What if...Official Purchasable Content/Resources

[curmudgeony]

On the heels of my Purchasable Skills debate, and the news that EA is selling unlockable content, perhaps a discussion of the idea of officially sold content is in order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What would the effects on the game and community be if Jagex themselves started offering in-game items (exp, gold, items, etc.) purchased via real-world currency?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please, this is not a debate about, how you feel about this idea, but exploring the effects of such a thing occurring--good and/or bad.

[meb]

It would defeat the purpose of playing. I would quit because everyone with money to spend would have better items or the same as me, without working for it. With stats you no longer get the satisfaction of leveling it/ knowing that you could also buy it.

[caldius]

I think they should allow the purchase of the non-tradable holiday items through their website. But as for xp, gp or other tradable items Id say that its a no-no.

[swampjedi]

They could make a KILLING selling non-tradable holiday items - or other non-tradable items for that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, I'm all for it. I'd love to see items that you could buy, but couldn't be traded. I'd pay for a farmers straw hat and pitchfork, with no stats, just to look cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heck, sell special rune armor with a wide variety of logos. Or sell bank space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever it is, it needs to be UNTRADABLE.

[123Yourgone]

They could make a KILLING selling non-tradable holiday items - or other non-tradable items for that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, I'm all for it. I'd love to see items that you could buy, but couldn't be traded. I'd pay for a farmers straw hat and pitchfork, with no stats, just to look cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heck, sell special rune armor with a wide variety of logos. Or sell bank space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever it is, it needs to be UNTRADABLE.

Agreed, red cav for leesters :lol:

[Jake_Corsair]

They could make a KILLING selling non-tradable holiday items - or other non-tradable items for that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, I'm all for it. I'd love to see items that you could buy, but couldn't be traded. I'd pay for a farmers straw hat and pitchfork, with no stats, just to look cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heck, sell special rune armor with a wide variety of logos. Or sell bank space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever it is, it needs to be UNTRADABLE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus make it look a little different (ie, rubber chicken is white instead of yellow), so that people who actually were around to get them would have proof that they didn't have to buy theirs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could see it working, but then Jagex would have the added problem of people that don't keep their accounts secure losing not only the money for membership but also any extra items/content they bought. Granted it would be like members (no refunds) kind of deal, but they'd still have to deal with all the queries anyway.

[Baezal]

There go all the "Pay $10 for 1Mil!, instant delivery!" websites...

[Nadril]

The only way I could see this working (other than paying for fun non-tradable items) is to have a special 'world cluster' for those who wish to buy items and gold.

[Solidus_77]

There is no way they would do it. They said themselves that they do not want social status to determine one's status ingame

[curmudgeony]

There is no way they would do it. They said themselves that they do not want social status to determine one's status ingame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, they want to make money. And if you think about it, they make the same money off of a player that uses an hour of server time a month, or 10 hours a day of server time. So ultimately, they make "more" off the player that pays monthly, but plays the least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you "buy" in cash in one shot, what it would take in months of game time to get, the company comes out the same or perhaps even ahead.

[Giordano]

I dont like the idea of the rich having everything and the lower classes dont. RuneScape was meant to be like that, and if they do this it really defeats the purpose.

[Gin_and_Tonic]

I dont like the idea of the rich having everything and the lower classes dont. RuneScape was meant to be like that, and if they do this it really defeats the purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So explain the millions on websites that sell Runescape gold? :-w

[mchainmail]

I would like to see the old holiday items available. That way, Jagex could release better holiday items without having to worry about "Player X didn't get this item and is upset b/c he can never get it again"

[Solidus_77]

 

There is no way they would do it. They said themselves that they do not want social status to determine one's status ingame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, they want to make money. And if you think about it, they make the same money off of a player that uses an hour of server time a month, or 10 hours a day of server time. So ultimately, they make "more" off the player that pays monthly, but plays the least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you "buy" in cash in one shot, what it would take in months of game time to get, the company comes out the same or perhaps even ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but if they do that, people will think that it will be allowed to buy from anyone selling runescape items. They still want to maintain rule 12 and I think they care about their players a little too much to kill the game.

[netron28]

Remember rule 12, people? I don't think Jagex would want to break a rule they put in place. :)

[Duke_Freedom]

Effects of game companies selling:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Experience: Material prices probably drop, price of ingame gold in general may drop as well. Prices of end-game equipment and rares rises as a result. More high leveled players as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold: Inflation issues. Not recommendable for that reason IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tradable existing items: Negative effect on the ingame prices of the items.

 

 

 

Untradable copies of existing items: Negative effect on the ingame prices of the tradable items, less severe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tradable new items: Negative price effects on substitute goods.

