The Contraband Slot Machine

[Max_Killjoy]

Eh... if someone wants to stand around clicking a noisemaker for stuff all day instead of actually playing the game, and the end result is cheaper mats and mods on the market, I say let them.

[lightSaberAddiCt]

In reply to THC thinking a hard nerf is coming to the slots, dont get your hopes up. If you think BW is going to do anything negative that will impact the acolyte kit sales, because a few gtn warriors are butthurt for losing some of their cash cow, you really are dreaming.

[DarthTHC]

In reply to THC thinking a hard nerf is coming to the slots, dont get your hopes up. If you think BW is going to do anything negative that will impact the acolyte kit sales, because a few gtn warriors are butthurt for losing some of their cash cow, you really are dreaming.

 

I've been saying since Friday they won't announce the nerf until pack sales taper off... after everyone who wants slot machines have them.

 

Cash cow? That's this slot machine. And I"m milking it like a robot arm on Howard Wolowitz's... Wolowitz. My goal is to have more Jawa Junk and CM Certs before the nerf than anyone else on my server.

 

And if they don't nerf it, that's fine too, because I will have generated a considerable number of stacks of absolutely free crafting resources with which to continue to take other players' "hard won" credits by conspiring with every other crafter on the server to overcharge them.

 

Have fun!

Edited January 19, 2015 by DarthTHC

[LordArtemis]

#1 Isn't really needed. We don't need across-the-board resource payout increases. We already have too many blue components. Green components are already essentially free because of the abundance of them available for harvesting on Rishi and Yavin. We just need more artifacts from the mission-only skills.

 

#2 is good, but too low. This needs to get from base 15% crit to base 45% crit on Bountiful, Rich, and Wealthy missions. Crits are the only way to produce the artifact level materials that were, before these slots, too rare.

 

#3 is good, but it should be reduced to half or less.

 

Tripling the crit chance and halving the mission time could increase the flow of artifact-level materials into the game sixfold.

 

#4 is an annoyance but not necessary. We can already do this for ourselves. It's just time-consuming and, like I said, annoying. Of course, I asked for it too, because it's really, really annoying.

 

#5 is irrelevant. We have so many blues that the existing 2% - 5% failure rate doesn't matter. Only crits matter. At this point, I'd almost rather see a mission fail than get a normal success, because the failure means I don't have to figure out what to do with even more valueless blue materials. "Yay, even more Biocell Memory Cores..."

 

#6 is interesting, but again not terribly important if we get the combination of #2 and #3 (as I adjusted in my comments). If we put this on top of those, maybe we get a tenfold increase of the number of artifact mats coming into the game. I wouldn't be opposed to this, but I don't know how necessary getting to x10 is if we can already get to x6.

 

#7 that's interesting, too, but doesn't legacy crafting only affect making things and not mission returns? I suppose that increasing the number of "free" items created wouldn't be bad, though. I know whenever I crit, I'm more likely to post more items for fewer credits. Maybe others react similarly.

 

#8 is interesting, no objections there, either.

 

Overall though, I think many items on your list request more game mechanics changes or new features and therefore would take longer to implement and more effort to implement. I'd rather see a fix sooner than later That's why I think we can get by with what amounts to an increase in crit rate - one variable (possibly per mission), hopefully, which again hopefully could be done in the scope of a weekly patch.

 

I am going to add your suggested changes you posted a bit of a ways back to this suggestion, and any others that I find shortly so folks can compare them and either back the ones they like or suggest their own.

 

I think this is the way to move forward instead of arguing back and forth over individual views. Better that all voices are heard in one spot.

[Reno_Tarshil]

You know... it just doesn't matter. It's going to be nerfed, and nerfed hard. It's all according to their plan. Just watch.

 

And if nothing happens?

[DarthTHC]

And if nothing happens?

 

Then I'm going to make more credits faster than ever before. It's all good.

 

And because nobody is standing up against CM encroaching into gameplay, maybe we'll eventually get to buy a 300CC token to get to a "bonus boss" (who drops the best loot in the game) in an Operation someday. (If you scoff at that, go look at EA's P2W model in its other online titles.)

