Guild Wars 2

Hi,

some months ago the Gem rate was fair (1g for ~60 Gems) and I was buying Gems.

I left the game for 2 Months and now 1g = 28 Gems.

(watch pictures on buttom)

First look on Boosters… as you can see on the picture, if you want to use Experience Booster it will 5.3g per Hour.
5.3g / Hour for a EXP Boost, do you even realise this is the price of 2 exotics weapons on the TP ? For 5.3g I should have a 1 day booster, not a 1 hour.

Second look on Upgrades…
I feel the price here ok (even if they are a bit expensive). But if we watch better 1 bag expension slot = 3 Experiences Booster.
Where is the balance in prices ?

Last look on the real scam of the system… the “promotions” (make me laugh each time i read that).
So the Flute cost 28.5g… same price for an character slot expension… ? Probably same price for a full exotic gear ?

84s per Kite Fortune ? So if I want my 250 Fortune Scrap I should buy around 150 Kite Fortune ? What 85g? Lol… Okay I go buy my Catchers on the TP for 5g (fire and light) or 10g (wind).

ANet it’s time to stop scam ppls and balance your market.
I already made a topic on this long time ago you awnsered something like: “we don’t choice Gems rate, the system do it”. Stop tell to ppl tou started an engine you cannot control.

I don’t ask to improve the Gems rate but to make a fair gem market… really I’m impressed to see you selling lolFlute for 28.5g or even a 1hour booster for 5.3g…

The Gems store goal is to make money because the game is “free”. But why I would buy my bread for 2g when I can get it for 1g ?

Gems always cost the same with real money. Just be happy that there is a conversion from gold to gems…

Clockradio.3257:

Gems always cost the same with real money. Just be happy that there is a conversion from gold to gems…

I don’t ask to improve the Gems rate but to make a fair gem market… really I’m impressed to see you selling lolFlute for 28.5g or even a 1hour booster for 5.3g…

Okay I think you didn’t really read the topic.

So I’ll go your way…

800 Gems = 10e

lolFlute = 10e
1 hour EXP Booster = 1.8e / hour = 43e / day
150 Kite Fortune = 30e
1 Character slot = 10e

You see no issue in the price balance ?
They sell 1 bread same price than 1 Car.

My issue isn’t only Gems rate but balance in prices [Gems <> Gold <> Euros].

I would buy 150 Kite Fortune for 5-10e. But it’s 30e so I bought nothing. I would spend 10-20e per Month in this game if only I could get something correct in exchange.

WHY should they base the gem-price on the gold the gem transfer?
Should they go and change the gem-prices for everything as soon as they add something new to the store (or a rumor about new stuff) because that changes the value of gems?

The cost for store-stuff have been exactly the same since release of the game (not counting sales) and it is the only thing that matters.
If you want to get something and feel like the gold-gem price is too high, simply buy gems with real money, like the rest of us.

lordkrall.7241:

simply buy gems with real money, like the rest of us.

Hi,

that’s my issue. And you also didn’t read my topic… please stop awnser if you read 1 line on 2…

Why I would spend money in so expensive things ? Prices aren’t correctly balanced.
10 hours of EXP Booster is same price as 2 Characters Slots… 150 Kite Fortunes is 3 of them… also 1 full Aetherized Armor skin = 1 Flute… wth ?
And you see no issue ? You really feel that prices are balanced ?

YOU maybe don’t feel screwed by this but me yes. I was used to pay each month for playing MMO, in GW2 I don’t have to do it so I have 10-20e to spend each Month.
But for what ? For my 2 Monthly flutes … ? Come on…

Yes, I feel like the prices are balanced, simply because there is nothing in there that I actually need, and I see it as supporting the game rather than getting cool stuff in most cases (I have bought all the instruments even though I am not very musical for one)

lordkrall.7241:

Yes, I feel like the prices are balanced, simply because there is nothing in there that I actually need, and I see it as supporting the game rather than getting cool stuff in most cases (I have bought all the instruments even though I am not very musical for one)

I understand that you want support the game and it’s something honorable. I have no issue in that, I would players like you in my game.

But I have more an economical view on it.
I would by 1 Booster each day for 1.8e if that Booster last longer cause 1.8e / hour is around 10% of what I win per hour while working.
I would by cosmetical stuff like the Flute and other, but 10e / each is a lot. I mean… this is the same price to rename you Character, even a total makeover kit cost less.

When you think like me the prices are not okay to spend money you try to check the Gold to Gems system and and it’s like taking high-kick in the face.

