Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I don't understand why an ISK/USD market hasn't been established. Sure maybe it wouldn't really make a big difference in the core gameplay experience but I think it would be kind of fun and would be another aspect of the game that sets it apart from any other. CCP would probably make quite some money out of it, they could collect a small percentage or a fixed one, and they would be able to get money accounts just like any broker does. I don't see how banking laws are so harsh and hard to comply to.

Now maybe you might think that this will brake the PLEX market because players now will be able to compete for the money with the PLEX, but this is not so. What will happen is that first the players with a lot of Isk (hundreds of billions if not more) might want to get some value out of their idle Isk, driving the exchange rate way down (off course relative to the PLEX dollar prices), prompting players interested in Isk to choose this option instead of the PLEX. This will cause PLEX prices to later shoot up, because demand will be more steady and greater than supply for a while, but then there will be a point of equilibrium and both prices will be steadier, being close to in between the parity value for PLEX and the parity value for game time (Exchange rate parity for PLEX = The price of PLEX / The value of PLEX); example 600 million / 19.95 dollars = 30,075,187 isk/usd, and then (Exchange parity for game time = Isk price of PLEX / dollar value of game time); example 600 million / 14.95 = 40,133,779. What will also happen is that since the game time per month is actually cheaper some players will actually not buy the PLEX and instead sell the ISK to buy it for dollars. There will be a steady flow of money in this market and CCP will be able to profit the same because all that is happening is that players will have more options, and they will chose depending on the prices, but CCP will always supply the game time in the end (directly and indirectly just as now) and they will make money the same. Some times the exchange rate will benefit players buying time with cash or selling isk for dollars, and other times players buying isk for cash or buying PLEX with cash all the same.

The thing about this is not only that it will add a level of economic realism and complexity never before seen in any video game before, but CCP will be able to profit even more than by just selling PLEX and game time because the dollar volume will be much greater since this will encourage speculation from many players (many players here are gamblers or traders and will greatly like this), and much trading volume will be derived from this only, giving CCP the opportunity to make greater profit from the fees associated, which will be recurring from the constant speculation volume just like real world banks and brokers experience. Now the main difference to the whole system in implementing this mechanism is that idle money will be put into use and circulation (many players have too much Isk doing nothing, and many wont care of giving a slice of it in fees for the fun speculating or trading it for dollars). It will give a higher sense of value, reliability and stability to the game since now whatever you do can actually cause you to incur in a opportunity cost from the real currency (and even thou it might be a very small amount this will remain in the subconscious mind) so in the long run it will benefit EVE and CCP. Many people will be more intrigued by this feature. This must be done right if is to succeed, but its nothing too complex or difficult. CCP will always control the money supply and will have to bear greater responsibility by making it and keeping it a stable one, but if they make it right they will be rewarded.

In b4 "shut up rawr rawr rawr no Pay-2-win rawr rawr. Shut up noob. Go play WOW" posters

Edit: Also believe many countries have laws against the trading of virtual currency.

If you can't see the difference between buying plex of USD and selling them for peoples hard earned isk and CCP magicing isk out of thin air whenever you want to spend some dollars on it i really don't know how to help you.

The market in eve is already heavily inflated due to a lack of isk sinks, this idea would **** the game up beyond recognition..

AND it would cause another player riot, CCP really don't want more player riots.

Oh but you're so wrong my friend. USD is hard earned, what makes you thing Isk is harder to get than USD, in fact its all the way around! The currency market would not be for CCP to sell Isk, its for players to sell Isk! So obvious, they will make the money from the fees of the volume, not from printing Isk. This would create another Isk sink from the fees mainly by the speculation. In fact prices will most likely be lower since instead of players hoarding stuff to preserve the value, they will sell some of the stuff and get money since ingame inflation is greater than outgame inflation.

What you are proposing is exactly why the statue in Jita has holes now.

There is a big difference between buying PLEX from CCP and selling it in game for ISK and buying ISK directly from CCP out of thin air. When someone buys plex and sells it in game they are getting ISK from people who spent time ratting/mining. They are also subject to market swings. Buying PLEX from CCP isn't an ISK faucet because your irl money doesn't create ISK. It only buys you a high value item that you can trade for ISK.

Your idea would circumvent the economy and inject ISK directly into it. You would no longer be subject to market swings. And if you have enough IRL money you could buy 10 trillion ISK and completely crash eve's economy to the point CCP would have to do a server roll back. Think this is a long shot? Think again. There was/still is a Russian aluminum tycoon who spent something like $100,000 in plex to fund his entire alliance. Why you ask? Because he could.

The other part of your idea to allow players to trade in game ISK for IRL currency would mean CCP and consequently every player would be subject to IRL banking laws. This would be a major PITA for CCP so it will never happen. Don't feel bad this idea got shot down. Give it a week and there will be another thread proposing something along the same lines.

When you sell PLEX for ISK the ISK you get has come from bounties etc that someone else has worked for.

When you just give USD for ISK the ISK you get comes out of thin air.

That's a MASSIVE difference.

EDIT:
Saw your point about the ISK being from fees taken from players. Surely that would be cutting down a major ISK sink?

Simple: Why do you think banks do not allow you to print your own money? You would still need money to buy the base materials, right?

It's called inflation. Allowing any person to print money would fack ap the economy big time, hence, it is not allowed in either RL or EVE. If you can't see this, then I would have to ask a moderator to lock this thread, as continuing with it would be pointless.

Where's the "circumvent" in the equation??? Its NOT from CCP, but only from PLAYERS ONLY! Its not like getting PLEX, only players get dollars payed, CCP only gets FEES from the sales!

If I understand this right, you want to be able to make real money by playing EvE.

If this is the case, games (MMO's) have been doing this for years. EvE should not.

This.

Entropia Online is owned by a bank, not an MMO company.