Fluffy Bunnies of DOOM

Anyone try it yet? Basically looks like WOW in space but it's an ex-Blizzard team that created it so it makes sense that they would try and take the stuff that works in Wow and try to fix the stuff that doesn't work.

The amazing thing is Wildstar is one of the first MMO I've noticed in a long time that is back to the subscription model vs the free to play but they have designed a method to use CREDD tokens to extend game time. From a business perspective I find it interesting, how well it works in the long run is a different story as you need a balance of Players A and B: http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/game/ ... ess-model/. If you follow the path down to Player D, it's pretty funny though but I don't understand how they believe they can get rid of the gold farmer.

This is what it looks like when computer programmers pretend to be economists.

There are four things that will influence their success in combatting gold farmers (other than the existing standard attempts to ban botters and farmers):
1) Supply and demand/the exchange rate
2) Transaction ease
3) Risk of fraud
4) Morals

1) Supply and demand/the exchange rate

If Player A buys (making numbers up) 100 CREDD for $100 or $1.00:1CREDD and sells 1CREDD for 10 gold you have an exchange rate of $1.00:10gold. That now sets the base exchange rate that gold farmers are competing against. Can a gold farming outfit farm gold efficiently enough that they can sell gold at a better rate? If they can offer gold at $1.00:25gold, people who don't care about #2, #3 or #4 will still use gold farmers because it will be the cost effective alternative. Why pay Player A $10 for 100 gold when you can pay a gold farmer $4 for the same amount?

2) Transaction ease

This gets interesting. Using Wildstar's system requires you to make TWO transactions to get gold. Transaction one is you buy CREDD at a guaranteed cost. Transaction two is you sell CREDD for gold at a variable price (whatever other players will pay). This makes the transaction complicated. You have to make two transactions instead of one and you have to take 100% of the risk that you can actually sell your CREDD for gold at a reasonable price and in a reasonable time. If you want that mount "now", it is potentially easier to use the gold farmers.

Buying gold from a gold farmer is only one transaction and at a guaranteed exchange rate. If the interface to buy is easy to use, it is a much better method than using the in game function.

3) Risk of fraud

The reason people shouldn't use gold farmers is the risk of identity theft or fraud. But this isn't new to wildstar. Their system has no effect on the likelihood of fraud.

4) Morals

Many people won't use gold farmers because it is "wrong". In theory, a method to provide a "fair" alternative will keep fringe players from going to gold farming. In other words, if you can buy gold at $1.00:10gold in game versus $1.00:15gold from a farmer many people will consider the exchange rate close enough to not sacrifice their morals.

The question I'd like answered is why they are doing this at all. The simplest solution which is the best for all Player A's is just to be allowed to buy gold. Why have the annoying second transaction at all? Plus, why have the most extreme of your players playing for free?

Two possible answers stand out:

1) The 4th wall and morals: They might think that players view selling CREDD for gold as a natural in game process so they can disassociate themselves from the real truth that they are buying gold for cash.
2) The developers believe massively committed players enhance the game: Basically it is the MMO version of the 1%. The developers might feel the 1% extreme players are a marketing tool. Other players want to be them, emulate them and the developers think the health of the game is driven by their commitment. If that means they get to play for free, that is better than them not playing at all.

I watched a bit of a Wildstar 15-man raid on Towelliee's twitch stream. It looks *identical* to WOW -- looks like the same kind of mods, raid symbols, and even summoning.

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