 

But I'm not wrong on this. These things are so crazy broken it's laughable and required at the same time.

 

If this wasn't planned, BioWare are complete idiots. (And I do not for a second think they're complete idiots.)

 

But even if it wasn't planned, they're going to look at their reports on Monday and Tuesday and figure out how broken it is very, very quickly and still nerf it.

 

But not until after the pack sales die down. Revenue above all else.

 

...or were you looking for a different sort of answer?

Edited January 19, 2015 by DarthTHC

[Reno_Tarshil]

Then I'm going to make more credits faster than ever before. It's all good.

 

And because nobody is standing up against CM encroaching into gameplay, maybe we'll eventually get to buy a 300CC token to get to a "bonus boss" (who drops the best loot in the game) in an Operation someday. (If you scoff at that, go look at EA's P2W model in its other online titles.)

 

But I'm not wrong on this. These things are so crazy broken it's laughable and required at the same time.

 

If this wasn't planned, BioWare are complete idiots. (And I do not for a second think they're complete idiots.)

 

But even if it wasn't planned, they're going to look at their reports on Monday and Tuesday and figure out how broken it is very, very quickly and still nerf it.

 

But not until after the pack sales die down. Revenue above all else.

 

...or were you looking for a different sort of answer?

 

I just find it silly how you claimed it horrible and bad for the game, yet you still intend on using the hell out of it instead of properly protesting it. I mean you do realize Bioware is going to see your "feedback" and laugh because technically you're still approving of it, right?

[grombrinda]

Who cares??

 

The only people really ************ about this are the ones losing revenue to a market they previously had a lock hold on.......

[Heat-Wave]

Who cares??

 

The only people really ************ about this are the ones losing revenue to a market they previously had a lock hold on.......

 

^ This...

 

I've made a ton of credits crafting over the years... but in truth, this is a net positive to most players. It is only a negative to a few...

[Divona]

I still think this is great addition to game EVEN when i have all crafting skills covered myself and made a lot credits with crafting after 3.0

 

There are still alts and companions i'd like to gear myself via crafting. So i dont really care if the midlithe crystals are selling now really low like 6-8k. I still craft various items and can still sell them. It is better to use those crafting items than sell them directly.

 

If they change win ratios then most people probably will not use it at all then. If you click slot machine you cant do anything else and it gets really boring after some time.

[StefanInter]

remember, they can track them just like they tracked the exploit users!!

 

The could also track the grophet achievements the same but refused they restore those. As per Musco's post its their policy not to restore achievements as its hard to prove...

[StefanInter]

 

The change I asked for to missions actually harms the "mats barons" as you call them by making it easier to get a whole lot more mats, which will in turn drive crafters to make more things, post more things, and undercut more aggressively to make the sale.

 

I believe that if these slots dropped tokens that eliminated a reason to play your favorite part of the game, the equivalent of completing a flash point or war zone, you would equally want that part of the slots removed, right?

 

Or would it be cool to spin the wheel and get Ultimate Commendations with the same drop rate as Jawa Junk?

 

Ultimate coms gear have poor mods and enhancement so would make very little difference only allow you to get the offhand hilt/barrel slightly faster.

 

As to dropping tokens and eliminating the reason to play said content, the raiders and pvp players I play with don't do it for the gear but the fun/challenge so not dropping tokens would have very little impact on us.

[LordArtemis]

Things are NOT crazy...at least not on Shadowlands at present.

 

First, blues are the same. Purples have dropped SLIGHTLY in price. Greens have gone UP in price if you can believe that.

 

Crafted gear? No noticeable difference.

 

I expected SOME kind of movement in prices by now, but nothing yet.

 

If this was so ground shattering I would have expected some kind of movement by now. Naturally it would be more conclusive if a few weeks go by and it remains as it is now. So we will have to see.

 

But I think, like the ridiculous claims of market crashes in the past (unified comms was the most recent one) that never materialized this is just smoke.

 

We will see I suppose. One thing for sure...no matter the hyperbole, Bioware has the numbers most likely. If there is an issue, they will change it...if not (as I expect) it will remain as it is.

