seemed to work just fine tbh.

Really though, I'd like to hear what others would have done.

First of all SOE 's reasoning here  s absolute crap, the reason why inflation was so high was because of the HUGE credit dupe that had been going on from very early on (it was absolutley huge), they didn't even know about it until two years or so in to the game by then the economy was just flooded with excess credits and people paying stupid amounts for items. Notice i'm not blaming those who took advantage of the dupe but I am blaming SOE for inadequate QA testing. So in short I would have made sure that major bugs like this would have been tested for and fixed before releasing the game. The point is that because this had been going on for so long it was impossible to rectify the economy without having a global credit wipe or introducing tory level tax messures :)

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

One of the issues SOE highlighted as a reason for the NGE was that crafted goods had become too expensive for new players.

Isn't that something that is in the players hands? I mean my goods where acceseble for everyone wether you where a vet player or a newb, made no difference ot me, in fact I made sure my shops would shine for those new to the game, I had never forgotten my own start......

First of all, I'm not really sure how much of a problem this actually was.  New players could still buy crafted stuff from other new players, or from someone who had just switched to a crafting profession.  You had to craft and sell off lesser quality stuff for lower prices to progress up the crafting trees.

I did not need to switch, I was ALL crafter, thing is that many people play the greed game, and unfortunaly that seemed to be the majority, as I notice just a select group of people on several servers that played like I did, not making myslef out to be all that, but seriously SWG was so deep it was a virtual world

Also, if you found yourself a good guild, they'd set you up with whatever you needed.  Or, you could always barter.  Crafters needed things that only other professions could provide for them.  I used provide resources to crafters from my combat character and get finished goods in return.

I remember a few months after I returned in 2007 and became slightly known as a crafter (again) which brought many guild members at my door (ingame) asking if I wanted to join them, at the time was having lots of fun again but wasn't sure if I wanted or had the time again to comite to a guild, as for me when I am guilded I want to be of service of that guild.

For the sake of argument though, let's just assume someone new to the game had a hard time finding affordable crafted gear.  So, they didn't meet a newbie crafter, couldn't find a guild, didn't find anything on the price-capped bazaar, and didn't learn how to barter.

SOE's solution was to introduce free loot that dropped out of almost everything that was superior to all crafted goods.  For example, I'd punch a womp rat in the head, and a blaster pistol would drop out.  I'd kill a nightsister, and a piece of armour (with new enhancements) would drop out. 

The problem here is that SOE (regardless how I personaly feel) did the right thing. All I remember from people new to the game, when they met me, saw my professions, perhaps visited me, always wanted the best item, even thought they lacked skill/lvl to make us of, many lacked patients, the amount of times I tried to help people who wanted help with crafting, most of them often asked whats the best and fastest way to get lvl cap, where asking me for something that limited is the wrong question. But we have to face reality and know that these day's we are just a minority of gamers who truly would love a more virtual world type of game then a themepark, the majority enjoyes themepark and just don't understand what the fun can be in a virtual world.

Crafted stuff became utter crap, and many (probably most) of the crafters quit, understandably.  I'd say that's not a good solution. 

I tried to stick when CU hit, but then most things needed from crafters was only BH droids, as before the CU I made about anything any of my crafters could make, yes I had a second account, but started that 2end account a few months when the news of the CU entered as then many started to leave the game already.

Do understand why item decay was removed, but it was a feature I truly loved, the reason why it was removed is the same reason why we see all these new MMORPG being so dumped down, due to the simple mentality of new people into MMO's these day's.

So, if you thought inflation was really a problem, and you didn't want to make crafters completely useless, what would you have done to correct the problem?

It's difficult to answer from my perspective, as sure I saw the greed, but regardless of that I made sure that I wasn't playing the greed game as for me I wanted to play the community game, I took crafting professions because A: it was something completely different then the norm of games I play(ed), even thougt I played several MMORPG before SWG, still SWG was what I felt this genre would evolve futher into, instead of the devolving of this genre in way's of options.

But to try to answer your question what would I have done, probelby would have kept the state of pre-cu and polished the hell out of it including adding content, but then again doing so with a already  broken engine would be a very hard task to really do justice. As we all remember they fix A and D was broken and that continued almost with each and every patch.

My first thought would be to regulate the economy.  I've seen this done by using price caps on goods, components, resources etc..  I've also seen this done by regulating supply and demand via drop rates etc.  Both seemed to work just fine tbh.

To me the system worked fine as it was, what bothers me most was the unpatient nature of many players which to me is still the downfall of MMORPG's, as many want it now and want it all

Really though, I'd like to hear what others would have done.

Originally posted by wolfmann

credit dupe exploiters.

This really, the problem in the game had nothing to do with actual real activity and everything to do with credit dupe exploits that were used to print litterally billions of credits that were never removed from the system.

inflation hit once people could solo missions. You could make millions of credits in a few days if you were determined, and credit dupers didnt help either. My solution would to lower payouts on missions (mainly the ones on dant that people soloed), fix the credit duping and lastly increase credit sinks. Such as increase credits to travel, increase decay on vehicles, increase rent on structures and etc.

Increase the ease and lessen the expense of crafting to increase supply. Reduce the money supply by pulling back on how cash enters the economy.  These would increase competition and induce deflation.

Ken

Originally posted by RealmLords

Increase the ease and lessen the expense of crafting to increase supply. Reduce the money supply by pulling back on how cash enters the economy.  These would increase competition and induce deflation.

 

Ken

No, no, no...

That is exactly what SOE did (and seem to be the only thing they are good at!), watering out and simplify an existing system is not the way to go!

Like others have already mentioned, there was not really any problems with the old concept it just needed to be fixed and perhaps tweaked in certain areas.

 I do agree that to much credits entered the game in a questionable way and that was SOE's fault for letting that happen.