lpinkus

Savants!? Wow, our heads do groweth :) Not at all, you can post whatever you like! And I agree with your post, too. lpinkus

I don't really think so. Faster is exactly what makes things easier. Isn't using a search engine to find a plumber faster than using a phone book? lpinkus

Of all the ideas of fixing the rare issue, I think this is the one that would upset merchants the least. I could really see JAGeX implementing it someday. Notice that they (JAGeX) never tinker with the player economy, i.e. not allowing any item to be sold above or below a certain price, which is commendable. They do, however, decide that certain items are untradeable. So, watch out, merchants :) lpinkus

Dargon and I always agree on this. We've only disagreed once thus far, and that was about our favorite kind of pie :) lpinkus

I'm sure enough people have read the "invisibility potion" post, and it got me wondering about something. I'm a non-PKer, and the only time I ever go to wildy is for quests, planks, etc. I wonder this-How many PKers would be upset if a player could choose to be "neutral" before entering the wilderness, at least up to a certain level? I'm really not saying this ought to be implemented, but consider these factors: 1) The "neutral" option must be turned on before entering the wild, and can only be turned off after leaving. 2) The "neutral" option does not make you invulnerable to NPC attacks. 3) You may chat while "neutral," but not trade. The fourth consideration is what I find most interesting about the wild. Many PKers, at least some, do not care about getting your armor, weapons, runes, gp, etc. They just want to annoy you, i.e., kill you for plain kicks so you have to make another trip :) The way it is now, it's their right to do so; the wild is dangerous, I understand that. However, say that percentage of players was 10% or so. That means the other 90% wish to PK for items or for fun and would have no problem with those who are "neutral." I will lastly state that I have run into many very nice players in the wild/Edgeville dungeon who have not attacked me when I said I wasn't interested in PKing. Not that you have to be proven "nice" to play RS, but I wonder how many players are of this sort, and I guess this is post my litmus test for finding out :) lpinkus

Coming from the anti-rare side, I do find this idea curious, but it would proabably make rare merchants pretty mad, as well as the buyers. I also don't think the merchants would decrease the prices; their unwillingness to do so is exactly what makes them rich. They would likely raise the prices so that their profit is the same. I also don't think JAGeX will ever interfere with the so-called "value" of these rares. They'll either let it be or immediately get rid of them/make them untradeable. JAGeX knows they made a mistake with the phat drops, but I give them credit in letting the economy be. They let players decide prices on whips, mauls, etc., despite the merchants having too much control. Of course, those prices will drop-the phat prices won't :) lpinkus

Agreed. I never expected to like RS as much as I do, and part of it is because it's clan-less. lpinkus

No, the prices also make merchants rich. Personally, my goal is to acquire xp, not save up to buy an old item for looks or for further profit. That may be just my opinion, but I really don't see how it can be a "goal" to spend all one's gp on a non-stat improving rare. lpinkus

Kids play this game *too?* I'm 27, but *most* people who play RS are kids, younger than 14 or so. They're called "tweens," apparently, aged between children and teenagers. The male and female characters look plently different enough as they are :) lpinkus

I am wholeheartedly sorry if I hurt the feelings of rare merchanters or the simple owners of rares. I apologize :) But, when that rare owner gets tired of his party hat, I bet he's going to sell it and not give it away or alch it :) Yes, I already posted that I agree with this. Well said. I just made a post on another topic where a guy wanted all the rares sold at Diango's because the prices are *now* "way out of control." You know, because I could see a phat being worth 20 million, but 18 million!? Well, now that's just ridiculous! :) By the way, I just made my first million, so I'm well on my way to not buying a party hat :) lpinkus

Yes, because I was trying to keep the posts on-topic. It's necessary to do that now and again, I guess. Sorry I didn't combine all my thoughts into one post; the TipIt staff can subtract 1 from my post count if they like:) I agree with that. I understand this. I will say that I immediately see the money I earn in rs as the ability to buy *useful* items. These items will help me raise skills, which will earn me more money, etc. This is a weird comparison, but a mother and father earn money to support themselves and the people they love, not to tell their kids how much money they have :) If you open your wallet and see $300, that money is not valuable because it's made of paper. It's valuable because it can get you things you need or desire. Wait a minute...aren't party hats made of paper? I have no idea what that means :\ lpinkus

Duke_Freedom and I have been discussing this for weeks now-he's pro rare-merchanting and I'm anti, but it's been fun. Anyways, as far as implementing "new" rares, which is sort of a contradiction, that made me chuckle. JAGeX never wanted rares to end up like they are now, remember that. The only reason that they don't just get rid of them altogether is to not upset the merchants/owners of these items. Nevertheless, holiday drops were meant to be fun and have no effect on the RS "economy." You may notice that it's like that now. They got it right the second time :) So you want them sold at Diango's? Sure, no problem with me! But I don't want one whether it costs 1 million gp or 1 gp :) lpinkus