 

I just hope, like in the past, they rely on their own data and not on the fantasies of doom that certain folks seem to be obsessed with at the moment.

[EnkiduNineEight]

Who cares??

 

The only people really ************ about this are the ones losing revenue to a market they previously had a lock hold on.......

 

 

I have a problem with it. I do not make money from crafting and the gtn. I do not hae a cornered market.

 

I am not alone in this.

 

Just because you can recognize something is a bad idea, and you oppose said thing, doesn't mean you are upset about how it personally affected you and your 'business' in game.

 

By framing your argument as you have, you're showing that you do not really want to acknowledge anything but the narrative you've created for yourself and thus that you aren't interested in bothering to even try to see anyone else's point of view.

 

My concern is rooted in that it is now a necessity item. You must have or have easy access to a slot machine in order to 'compete' in the game now. Even at what would be considered 'rock bottom' prices for the materials/decorations you can sell from playing the slot machine there is no gambling involved. Every pull ends up a winner as you can 'generate' more currency from using the item than you put into it.

 

I do not want to see it removed, just brought into line with existing methods of gathering materials for crafting. So that the cost per material is slightly more than it is for using companion gathering missions. The reason it should be slightly more is because it is more 'reliable' a method to produce what you need and companion gathering is more random so takes a longer time to achieve the results you want.

 

To sweeten the pot and make the slot machine more desirable I suggested as well that items from prior shipments be made available as prizes from the slot, so you can fill out your collections as well. With the 'drop' rate for these being just slightly better than the kingpin rancor (.001).

 

Essentially the slot machine should be made more like the Nightlife event slot machine, be less generous and more of an in game credit sink. Presently its a 'magic money machine' and its convenience makes it essential for anyone who wants to craft whether for their own use (like I craft primarily to outfit my characters/be self sufficient) or for use to sell items on the GTN. If a Cartel Market item goes from being cosmetic t being nearly required to have in order to play the game, then the item has stepped outside of the bounds of what Cartel Items are supposed to be. Its now a 'pay to win' item.

 

This is why on multiple servers they are well over 2 million on the GTN to purchase despite their level of rarity in packs. If you do not have one, do not have access to one, you are in a poorer position to compete in the game. Guilds that have multiples of them on their flagships etc, will have a distinct advantage in crafting war materials for the conquest game.

 

Its a broken mechanic and while introduced with what appears to be the best intentions, it is damaging to the game.

 

I don't want to see it gone, I want to see if brought into line with other materials generating methods, and I would like to see its pot sweetened as well to act as a money sink. I want this not because I make money from selling crafted items on the gtn, but because I recognize how its not a good for the game addition.

[myndenx]

I think the main idea behind this machine is something like this:

- Get people to buy packs for the slot machine, let the word spread of how good it is

- Reach a certain point, when pack sales have already reached the maximum and are not going to increase, maybe because everyone and his dog already owns the slot machine.

- Nerf the hell out of the slot machine = thus making the investment of many players rather short lived.

 

Prepare to make a new rulette machine.

[TheGreatFrosty]

^ This...

 

I've made a ton of credits crafting over the years... but in truth, this is a net positive to most players. It is only a negative to a few...

 

People like you are painful.

 

Stop suspecting some hegemonic power wielding a crystal ball and enforcing an oppressive state over the rest of the so-called down-and-out paupers.

 

It's SOOOO easy on this game to make credits. Literally. You weren't making much money from mats before? Pick up a craft...

 

What is this? Do you honestly expect something for nothing? I'd also like alternate options on everything. PVE gear, PVP gear, in fact, I don't want to lift my finger for more than a few clicks to achieve anything in this game.

 

Do you seriously believe it's an acceptable situation that gambling machines have nullified every single gathering crafting craft in this game? That our advice going forwards to new players would be "Don't bother with crafting, get yourself a slot machine."

[SavantDreadtech]

Hey folks,

 

We know that there have been many questions about the Contraband Slot Machine and its intent. Here are a few notes on it:

• The Contraband Slot Machine is not bugged.
  
• It is 100% not an exploit to use the Slot Machine.
  
• If you feel the desire to sell access to your Stronghold, that’s totally up to you. As a reminder, do not scam people as that is against ToS.
  