So I just play and spend no money in the game, but as you can see I’m asking to spend money.

No idea why you added the LOL to promotions. Promotion doesn’t mean sale.

Noun
Activity that supports the furtherance of a cause, venture, or aim.
The publicization of a product, organization, or venture to increase sales or public awareness.

Have you compared the prices of boosters in this game in terms of proxy currency to other games to determine if they are “out of whack”?

Let’s see.

DDO, character slot – 625TP, 50% XP boost for 15 hours – 2395TP, 30 slots shared bank – 2985
GW2, character slot – 800 Gems, 50% XP boost for 15 hours – 1650 Gems, 30 slots bank expansion – 800 Gems

Both games offer 2000 proxy currency for $25. So in this example either our character slot is overpriced or their XP Booster is. Lets not even talk about bank slots.

As others have pointed out a number of times, and which you seem to ignore, that gold to gems is and always been a secondary method to purchase gems and it’s inflation rests solely on players choosing to convert more gold to gems than vice versa. There is no such mechanism in DDO, it’s cash or nothing.

As for the cosmetic items like kites and flutes, well their cost is the price we pay for a game that is cash shop only for continuing income. They do seem popular as the surge in Gold to Gems conversion rate implies when such items first appear, due to the influx of gold to the exchange for gems.

@OP, dont blame Anet. Its NCSoft thats really behind the GemStore (making real money).

Me, i consider everything in the GemStore to expensive to spend real money on.

I would guess NCSoft is at least satisfied enough with how much real money they make with the GemStore.
But i always wonder if GemStore prices would be lowered (significantly) if sales would be so much more NCSoft would actually make more real money.

The gold to gems conversion will always be less favourable than the real cash to gems conversion because obviously ANet would prefer you to spend real money. That’s not me criticizing the business model because it makes sense – letting you convert in game gold to gems is essentially giving you stuff for free (post game purchase) and allowing people who pay real life money to sub that. So the gold to gems conversion should always be higher than absolutely desirable. It certainly isn’t a kick in the face – you’re getting something for free more or less.

Re what things cost in the gem store once you have your gems … well, yes, I do find it odd that something like the flute would cost as much as a character slot, but since neither of these things are necessary anyway, it’s up to the purchaser to decide where the value is worth it for them. I mean, I may really, really want a flute, but see no need to get another character slot. So for me, the value of the flute is higher. I would probably buy the flute because I didn’t value any of the stuff that came with buying an extra character slot.

All the items in the gem store are luxury goods. They are also pure cosmetic items and not required for anything at all.

Also, the conversion rate is set by the players. As long as we, the players, keep converting gold to gems, they will keep going more and more expensive.

I don’t see any scams here.

chtiyonki.6284:

Why I would spend money in so expensive things ? Prices aren’t correctly balanced.

The prices are perfectly balanced. You simply don’t have enough gold to pay for the items that you want, but don’t need.

These prices have been rising because of inflation. Farming is bad for the game, we kept saying it, but people farm anyway. You think you will get more gold to buy something rare, but instead the prices of anything rare will increase. Keep complaining about nerfing of exploits and “farm spots” that drive these prices up.

Gold → Gems is PLAYER controlled, not ANet/NCSoft.

The Gem Store offers you 2 ways: pay with time or pay with money. You can pay with time by making Gold in game and exchanging for Gems or you can pay with money for the Gems. A system where paying with time (Gold) is faster and better than paying with money will lead to a game that isn’t profitable.

1) Player supply and demand controls the gem to gold conversion. If gems where as cheap as you want them to be, no one could ever convert gems to gold, and then you would have no gems to buy at any price.

2) The flute is a good deal, check out how much the bell costs.
http://www.gw2spidy.com/item/38129

I think I understand the point of the OP. If I have it correctly they are questioning gem shop set prices. It would be like if a candy company charged 10 dollars for a candy bar or 5 for a jawbreaker. Point being that the prices in gems are too high for a lot of the items. The elevated prices ensure that sales of said items remain low as alternatives are blatantly better.

Imo it would be better for both parties (us and them) if prices were set more inline with actual worth of an item. Maybe something along the line of 50 gems for 5 pack of boosters. Considering that one can purchase a new account (5 char slots) for the price of 3.5 in the gem shop…it begs the question which the op has.

Anywho…I think a lot of ppl here have missed the point. If prices were more aptly set it would be a win/win. They would sell more as we would buy more. The icing on the cake (if you will) is that it costs them nothing to produce more, so balancing the prices to maximize profits is much easier.