I do see some links, but I don't think it's completely the same. 1) is true. 2) is not, in runescape or real life. I would guess that most party hat buyers are investors, merchants who are buying lower and selling higher, not people who are enchanted by the way a phat looks :) Maybe I'm biased because I understand what it takes to produce great music, but I'm sure it takes longer than coding the pixels for a phat. With 3), I half agree. By your definition of "useful," I agree, but I think the average human being is more greatly affected (not to mention enriched) by good music, be it Beethoven or Niravana, than by the artfulness in a phat. This is besides the fact that they are hard to/take time to acquire, but it also takes time to acquire a taste for some of the greatest music, and art, and food, etc. Again, in a cold sense of "useful," I agree, but I would give up Runescape before I gave up Ravel :) lpinkus

As I already said...this is the best discussion I've ever been a part of on these boards. Why say it's pointless? Add your opinion if you feel like making your post count go up. I'm not being nasty, I'd really like to hear other takes. lpinkus

This is the best discussion I've ever been a part of on these boards, but I'm sorry if you don't think it's meaningful. lpinkus

How about it only works in banks, then? lpinkus

Yeah, that's what I was thinking :) One also doesn't appear to "miss" when you swing a dragon longsword, yet you see that blue zero. It's just a matter of coding more animation. lpinkus

A good point, as is the other point rukano made about low-level merchanting. I still think this would make some trading simpler, but not as a replacement for public trade chat. lpinkus

I've changed my mind. No invisibilty :) I thought of a group of 50 PKers with no white dots as I try to gather planks in wildy. lpinkus

I appreciated your post, read the whole thing. But, with all due respect to you and your cousin, look deeper into the Picasso-there's more in there than in a phat :) lpinkus

The "make them untradeable" idea, then, would work for you. But, now that you got me thinking, here's an idea: How about it rares could be shared but not traded? If people truly want a rare to show it off, they could "borrow" it from another player, no money or trades. And, since there is no longer any gp value, that player would be unlikely to not give it back. This is flawed, but it does eliminate any economic problems the rares cause. lpinkus

If everyone reasoned like that, it would be true that rares would be worthless. But not everyone has the same idea's as you about this. People are willing to pay these high prices for various reasons, of which I already gave a few some posts earlier. True! We all have different ideas. People can spend their gp how they feel, but even if all my levels were 99 and I had 999 million gp, I can't see wanting one of those things. I appreciate your "market value" explanation, which although clear, is fairly different I think in a computer game than at the NYSE. I'm not an economist, so I'll just respond to what I quoted. I have seen many posts by people who say they'd get rid of a rare after PKing it. Now, PKing is not my style, and I'm not about to start to acquire rares. I also assume PKers don't wear them PKing due to their aformentioned, ahem, "status." Still, these players who would like to get rid of the rares would be in agreement with me-they would likely sell them for 1 gp (or less). But, since you got me thinking about it, I'll be more accurate. I wouldn't sell it for 1 gp, because the buyer would make the very millions to which I'm opposed. It doesn't really matter why the art is famous to me :P. My point was that most art didn't have any (market) value when it was created, and gained it's current value over time - just like all rares in RuneScape did. It's not just a random chance that art in rl and rares in rs are similiar in that... It's a standard economic concept that they both share. Although there's probably some logic in that, trust me, Beethoven's decision to write symphonies was better than JAGeX's decision to drop phats :) Not over time, IMMEDIATELY. There is value in art that can not be measured by money or how old it is. And, there is an enjoyment of playing RS that cannot be measured by acquiring gp. lpinkus

I'm not a PKer, but with tweaking this could work. Jungle spiders, shadow warriors, can hide themselves, why not players? lpinkus

Best discussion I've ever had on these forums. If were rich in RS, I wouldn't buy a phat, and if I were rich in real life, I wouldn't "pay tons for a cool car!" People obviously do, but I don't know why, in either case. I play RS because it's a fun way to blow off steam, yet it also becomes more fun by gaining xp and acquiring levels and skills. If I buy a phat, to me, the game does not become more enjoyable, I just get to wear a colored thing on my head. In fact, it might become less enjoyable that way: "CAN I PLZ BY YOUR PHAT? I NOOB." :) Lol. Well, I'm gonna try. Go to popular auction websites and you'll see the ridiculous prices people pay for silly things. The truer statement is that an item is worth whatever a individual is willing to pay. And, if one were selling me a phat, I would only be willing to pay 1gp because a) To me, it's worth no more than that, and B) I would be not reselling it, rather getting rid of it somehow. Yes, people, I'm crazy! But PM me in the game and I'll buy your phats anytime, 1 gp each. Well, I'll reveal my form of employment to field this one. I'm a music teacher, and not to toot my horn, rather to give me credibility, I have a few music degrees. From my study of music and the arts, I would say that the works of Beethoven or Matisse are not famous because they're old, they're famous beacuse they're ingenious and beautiful. And, they're not just old, they're timeless. I'm not about to use "ingenious" or "timeless" to describe a phat just yet. I don't exactly recall saying that, but to clarify, I assume these drops were originally intented to be fun, nothing more, yet it became a monster. And I completely agree that if the item is meant to show your experience, it should not be tradeable. That's why the new ones are not tradeable, I assume. I forget if you can buy them at a shop, anyways. As for the disks and wines, I can't say I've had any experience with those items. People also can't wear them on their person. :) And I agree, I don't think JAGeX ever meant to have the concept of a "rare" at all. Like I said, it became a monster. lpinkus

Ok...so you want more worlds. But why? Again, just curious. lpinkus