• We added the Slot Machine as a fun idea based on the positive feedback from the Nightlife event, so spend those credits to your heart’s content!
  

With that being said, we do hear the concern from many of you around the effects of the Jawa Junk’s drop rate on the economy. We are going to take a look at it and make changes accordingly. I will let you know once I know more. In the meantime, have fun!

 

-eric

 

 

Good. as far as I'm concerned. Have 5 in total on two severs, put two in two of the guilds I run for the guildie's who have stuck by me and remained members despite my lack of attendance due to being in hospital. I have one left which if they were changed would have just sold or better yet traded for some ultimate armour and mods. Now this has been put to bed so to speck I think I will transfer the slot machine to a republic toon and put it in that guild's stronghold.

 

Ok as for this part

"With that being said, we do hear the concern from many of you around the effects of the Jawa Junk’s drop rate on the economy. We are going to take a look at it and make changes accordingly. I will let you know once I know more. In the meantime, have fun!"

 

That saddens me a little, but if you do drop the rate add something else instead,

[DarthTHC]

I think the main idea behind this machine is something like this:

- Get people to buy packs for the slot machine, let the word spread of how good it is

- Reach a certain point, when pack sales have already reached the maximum and are not going to increase, maybe because everyone and his dog already owns the slot machine.

- Nerf the hell out of the slot machine = thus making the investment of many players rather short lived.

 

Prepare to make a new rulette machine.

 

Clearly, this one sees.

[DarthTHC]

Let's talk about those money-grubbing, price-gouging, resource-baroning wealthy crafters you want so desperately have the game harm...

 

I can feel your anger, it gives you focus, makes you stronger.

 

Anger is the ally of the Dark Side. It blinds you to the truth.

 

TL;DR:

 

 

The only way to become a wealthy crafter in this game is to have had the lowest price item of its kind posted tens of thousands of times over the course of the game's lifetime.

 

Is that really the person you want to pursue with pitchforks and flaming torches?

 

 

OK, DarthToker, we get it. You're only writing this wall of bula-bula to humanize yourself, to get us to not hate you.

 

DarthToker? That's cute. My name has nothing to do with that, but I can see how you might make the connection. It entertains me that it entertains you, so let's go with that.

 

Anyway, if you're at all familiar with the green walls of text with which I litter these forums, you must know that I am among the most unapologetically abrasive posters here. I clearly don't care what you think about me.

 

 

However, I do appreciate knowledge, facts, and logic and, believe it or not, that's why I post. Well, it's not so much for those things, but how people react to them.

 

I seek the ever-elusive individual who is capable of considering new information, flowing logic from that, and actually changing his mind. That person is a rare find. We are all so wrapped-up in our pre-conceived notions, prejudices, and thought patterns that our cognitive dissonance prevents us often from changing our mind.

 

But that rare person who can do that, who can learn (for learning is, by definition, changing your mind), that is a person I can learn from.

 

And... the emotional, rail-against-all-logic responses that most give, those are my entertainment. For at least here, within the context of this game, that response only hurts the player exhibiting it instead of society as a whole, which is a nice distraction from too-real, real-world issues.

 

 

So, how do we crafters make our credits? I will "open the kimono" and tell you.

 

But first be certain that I'm talking about only crafters, people who use raw materials and schematics to assemble goods and post them to GTN for sale. There are other ways to make money - arbitrage and "playing the market" - which I'll discuss later. This is about crafters.

 

 

In this post, I will use an example crafter. He's a lot like me, but somewhat different, because I'm not giving everything away.

 

Also, most of this covers 2.0 period crafting. 3.0 is still in flux, especially with this new way to get materials, so I am not yet certain how it will shake out.

 

 

Let's say our crafter, DarthToker, has been crafting since the game began. Let's say he's accumulated a current balance of something around 600 million credits...

 

600 Million?!? That's 100x more than I've ever had in my account at once! HE'S AN EVIL, PRICE-GOUGING DRAIN ON SOCIETY! Quick, grab the pitchforks and torches, boys, we got us a crafter to lynch!