The concept is pretty simple. If they sell 5 at 100 gems, but would have sold 20 at 50 gems, then 50 gems is the more apt price.

LilMcGinley.3890:

Gold -> Gems is PLAYER controlled, not ANet/NCSoft.

What is this universe you live in? I chuckle everytime I see someone actually believing this.

Gasoline.2570:

What is this universe you live in? I chuckle everytime I see someone actually believing this.

And yet you have never actually provided any kind of proof that it is not the case.

lordkrall.7241:

Gasoline.2570:

What is this universe you live in? I chuckle everytime I see someone actually believing this.

And yet you have never actually provided any kind of proof that it is not the case.

Well, it can’t exactly be player “controlled,” since we don’t get to place buy or sell orders; the price is the price, take it or leave it. Of course that doesn’t mean it’s not based on supply and demand from the players though.

Gem/Gold ratio is calculated based on player transactions of Gem → Gold and Gold → Gems.

Hence, player controlled. Not the individual player, but the playerbase as a whole.

The amount of ants at a picnic is totally dependent on the ants and not on the people bringing sweets vs veggies……………….

Saying that it’s completely player driven is rather short sighted. Yes players are one controlling interest, but anet is another. They are both variables in the equation.

Essence Snow.3194:

The amount of ants at a picnic is totally dependent on the ants and not on the people bringing sweets vs veggies……………….

Saying that it’s completely player driven is rather short sighted. Yes players are one controlling interest, but anet is another. They are both variables in the equation.

It is though, in a sense, because Anet has to produce things that cater to the player base. Anet can influence the ratio, but solely through the whims and tastes of the playerbase. Imagine if Anet held a 50% discount on karma boosters. I guarantee you it will not put even the smallest dent in the ratio.

Ursan.7846:

Essence Snow.3194:

The amount of ants at a picnic is totally dependent on the ants and not on the people bringing sweets vs veggies……………….

Saying that it’s completely player driven is rather short sighted. Yes players are one controlling interest, but anet is another. They are both variables in the equation.

It is though, in a sense, because Anet has to produce things that cater to the player base. Anet can influence the ratio, but solely through the whims and tastes of the playerbase. Imagine if Anet held a 50% discount on karma boosters. I guarantee you it will not put even the smallest dent in the ratio.

The difference is that A.net could change the math that determines the ratio without telling anyone, if they so desired. Clearly they have to have the ability to create/destroy gems on the fly for conversions (because it can’t be possible for there to be 0 gems available for purchase at any given time, the way it might be for a normal item on the TP) so they have more power to influence that market compared to other items on the TP. Not saying they do, of course, just saying it’s less transparent.

Speaking of gem exchange rate, what went on sale from April 13th to April 15th that caused the gem price to suddenly go from 2.36g/100 to 3.04g/100 (a 29% increase) over the course of a weekend? Since then the daily average gem price has never been under 3g/100.

I had just started playing around then, and didn’t pay attention to the gem store at the time, as I had no money.

It was the molten alliance mining pick that came out April 13-15.

Ursan.7846:

Essence Snow.3194:

The amount of ants at a picnic is totally dependent on the ants and not on the people bringing sweets vs veggies……………….

Saying that it’s completely player driven is rather short sighted. Yes players are one controlling interest, but anet is another. They are both variables in the equation.

It is though, in a sense, because Anet has to produce things that cater to the player base. Anet can influence the ratio, but solely through the whims and tastes of the playerbase. Imagine if Anet held a 50% discount on karma boosters. I guarantee you it will not put even the smallest dent in the ratio.

Yes, and if they had a 50% discount on character slots it would have a drastic effect on the ratio. They know this as much as we know this. One can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.

The only way to stop the gold to gem prices is if either people stopped converting those, or did gem to gold more. Though the latter would only be people interested in gold buying.
The other way is if the system were to be changed to have a set price of gold to gems. But I doubt that’ll happen, they put effort into the player driven economy so they’d want to keep using the system. It’s a good system to use in the game, even though the prices are skyrocketing right now.

What is longer…a rope?

If a tree falls in a forest….

Letting the gold to gem ratio float via the exchange means it’s automagically adjust to players coin wealth. So the more gold is in circulation, the more it’s used to buy gems when something attractive hits the market, which raises the exchange rate, which increases the likelihood that players wanting a particular item that’s available (or on sale) for a limited time only to buy Gems with cash, which keeps devs employed.

