Economic crisis hits cRPG market?

[Corwin]

Is it just my impression or people don't have any money these days? Prices of some items are going sky high, but I believe that it has become very difficult to get over 1 mil cash from people, and everyone is offering trades.

What do you think?

[Keshian]

Actualy come to NA 1 sometime, there are tons of people using the armored horses with heavy armor and steel shields (roughly 100K worth of gear).  They were the ones selling their loom points for the market's gold and now using it all up to keep their e-peen high by crutching on the highest level gear.  So basically the gold from the market gets taken out and used up and its not being replaced fast enough by people using cheap gear (I have less than 20K worth of gear and barely make 5-10K in a day).

[Braeden]

When the market first hit, people who had tons of money from low upkeep gear traded for heirlooms from people who use very high upkeep gear whenever they can.  Those vast cash reserves vanished into either upkeep, or the pockets of people who intend to spend it down the road.  Meanwhile, the heirloom supply continued to increase.

I don't view it as a crisis though.  More the end of absurd inflation.

[Corwin]

Now I think would be good time for making first cRPG bank and issue loans. For example, I'll give you my + 2 item for free now, but you will give me your next three loom points.

[Remy]

As a HA, I am always rather poor. 

The cost for repairs to arrows, my horse and bow generally force me to utilize rather cheap equipment.

Rouncy horse, standard horn bow and barbed/tartar arrows. (Which appears to be the new standard kit.)

Occasionally I may for fun go one round with bodkin arrows or a Destrier horse. High repair costs however mean that it is not something I can do for long, even with a good multiplier.

~Remy, HA (Hobo Archer)

[Corwin]

As a HA, I am always rather poor. 

The cost for repairs to arrows, my horse and bow generally force me to utilize rather cheap equipment.

Rouncy horse, standard horn bow and barbed arrows. (Which appears to be the new standard kit.)

Occasionally I may for fun go one round with bodkin arrows or a Destrier horse. High repair costs however mean that it is not something I can do for long, even with a good multiplier.

~Remy, HA (Hobo Archer)

No, you try in vain. You will not convince anyone that bodkins aren't used by HA. 

[Remy]

We are too poor to buy bodkin arrows, honest! 

True story.

[Tennenoth]

I have to say I do find the increase in the prices of heirloom points to be rather high. Inflation does seem to have hit heavily and i'm still wondering why that is. I personally have not spent more than 250K for an heirloom point by careful bartering/investments and I am still well over 1 million gold. I am honestly losing money at the moment with my light kit, not sure how much it is but I am sure that if you really want to know, you can work it out yourself! 

The prices of heirlooms and their respective points need to be reduced significantly in my opinion but I don't believe that there is really an economic crisis in the markets, as Braeden it's the end of the "absurd inflation". (I hope it is anyway because otherwise it will hit a crisis.)

But what you are saying is true in effect.

[Lt_Anders]

I have to say I do find the increase in the prices of heirloom points to be rather high. Inflation does seem to have hit heavily and i'm still wondering why that is. I personally have not spent more than 250K for an heirloom point by careful bartering/investments and I am still well over 1 million gold. I am honestly losing money at the moment with my light kit, not sure how much it is but I am sure that if you really want to know, you can work it out yourself! 

The prices of heirlooms and their respective points need to be reduced significantly in my opinion but I don't believe that there is really an economic crisis in the markets, as Braeden it's the end of the "absurd inflation". (I hope it is anyway because otherwise it will hit a crisis.)

But what you are saying is true in effect.

Why are heirloom prices so high?
During the initial release, people put up looms and keep making them go higher and higher in price and people were willing to pay. Simple economics. Sellers increased prices and consumers were willing to pay. Now, though the reverse is true. People don't have the money anymore prices are decreasing as a result.

Simple economics.

[Tennenoth]

I understand that, I meant why it increased so rapidly, not why it increased in the first place.

Supply and Demand isn't difficult to grasp of course and although I only did an A level in Business and Economics, I still do know whats effecting it at a basic level and why, but there are more reasons as to why it has increased so fast and it's not just because of high demand. Other outside influences I think such as some of the more regular traders increasing their prices and other people seeing their chance to cash in on this increase. More or less trying to jump in on the "good prices".

Besides that, as I said before, Braeden probably hit the nail on the head by saying that heavy geared people sold their heirlooms to the light ones and there goes the money into the "money sink of expensive gear". But i'm still wondering if there were more factors.

Although I guess I should appretiate you taking the time to answer a question you thought I asked so in that case, thank you for that at least. (Despite the somewhat patronising last remark.)

EDIT: See that Osiris. Jump on whatever deal you sell that point for 250 gold! D:

[indigocylinder]

They should increase the offer limit back to 12.

More offers = more choices = more competition = lower prices.

The fact that offers lapse after a week is enough to keep the size of the market from getting out of hand.

[Zisa]

greedy dimwits.

[BlackMilk]

I think that slowly most People got all the looms they need/want (either by paying 450k for a loompoint or by heirlooming things on their own) and thus the demand + prices are decreasing now. Sounds realistic,
huh?

[Kafein]

I understand that, I meant why it increased so rapidly, not why it increased in the first place.

IMO, the reason was incomplete information. At first, people sort of agreed to a base heirloom price, after the sellers realised 500k for a +1 was def. too much and the buyers realised that 200k was definitely too low, everyone was selling and buying any +1 heirloom for 300k. Then the prices started to gently fluctuate.

It lasted quite long and by that time it was really easy to make cheap money with the market. Delusions on the value of items, people needing money very fast, etc.

Then the patch hit and many balance ajustments were made. People already had started to realise that a +1 item maybe wasn't equal to another +1 item, so very logically now the price differences between high and low demand items are extreme (sometimes more than 1 heirloom point in gold), as some good prepatch items became very bad (courser and arab warhorse mainly).


Before some players started playing full 100k+ equipment, there sure was inflation because everybody was either breaking even or earning money, and more and more people were stopping the retirements (thus not feeding the market with heirloom points).

But now that gear crutchers aren't that uncommon, I do think there will be a general decrease in the price of semi-critical heirlooms like weapons, ammo or horses and convenience heirlooms like shields, peasant stuff, head armor and boots. Critical heirlooms like armor and gauntlets however, will not decrease in price.

Everybody wants them at the moment, and I doubt a general decrease in the gold mass will affect those that are able to buy heirloomed armors. Fact is, most armor related trades are direct heirloom point trades, and many people don't even sell their heirloom points despite the somewhat exaggerated price (400k+ while you can find nearly all the +1 heirlooms you want at 300k), they just turn them into heirloomed armor. Very few people have armors to sell, because they are sold very fast to players that actually use them.

[ThePoopy]

im sure theres just shitloads of greedy ppl like me who sits on 2 mil just bcouse