Guild Wars 2

mtpelion.4562:

Pandemoniac.4739:

I disagree. Buying gems with gold has been a feature of the game since its inception and may have influenced some folks decision to buy the game. How do you distinguish features that are graciously provided, and therefore shouldn’t be complained about, and features that are ok to complain about?

I personally don’t have much of an issue with the exchange rate, but I don’t begrudge the folks that do the opportunity to give their feedback on it if they do it constructively.

They put in a system that allows you to convert the time you are already spending enjoying the game into gems, which you can then use to acquire FREE items that normally cost money.

No matter what the conversion ratio of time to gems is, you are getting FREE things. For FREE.

FREE.

Complaining about the rate at which you are gifted FREE things is abhorrent behavior, even for us arrogant Americans.

I think the complainers not only want it for free, but they want to be rewarded extras for using the free service.

But as for the stereotype about Americans, I think Entitlement is something that transcends borders.

Lets turn the argument onto it’s side for a moment. If the exchange rate was more reasonable, allowing most players to buy sale and limited time items at the shop with gold, then how does the game stay open when it’s primary source of income post launch is selling gems for cash?

It’s a “can’t have your cake and eat it to” argument. The masses can’t play for free because the game isn’t financed with rainbows and pixie dust. And while the exchange is a feature, it’s a feature for those who have the time to earn large quantities of in game coin, as in treating the game like a job and putting in 8 hours a day. You can’t expect to install the game, play an hour and then buy some awesome armor skin.

First of all can we refrain from defaming 300 million people simply because they were born in a particular part of the world? I know it’s the cool thing to do these days, but it adds nothing to the argument.

If I follow the logic here, if it costs you nothing but time you’re an entitled tool for complaining. Every feature of the game is free under those terms. You have no right to complain about the drop rate of anything. You have no right to complain about having to spend time managing your bids in the TP. You’re not entitled to get a good price on the market, go out and find the items you want. It’s just your time.

It is poor form in my opinion to try to quash the feedback of other players by labelling it as not legitimate and attacking their character for having an opinion. Kittening uncivilized.

It’s a game and they are expressing something that is frustrating them. Would it be better if they just silently left without giving ANet any hints about why? As long as it’s constructive they should be able to complain without getting ridiculed.

Pandemoniac.4739:

First of all can we refrain from defaming 300 million people simply because they were born in a particular part of the world? I know it’s the cool thing to do these days, but it adds nothing to the argument.

If I follow the logic here, if it costs you nothing but time you’re an entitled tool for complaining. Every feature of the game is free under those terms. You have no right to complain about the drop rate of anything. You have no right to complain about having to spend time managing your bids in the TP. You’re not entitled to get a good price on the market, go out and find the items you want. It’s just your time.

It is poor form in my opinion to try to quash the feedback of other players by labelling it as not legitimate and attacking their character for having an opinion. Kittening uncivilized.

It’s a game and they are expressing something that is frustrating them. Would it be better if they just silently left without giving ANet any hints about why? As long as it’s constructive they should be able to complain without getting ridiculed.

One cannot defame oneself. Any comments made against Americans are self-deprecating in my case, and are an extension of the widely known stereotype (true or not) of the self-centered American. The goal is not to insult Americans, but to use the stereotype of the arrogant American as a measuring stick against which to compare the poor form of complaining about a gift.

On to the root: I paid for the game. Therefore anything that is provided for the money I’ve spent I have a right to submit feedback for. Gems are used to purchase new content that I have not yet paid for and are NOT included in the fee I’ve already spent. If I spend money for gems, I am entitled to complain about what has been purchased with said gems.

If, however, I accept the FREE gift of gems via the in game exchange system, anything I purchase with said gems is a gift, and any complaints I level ARE the result of a flaw in my personal character.

Feedback from such selfish, entitled individuals should not be quashed, but it certainly should be ignored by ArenaNet and ridiculed by the player base in general because it reflects the same kind of mentality that a spoiled 3 year old child exhibits at the grocery store when his parents won’t give him candy even though they just handed him a toy.