So unless you have a source for a constant stream of gold, or you buy a few gems a day in anticipation of the future, or can reign in your buying urges, it’s working as intended.

cpg.7140:

The difference is that A.net could change the math that determines the ratio without telling anyone, if they so desired. Clearly they have to have the ability to create/destroy gems on the fly for conversions (because it can’t be possible for there to be 0 gems available for purchase at any given time, the way it might be for a normal item on the TP) so they have more power to influence that market compared to other items on the TP. Not saying they do, of course, just saying it’s less transparent.

Creating gems won’t be necessary. People will be more than happy to convert gems to gold at that time because the conversion will be 10000 gold for 100 gems or something like that.

If gems are entirely sold out, I’ll promise you I’ll put some in the system again. I won’t let such an opportunity pass.

And for the record, gems are rising in gold price because they’re indeed not correctly priced. I’m not inclined to convert to gold yet. Maybe once they’re at 5gold per 100 gems or something like that. Seems more appropriate at the current age of the game.

John Smith.4610:

The exchange is far from a mystery, if you take what you know of how it works, and applying knowledge of MMO life cycles in both game and economy, everything you want to know becomes pretty clear.

To be fair though, he isn’t saying it’s mysterious or difficult to understand. He’s saying that it’s terrible game design. Whether one agrees with that or not is, of course, a different matter.

Gasoline.2570:

LilMcGinley.3890:

Gold -> Gems is PLAYER controlled, not ANet/NCSoft.

What is this universe you live in? I chuckle everytime I see someone actually believing this.

Because you believe the opposite without an actual understanding of how it works? Yeah, I think that’s funny too.

I think the key point here is to recognize the business model of the game. It’s not subscription based. I think people QQing about the gold to gem conversion tend to forget they don’t actually PAY to play this game, aside from the initial outlay to buy it.

The gold to gem thing is actually pretty smart. Anet wants your cash. If you don’t want to give it to them, using the gold to gems is a great sink. It’s win win, for everyone.

John Smith.4610:

The exchange is far from a mystery, if you take what you know of how it works, and applying knowledge of MMO life cycles in both game and economy, everything you want to know becomes pretty clear.

John owns all the naysayers yet again. I enjoy watching him shut down conspiracies.

if OP cry about gems went from 60→28 per gold, perhaps i could cry louder. it actually went from 400→28 per gold….

but no i wouldn’t do that… just be happy that they add gold→gems conversion in game….

Yeah it’s really wrong that the best MMO in the market currently should cost some money to keep playing. Really wrong.

Furthermore, because I have the luxury of a well paid job, gems actually haven’t changed a cent in price. Gems still cost the same as they did on launch.

It use to be a lot cheaper in the earlier days. Earning coin was easier until everything was nerfed.

What you’re seeing is people flushing their gold in exchange for gems so that the exchange rate becomes attractive enough for people to exchange real money for gems.

Calae.1738:

It use to be a lot cheaper in the earlier days. Earning coin was easier until everything was nerfed.

What you’re seeing is people flushing their gold in exchange for gems so that the exchange rate becomes attractive enough for people to exchange real money for gems.

It was cheaper because no one had money.

earning coin is far easier than it was at the beginning of the game.

earning mats has been nerfed, which means higher mat prices, it doesn’t say anything about the amount of gold though.

Calae.1738:

It use to be a lot cheaper in the earlier days. Earning coin was easier until everything was nerfed.

What you’re seeing is people flushing their gold in exchange for gems so that the exchange rate becomes attractive enough for people to exchange real money for gems.

Nothing used to be cheaper.

The gold used to be more valuable, that’s all.

Eventhough they will always say they wont do it (and no one will ever know if they do), Anet/NCSoft can control the prices if they want. And they would do it for a simple reason: selling gems = money. They are here for business, you are here for fun. If they stop making money, they will leave the business. If you stop having fun, you can quit the game.

AntiGw.9367:

Calae.1738:

It use to be a lot cheaper in the earlier days. Earning coin was easier until everything was nerfed.

What you’re seeing is people flushing their gold in exchange for gems so that the exchange rate becomes attractive enough for people to exchange real money for gems.

Nothing used to be cheaper.

The gold used to be more valuable, that’s all.

I use to make a lot of coin in fractals and cursed shore. All that is pretty much gone now. Cursed shore use to have a lot of player activity around the clock; now it’s a ghost town. Fractals use to have 20+ groups under 5 minutes running; now you’re lucky to find 3.

