Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Fellow capsulers, Dear CCP.

If you don't find this introduction intresting, please just skip to Summary.

I would like to point out and discuss few aspects of PLEX behavior in free market economy that are bothering me. I'm not veteran capsuler, nor skilled or infuencional one - just one of many living in EVE universe background. But maybe this point of view will come in handy now.

Lets start with PLEX itself, only item existing in game that can be legaly bought via real world currency. Creation and implementation of PLEX is one of greatest ideas - giving players much more posibilities then in any other MMO. You are good enought? You can play in cost of hours spend in game working to get one. Do you want to kickstart your project? No problem if you have spare money, just put some PLEX'es on the table.

But in this world, sadly, nothing is perfect. Even the best of ideas can and will be misused. Free market and laws guilding its behavior are inevitable - if there is way to get profit people will find it.

The Reasoning

Supply and Demand. It should explain everything, it should be simple. But it isn't.

PLEX are bought for two reason - you want to get service yourself (Game time, AUR, etc), or you want to sell them for ISK. Only second part is intresting for us here, so lets focus on it.

If you sell you want that ISK in moment you put PLEX into gameworld, after all it was the only reason you did it in given time. Supply is generated by people able to give real money to support and sustain CCP.

But what about Demand?

One source is obvious, people that worked in game to get one. For game time, AUR or whatever they need or want. It is only natural, the reason why such system was implemented in first place.

Second source of Demand is nightmare of our great system. People that have enought ISK to intercept part of currently added PLEXes as an future market play. It is more then OK from Supply perspective - they get what they want. But those PLEXes aren't used. They disapear from market until they hoarders can make profit selling them. Ugly speculation.

Can CCP do something about it? Or rather do laws of free market allow to do anything?

Well... Any intervention will bring only short term change, often followed by reverse, Yo-yo like effect. There is no way to directly control or influence price of items in free market in way we want.


An Idea

CCP is binded by universal rules applying to they creation that they can't change. That is true.

But what if we switch perspective?

Why item that have real money value atteched to it need to work on that same rules as items generated in gameworld?

CCP can't change universal laws but they are game Archgods, every local rule will easly bend to they will.

There is my proposition how to separate PLEX from market speculation leaving it inside free market at that same time:

We don't need second demand generating group, so we shall restrict ability to resell PLEX in market. Person who bring PLEX in game should be unrestricted in way he want to manage it (Sell, move, use etc). But once it change hands PLEX should be locked in state that allow only use - no moving, selling, contracting etc. Due to donate option you can extend game time at your alts or friends acc without any problems. That option could be expand by activating other PLEX option for someone else (There is no way to trade for such thing, no guarantee that gifted person will pay).

Summary

PLEX price is significantly influenced by market plays and speculations that are inseparable part of free market. There is no way CCP can influence PLEX price due to simple laws of economy.

Due to it we should change PLEX status as an item. It should no longer be treated as every other that is 100% in-game generated.

PLEX when it come to game should be 100% unrestricted, as it is today. But once it somehow change owner, from this point it should be impossible to do anything but use it. That would force people to buy only that amount of PLEXes they and they alts/friends directly need.

Example of Implementation

Every PLEX already in game should be associated with current owner. We could for example change it name to G-PLEX what stands for General Player Licence EXtension. Every new PLEX should be a G-PLEX as well.

Once G-PLEX is sold, contracted, traded, droped in jetcan and picked - in other words it is own by someone else it is no longer G-PLEX. Game will change it to P-PLEX. Personal Player Licence EXtension. When person trade for G-PLEX it should get notification that upon end of transaction she/he will not be able to resell it in any way.

P-PLEX can't be moved from station hangar and is automaticaly moved to it if capsuler is docked to station owned by NPC an have one in hold. You can't sell, contract or trade P-PLEX but in any time from any place you can activate and use any of its function you like.

Final Thoughts

This post is writen in rather confident style. I'm not saying that whole universe work exacly like I belive it does. It is my attempt to present way of my thoughts that lead to presented idea. If I'm wrong please feel free to correct me. If my idea have obvious flaw, please point it out.

I believe that it may help. That is why I sacrificed my sleep time to write it down (Idea poped out from nowhere just before I fall asleep)

Thanks for your patience and attention if your read whole message. I hope that it wasn't waste of your time and together on this basic we will be able to create working solution.

o7