 

Anger is the ally of the Dark Side. It blinds you to the truth.

 

I have less than 600 million. The main reason for that is that I'm lazy. I'll go weeks on end without ever posting anything to GTN. Had I only been less lazy, I think would have a lot more than that. DarthToker is effectively a less lazy version of me, so I know exactly what he does to make his money. He just does more of it than I do.

 

 

So to have that 600 million credits, DT must have had more than that in sales. He does have expenses. He runs missions to get materials, or he buys them from GTN, a combination of both, really, but a lot more mission-running. So there's the materials expense.

 

But he's also a normal player with normal goals. He's leveled alts and spent money outfitting them. He's a member of a guild and has donated the equivalent of more than 2 entry-level guild ships to that guild. But overall, he doesn't splurge a whole lot on himself, maybe a few million a month in fun-money.

 

So he's probably kept 60% of everything he's ever made.

 

That means he's done GTN sales of (600,000,000 / 0.6) = 1,000,000,000 / .94 (gtn fee) = 1,063,829,787 but let's just call it an even billion.

 

BILLLION? With a "B"? HE'S AN EVIL, PRICE-GOUGING DRAIN ON SOCIETY! Quick, grab the pitchforks and torches, boys, we got us a crafter to lynch!

 

Anger is the ally of the Dark Side. It blinds you to the truth.

 

Really, guys, that whole pitchfork and torches schtick is getting kind of old...

 

Let's also say that the average price of the thing he sold on GTN was about 31k.

 

 

Throughout 2.0, I sold mostly augments, augmentation kits, and biochem consumables. Biochem consumables outsold augments 10:1 on quantity. Augments outsold aug kits probably 10:1 also.

 

I sold Biochem consumables consistently for 15-20k but let's go high and call it 20k. I sold aug kits consistently for around 60k. Augments is a weird market that starts really high, then tapers off quickly to "normal", then falls slowly. Normal was probably in the range of 130k per augment.

 

So if we take the average of that ((100 * 20k) + (10 * 130k) + 60k) / 111 = 30,270. Let's round it up to 31k.

 

 

If our crafter, DT, did a billion in sales and his average sale was 31k, that means he sold somewhere around (1,000,000,000 / 31,000 = ) 32,258 items on GTN.

 

Now, please tell me how you go about buying something on GTN?

 

Fine. I'll play your stupid game.

 

I figure out what I need, say a Reflex Augment 36, artifact quality of course. So I go to the GTN terminal and type into the search text box, "Refl Augm 36" and I set the "Quality" selector to Artifact. Then I hit search.

 

This pops up a list of usually at least a couple pages of the things ordered sort of randomly. I click the "Price" column header and the game does nothing because it's bugged. So then I click the "Unit Price" column header a few times, then maybe back to "Price" until I've worked around the bug and I'm confident that the lowest priced item is there on the top of the list.

 

I look at the price on that lowest priced item and, if I can stomach it, I buy it.

 

So wait a minute. You're telling me that you will only buy the lowest priced item on GTN?

 

What do you think I am, some sort of moron who's going to buy the highest priced item just becuase?

 

It's not like the 250k item is better in any way than the 125k item. You crafters, no matter who you are, always make items exactly the same as each other.

 

Of course I'm only buying the lowest priced item! Geez, DarthToker, get a flippin' clue!

 

Interesting. OK then.

 

Would that by extension mean that the only way our crafter, any crafter, is selling an item, is by having the lowest priced one on GTN at the time someone wants to buy?

 

(Hint: Here's where your cognitive dissonance will start to kick in... fight it!)

 

Uh... I hate you.

 

Hatred is the ally of the Dark Side. It blinds you to the truth.

 

So what you've just told me is that the fact of the matter is, this wealthy crafter has literally, tens of thousands of times, had the lowest priced item on the GTN when someone wanted to buy?

 

Because if he had the HIGHEST price item, he would have sorted off the page and nobody would have bought from him? The guy gouging actually doesn't ever make the sale and never gets wealthy?

 

But the guy with the lowest prices the most consistently, the only way to make all those sales, he's the bad guy, the price gouger, the resource baron, that you want the game to cause great harm to?