Does anyone have a recommendation on how to fix the problem. Here are the constraints I see.

a) more people want to buy gems at 8g for 100 than want to sell 100 gems for 6g. (hence the rising price).
b) ANet needs to make money somehow.
c) ANet wants to provide a means for user’s get use RL $ for in game gold and in game gold for gem store items.
d) Cycles that allow people to earn free gold through the buying and selling of gems should not be allowed. (For example, if I can buy 100 gems for 5g and then sell it for 6g, I make 1g for nothing… not allowed).

How do you recommend we fix the problem. One possibility is to remove the tax make the exchange rates equal. 7g=100 gems and 100 gems = 7g. Would that be sufficient?

Edit: This may not be viable, simply because people may use gems as an inflation hedge, knowing that they can get them back with no loss. Also speculation may cause pretty wide fluctuations in price. But the gap may be narrowed to 15% or 20%.

TooBz.3065:

How do you recommend we fix the problem. One possibility is to remove the tax make the exchange rates equal. 7g=100 gems and 100 gems = 7g. Would that be sufficient?

It is well known that gem values spike when new items are added to the cash shop, as a certain part of the player base rushes to get the new shinies nownownow by converting their spare gold into gems.

Buy X gems with, say 2000 gold on Monday before update. New items are added Tuesday, gem price spikes. Convert X gems back into 3000 gold. Repeat in two weeks.

Not a solution, but a brand new problem. The best way to make money in the game becomes “playing” the exchange.

TooBz.3065:

How do you recommend we fix the problem. One possibility is to remove the tax make the exchange rates equal. 7g=100 gems and 100 gems = 7g. Would that be sufficient?

Edit: This may not be viable, simply because people may use gems as an inflation hedge, knowing that they can get them back with no loss. Also speculation may cause pretty wide fluctuations in price. But the gap may be narrowed to 15% or 20%.

The day the exchange rates are even both ways, is the day the economy breaks. If you think item speculation is bad now, just wait until you see what happens when investment players start playing the Gem currency market.

tolunart.2095:

TooBz.3065:

How do you recommend we fix the problem. One possibility is to remove the tax make the exchange rates equal. 7g=100 gems and 100 gems = 7g. Would that be sufficient?

It is well known that gem values spike when new items are added to the cash shop, as a certain part of the player base rushes to get the new shinies nownownow by converting their spare gold into gems.

Buy X gems with, say 2000 gold on Monday before update. New items are added Tuesday, gem price spikes. Convert X gems back into 3000 gold. Repeat in two weeks.

Not a solution, but a brand new problem. The best way to make money in the game becomes “playing” the exchange.

Yea, you are going to need a greater spike that what you have currently if you want to do that. The rate difference is 38.5%. That would be Monday’s price of 8g per 100 becoming more than 11 on Tuesday. Over a month or 6 weeks it may be possible.

It’s not a serious proposal, just numbers pulled out of the air for the sake of an example. I’m still trying to understand why TooBz made the point D avoid situations where you can make money playing the exchange rates and then proposed a solution that does exactly that, setting the gold-gems and gems-gold rates to the same amount.

The exchange rates at present drop the potential profit to less than 10%, while the proposal would make it nearly 40%. Since my example was a 50% profit it’s not that far off from what removing the “tax” would do.

Pandemoniac.4739:

mtpelion.4562:

Buying gems with gold is an optional feature that ArenaNet has GRACIOUSLY provided to us. To ever complain about it is incredibly poor form.

I disagree. Buying gems with gold has been a feature of the game since its inception and may have influenced some folks decision to buy the game. How do you distinguish features that are graciously provided, and therefore shouldn’t be complained about, and features that are ok to complain about?

That’s an easy one … it’s distinguished because buying stuff with gems is the only source of revenue to Anet for this game. Giving people the option to get that stuff not using RL money is VERY gracious.

Frankly, I think the ability to buy gems for gold, regardless of the price, is a VERY beneficial feature of this game. If people didn’t buy gems for gold, what kind of prices do you think we would be looking at for stuff on the TP? Guaranteed … ALOT higher than they are now.

Greetings from the future! Here in the future gold is now approaching 11 gold per 100 gems.

Looks a bit silly how you were complaining about 3 gold a year ago, huh?

Exxxxcellent… Hopefully the day when I can get 10g for selling 100 gems will come soon.