Virtual games real money (long)

[Pyros]

Maybe i'm getting old but both me and my wife were brought up to believe hard work is what matters.

We all know in the real world this doesn't stand up, but everyone starts on a basically equal footing okay you have kings and queens rich and poor, but there is no outside influence in life that kicks it your way (unless you sold your soul to a nice daemon with an inside bet)

Like everyone I've cheated at single player games, (as a rule of thumb i'll complete a game without god mode ect then go back and explore the game looking at all the nice graphics ect afterwards).

But online multiplay games niether me or my wife have cheated, we have enough respect for other players not too.

Cheating : An unfair advantage

The first game where real money cheating was involved that I knew of was a text based mud called Entradi, by paying real money to the owners of the mud you could get bigger houses built, better god made weapons meaning a player without rl money to spare couldn't compete with you.

If you didn't have the real money to spare or a credit card, tough luck no matter how good you were at the game you could never get as good or do aswell.

Meridian 59, Everquest, Asherons call and UO, a new breed of player came along most didn't even like the games but each night they would log on camp items gain resources ect and sell them for real money.

The bad side to these kind of people are its there livelyhood and little old you who just wants to have fun killing monsters or destroying enemies can get alot of hassle.

The main bad points of this kind of economy

1)A spoilt brat with daddies credit card can buy a maxed out char or the most powerful items in 30 second where as if you even though you put alot of effort in it could take 1 year real time to do the same.

2)What is worse these guys have no idea how to use these uber characters and get alot of people killed or just annoyed.

Sadly I just learnt of the following

"GCO will fully support and encourage a real-world economy and have a special server setup specifically for galcreds and US dollar currency exchange...buy an entire city that would cost about 1000 real world DOLLAS!!!"

This is why we will never play or beta this game unfortunatly, a game player likes to think the playing field is level in a game not level unless you don't have rich parents or alot of money to spare, real money influence is in my view some of the worst cheating in games and totally related to how much money you have real life..

Can people seriously tell me they want to be in a game world where your holdings that took you 100 plus hours to work for, someone better off than you in real life can gain in minutes.

Its probably me thats wrong but I see it as a negative affect on gameplay (Pczone had an article on this awhile ago and how bad it is)

[ShoHashi]

quote:

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"GCO will fully support and encourage a real-world economy and have a special server setup specifically for galcreds and US dollar currency exchange...buy an entire city that would cost about 1000 real world DOLLAS!!!"

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I read that also. But I have no problems with it. If I interpret it correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong, Derek), my assumption is that the money will go to 3000AD where I'm sure it will be used to offset the cost of maintaining GCO.

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Commodore ShoHashi

ICV Aries, New Frontier (Rinaal)

Station Commander, New Frontier

Bishamon Fleet

ICQ 484321

[email protected]

"You can only love or hate something you truly understand."

[This message has been edited by ShoHashi (edited 12-10-2000).]

[Pyros]

Hey I have nothing against money going to Derek, i'd gladly pay $80 upfront and 30$ per month for playing BUT only if I knew every other player was doing the same and it was an equal playing field but as I see it now its the: I've got more money rl than you and therefore I can have more in game than you.

If you are happy with that np i haveto stick to my own ideals and beliefs, personally I could have made £1000's in Everquest by hunting items with my chars and selling them online but its just something inside me that I can't..

Sorry Derek

[Gallion]

Well Pyros, that be you decision whether or not to partake in the GCO experience.

As to some the RL economy model that GCO portends to offer - I'll wait and see what actually bears fruit.

I can tell you one thing, if some player is bold enough to fork out cold hard currency out for the edge, and buys themself a starbase or starstation, there will be those other players that will try their damanest to take it out and implement a DeD process on it. Yep, you guessed it. That player would be me I will talke advantage of all legitament venues and opportunities to advance my GCO endeavor(s). If another player suffers aong the way - to bad. Their lose is my gain.

But I digress and banter about something that is still in the design/planning phase. The way I understand it, if a player forks out hard currency for their GCO endeavors, an insurance policy is taken out ATT. So it is in GCO admin's best interest that nothing happens to those assets belonging to a premium subcriber.

Food for thought and more Targets of opportunity to initiate a DeD process.

TTFN

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Fleet Commander Gallion

(Pro Tem)

GCV Graf Spee, Starbase Cerberus

Fleet Leader - Wraith Fleet (Pro Tem)

Wing Leader - Wraith Fleet/Corsair Wing

"Run Silent, Run Deep"

Corsair Cove

Official Tester, Battlecruiser Series

Co-Leader, Team 1

[This message has been edited by Gallion (edited 12-10-2000).]

[Gryphon]

Heya Pyros,

I tend to take a different stance on that. If you pay $1000 to buy a city in game, that just means me and my clan of h4rdc0re suX03's are going to work that much harder to orbitally bombard it When someone spends that much money on a game, well, I can't help but feel an urge to really ruin their day

So don't get sad. Get a crew of like minded individuals with Battlecruisers and bloodlust and even out the playing field

[This message has been edited by Gryphon (edited 12-10-2000).]

[Tyrn]

Hmmm....nothing like the fresh smell of blood lust in the morning!

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Commander Tyrn Marcel

GCV Falcon, Wraith HQ (Lyrius)

Wing Leader - Wraith Fleet/S.O.G.

Hard, Fast, Furious... FIRST!

Official BCM Beta Tester Team-5 Co-Leader

[Supreme Cmdr]

quote:

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I read that also. But I have no problems with it. If I interpret it correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong, Derek), my assumption is that the money will go to 3000AD where I'm sure it will be used to offset the cost of maintaining GCO.

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I have been trying to refrain from commenting on this, simply because it is far more complex that you folks realize. Further, I don't particularly want to reveal too much.

However, rest assured, there will be normal servers where only in-game commerce is used, as well as servers where in-game and/or real-world commerce is used. There is no cross-over since both will require unique accounts. e.g. you can't create a persona/account on one server and use that persona/account on another. You'd need two separate accounts, which means monthly payments for both accounts.

Again, the details are still up in the air.

[Pyros]

[ShoHashi]

quote:

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I have been trying to refrain from commenting on this, simply because it is far more complex that you folks realize. Further, I don't particularly want to reveal too much.

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Like always, I'm sure you'll inform us when the time is right.

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Commodore ShoHashi

ICV Aries, New Frontier (Rinaal)

Station Commander, New Frontier

Bishamon Fleet

ICQ 484321

[email protected]

"You can only love or hate something you truly understand."