 

That seems... what word will the mods let me use here?... counterproductive, doesn't it?

 

A Word On Market-Players And Pricing

 

I have, from time to time, shared that I could post my crafted goods for well under market price and still be happily profitable. And that is the dead nuts truth.

 

But I won't. I can't.

 

The reason for that is that there are players out there who make their money by buying low and selling normal.

 

 

You might have thought "selling high", but as you can clearly see from the text above, "high" doesn't sell. Only normal does.

 

 

If I were to post an item that normally sells for 125k at the 45k I would be happy with, those players would scoop it up and re-list it immediately. They would be taking 80k profit on that item, but providing absolutely no value to the transaction.

 

 

You can't test this now, because the market is in a crazy state of flux due to the combination of 3.0, Grade 11 on Jawa vendors, and free mats from the slot machines.

 

But in 2.x, you could have proved this to yourself by buying 3 of any augment for the going rate (say 125k) and immediately re-listing them for 50k. Stand by a mailbox for 2 minutes and read the sale mails you get. Make note of the player's name that bought them. It's all the same player.

 

Now search the GTN for that item. You'll see three of them listed from that same guy at the lowest price. He just made 75k an item because you foolishly listed way below market value.

 

Well just make more and keep posting.

 

I can't. Resource rarity means that I can only make so many of my widgets before I run out of resources, and the re-lister "wins".

 

 

I once tried to do that, not with crafted materials, but resources.

 

Someone had listed his own at 200% of what I knew market value to be, and it was the lowest price out there. So I listed some of mine lower than that to get the sale. He bought them immediately. So I listed more at a higher price.

 

This game continued on, with me listing at up to 190% of market value and him buying every single stack I posted until I had sold him an entire bank tab full of the resources.

 

Clearly, he was trying to corner the market on this item and gouge players in doing it. I was stunned that he had the credits and tenacity to keep going. I knew I wasn't the only one posting in this fashion, too. He dumped tens of millions of credits onto me doing this. I can't imagine how many credits he burned.

 

The next day I logged in after work and found that the market had returned to its normal price. All the effort, all the credits this guy wasted.

 

It might be possible for someone who makes an exceptionally rare item, as maybe the 37-level item modifications are now, to corner the market like that. But the guy making augments and biochem consumables that everyone can make? Not at all possible.

 

 

Postum-Concludo

 

You don't have to get me free resources for me to hit the price point you desire. You certainly don't have to pay me to take the resources as the slot machines are doing now. I can hit your price point and be happy doing it with what I've always paid for raw materials.

 

What you need to do is let me get MORE raw materials. And that's where my and LA's suggestions for changes to mission skills come in.

 

But until and unless these slots are changed, missions are completely irrelevant. These slots are exactly like some guy coming up to me and saying, "I don't need all these Midlithe crystals. Here, here's 100,000 credits. Please take these stupid crystals off my hands."

 

It would be the epitome of foolishness to get them any other way.

Edited January 19, 2015 by DarthTHC

[TheGreatFrosty]

My god.

 

This is why nothing gets solved here.

 

The machines are the most cost effective way to get materials. If you don't wish for the purples, but only for the greens, you can still sell the purples and be making continuous profit whilst farming greens. What's more, the greens can be used to select any material you wish, removing the issues present in crafts such as Archeology where only 1 or 2 mission are usually for power crystals and typically two of the others for colour crystals.

 

In every single the way the slot machines are more convenient and more cost effective. I'd never, ever try to farm purple mats with these in the current form.

 

On TOFN, as I'm sure on other servers, there are a bounty of strongholds open to allow people to use machines. One such one, Giradda's Palace or something, has 6 or so machines. It isn't an achievement to have access to them, and it shouldn't enable you to shortcut the entire resource gathering system.

 

One sound investment of 3-4mil and you're set.

 

Whatever you do, whichever way you do it, you're always making continuous profits through machines. You're always getting the mats you want. if you don't want purples, for whatever reason, you simply sell them, and you're still making profit + the green and blues you get.

 

EDIT: But let's say you're right, that farming green through mission skills is still the best way.