 

 

 

Untradable new items: Negative price effects on substitute goods, less severe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General effects:

 

 

 

- Basically one-sided allowance of real world trading (the buying part allowed only).

 

 

 

- Becomming high-leveled more reachable / easier (for people who have less time to play the game). May make the game more attractable for older people.

 

 

 

- Nice extra income for the game company.

[dargonhuman]

 

I dont like the idea of the rich having everything and the lower classes dont. RuneScape was meant to be like that, and if they do this it really defeats the purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So explain the millions on websites that sell Runescape gold? :-w

 

 

 

Um, they're kinda illegal and not associated with Jagex? Besides which, I've checked the "availability" of several site proclaiming to sell RS gold, and every single one of them was "out of stock until further notice". Which to me means they can't keep their autoers unbanned long enough to drop trade their gp to their mains.

 

 

 

As for the effects of official buyable stuff, they would be catastrophic. Look at the current social divide between f2p and p2p. Now, imagine how much worse that would be with other purchaseable things.

[Goltenzero]

I agree with the first few posters, as long as the items are untradeable i find it would be a win win situation where jagex would make more money and the general prices and attitudes of players would stay the same.

[ghostisalive]

the main basis of this game (agree or not) is repetitiveness i just dont know how they keep the game fun everything you do is just the same old thing yet this game is still awesome my point of this is they would never do that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

one that it would crash the market. runescape is like its own stock market you will notice prices go up and down according to players. whips used to be god knows how much, and recently they shot down 100k. premium clothes would be a good idea (example:maple story).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but i personally think runescape is fun the way it is (and all its repetitive tasks :D).

[maximu160490]

Jagex do sell unlockable content. It's called members. you get more skill snad contnet, jsut 5 bucks a month :) \

[Nadril]

Effects of game companies selling:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Experience: Material prices probably drop, price of ingame gold in general may drop as well. Prices of end-game equipment and rares rises as a result. More high leveled players as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold: Inflation issues. Not recommendable for that reason IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tradable existing items: Negative effect on the ingame prices of the items.

 

 

 

Untradable copies of existing items: Negative effect on the ingame prices of the tradable items, less severe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tradable new items: Negative price effects on substitute goods.

 

 

 

Untradable new items: Negative price effects on substitute goods, less severe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General effects:

 

 

 

- Basically one-sided allowance of real world trading (the buying part allowed only).

 

 

 

- Becomming high-leveled more reachable / easier (for people who have less time to play the game). May make the game more attractable for older people.

 

 

 

- Nice extra income for the game company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're pretty much correct.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good example is what happened in Lineage II retail. The game is over run with bots, which meant that the market got flooded with items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, thats good right? Stuff got cheaper and was easier to buy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of all the players who bought money illegaly (not much was done - or could be done - to stop people) they would buy items for a higher price than people were used to. Because of this prices increased to where you almost needed to buy money to be able to play the game well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now in runescapes case I asume that gold farmers just aren't getting very far so it doesnt really have an impact (plus, items in Lineage II are incredibly rare to get) but if jagex released an option of buying gold.... it wouldn't be good. Hell, even look at item prices on a game such as Everquest II offical Exchange servers (EQII has servers which allow you to buy and sell items for money, legaly, through their website).

[Sk4terpunk90]

Jagex do sell unlockable content. It's called members. you get more skill snad contnet, jsut 5 bucks a month :) \

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you just found the answer friend :lol:

[Jedi_Kane]

Oh I thought you ment like T-Shirts or crap like that. Like put in you mains Username and pass and pick a logo to put on like '*insert skill here* for life' Or type in your own saying. :)

[malo2]

Jagex do sell unlockable content. It's called members. you get more skill snad contnet, jsut 5 bucks a month :) \

what a lot of f2pers (and obviously you) don't get, is that when you turn into a member, gold doesn't just start falling from the sky, you have to work for money as always, just you have more ways to do so. One of my friends is f2p, and I always listen to him say "if I could get members for just 3 days, I could just make a ton of gold and go back to pking in f2p." Well hes been playing for 2 years, and hes still a noob that cant make money and has crappy stats. For some reason he has the commonly wrong idea that when you turn into a member, somehow 500k magically appears in your inventory.

[warren211]

I disagree with buying items. Its bad enough that people waste their whole lives on the game. It'll be worse if they blow all their life savings. Getting hacked doesn't just mean losing the time, effort, and member cash, but also whatever cash you put into getting items. it'll leave to even more heartbreak. newer players can buy their way through lvl 126 in about a month, assuming they didn't buy EVERYTHING they did.

 

 

 

I mean... maybe a fancy little outfit or a little toy that you can buy for reaL cash might not kill anyone. but allowing skills and necessities of the game to be priced in real life? that pushing it.