This is how I judge gem prices:

The unbreakable bell highest buy order is almost at 40 gold.

800 Gems is close to 40 gold.

The Bell costs nearly the same as the Horn/Flute if you go Gold → Gems.

Why anyone spends real life money for gems, I’ll never know. You may be supporting Anet, which in turn, allows them to put out more content, but more often than not, it’s content many people don’t want, poorly implemented (the amount of bugs is astonishing) and Anet still doesn’t seem to listen to it’s customers (the last patch was a step in the right direction, but still too little, too late).

Fade.7658:

Why anyone spends real life money for gems, I’ll never know. You may be supporting Anet, which in turn, allows them to put out more content, but more often than not, it’s content many people don’t want, poorly implemented (the amount of bugs is astonishing) and Anet still doesn’t seem to listen to it’s customers (the last patch was a step in the right direction, but still too little, too late).

You do know that if we DIDN’T spend real life money on gems you wouldn’t be able to buy gems for ingame gold, right?

Behellagh.1468:

No idea why you added the LOL to promotions. Promotion doesn’t mean sale.

Noun
Activity that supports the furtherance of a cause, venture, or aim.
The publicization of a product, organization, or venture to increase sales or public awareness.

Have you compared the prices of boosters in this game in terms of proxy currency to other games to determine if they are “out of whack”?

Let’s see.

DDO, character slot – 625TP, 50% XP boost for 15 hours – 2395TP, 30 slots shared bank – 2985
GW2, character slot – 800 Gems, 50% XP boost for 15 hours – 1650 Gems, 30 slots bank expansion – 800 Gems

Both games offer 2000 proxy currency for $25. So in this example either our character slot is overpriced or their XP Booster is. Lets not even talk about bank slots.

As others have pointed out a number of times, and which you seem to ignore, that gold to gems is and always been a secondary method to purchase gems and it’s inflation rests solely on players choosing to convert more gold to gems than vice versa. There is no such mechanism in DDO, it’s cash or nothing.

As for the cosmetic items like kites and flutes, well their cost is the price we pay for a game that is cash shop only for continuing income. They do seem popular as the surge in Gold to Gems conversion rate implies when such items first appear, due to the influx of gold to the exchange for gems.

Notwithstanding the fact DDO turned into a flaming pile (multi-year/several hundred dollar-invested customer till their quality/stability fell apart). Not a fair comparison target.

I would happily pay real money for gems, if there were actually something in the gem store that seemed worth my money. Every single item looks a load of rubbish I would be disappointed to get as a random drop. Paying cash for them seems downright insane!

Fade.7658:

Why anyone spends real life money for gems, I’ll never know. You may be supporting Anet, which in turn, allows them to put out more content, but more often than not, it’s content many people don’t want, poorly implemented (the amount of bugs is astonishing) and Anet still doesn’t seem to listen to it’s customers (the last patch was a step in the right direction, but still too little, too late).

Because I support A.net for putting out content I like, more often than other MMOs and it’s content I actually want and enjoy. The amount of bugs is pretty low, personally never ran into serious issues. A.net really listens to its player’s as proven by the latest blog post. The last patch was another step in the right direction.

Your opinion isn’t the opinion of the people who actually play the game and support Arena.net. Feel free to pay for any other game if you don’t like this one.

Fade.7658:

Why anyone spends real life money for gems, I’ll never know. You may be supporting Anet, which in turn, allows them to put out more content, but more often than not, it’s content many people don’t want, poorly implemented (the amount of bugs is astonishing) and Anet still doesn’t seem to listen to it’s customers (the last patch was a step in the right direction, but still too little, too late).

Why anyone spends 2+ hours farming for gold when I can get the same amount by spending pocket change, I’ll never know. Maybe some people actually enjoy running CoF P1 over and over and over again. I don’t.

Tom Gore.4035:

Fade.7658:

Why anyone spends real life money for gems, I’ll never know. You may be supporting Anet, which in turn, allows them to put out more content, but more often than not, it’s content many people don’t want, poorly implemented (the amount of bugs is astonishing) and Anet still doesn’t seem to listen to it’s customers (the last patch was a step in the right direction, but still too little, too late).

Why anyone spends 2+ hours farming for gold when I can get the same amount by spending pocket change, I’ll never know. Maybe some people actually enjoy running CoF P1 over and over and over again. I don’t.

Yup, I would much rather work for an extra hour and spend that money on gems → gold (and have plenty left over) than grind away for an hour in game and make a fraction of that amount.