 

Is it OK for any single one of the gathering skills to be completely nullified by these machines? What about Treasure Hunting, Diplomacy, Underworld Trading? Are you OK with these now being utterly useless?

Edited January 19, 2015 by CommunityDroidEU
Removing insulting parts

[shinkabuto]

One thing that I didn't see discussed here (but I didn't read every post, there was just too much) is supply and demand.

I think in the past it was much more difficult to supply the epic mats then it is now. So what is going to happen? The demand is still high now, but once everybody is geared it will drop dramatically. When I hear things like 17 stacks of midlithe crystal I'm thinking right away what are people going to do with that? What would you do with 850 enhancements or 425 relics? I mean if a few dozen people do that, there will be too much mats, and mats won't be worth a thing anymore.

 

It's like a cornucopia of mats, it will never stop flowing, and we will never need a grade 11 mat again.

[Halinalle]

When I hear things like 17 stacks of midlithe crystal I'm thinking right away what are people going to do with that?

 

Let's start with

You need 10 for one of the new crystals.

 

Also 186 relics require 4.

[MiaowZedong]

One thing that I didn't see discussed here (but I didn't read every post, there was just too much) is supply and demand.

I think in the past it was much more difficult to supply the epic mats then it is now. So what is going to happen? The demand is still high now, but once everybody is geared it will drop dramatically. When I hear things like 17 stacks of midlithe crystal I'm thinking right away what are people going to do with that? What would you do with 850 enhancements or 425 relics? I mean if a few dozen people do that, there will be too much mats, and mats won't be worth a thing anymore.

 

It's like a cornucopia of mats, it will never stop flowing, and we will never need a grade 11 mat again.

 

This is already the case. Blue mats have never been worth anything. They are litterally vendor trash. If that wasn't a problem before, even assuming your scenario is true (and it isn't), why would it be more of a problem than the existing scenario?

 

@Eric Musco: if you're actually reading, is there any plan to ever fix the situation with blue mats at any point?

Edited January 19, 2015 by MiaowZedong

[DarthTHC]

One thing that I didn't see discussed here (but I didn't read every post, there was just too much) is supply and demand.

I think in the past it was much more difficult to supply the epic mats then it is now. So what is going to happen? The demand is still high now, but once everybody is geared it will drop dramatically. When I hear things like 17 stacks of midlithe crystal I'm thinking right away what are people going to do with that? What would you do with 850 enhancements or 425 relics? I mean if a few dozen people do that, there will be too much mats, and mats won't be worth a thing anymore.

 

It's like a cornucopia of mats, it will never stop flowing, and we will never need a grade 11 mat again.

 

That is true. Artifact level mats have always been too rare. The rarity, not the price of acquisition, of those mats is what drove GTN prices to be higher than they could have been.

 

OK... yeah, you see it. The market will be so flooded with free mats that the sale price of anything made with them will approach zero... as close to zero as people who invest the time to be able to craft the stuff and more time to manage selling it are willing to accept.

 

It means that instead of spending 125k on an augment, you might spend 30k.

 

But it also means that the players who can get into the ops to RE the level 37 items, they are going to make a killing. Those will be the only rare items left, because they're hard to learn to make and the materials for them still can't be farmed from the slots. Oh, and players will have all that extra cash because they're saving 100k per agument now, so that's where the "gouging" will happen.

 

And there will be nothing that the veritable army of crafters on each server can do to bring those prices down, because too few of them have access to the ops needed to get the schematics and rare crafting mats.

 

 

And again, you're wrong thinking this is self-serving, me hating on those guys who can get into the ops. I have access to ops. I could be that guy cornering the market on hilts or barrels or whatever if I wanted to. And I might. But you should want me to be him because I know that the only way I get to sell my stuff, to keep getting richer, is for my stuff to be the lowest price of its kind on the GTN when you want to buy.

 

 

Oh, those and the ultra-rare drops from Cartel Market gambling packs. Good for BioWare, I guess?

Edited January 19, 2015 by DarthTHC

[Sathid]

For people who are in guilds that do not do the Conquest stuff this slot is great it gives them a chance to get some mats,so why change it? i just dont see the reason.